The Oscar Nominations: A Reaction

By Sean Knight

First let me apologize for my absence from the blog.  My computer is dead and will not be fixed until I have some extra income, in other words not until I get my tax return.  In the meantime Jeanette has been taking care of the blog and was kind enough to post my 2010 Knight Award nominations yesterday.  I am currently using whatever computer I can get my hands on in order to pop on here every once in a while and will continue to do so till my computer is fixed, so bear with me. 



I'm going to do this category by category.  As you can expect lots of bitching will ensue.  Read on after the jump.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions)
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit” (Paramount)
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Colin Firth in “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
James Franco in “127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight)

This category went as expected with the exception of Javier Bardem's nomination.  Support has been gaining for him over the coming weeks and he is well liked within the industry.  His performance is supposed to be the best part of the film.  I have to say that I am extremely disappointed that Leonardo DiCaprio did not manage to get the acting nomination he so deserved for Shutter Island.  In fact, Shutter Island was shut out of every single category.  Not even Dante Firetti's production design was noticed and he is an Oscar favorite.  It is interesting to note that while the Academy didn't give Shutter Island a single nomination, I gave the film 15 nods for the Knight Awards.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Christian Bale in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions)
Jeremy Renner in “The Town” (Warner Bros.)
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)

This category went pretty much as expected as well.  It's a shame that Andrew Garfield was left off though.  He is the heart of The Social Network and there was a time when many people thought that he was a shoo-in and that Jesse Eisenberg was the dark horse for a nomination.  How times have changed.
Performance by an actress in a leading role

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate)
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions)
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight)
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company)

Michelle Williams is the almost surprise here.  Blue Valentine made a big push in late December and though I have yet to see the film I have heard nothing but good things, about her performance especially.  I'm glad that Nicole Kidman is getting the attention she deserves for her heartbreaking performance in Rabbit Hole.  But where is Tilda Swinton for I Am Love?  Not here.  The race is still very much between Portman and Bening.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit” (Paramount)
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom” (Sony Pictures Classics)
 
This category is a complete joke.  First you have Adams and Leo in The Fighter making asses out of themselves by playing complete caricatures instead of attempting to portray real people.  Next you have Carter in what is essentially a cameo role as she does little to nothing in the picture and plays the typical supportive wife character.  Hailee Steinfeld gives a wonderful performance in True Grit, but she is not supporting.  She is very much the lead in that film and has little validity being in the supporting category.  The only nomination that is truly worthwhile here, and the one that I am most happy to see, is Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom.  I have said for a long time now that if she gets nominated she has a great chance of winning the award.  Well the time has come.  Let's see how many voters who haven't seen the film actually put the damn screener in their DVD player now.  She gives one of the best performances of the year.
 
Best animated feature film of the year
“How to Train Your Dragon” (Paramount) Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
“The Illusionist” (Sony Pictures Classics) Sylvain Chomet
“Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney) Lee Unkrich

This is a respectable line-up of nominees.  Toy Story 3 wins this in a walk.  No competition.

Achievement in art direction

“Alice in Wonderland” (Walt Disney)
Robert Stromberg, Karen O'Hara
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part1” (Warner Bros.)
Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
“Inception” (Warner Bros.)
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
“True Grit” (Paramount)
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

Well Alice in Wonderland had to get in somewhere didn't it?  As I've already stated before Shutter Island should have been included here.  Harry Potter is a nice addition, but one has to wonder how many times can this series be nominated in this category using pre-existing sets?  Inception should win this in a walk...

Achievement in cinematography

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight) Matthew Libatique
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Danny Cohen
“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeff Cronenweth
“True Grit” (Paramount) Roger Deakins

I honestly don't know what the hell The King's Speech is doing in most of these craft categories. I found the cinematography of the film to be dull, muted, and at times poorly lit.  This is really a three horse race between Inception, Black Swan, and True Grit.  Roger Deakins is due a win in this race though, so I expect it to go to him when all is said and done.

Achievement in costume design

“Alice in Wonderland” (Walt Disney) Colleen Atwood
“I Am Love” (Magnolia Pictures) Antonella Cannarozzi
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Jenny Beavan
“The Tempest” (Miramax) Sandy Powell
“True Grit” (Paramount) Mary
 
I absolutely adore the nomination for I Am Love in this category.  The Academy doesn't usually go with contemporary costume choices.  This is a nice surprise.  Now if only they would have thrown out a couple more craft categories for this gorgeous piece of work.
 
Achievement in directing
“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight) Darren Aronofsky
“The Fighter” (Paramount) David O. Russell
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Tom Hooper
“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) David Fincher
“True Grit” (Paramount) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
 
I really don't understand the love for The Fighter and at times I feel like I'm the only one who truly hates this film.  Russell's work on the film is at times restrained and at other times obtuse and showy.  He has no directorial vision for the piece and switches back and forth between melodrama and gritty realism on a whim.  He is much more interested in his supporting characters and pays little mind to the main point of view of the story - that of Micky Ward.  Russell paints in broad strokes when he should be looking at the details an inner turmoil of this family.  It's like watching a cartoon most of the time.  He has no business being in this category.  But the real story here is how Christopher Nolan has been shafted once again by the Academy.  Who's dick does he have to suck to get a nomination?  He directed one of the most critically acclaimed and highest grossing pictures of the year.  He made a truly original blockbuster that had people actually thinking and debating the film when they left the theater.  And his reward is the Academy sends him a big "Fuck You Nolan".  The man has 3 DGA nominations and zero Oscar nominations for Best Director.  There is obviously some kind of bias here.
 
Achievement in makeup

“Barney's Version” (Sony Pictures Classics) Adrien Morot
“The Way Back” (Newmarket Films in association with Wrekin Hill Entertainment and Image Entertainment)
Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Wolfman” (Universal) Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

The only film that I have seen out of the three of these is The Wolfman.  The nomination was a given, despite how truly dreadful the picture really was.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“How to Train Your Dragon” (Paramount) John Powell
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Alexandre Desplat
“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman
“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
 
The music branch of the Academy needs a major overhaul. Every year they deem several score ineligible based on bullshit.  This years victims were Black Swan and True Grit, arguably two of the year's very best scores.  The nominees above are a decent bunch.  Hopefully Hans Zimmer will win this for his work on Inception, but Oscar tends to favor sappy sentimental scores.  The King's Speech it is.
 
Achievement in sound editing
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Richard King
“Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney) Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
“Tron: Legacy” (Walt Disney) Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
“True Grit” (Paramount) Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
“Unstoppable” (20th Century Fox) Mark P. Stoeckinger
 
A respectable bunch.  It's sad not to see Black Swan here though.
 
Achievement in sound mixing
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
“Salt” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
“True Grit” (Paramount) Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

What in the hell is The King's Speech doing here and where in the hell is Black Swan?  I do love The Social Network nomination though.

Achievement in visual effects

“Alice in Wonderland” (Walt Disney) Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” (Warner Bros.) Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
“Hereafter” (Warner Bros.) Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
“Iron Man 2” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment, Distributed by Paramount) Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Alice in Wonderland is one of the ugliest looking pictures of the year.  How it ended up in so many craft categories is beyond me.  Inception should win this in a walk, but it may not have enough CGI shots for the Academy's taste.  That's right practical effects can be just as mesmerizing.

Achievement in film editing

“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight) Andrew Weisblum
“The Fighter” (Paramount) Pamela Martin
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Tariq Anwar
“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight) Jon Harris
“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

There is absolutely no excuse as to why Inception is not nominated for Film Editing.  Inception's success hinged on it's brilliant editing, especially within the last 45 minutes.  It was complex and beautiful work and in this case the Academy is just dead wrong. 

Adapted screenplay

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Michael Arndt Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
“True Grit” (Paramount) Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions) Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

The usual suspects are all here.  The Social Network has absolutely no competition in this category.

Original screenplay

“Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Mike Leigh
“The Fighter” (Paramount) Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Written by Christopher Nolan
“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features) Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Screenplay by David Seidler
 
The surprise here is Another Year, which never opened here in Chicago so I never got the chance to see it.  I know that there was a huge push to get Leslie Manville nominated for the film that obviously didn't come through.  I think the race here is between Inception, The Kids Are All Right, and The King's Speech.  Considering Nolan missed out on a Best Director nomination one could imagine the Academy throwing him a bone and giving him the best original screenplay award.  But The King's Speech is the front-runner with 12 nominations and it would be stupid to doubt it's chances here.
 
Best motion picture of the year
“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight)
A Protozoa and Phoenix Pictures Production
Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers

“The Fighter” (Paramount)
A Relativity Media Production
David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers

“Inception” (Warner Bros.)
A Warner Bros. UK Services Production
Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers

“The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
An Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision and Gilbert Films Production
Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers

“The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
A See-Saw Films and Bedlam Production
Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

“127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight)
An Hours Production
Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers

“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Columbia Pictures Production
Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers

“Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production
Darla K. Anderson, Producer

“True Grit” (Paramount)
A Paramount Pictures Production
Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

“Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions)
A Winter's Bone Production
Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

This is a fine set of Best Picture nominees and it makes we wish that I had taken the time to see Winter's Bone before making my end of the year awards.  But now I can at least catch it before Oscar night.  There were definitely some embarrassments this year, but nothing on the level of The Blind Side being nominated for best picture last year.  I will be making my predictions on who will win within the next few weeks as well as giving my thoughts on who should win and who was screwed out of a nomination.  This is where the game gets interesting folks.  Stay tuned.