Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Oscar Nominations

The Oscar Nominations are announced.
Here is the full list
and some commentary: Oscar Nomination Talking Points

BEST PICTURE
The Curiouse Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Once again the Academy proves that they're only interested in late year Holiday pictures. We got two Thanksgiving pictures and three Christmas films. This sends such a depressing sign to studios to keep on ghettoizing adult pitched movies to the last month of the year. I wonder how close The Dark Knight and WALL•E summer blockbusters beloved by both audiences and critics got to this list?


Best Director
David Boyle -Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher -
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard -Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant -Milk
Stephen Daldry -The Reader

Stephen Daldry is batting 1000. He has only made three films and he's been nominated for every single one of them. The other were Billy Elliott and The Hours.


Best Actress
Anne Hathaway -Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie -Changeling
Melissa Leo -Frozen River
Meryl Streep -Doubt
Kate Winslet -The Reader

We knew something had to give here and it was the early critical leaders Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long) and Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky). Thank you to the Academy for rejecting Winslet's category fraud.

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins -The Visitor
Frank Langella -Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn -Milk
Brad Pitt -The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke -The Wrestler


full list of nominees & my prediction accuracy (or not) here
Oscar Nomination Talking Points



167 comments:

Glenn said...

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/livenow?id=6617513 is the best one i've found. 30 seconds...

Catherine said...

HOLY CRAP THE READER IS LEAD!

Anonymous said...

I can't believe they handled Kate Winslet's performance properly. So, so impressed with them.

Glenn said...

MELISSA LEO!! COURTNEY HUNT!!! IN BRUGES!!!! KATE WINSLET FOR THE READER!!!!

omg.

...no Sally Hawkins oh faaarking hell.

Anonymous said...

Oh. My. God. No TDK?

Fail.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm ... Amy Adams for Best Supporting Actress? I didn't really care for her in DOUBT all that much ...

Excellent job, Nathaniel!!

E Dot said...

SALLY HAWKINS :( What the EFF?

Glenn said...

Wow. No Dark Knight OR Wall-E and yet Stephen Daldry goes 3/3...

Anonymous said...

I will repeat:

The Dark Knight is not their style.

And this film is a mess.

Marcelo - Brazil.

Anonymous said...

DARK KNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHT :(

John T said...

The Dark Knight, completely snubbed? Who would have thought-and Best Picture did match Best Director.

Anonymous said...

Predictable choices. I am surprised by the strength of "The Reader" and I do not mean it in a bad way.

Anonymous said...

NOOOOO!!! NO SWEDEN :(((

Katey said...

Man, that Dark Knight snub is going to be that thing we'll be complaining about for years.

I thought I was annoyed by The Reader when I saw it, but now I think I'm moving into active hatred.

Anonymous said...

Ok...even though I'm still scratching my head about a lot of the categories.

They didn't fall for acting category fraud! Made my day!

Catherine said...

Cannot believe TDK didn't get a BP nomination!

rosengje said...

OMG OMG OMG I feel like all sorts of chaos just errupted. The Reader in Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay?! And that Best Original Screenplay category is something to be treasured.

Anonymous said...

It's a huge Oh my God!


Winslet lead for Reader and great success of the movie in general!


Amy Adams nominated! Why? I mean...


Jim

Anonymous said...

Ugh ... there's that damned BENJAMIN BUTTON for Best Picture ...

I'm really, really disappointed that LET THE RIGHT ONE IN didn't at least get a foreign film nod. It's one of the best films I saw in 2008.

Anonymous said...

Bah......I suspect we're going to be seeing a lot of superhero movies coming out in November/December in the coming years.

Dave said...

I wish it to be known that I totally called The Reader. (Unfortunately.)

But no Sally! Bastards.

Glenn said...

I never get into the whole "the Oscars are irrelevant" stuff, but did the Oscars just become irrelevant?

Unbelievable. Still waiting on all the tech noms to show up on the website.

Peter said...

The Reader! Wow!

And no Eastwood!

Anonymous said...

My OMG moment: Kate Winslet as lead for The Reader. Followed by" shit, Hawkins is out.

Glenn said...

Dave, I called Winslet being in for The Reader and not Rev Road. Go me (although a few people decided to do that at the last minute too - i've been saying it for about a month now.)

Anonymous said...

Haha Dave, I can't tell if you're extremely insightful or just lucky. But you definitely had us all beat.

Anonymous said...

How did Winslet get in in lead category for the Reader when the studio was campaigning for that performance in supporting all season long? Is this even possible? SOMEONE EXPLAIN.

Didn't expect the Frozen River screenplay nod.

Anonymous said...

yes! The Reader!!

Curtis said...

Sad for Hawkins! ): Happy for Brolin and Adams thou!

Peter Chan said...

did Ben Lyons just say 'Benjamin Button' will win Best Picture because it made the most money!?! Geez.... has he been watching this award seasons at all?

Anonymous said...

THE DARK KNIGHT probably doesn't deserve a Best Picture nomination over some of these terrific films. It has a lot of silly plotting and ridiculous set pieces (think about that bus in the bank opening, or the badly handled third act). It's a great film for what it is.

There are better films than TDK left out of the Best Picture race so that a sub-Forrest Gump clone like BUTTON can compete.

Anonymous said...

Is it bad that all I can think about is the fact i've lost the Actress Psychic

:(

Dame James said...

HOORAY FOR MICHAEL SHANNON!

Boo no Sally Hawkins!

Anonymous said...

Boring nominees!!! Almost duplications of the guild nominations.

Sad not to see James Franco, Leonardo di Caprio, Sally Hawkins, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Rosemarie de Witt.

Glad to see "The Reader" and Michael Shannon making it.

Totally unhappy that Angelina Jolie made it. Sally Hawkins and Kristin Scott Thomas are far more deserving.

Gustavo Cruz said...

Kate Winslet not winning this year. Crap.

E Dot said...

Goes to show that Stephen Daldry ALWAYS gets nominated.

Ramification said...

Biggest surprise, Shannon for Revolutionary Road, that came out of nowhere! I expected to see Kate nominated for the same film in lead after I saw that. Pleased for Tomei and Rourke!

Glenn said...

Cagatey, the Academy can vote for somebody in whatever category they wish. They felt Winslet was lead and nominated her for that. Happened to Keisha Castle-Hughes a few years ago too.

Anonymous said...

So I guess we shouldn't bet against Stphen Daldry.

This makes him 3 for 3, doesn't it?

Katey said...

10 for Slumdog, and 13 for Ben Button.... still haven't found a full list anywhere.

John T said...

Whoa-has everyone started looking at some of the additional categories? No Springsteen!

Anonymous said...

what was the 5th nom for adapted screenplay? My stream had to buffer then.

Jolie "I want MYYYYYY Oscar!"

WickedScorp said...

What a shit year.

I'm happy for Taraiji, as she was the lone source of warm in the otherwise abysmal cold void that was BENJAMIN BUTTON. Viola, who was the only actor who captured the her character well in DOUBT. Shannon is a surprise but good for him.

Fuck the Academy for brushing WALL-E off to the side and matching it up with rubbish like KUNG FU PANDA and BOLT.

Anonymous said...

On february 22 I'll watch if Heath wins, and then I'll Go to bed. And believe me, many others will do. This year the Academy proved how conservative and stupid can be.

Anonymous said...

It's not even so much that I loved TDK, so much as I loved the idea of AMPAS actually appreciating popular achievement in film.

Then again, that's my fault for actually believing a movie released before November could make it.

Prediction: ratings way down, again.

RahulB said...

Kate Winslet is SO winning for the correct category for the CORRECT film.

That's awesome.

But no Wall-E? :'(

Glenn said...

And while I've devastated for Sally Hawkins and for The Dark Knight/Wall-E I am ecstatic for Melissa Leo and Courtney Hunt. So well deserved.

Isn't it funny how last year Laura Linney got in at the expense of Angelina Jolie and now Melissa Leo got in at the expect of Sally Hawkins with Angelina Jolie right beside her.

Keelay! said...

Up on the website now...

No song nomination for "The Wrestler", that's strange. Also Wanted for BOTH Sound categories? Hmm...

James Hansen said...

As if we didn't already know, I think we should never doubt the strength of the Holocaust ever again. EVER!

Looks like Hawkins is the big snub of the morning.

Glad to see THE CLASS and Melissa Leo get nominations. Totally called those. All the same, there was a surprise in most every category. I guess that exciting. I wish Reader would have bumped Frost/Nixon and left room for Wall*E though. Alas...I never get what I want. :(

Ramification said...

I liked The Reader a lot more than TDK, so I am ok with the 'snub'

Anonymous said...

Why other nominations haven't yet been posted on oscar.com? how lame?

Anonymous said...

What the HELL is with the BEST ORIGINAL SONG category ??? From a list of 49 only 3 nominees ?? None of which are from The Wrestler ?? In a year where they could've made the category totally legit, they do this ?? Complete Horse Sh**.

(In other news, had they swaped Jolie for Hawkins - lead actress category would've been A+... yey for Amy Adams... yey for Richard Jenkins... yey for Michael Shannon...)

Kim said...

I would like to point out that Miley Cyrus failed to get a nom for her song from Bolt. Hee hee. (Thank God)

Wow, that episode of Extras will prove to be incredibly prophetic if Kate wins... :)

Anonymous said...

Cagatay, I'd like to know that too, esp. after she won in the supporting category at the Globes. And how must she feel considering she has one nomination, but her husband's Revolutionary Road is (almost) completely snubbed?

Ramification said...

Wall-E got a screenplay nod though, which is impressive given that they could have snubbed it there

Glenn said...

Oh, how happy are we that Dev Patel missed out? VERY!!!

Katey said...

I think this improves Winslet's chances of winning greatly. With the apparent support for her movie and no competition with herself, she seems locked in for that win.

Anonymous said...

Benjamin Button is in the lead with 13 nominations. Does it mean victory for this film?

E Dot said...

Notable Omissions:

Bruce Springstein - The Wrestler?
Sally Hawkins?
Jenny Lumet - Rachel?
CHristohper Nolan?
The Dark Knight?
Woody Allen??

Anonymous said...

I'm heartbroken. No Sally Hawkins. I officially hate Angelina Jolie. People will regret it in the morning like they did with Juliette Binoche in Chocolat.

Anonymous said...

I am happy that Kate got "snubbed" in supporting because ideally it means she would win in LEAD.

However it means the supporting race just got red hot. Viola Davis vs. Penny Cruz.

Yay for Michael Shannon. Boo for Amy Adams. Yay for no Eastwood. Boo for no WALL-E and Dark Knight in the biggies.

Anonymous said...

OMFG

M.I.A. is an oscar nominee!!!!


Suck it, Hanna Montana XD

Anonymous said...

The Dark Knight Snubbed?????!!!!

Dave said...

Combined into one, Glenn, we would be a predicting super-force.

I can't find the tech noms. Did Revolutionary Road get any other noms? I find it very odd that Shannon is somehow the only acting nom for it (and I praise them for that because he'd hardly been getting much attention).

And, praise be, no Clint.

Anonymous said...

I am so happy for Taraiji. She deserves it. The Academy should have stepped up and put both WALL-E and Dark Knight in Best Picture. That would have made for a fun 2/22/09

RahulB said...

Have many people even seen The Reader? Before you start hating it maybe you should see it...it's a really fascinating and interesting film.

rosengje said...

http://www.oscars.org/awards/81academyawards/nominees.html

The Wrestler missed in Original Song!

Glenn said...

That Springsteen snub is bizarre. I'd say "the academy has really turned on credits-only songs" but I can't find the nominees on the site! load them up, bitches.

Glenn said...

thanks rosen!

Anonymous said...

check out the best original song category...Down to Earth (yay) and two songs from slumdog millionaire!

Whats Going On here?

The Wrestler??? HEllo!

Katey said...

Full list: http://www.oscars.org/awards/81academyawards/nominees.html

Rev Road also got costume and art direction.

Ramification said...

Australia got in for Costume Design, well deserved!

Anonymous said...

I always did think Leo would knock out either Jolie or Hawkins.

Anonymous said...

A. R. Rahman 3 nominations! 1 for music and 2 for songs! yay! go SDM! has there ever been a a triple nominee for the first time they got nominated?

Ashley said...

The Reader is easily one of the best films of the year....it's deeply haunting, upsetting and beautifully crafted. I'm thrilled! My bet is that not enough folks got to see their screeners of Happy Go Lucky hence the snub of Sally Hawkins...that Springsteen snub is just ridiculous--so is the odd presence of The Changeling in Best Cinematography!

Anonymous said...

I think supporting actress is the closest category to perfection :)

Anonymous said...

How could Sally Hawkins, who won more critics awards.....and big ones too, not be nominated for an Oscar, but Jolie is??? This is a classic example of how being famous can get you nominated, opposed to acting. This is now the worst category of them all. Jolie? Typical Hollywood, to make her nominated.

Glenn said...

Academy Award Nominee M.I.A. everybody.

Anonymous said...

Well, lucky for Penelope Cruz for the Academy has literally just handed her the supporting actress Oscar, since Kate is now in lead. If Winslet wins supporting at the SAGs...this category will hands-down be the most exciting of the night.

PPO-10 said...

Just to reiterate -- RAY, Let the Right One In was not submitted by Sweden. It could not be nominated in the Foreign Film category.

Okay. Well, Sally did not make it, but it's not the end of the world. Hope she can use 2008 as a springboard anyway.

Best thing that could have happened for Kate -- gets her one nomination in Lead for (what I hear) is the better (or at least more Oscary) of her two performances. Now they know where they NEED to vote for her if they want her to win -- and if they don't, she only has to lose once :D

...Penelope Cruz is going to win an Oscar!!

John T said...

And I must confess-The Reader was on my Top 5 of the year, and while I'm not entirely certain that I loved it more than WALL-E or The Dark Knight, I'm going to be more down on the Frost/Nixon nomination than The Reader.

Joel said...

Wanted is now a 2 time oscar nominee... A little bit of me just died...

Anonymous said...

I think Kate gets the Oscar EASILY!! The double nod problem doesn't exist.


Jim

Anonymous said...

To Gustavo Cruz: Kate Winslet not winning this year? Why? Don't they love "The Reader" to the point of numbness (all its nominations evidence enough)? I totally disagree, I think now she has it in the bag.

Anonymous said...

I've never really bought into the whole idea that Oscars reflect the whims of the viewing public. But this year, they had a chance to honor two great movies that just so happened to make a lot of money, and they dropped the ball.

Are even 20 million people going to watch this telecast?

Glenn said...

Other oddities:

Iron Man out of Sound Editing (wha...?)

Wanted gets two Oscar noms

The Weinsteins are officially "back"

The Academy must really like Guillermo del Toro now. How did Hellboy miss in Make-Up but the sequel does when there was old make-up everywhere this year!

Glenn said...

It's like the Academy members don't want people to watch the ceremony, isn't it?

Steven said...

NO BRUCE!
Huge surprise.

Kate will win a Lead Oscar everyone. Not to worry! It'll be for the right performance too, thank goodness. Everyone wins! :)

In general: WOOT for The Reader! And I'm happy for WALL-E and hope it wins everything it's nominated for.

~Steven

Anonymous said...

Why do they even bother with The Best Original Song category ?? It's an embarassment.

Glenn said...

And with that I'm off to sleep.

I'm actually more disappointed than I expected to be. *sigh* oh well. Such is the Academy.

Anonymous said...

What a relief to see no Eastwood there!

But wtf happened to The Dark Knight?!?!?! :o(

Shocked at no nom for Woody Allen, at least for screenplay! If only just for those pitch-perfect sequences in SPanish which must have most non-spanish speakers scratching their heads while those of us who understand it laugh our heads off! ;o)

Sooooo glad for Penelope Cruz!!! Spain will be buzzzzzing! ;o) But what about our other idol Bardem? snif!

Lords I can't wait to see some of these movies!!! They're finally starting to trickle into the cinemas here in Spain! (caught Changeling a few weeks ago, Vicky Cristina Barcelona last week, Australia last night, should get to Doubt this weekend, Benjamin's in 2 weeks... dunno 'bout the others yet)

Pablete said...

1. Sally Hawkins was robbed! That was a signature performance!

2. I had very high hopes for Stephen Daldry. I am very glad for him.

3. Kate Winslet made history anyway. The leading actress nomination helped more to get the picture into the main race.

4. Kate Winslet ("The Reader") and Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire") were leads.

5. Amy Adams is getting the accolades she deserved last year. Giselle was the role of a lifetime. Still she is one of the actors who make her characters become human more easily and naturally.

6. Kate Winslet in "The Reader" = Deborah Kerr in "Heaven Knows Mr. Allison"? Kate Winslet in "Revolutionary Road = Deborah Kerr in "An Affair to Remember"?

7. If "husband" Dicaprio and husband Mendes were not going to to get nominated, the Academy did really make the right choice going for Mrs. Winslet's turn in "The Reader". It would not have been very nice otherwise.

8. I miss Ralph Fiennes among the nominees. I might be the least profitable year for the British actors. Melissa Leo instead of Hawkins or Scott Thomas? Nonetheless, Kate Winslet is winning.

9. "The Reader" in Best Picture indicates they wanted a leading actress movie among the nominees, and it deserved too. [Kate Winslet in "The Reader" = Nicole Kidman in "The Hours"]. This was supposed to be a women's year after all.

10. I hope the Academy waits to hand the Oscar to Penelope Cruz until next year; she can win in lead for an Almodovar movie following the steps of Sophia Loren and Marion Cotillard. Davis might be winning.

11. Michael Shannon nomination = "They liked new Sam Mendes' masterpiece still, but not enough".

12. Downey Jr. for "Tropic Thunder"? It is not fair at all. Again, where is Ralph Fiennes?

Anonymous said...

No Hawkins and no big ones for Batman make me sad, but I have come to expect it so sod it. I still believe TDK (my favourite this year so far) can pull a Bourne (my favourite last year) and get a mini-sweep in Editing and Sounds.

Delightful about Jenkins. And, though I haven't seen the film, yay for no category fraud for Kate Winslet. Contrary to some here, I believe a single nomination, and for an unexpected film at that, makes her chances bigger than they seemed before.

Anonymous said...

The academy loves the Reader!!!! Anyone knows the rules if the same performance gets enough votes to be nominated in two diferent categories? Cause I think that helped Melisa Leo and (Hmmm, Henson, Tomei, Adams?)

Anonymous said...

Goodness!

They went for the Oscarporn a 110%!
Van Sant is in with the WRONG film.
TCCOBB/TR/M/SDM/FN?????? -> ...that's like "Chocolat 4 1/2" :-)

"Irrelevant" should be considered a compliment from now on for the AMPAS, hahaha!

Anonymous said...

Hoorah to all who predicted Kate Winslet for The Reader all those months ago in the actress psychic contest. Hoorah, I say!

Anonymous said...

That other Adapted Screenplay nominee is Benjamin Button.

Yoan.Petrov said...

I LOVE original screenplay. Classy choices there - FROZEN RIVER, IN BRUGES.

Great to see the heavily overrated Kate Winslet performance in RR get snubbed.

And what happens now?

Kate wins SAG supporting, Meryl - SAG lead. And on Oscar night???

Pablete said...

Yes, the Weinsteins are back! We have a real reason to be celebrating these Oscars.

By the way, ladies and gentlemen:
"The Dark Knight" = "Dreamgirls"

Anonymous said...

So, it appears that WALL-E and TDK canceled each other out. They actually did like Revolutionary Road, just not where we expected (Best Supp. Actor!!). Happy for the most part, but wished they were a little more adventurous in BP and Best Director (Yes, I'm talking to you, Frost/Nixon and Ron Howard)

BTW, Original Song is a giant pile of donkey s***. Jai Ho and Down to Earth are good songs, but if you are going to only nominate three songs do two of them have to be from the same film!! How could they overlook Bruce!

This is just another sign that Oscar night will be one big Slumdog lovefest including the musical numbers. Hopefully, it will force producers to make more use of Hugh's musical gifts!!

William Kittelsen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Once again the Academy proves that they're only interested in late year Holiday pictures. This sends such a depressing sign to studios to keep on ghettoizing adult pitched movies to Christmas time.


Agreed.

William Kittelsen said...

Wow complete bull! No Rosemarie DeWitt?? Did they really need to decide this year that 'catgeory fraud' mattered? RDJ? Over James Franco or emile Hirsch, or practically anybody. I am shocked and a little disgusted. 'Slumdog' I love ya, but you are def not worthy. Hollywood is embracing Slumdog because it makes them feel better about themselves. Lets give the award to a film depicting the horrific poverty in India to feel good about ourselves. Pats on the back!Hope Milk can go all the way! I am devastated for the zero love for 'Rachel,' the best film of the year. I had a tiny little bit of hope that the Academy would see Michelle Williams give a masterful performance in 'Wendy and Lucy' but again they chose the big names. BLAH! Hope the geezers can ummm find the pearly gates so that the fresher talents can reward the right talents.

Anonymous said...

kate's win now not as obviuos as was first thouhgt in supporting- Meryl SO due her 3rd- leaves Penelope free for hers though- may have to be 7th time lucky for Kate (though admiration for nominating her in the correct catagory!!)

Anonymous said...

meryl meryl meryl

kate in the reader has lots of detractors too

Anonymous said...

Hey Nat, “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker - Costume Design! 70's curse lifted!

Billy D said...

I'm going to have nightmares of Anne Hathaway stealing Kate's Oscar.

Gustavo Cruz said...

So Winslet better not win the SAG this Sunday, because either way it will be in the wrong category.

Anonymous said...

I'm fine with only one Kate nomination, but I think it's 100% for the wrong movie. I hope someday RR is appreciated for the masterpiece that it is.

And to those who question whether or not Reader-haters have seen the movie. I, for one, have--and I think it's ridiculous.

Happy for Melissa Leo.

Sad for Woody Allen.

Anonymous said...

The Springsteen snub is ridiculous but at least they nominate 3 great songs. And always remember, tehy could have nominated Hannah Montana or High School Musical.

Anonymous said...

Kate Winslet's nomination means she'll win for leading....and this makes way for Penelope Cruz to win her category.

The Dark Knight didn't deserve a Best Picture nomination...it was over-rated and boring.

Great work Nathaniel!! LOve you as always!!

Anonymous said...

I am so angry at AMPAS!!! The Reader for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay?? Metacritic gave "The Reader" a 58 (Mixed or Average Rating). I can't believe that AMPAS would nominate such a subpar film. I was expecting them to celebrate "The Dark Knight" or "Wall-E" because they were universally acclaimed and are easily one of the 10 best films of the year. I am so disgusted with AMPAS that I may boycott this year's show. Why the heck would they nominate the Dark Knight for Editing and not give it at least some love in the major cateogories. I am so frustrated...I am going back to bed. :(

Simone said...

The Oscars will not be worth watching this year. Fuck em.

Anonymous said...

Why is everyone so hung up over Kate Winslet and Dev Patel's potential category fraud, and not at all concerned about the most fraudulent campaign of all--and the one that DID end up making it through: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt?

Really.

Gustavo Cruz said...

PSH is supporting to me.

Anonymous said...

I am actually happy for Wanted. Hate the politics/dumbness of the movie all you like - but you've got to admit it and Speed Racer were unfairly shut out of the technical race all season long for reasons mysterious.

Other good things:

Original Screnplay choices are awesome, aren't they? And I predicted four of them, unbelievably! (all but Leigh, who was far more deserving in Director, but at least they had acknowledged H-G-L somehow)

No acting noms for Slumdog Millionaire is good -- as that means there is still a chance of BP upset (although without TDK, WALL-E or Wrestler to perform said upset, I can't say I care that much...)

Everything else - eh. Last year's bold (for an Oscar) choices seemed to be a fluke after all.

Anonymous said...

I'm still waiting for the last 2 nominated songs to show up on the website. Not gonna happen? ok...

But overall (TDK aside) the Academy did pretty good. Michael Shannon instead of Dev Patel, Richard Jenkins, no Clint Eastwood, Melissa Leo, In Bruges...

The worst omissions were Sally Hawkins, Jenny Lumey (though we kinda saw that one coming, Bruce Springsteen and, of course, The Dark Knight.

And I think Woody Allen's snub was kinda deseerved. It was a good film, a good script and a(nother) comeback, but if he'd got the nom, it would've been just because he is Woody Allen.

Anonymous said...

Alright, now that some time has passed I think this is what I believe:

I'm glad Kate didn't get a nod for
RR because

1) No one can say the Academy nominates her for everything.

2) I liked the Reader performance more.


Jim

Anonymous said...

mm think Anne now 2nd runner up- if Sally Hawkins can win virtually every award in the US and still not get nominated..- its A kate , Meryl showdown I think..

Anonymous said...

TDK is the top of the line for an action film, but that's what it is. 15 minutes too long, and a bit convoluted at the end. The Reader is a wonderfully moving film, speaks to so many truths (I don't see it as a Holocaust movie). They made the right call.

These are some of the best nominations from the recent past (didn't fall for category fraud, no Clint love for sub-par efforts). The only two black-eyes are the Springsteen snub and the nom for the wooden and boring Jolie (over SH, KST),

Anonymous said...

Clint love at the BAFTAs at least ;-))

The Pretentious Know it All said...

I'm glad that Kate Winslet got nominated in lead for The Reader instead of for Revolutionary Road. The former ranks among her top five performances ever and her performance in Revolutionary Road is fine (she's never bad) but the film is so blah and I think it's a forgettable experience. I still hope/think Anne Hathaway will win,

Anonymous said...

Best Cinematography
Tom Stern

Best Costume Design
Deborah Hopper

Best Director
Clint Eastwood

Best Editing
Joel Cox
Gary Roach

Best Leading Actress
Angelina Jolie

Best Production Design
James J. Murakami
Gary Fettis

Best Screenplay - Original
J. Michael Straczynski

Best Sound
Walt Martin
Alan Robert Murray
John T. Reitz
Gregg Rudloff

Anonymous said...

For me Kate Winslet is the Marsha Mason of tomorrow.

Every performance the same dull notes.

Vance said...

I'm actually impressed with nice showings from critic faves Michael Shannon, Melissa Leo, The Reader, and Richard Jenkins!

Anonymous said...

First comments:

Four best acting nominations for "Doubt"...is that a record?

I certainly didn't expect AMPAS to show so much love for "The Reader," even if I thought it was a good film, and even if I think that Winslet deserves awards for her performance in it. (At least they DID put her in the right category.)

I was right in thinking that they wouldn't give TDK a best picture nom, and that they'd leave out Sally Hawkins. Unfortunately, they didn't listen to me and leave out Angelina Jolie.

Michael Parsons said...

A sad day for genre films

abstew said...

i have no words.
RIP WALL-E BP

tim r said...

Following the Roman Polanski logic, Stephen Daldry now wins Best Director for The Reader.

It's not impossible, right?

Ramification said...

I think the Godfather had at least 4 acting nods... I have to check

Anonymous said...

One thing became absolutely clear this morning: If the AMPAS doesn't - at least - try to get a bit younger in mind and in actual age over the next few years, they'll have an enormous problem.

Who in his or her right mind wants to watch an awards show that's extremely less funny then most of the others (BAFTA, Globes) and is presented by an organisation that's sooo far off the a) mainstream and b) the 'zeitgeist', thinking themselves to be the elite, presenting awards to actual crap and shlock art (Crash, Chicago, A Beautiful Mind, LotR, Gladiator) or nominating even worse stuff (Chocolat, Finding Neverland, Sideways, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine -> rudimentary filmmaking of the lowest kind!).

And could they at least be so kind to bring back a decent host in the class of a Whoopi Goldberg?!

Anonymous said...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028010/awards

My Man Godfrey was the first film to receive four acting nominations in all the four acting categories

Anonymous said...

Why someone is so crazy about Hawkins' snub? She is unbearable and annoying; I hate the character and I hate the performance. AMAPAS did the right thing and critics were wrong.

But the should have nominated Blanchett instead of Jolie.

Anonymous said...

And there's been a bunch of films that got 5 acting nods, including but not limited to Godfather II and Network.

Anonymous said...

Just when I was ready to dismiss completely the Academy Awards and formalize my hate to them, they do something right… I am extremely happy for Melissa Leo’s nomination in “Frozen River”, I really adored that film and I think that her performance is an accomplishment at every level, as a matter of fact, I don’t care about the other nods, Melissa’s performance is harrowing, electrifying, realistic and charged with an instinctive dramatic energy (probably product of her vast experience as a character actress) and an unexpected humorous tone in some moments that inevitably take you by surprise.

If the Academy members are actually searching the best female performance of the year they should look at Melissa in “Frozen River”… I think she should win the Oscar and now that she is officially in the run I am hoping the best.

P.S. Nathaniel, I remember you said in earlier posts that you know Melissa Leo in person… please (please, please, please…) tell me about her. Is she pretty? Is she kind? Is she smart?

Anonymous said...

Melissa Leo is a human, not a botox victim. She's a woman and you can see that she has lived and she has actual emotions :-))

Love all her wrinkles!!!

Anonymous said...

The Godfather Part II had 5 acting noms. It\s not a record

Anonymous said...

I am happy for Angelina for getting a nom. Finally.
Everyone knew she would. Happy for Pitt as well, altho I did not in particular like his Ben Button. Finally! Angelina is his lucky charm..beautiful, eh? And, they do not shove into each other faces, "I've been in love with my co-star for 13 years!" Right. Where are the sleaze tabs when you need them?!
Officially, do nott like Winslet (hate is too strong a word).
HOW DOES THIS SOUND TO YOU, WINSLET ROOTERS?
Don't you think it is such a shame that Winslet won 2 GGs, and got 2 BAFTA noms..well, because she is British?
AND, I am a Brit living in FL right now.
I am among so many who hope Angelina will win the little guy.
DESERVEDLY.

Anonymous said...

Cal Roth et al., thanks for the feedback re acting nominations.

Cal Roth, I totally agree with you about Hawkins and Jolie. Cate deserved a nomination for Benjamin Button far more than Angelina did for Changeling.

Michael Parsons said...

Anyone looking forward to 2010?

NATHANIEL R said...

my gods but there is too much to process. I should have a "talking points" post up soon and i'm working on updating all the pages.

tons of work today.

Anonymous said...

Wow!

Sad for:
- Woody Allen (isn't this the year of comebacks?).
- Bruce Springsteen. I haven't seen The Wrestler but the song is just great! Specially meaningful (cruel) if you only have three nominees. WTF happened? Have they counted off some votes because of misspellings or not filling the ballots correctly? There's no other way I can understand it.
- Kate Winslet. Yes, I think she's now closer to actually geting it. But how will she feel when her most personal project is out due probably (at least partially) to The Reader competence?
Note: I haven't seen The Reader but I thought it would be out of anything other than Winslet because of the Weinsteins "issue", pressing to push it for 2008. But quite the opposite, it has benefitted from the late release. How powerful are these people?
- And TDK. I just took it for granted they wouldn't ignore it, so I even made jokes about it.

Happy to see they chose to do what they wanted with The Reader and nominating Michael Shannon. And happy for Cruz, too.

Jorge Rodrigues said...

Things I'm grateful for:

- Courtney Hunt for Original Screenplay (also for Mike Leigh and In Bruges)
- Penelope alone for the Oscar win
- Heath Ledger!
- Richard Jenkins for Best Actor
- Kate Winslet nominated for the best of her two performances and in the correct category
- Daldry nominated for Best Director
- Melissa Leo in Best Actress race
- Taraji P Henson nominated for her supporting performance which is the best of her film
- No Hannah Montana
- Australia's nom for Costume Design
- Entre les Murs nominated (yay!)

Things I'm offended by:

- The Dark Knight and Wall-E snub for Best Picture and Christopher Nolan for Best Director
- Awful Ron Howard and his crap Frost/Nixon nominated
- Thanking Wall-E for bringing so much joy by putting it in a category with ridiculous movies like Bolt and Kung Fu Panda
- Bruce Springsteen snub AND two songs from Slumdog Millionaire (...)
- Zimmer/Howard not nominated for their TDK score... - Australia's snub in Art Direction (and The Duchess nom in that same category...)
- Everlasting Moments snubbed
- Wanted double nomination


AMPAS will have the lowest ratings ever! (Well maybe, maybe not, after all everyone is going to want to see if Winslet takes one her first statuette)

Anonymous said...

These nominations are bullshit.

No Sally Hawkins in best actress for "Happy-Go-Lucky."

No Christopher Nolan in best director. And for Stephen Daldry?

No "The Dark Knight" in best picture.

No Woody Allen in original screenplay.

No Jenny Lumet in original screenplay.

No "Waltz With Bashir" in animated film.

"The Reader" in best picture (that garbage -- the only reasons it's there is b/c it's a Holocaust film, Harvey Weinstein was up to his old tricks again, and a last way to honor Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack).

Kate Winslet in lead actress for "The Reader" instead of "Revolutionary Road". Congratulations Kate on winning your Oscar for one of your shittiest performances.

No Dev Patel for supporting actor.

No "Wall-E" in best picture (though I shouldn't have hoped for that).

No Mike Leigh in best director (but Opie had his slot locked in for weeks now).

Robert Downey Jr. nominated in supporting actor for his blackface hamming in the god-awful "Tropic Thunder."

Michael Shannon nominated for his gross role in "Revolutionary Road."

Angelina Jolie nominated for smashing a plate in "Changeling".

No Clint for "Gran Torino" in lead actor.

No BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN for best original song for "The Wrestler"? And for those lame "Slumdog" songs? Terrible.

Piss poor nominations this year Academy. Good luck in getting audiences to see this garbage this year. Feel bad that you have to represent this mess this year, Hugh.

Anonymous said...

"I am happy for Angelina for getting a nom. Finally. Everyone knew she would."

Huh? You do realize that Jolie has not only been nominated but WON an Oscar already, right?

Murtada said...

1. The Reader, seriously academy?
2. Kate's better performance was snubbed. No love for Rev Road although happy to see Michael Shannon recognized.
3. Yes to Sally Hawkins' snub. Awful, grating performance and a film I loathed. But original screenplay. And over Vicky Cristina and Rachel Getting Married. Ugh.
4. Not a fan of The Dark Night, but come on it was better than The Reader.
5. Best supporting actress looks good. True supporting performances were nominated. Although I would have preferred if Tomei was snubbed in favor of the Rachel gals, either DeWitt or Winger.
6. Yay for Richard Jenkins and The Visitor, one of the best films of the year.
7. So happy for the Eastwood/Gran Torino snub. It should've been included in the Razzies. Bad film.
8. Meryl all the way now. Congrats on the 15th nomination.
9. Love the strong showing for Milk.
10. While I think Ben Button deservedly got 13 nominations, my favourite part of it was snubbed. Here's to you Cate!

Anonymous said...

Nathaniel, I know you’re busy and tired… but don’t forget to tell me something about Melissa Leo, please ;)

Anonymous said...

What's the betting that these Oscars will have the lowest TV ratings ever?

I'm so sorry to see the TDK snubs. I think Christopher Nolan's director snub hurts the most, even those who didn't love the film could recognize his amazing achievement. If AMPAS wants to retain any semblance of cultural relavance they cannot continue to ignore the "populist" films.

Anonymous said...

The lack of Sally Hawkins is severely depressing.
She gave by far the most studied, wonderful performance of the year.

Beau said...

One of the worst series of nominations in years. Count me as supremely disappointed.

'The Reader' is not a good film, folks. It just isn't. It's sloppy, mishandled, endured the deaths of Minghella and Pollack which certainly made an impact on the end result, Kidman dropping out two months before production, Scott Rudin taking his name off the product after the whole business with the Bros.

Believe you me, the only reason this mediocre film got ANY NOTICE WHATSOEVER, is because of the tag-team duo Weinstein's. There is no other reason. It features a fine (if mildly miscalculated performance) from Winslet and an eleventh-hour stunner from Lena Olin, but aside from that? It will go down as of the more unmemorable efforts of 2008. You mark my words on that.


AND FUCK THEM FOR IGNORING THE BOSS,
AND HIS EXTRAORDINARILY MOVING TITULAR PIECE.

Listening to it this morning, as I drove back from my buddy's house, it still packs a mighty punch. Love me my M.I.A., but one nom would've done (if that).

I'm only glad for Michael Shannon this morning, (haven't seen Leo or Jenkins yet) and that Tomei managed the cut.

Hathaway
Rourke
Ledger
Any of the Supporting Actresses
Gus Van Sant
Milk.
GO. GO. GO.

Ramification said...

I dont think Winslet is a foregone conclusion to be the winner here, we shall wait and see, it could be a battle between her and Streep, and then someone like Hathaway can come in and surprise! Leo and Jolie are likely out of the actress race. If Cruz wins, Bardem will likely be the one handing her the Oscar, how amazing would that be!

Anonymous said...

Have many people even seen The Reader? Before you start hating it maybe you should see it...it's a really fascinating and interesting film.

Seen it. And it's shit.

I don't even know where to start with these god-awful nominations this year.

Anonymous said...

No no no. My sally Hawkins was shamefully snubbed!!! life is not worth living!

Anonymous said...

I still humbly think that Blanchett is sooooo overrated and this should mark the end of her snubbing much better actresses at the Oscars.
I also totally agreed with Michael Voegtlin @ 10:25.

Anonymous said...

As far as Doubt 4 acting nominations, I believe it is the quite a few times for afilm to do so.

The First was 1939's Gone With The Wind

Best Actor
Clark Gable

Best Actress
Vivian Leigh (Winner)

Best Supporting Actress
Hattie MacDaniel (Winner)
Olivia De Haviland

Then 1953 From Here To Eternity

Best Actor
Burt Lancaster

Best Actress
Deborah Kerr

Best Supporting Actor
Frank Sinatra (Winner)

Best Supporting Actress
Donna Reed (Winner)

It happend twice in the 70's for The GodFather Films

1972 - The Godfather

Best Actor
Marlon Brando

Best Supporting Actor
Al Pacino (Winner)
James Caan
Robert Duvall

The Godfather II

Best Actor
Al Pacino

Best Supporting Actor
Robert De Niro (Winner)
Lee Strasberg

Best Supporting Actress
Talia Shire

Also on two occasions did films get 5 acting nominations
5 acting nominations.


1950's All about Eve got 5

Best Actress
Bette Davis
Ann Baxter

Best Supporting Actor
George Sander (Winner)

Best Supporting Actress
Celeste Holm
Thelma Ritter
Best Actor
Peter Finch (Winner)
William Holden

Best Actress
Faye Dunaway (Winner)

Best Supporting Actor
Ned Beatty

Best Supporting Actress
Betrice Straight (Winner)

NATHANIEL R said...

it's actually something like 34 films which have been nominated for 4 or more acting nods. The real rarity is 5 though there have been a few

Anonymous said...

Here is a list of films with five or four acting nominations. I'm not sure how complete it's supposed to be, though.

Anonymous said...

Happy people this morning:

Sean Penn (won't get squeezed out by Clint had he gotten a nod)

Stephen Daldry (3/3... wow)

Penelope Cruz (no Winslet as competion)


Sad people this morning:

Steven Spielberg (no love at all for Indy, not even JOHN WILLIAMS!!)

Sally Hawkins & Kristen Scott Thoma (obvious)

Buz Luhrmann (ouch, only one nod for Australia)

Anonymous said...

Didn't Sasha Stone and Kris Tapley predicted a cake walk for Blanchett ?

I hope she fired them this morning, they are bad publicists

Vertigo's Psycho said...

I'll raise you a Peyton Place- no wins, but five acting noms (Arthur Kennedy, Hope Lange, Russ Tamblyn, Lana Turner and Diane Varsi) and nine total nominations, matching They Shoot Horses for shut-outs. Others with five acting noms (yes, I have reference books):
All About Eve
Bonnie and Clyde
From Here to Eternity The Godfather, Part II Mrs. Miniver
Network
On the Waterfront
Peyton Place
Tom Jones

Regarding current nominations, I told a co-worker yesterday Springsteen was definitely winning Best Song this year. Ha.

I loved Slumdog, but I don't remember it having a great song (or, really, ANY major tune), let alone two of them. The cast was appealing, but I'm glad there weren't any acting nominations.

I don't have a problem with the nominations for Adams or Jolie, as I like it when some of the quiet, non-showy (but still perceptive and honest) performances make it in. Specifically with Adams, I don't see her or anyone else playing the part better- it's just not a role with big "hey, look at me!" moments. Adams understood that, and played the part with skill and emotional truth.

I don't see clear frontrunners in some of the big categories (is Kate really THAT far ahead of Meryl or Anne? Will Mickey's comeback role overtake Sean's awesome Milk? Viola or Penelope or (the way this category often plays out) anyone else?), making the Oscar contests a really crapshoot (and I don't do that great, even with frontrunners).

Michael Shannon is perfect in Road, and justice was served.

Sandeep said...
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Sandeep said...
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lylee said...

Guess I should go see "The Reader." Was going to last weekend with a friend, but we decided to go drinking instead. :-)

IMO, the three most overrated films of the year (in descending order of overrated-ness) are THE DARK KNIGHT, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, and WALL-E. Yep, I said it. So I'm not grieving over the omission of 2 of them from Best Pic.

That said, I just can't get really excited about any of the films in the running this year, though I'll be rooting for "Milk." Maybe "The Reader" will surprise me, but I was underwhelmed by both "The Hours" and "Billy Elliot."

Hell, I was more excited about the Best Doc nod for "Encounters at the End of the World" than I was about any of the Best Pic noms.

Brad Pitt for Best Actor? I liked "Benjamin Button" but he didn't DO anything in that movie.

Happy for Frank Langella, but he won't win and he really should have been nominated last year for "Starting Out in the Evening."

Anonymous said...

Heath is great, but best actor for The Dark Knight?

Unknown said...

Where are the documentary nominations shown. What is the best way to have a chance to see them before the awards.

NATHANIEL R said...

Bill... all the nominations are here. The documentary section is kind of empty right now (beyond the names) but I'm working on it.

the shorts usually become available at some point via iTunes.