The nominations are in, and all in all, there weren’t very many surprises. In fact, I’d argue that there were little to no surprises at all this morning. Since I gave up following the Oscar idol with as much intensity a while ago, these nominations didn’t destroy my soul like they’ve done before. Still there were things that still irked and pleased me, so here’s the quick rundown of the major categories.
Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
-A very predictable lineup, and I’m glad that 127 Hours managed to beat out The Town and conquer its dying buzz. This is the second consecutive year of ten Best Picture nominees, and the second consecutive year where I’ve been 9 for 10 on this front, with this one being easier since we didn’t have a Blind Side. Another reason to get rid of this system.
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David O. Russell - The Fighter
Tom Hooper - The King’s Speech
David Fincher - The Social Network
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen - True Grit
-We have confirmation: the Academy hates Christopher Nolan. I don’t know what this man has to do in order to get a Best Director nomination from these fools, but apparently totally redefining the way they do business and creating the most spectacular directors’ pieces isn’t enough. We might as well give up hope that it ever will happen. I’m not happy to see him snubbed while Hooper’s overdirection and Russell’s unemotional steps were honored instead.
Best Actor
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King’s Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
-Woohoo! Enough people came out of the woodwork for Bardem and he slipped in. I wouldn’t say it was a surprise, since he was the subject of some chatter, but I’m glad he got in. The only way this would have been perfect is if Bridges could have been replaced by Ryan Gosling. However, I’m not complaining a lot because it was a very competitive category, so little complaints here.
Best Actress
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine
-Predicted every spot correctly, and I’m glad my personal favorite in this category, Williams, didn’t slip through the cracks. Still, a very predictable lineup.
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale - The Fighter
John Hawkes - Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush - The King’s Speech
-Well, what I was afraid was going to happen happened. Hawkes got enough industry support to push him over Garfield. I do like Hawkes in that role, but instead of replacing my personal winner in this category, I wish he could have edged out Renner who gave an entertaining performance but was saddled with an uninteresting character. Had this been a couple years ago, I would have been devastated. Now, I know that Garfield will always be an Oscar-winner in my heart.
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom
-Another nice surprise, as Jacki Weaver managed to sneak in. I’m glad that performance didn’t fall between the cracks. Kunis getting snubbed makes sense, though I think she should be nominated in place of a category fraudulent Steinfeld, a submissive Adams, and even a subdued Carter.
Best Original Screenplay
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
-I don’t know why people were jumping off the Another Year train to get a nomination here. Mike Leigh always gets a mention. The Fighter beat out Black Swan for that fifth spot, and at least Nolan was honored here, but now it looks more like a consolation prize.
Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
-Five for five here. No surprises at all. Normally I pray for the writing branches of the Academy to shake things up and provide some interesting choices. They opted not to do that this time.
So there is is once again: a list that brings out the manic-depressive in me. Now a new circus begins until the statues are handed out. And still, in the case that these nominees really depress me, I can just think we’ll always have BAFTA.
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