Reactions to the 2011 Oscar Nominees

Nominations are in, and there a few small surprises worthy of some discussion.

Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
-I only predicted 7 nominees instead of 9, but I got all of those seven, including The Tree of Life which some were weary to predict. The remaining two are a bit more surprising, as despite a total no show of guild support, War Horse managed to conquer its dying buzz and reach the finish line. Even more surprising is Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, making it in as it faces harsh critical reception and low industry support. There’s still a clear frontrunner here, but there’s a couple things to spice it up a bit.

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Alexander Payne - The Descendants
Martin Scorsese - Hugo
Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life
-Went 5/5 in this category. Even though I’m a Fincher fanboy, it would have felt like pandering if he had made it in for Dragon Tattoo. At the same time, I’m not the world’s biggest Malick fan, but I know those who love him and the film are ecstatic. And I’m happy for them.

Best Actor
Demián Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
-Clooney, Dujardin and Pitt were locks from the get-go, and we see Fassbender and DiCaprio fall out. I’m especially saddened by the former who gave my favorite performance in this category. At the same time, I’m very happy to see Gary Oldman finally get his due in a terrific, if not his best, role, and Bichir is another delight as I really did like A Better Life. So much so it landed on my top ten. I miss Fassbender not being here, but this is still a fine slate of nominees.

Best Actress
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn
-Like Best Actor, my personal winner here is not nominated. I guess Tilda Swinton and We Need to Talk About Kevin were just too emotionally effective on the voting body at large, in a similar fashion as to how Angelina Jolie got snubbed for A Mighty Heart. I admit if feels strange for Mara to get nominated, yet her film and director aren’t. The other four names were expected.

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
-Look, I really like Moneyball, but did we really have to make Jonah Hill an Oscar nominee? It’s a good performance, but nowhere near the top tier in this category for me. Otherwise, the only real surprise was von Sydow showing up, and with his film also nabbing a Best Picture nomination, it makes me wonder if he can actually go the distance and surpass Plummer for the Lifetime Achievement award. I still think it’s Plummer, but the von Sydow mention is very interesting.

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help
-The only one I missed here was McTeer, although I knew there was a very good chance she’d be nominated. I betted on the Academy liking Shame more than they actually did. However, I did see Shailene Woodley not making it in for The Descendants. A pretty stable slate of nominees, and go Melissa McCarthy.

Best Original Screenplay
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
A Separation
-I really did have a feeling A Separation was going to get nominated here, as this is the category where foreign films can do quite well. The biggest surprise was Margin Call, a film that I’m not a huge fan of, but I do kind of like this mention. It’s a better written and acted film than it is executed, and as such a passion project, that is enough to put a smile on my face.

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
-The Help doesn’t make it in here, which definitely puts a nail in the coffin of its Best Picture chances. I’m kicking myself for not going with my original prediction of The Ides of March in the screenplay section. Happy to see Tinker Tailor show up here.

As I said, there are a few surprises, but honestly, there’s nothing here that feels completely out of left field. As with every Oscar year, there are nominations I really like and snubs that really hurt, but what can you do. Envelopes open February 26.