Only one film from my top ten list was nominated for best picture.
The best female performance of the year wasn't nominated.
Bill Irwin's endearing turn as a loving father in Rachel Getting Married was forgotten, although I'm sure the voting was tight.
The best original song of the year, that actually won at the Golden Globes, is not even nominated.
Kate Winslet's inferior performance in The Reader is nominated, rather than her work in Revolutionary Road. I guess it's because The Reader has Nazis.
Leonardo DiCaprio's career best was not honoured.
The Dark Knight is pretty much snubbed. I thought it to be a natural step for the Oscars to allow a comic book film to be nominated, after giving Lord of the Rings so many awards.
There are things for me to be happy about, however.
In Bruges is nominated for best screenplay.
The brilliant french film Entre Les Murs is nominated for best foreign film.
I will get to see Mickey Rourke win best actor.
Heath Ledger will win, although who knows if it's for the right reasons anymore. Doesn't matter because he deserves it.
Richard Jenkins is nominated.
Michael Shannon is nominated.
The documentary Encounters at the End of the World, which was about 2 spots short from making my top ten, is nominated.
Anyways, there are some bright points, but overall I'm disappointed. In a big way. Especially after the Oscars were so satisfying the last few years. Now I get to live through one of the weaker Best Picture categories I can recall.
Here is a complete list of noms:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)
Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)
Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)
Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)
Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh
In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh
Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan
The Reader (2008): David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:
Changeling (2008): Tom Stern
The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister
The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges
Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:
The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Milk (2008): Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Nominees:
Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway
Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Nominees:
Australia (2008): Catherine Martin
The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor
Milk (2008): Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky
Best Achievement in Makeup
Nominees:
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:
Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard
Milk (2008): Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman
WALL·E (2008): Thomas Newman
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Nominees:
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam("O Saya")
WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth")
Best Achievement in Sound
Nominees:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight (2008): Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo
WALL·E (2008): Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt
Wanted (2008): Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Nominees:
The Dark Knight (2008): Richard King
Iron Man (2008): Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Tom Sayers
WALL·E (2008): Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood
Wanted (2008): Wylie Stateman
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Nominees:
Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Nominees:
Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Nominees:
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)(Germany)
Entre les murs (2008)(France)
Revanche (2008)(Austria)
Okuribito (2008)(Japan)
Vals Im Bashir (2008)(Israel)
Best Documentary, Features
Nominees:
The Garden (2008/I): Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Man on Wire (2008): James Marsh, Simon Chinn
Trouble the Water (2008): Tia Lessin, Carl Deal
Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Nominees:
The Conscience of Nhem En: Steven Okazaki
The Final Inch: Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant
Smile Pinki: Megan Mylan
The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306: Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde
Best Short Film, Animated
Nominees:
La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio Kato
Oktapodi (2007): Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand
Presto (2008): Doug Sweetland
This Way Up (2008): Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes
Best Short Film, Live Action
Nominees:
Auf der Strecke (2007): Reto Caffi
New Boy (2007): Steph Green, Tamara Anghie
Grisen (2008): Tivi Magnusson, Dorthe Warnø Høgh
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1 comment:
To me this is the Academy playing pure favourites and politics. It's really infuriating to me.
The Dark Knight got 8 nominations but is left off the two major categories. It was critically acclaimed, it's widely considered the best comic book movie ever and one that is going to forever change that genre. Christopher Nolan's direction in this movie, to me anyways, was magnificent. The screenplay was awesome. Furthermore, the movie resonated with audiences hugely. Second largest grossing movie of all time? It basically saved Hollywood during this economic recession. Not only that but The Dark Knight was and is THE MOVIE OF 2008. The most talked about, the most seen, the most analyzed, the most liked.
Also, The Reader? There are several movies that deserve the 5th spot. The Dark Knight (obviously), Revolutionary Road, In Bruges, Doubt, Gran Torino, and The Wrestler.
The Academy is going to be kicking themselves come showtime when they find out, against all odds, that they have somehow gotten even lower ratings than last year's Oscars. A recent poll suggests that the entire awards ceremony is starting to lose credibility amongst the general public for favouring overrated/overhyped films that no one has even seen. People are tuning it out because the Academy is a bunch of stuck up rich snobs who think only they know what is good. They are completely out of touch with the general public.
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