Silence is Golden! Nomination Reactions & Oscar Predictions
The 84th Annual Academy Award Nominations were announced early this morning, and I have to say… I was very disappointed with the overall results. But the good news was the Academy gave Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” 11 nominations and “The Artist,” which was the best film of last year, 10 nominations; both were films that celebrated the love of film– an ode to the early days of filmmaking.
BIGGEST SNUBS:
1st Place: “Drive”
“Drive” was undoubtedly my favorite film of 2011, and not earning a nomination for Best Picture, among many other categories, is flat-out ridiculous. It only received one nomination, which was for Sound Editing. “Drive” should have earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (Nicholas Winding Refn), Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Supporting Actor (Albert Brooks), Best Cinematography (“The Tree of Life” is going to walk away with the win so doesn’t matter), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score (yes, it was disqualified for stupid reasons) despite appearing at the top of many critics’, including myself, Best Films of 2011 List. “Drive” was the biggest snub.
2nd Place: Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender not getting nominated for his towering performance in “Shame” is a damn shame. He gave the best leading male performance of last year.
3rd Place: Woody Harrelson, Leo DiCaprio, & Micheal Shannon
Obviously there isn’t enough room in the Best Leading Actor category to nominate all the great performances from last year, but I felt that the performances from Woody Harrelson in “Rampart,” Leonardo DiCaprio in “J. Edgar,” and Michael Shannon in “Take Shelter” all outshine George Clooney (“The Descendants” – I honestly believe that anyone could have played his part in the film), Gary Oldman (“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” – I am glad he finally landed a nomination. but he should have got one a long time ago. This isn’t the Life Achievement / Honorary Award), and lastly Demian Bichir (“A Better Life” – I’m sure many of you didn’t see this film, but he was heartbreaking in it. Does he still deserve a nomination over the above performances? Negative Ghost Rider. But I’m still happy for him).
4th Place: “The Adventures of Tintin”
“The Adventures of Tintin” failed to get a nomination for Best Animated Feature– a film that I thought was a lock for a nomination and win. Guess I will vote for “Rango” now.
5th Place: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
I knew my two favorite scores of the year, “Drive” and “Hanna,” weren’t going to be among the nominees, but they could have at least granted Nine Inch Nail’s front-man Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross a nomination for their haunting score in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The score for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” was annoying!
Many films like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Beginners,” “50/50″ were all snubbed this year. The Academy can’t handle the true creativity these films have.
BIGGEST SURPRISES:
1st Place: Rooney Mara
Rooney Mara gave one of my favorite female performances of the year in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” as the iconic character Lisbeth Salander. She deserved it.
2nd Place: “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
I am among the very few who actually loved this film; I thought it was great. Who cares that it’s too soon for a 9/11 movie? The film was told from the eyes of a kid who may have Asperger’s syndrome, and to a lot of people the film was odd because of it. Terrific film; I couldn’t be happier that it got a nomination for Best Picture.
3rd Place: Max von Sydow
Again, another great nomination for “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” Max von Sydow was unforgettable as the mute stranger that aids the boy in the film on his journey.
WHO SHOULD WIN? WHO’S GOING TO WIN?:
Best Picture:
Should-Win: “The Artist.”
Will-Win: “The Artist.” Dark Horse: “The Descendants.”
Best Director:
Should-Win: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo,” but wouldn’t be upset if “The Artist” takes it.
Will-Win: Alexander Payne, “The Descendants.”
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
Should-Win: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist,” but wouldn’t be upset if Brad Pitt took it.
Will-Win: George Clooney, “The Descendants.”
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Should-Win: Viola Davis, “The Help.”
Will-Win: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady.” Dark Horse: Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn.”
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
Should-Win: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”
Will-Win: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”
Best Original Screenplay:
Should-Win: “Midnight in Paris.”
Will-Win: “Midnight in Paris.”
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Should-Win: “Moneyball.”
Will-Win: “The Descendants.”
