The Oscars: Who Should Get Nominated

This isn't wholly different from my Top Ten; but I still think it's worth voicing what and whom I'm rooting for getting a nomination (no matter how impossible it is) come February 2nd (when the nominations are announced).



I listed the nominees in the order that I think they deserve to win. I also noted some of the candidates who are being widely considered who I chose not to pick.

Disclaimer: I have not seen every movie or performance I'm about to list. Some of these are compiled from trustworthy friends and trusted critics.

Disclaimer 2: I didn't do every category - just the major ones and a few that stood out to me.

Disclaimer 3: I put my commentary in parenthesis (Like This).

Again, these are not my predictions for what will be nominated, but what I feel most deserve the nominations. I'll post my predictions closer to the actual announcement...

Best Picture

(Remember there are 10 nominees for Best Picture this year. And this is a different list than my recently posted Top Ten Best of the year. I love Taken. Taken should not be nominated for Best Picture...)

1. The Hurt Locker (The Best Picture of the year)

2. Inglourious Basterds (A very cinematic film)

3. An Education (Shouldn't win...but nothing should except The Hurt Locker)

4. Up (Because it would be awesome if an animated film won and this one was the best made)

5. Precious (I hated the direction but this is a very good film)

6. Moon (A very cool throwback of a film that works much better the second time)

7. Up in the Air (It is a very current film with some strong performances and 3/4 of a great script)

8. Crazy Heart (Solid Indie with great performances)

9. District 9 (Now we're just getting silly with this 10 nominees thing)

10. The White Ribbon (Here's how weak 2009 was...I haven't seen The White Ribbon, and I hate its director, but I still think it's a better option to win Best Picture than all the other films that I saw this year)


Omitted:

Avatar (Had way too many flaws in its plot and script to be considered)

Invictus (A schlocky movie that was done with very little skill)

Where the Wild Things Are (F*** this movie)

A Serious Man (This one too)

A Single Man (Too much about Firth's performance...the rest of the movie is a bit of a dud)

Star Trek (No)



Best Director

1. Katherine Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (She has too win)

2. Quentin Tarantino (Because this was by far the best directed film of his career)

3. James Cameron for Avatar (He should be shot dead for his screenplay but he directed the hell out of Avatar)

4. Lars Von Trier for Antichrist (This is must have been a very hard film to make...and I think he actually pulled it off)

5. Henry Selick for Coraline (Because stop-motion animation rocks and this movie was beautiful to watch)


Omitted:

Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (There was nothing remarkable about the film's direction. Nothing)

Clint Eastwood for Invictus (His poor decision making actively hurt this film)

Lee Daniels for Precious (So did his)

Rob Marshall for Nine (Apparently this is a terribly directed film)

The Coen Brothers for A Serious Man (F*** this movie)

Spike Jonze for Where the Wild Things Are (This one too)

Neill Blomkamp for District 9 (Too many mistakes made in the second half)

Tom Ford for A Single Man (Meh...not striking enough)


Best Actor:


1. Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart (Carried the film and really crafted a tragic yet likable character)

2. Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (Played the key role in the year's best film)

3. Tom Hardy in Bronson (A tour de force. If there was justice in the world Hardy would be getting a lot more buzz)

4. Colin Firth in A Single Man (Unrecognizable and sad...quite good)

5. Sam Rockwell in Moon (To say anything about the performance feels like it would be spoiling the film...but he's great)


Omitted:

George Clooney in Up in the Air (In hindsight...he's good...but he sleep walks through the film)

Morgan Freeman in Invictus (Unremarkable and way too easy a role for him to play)

Matt Damon in The Informant! (F*** this movie)

Michael Stuhlbarg in A Serious Man (This one too)

Daniel Day-Lewis in Nine (The best actor alive but was apparently miscast as an Italian playboy)


Best Actress

1. Carey Mulligan in An Education (My favorite leading performance of the year)

2. Charlotte Gainsbourg in Antichrist (The hardest role of the year...and she knocks it out of the crazy park)

3. Tilda Swinton in Julia (Watched this movie on Netflix On Demand...Swinton is one ugly woman but she's a fantastic actress)

4. Gabby Sidibe in Precious (Who knows how good an actress Sidibe really is...but she's great here)

5. Meryl Streep for Julie and Julia (Because she's Meryl Streep)


Omitted:

Melanie Laurant in Inglourious Basterds (I loved her in the film but she wasn't in it enough)

Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side (Didn't see the film but how is it possible that Bullock is a lock for a nomination for this movie?)

Helen Mirren in The Last Station (The New Yorker critic loved her in this but having just seen the trailer...it's hard to believe...but she is a good actress...)

Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria (Heard only bad things)

Abbie Cornish in Bright Star (Just looked so boring)



Best Supporting Actor:

1. Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (He has to win)

2. Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles (McKay was awesome in this otherwise bland flick)

3. Peter Capaldi in In the Loop (The funniest performance of the year)

4. Joshua Leonard in Humpday (Haven't reviewed this yet for PITAOE...I'll get to it...but Leonard plays a very hard part with the right amount of humanity and lack of interest in the audience liking him)

5. Alfred Molina in An Education (Because I like Molina and I liked his part)


Omitted:

Stanely Tucci in The Lovely Bones (Over-rated...severely over-rated)

Matt Damon in Invictus (I liked him but this was a fairly easy role)

Woody Harrelson in The Messanger (I wasn't impressed at all by Harrelson's performance. Felt like a mish-mash of a 100 different characters we've seen before)


Best Supporting Actress:

Mo'Nique in Precious (She has to win)

Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air (I'd be alright if she won it)

Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air (She was solid)

Marion Cotillard in Nine (Read and heard good things)

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart (I don't usually like her but I thought she did a good job here)


Omitted:

Penelope Cruz in Nine (Meh...she won last year)

Diane Kruger in Inglourios Basterds (Was not impressed)

Julianne Moore in A Single Man (Hate her. Didn't like her part. Really rooting against her)

Samantha Morton in The Messanger (She's always good but this was one of her lesser performances)

Mariah Carey in Precious (She was surprisingly good but Mo'Nique is the main attraction in Precious)


Best Original Screenplay:

1. Inglourious Basterds (A great and fun screenplay)

2. Up (A really tight film)

3. The Hurt Locker (More of a directorial achievement)

4. Moon (A clever and focused work)

5. (500) Days of Summer (A complexly constructed and clever script)


Best Adapted Screenplay:

1. An Education (Other than a clunky ending I loved this script)

2. In the Loop (Based on a TV show...funniest script of the year)

3. Fantastic Mr. Fox (A nice blending of American humor and a classic British children's novella)

4. Up in the Air (The movie's best feature)

5. Precious (A tough book to adapt...)


Some other random categories for fun...


Best Editing:

1. The Hurt Locker
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Star Trek
4. Precious
5. Up in the Air


Best Cinematography:

1. Antichrist
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. The White Ribbon
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Avatar


Best Animated Feature:

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2. Coraline
3. Up
4. The Princess and the Frog
5. Ponyo


That's all the ones that interest me for now...I'll do my real predictions sometime later in the month.