Oscar Nominations 2009

The 2009 Oscar nominations came out this morning. There was pretty big lack of surprise. There was some Oscar success and, as fellow cinephile Fazila put it, Oscar fail. Here are my thoughts.

Actor in a Leading Role:
No surprises except the amazing Jeremy Renner. He was phenomenal in The Hurt Locker and he is getting some much needed recognition. He's a more talented Sam Worthington, this guy should be Hollywood's new go to action actor. Renner is this year's Ryan Gosling, he got a much deserved nomination and he won't win, but it's wonderful he got nominated. Congratulations Jeremy Renner!
Others who I would've liked to see: Sharlto Copley for District 9 or Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man.

Actor in a Supporting Role:
Again, no surprises. Christophe Waltz is unstoppable.
Others I would've liked to see: Anthony Mackie for The Hurt Locker, Peter Sarsgaard for An Education or Alfred Molina for An Education. Even Zach Galifinakis for The Hangover. There's a place for comedy at the Oscars.

Actress in a Lead Role:
Another category with no surprises. Congrats to Meryl for a 16th career nomination. It's between her and Sandra, despite my desires. I'm wondering if this year's Best Actress race will turn out like last year's Best Actor race where Rourke pretty much gobbled up everything but Penn got the Oscar, with Bullock as Rourke and Streep as Penn. We all know who I'd like to see get this.
Others I would've liked to see: Marion Cotillard for Nine or Abbie Cornish for Bright Star. Cornish is great example of the (unfortunate) necessity for campaigning. Cornish has been busy filming and hasn't done the campaigning she needed. If only the work could speak for itself.

Actress in a Supporting Role:
Maggie Gyllenhaal was a bit of a surprise. And frankly I'm dumbfounded by Penelope Cruz. She was one of the worst parts of Nine, and that's saying a lot.
Others I would've liked to see: Julianne Moore for A Single Man (seriously, where is she?), Rosamund Pike for An Education or Melanie Laurent for Inglourious Basterds (SERIOUS OSCAR FAIL).

Directing:
Shocking, a lack of surprise. Go Kathryn Bigelow.
Others I would've liked to see: Marc Webb for (500) Days of Summer or Wes Anderson for Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Best Picture:
I swear if Avatar wins I'm knocking over The Bean. It is shameful that Avatar gets nominated for Best Picture but The Dark Knight didn't. Great that District 9 got nominated, I feared this film would be forgotten. The Blind Side, really? Is that a joke? Yeah it was enjoyable, but Best Picture? It has to be April Fool's Day.
Others I would've liked to see: A Single Man. Seriously, what the eff? This was brilliant. (500) Days of Summer. I would've been shocked if it had gotten nominated, but still. Love that movie.

Writing Adapted Screenplay:
These are deserved nominations. I haven't seen In the Loop though.
Others I would've liked to see: A Single Man. Um hello?? This is serious Oscar fail. What's wrong with you guys? Or Where the Wild Things Are. Or Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Writing Original Screenplay:
These are deserved nominations. I haven't seen The Messenger, but it's supposed to be good.
Others I would've liked to see: (500) Days of Summer. This is my biggest complaint. This movie was insightful, imaginative, just all around great. I have a bone to pick with you Academy.

It's kind of frustrating that the Academy nominates ten films this year, but every other category remains as constricted. A huge snub, Where the Wild Things Are. No visual effects or costume design. Same with Fantastic Mr. Fox, those costumes were handmade, not animated. Despite some of my wishes, my money's on Jeff Bridges, Christophe Waltz, Sandra Bullock, Mo'Nique, Kathryn Bigelow, and Inglourious Basterds. See you March 7th!