Oscar Ballots Mailed Today – FYC
And it has all come down to this. All of the movies, all of the reviews, the box office, the buzz, the publicity, the debates — the ballots will sail into homes in the next few days. Some of them will know what movies they liked best and tick them off. Some of them will take their time, making sure to see everything before they fill the sucker out. Some will call their kids, their grandkids, their nannies and their mistresses to help them since they haven’t had the time or interest to decide which movie they liked enough to jot down as their top ten.
Two things. The first, let’s go over the Oscar math again and second, I want to hear your best case for one contender. Not just one sentence, but a good paragraph on who should be nominated and why. Film, actor, score, animated film – your call.
Oscar math — I’ll be going over this in more depth in the weekly podcast that should go up soon but for now, let’s look again at how they’ll be shaking the tree for the ripest fruit. Here is the best article on it — Variety’s Timothy Gray:
Here’s a case study. The directors branch had 375 voting members (as of 2008). So the PWC mavens take the number of possible nominees in that category (five) and add one. That total, six, is divided into the 375, which yields the magic number of 63. In round one of nomination tallies, the PWC folks take all the directors’ ballots and count up voters’ first-place choices: Any contender who earns the magic number — 63 votes — automatically has enough for a nomination.
The PWC mavens then set aside the ballots of those members who voted for that director, never to look at the other choices, because that voter’s voice has been heard. (And it’s possible more than one director has achieved that magic number.)
Then the team goes to round two: They take the stack with the fewest number of votes, and look at the second choice, and redistribute the ballots among the stacks. However, if a voter picked a director who had already hit the magic number, they go to the voter’s next choice. For each round, they look to a voter’s next highest choice — second, third, fourth, fifth — so long as that director remains in the running and has not otherwise hit the magic number.
OK, you totally understand the nomination process, right? Good, because we will explain the final ballots, and then there will be a quiz (and, yes, I do take off points for misspellings and bad penmanship).
I am just deleting my own nonsensical reading of the process but also check out this Steve Pond article – which explains it all very thoroughly.
Everyone knows that I loved In the Loop and that would probably be my FYC – supporting actor for Peter Capaldi and Adapted Screenplay. But I hope that voters really consider The Lovely Bones. Of all the films released this year, it was, I thought, the most misunderstood. It’s a mishmash, for sure, but it is right in line with how a young teen in the 1970s would tell this story. It is a brilliant move, actually. Since I feel like I’m one of the few who lived through the ’70s as a kid I think it touched me more deeply than it probably has everyone else. It’s one of the best films of 2009 and if it isn’t at least remembered for score (Brian fucking Eno for chrissakes), Stanley Tucci for supporting (his best performance to date), and the lovely Saoirse Ronan. I know it will probably get shut out but what the hell. If one is going to piss in the wind let it be a real long hot one.
N8 says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:12am
FYC: Sharlto Copley in “District 9″ for Best Actor
Despite his startling physical transformation into a prawn, Copley’s inner transformation is the most captivating aspect of “District 9″. Forced to confront his racist sentiments and walk a mile in the shoes of the aliens he quietly detested, Copley allows authentic fear and anger permeate his deteriorating exterior; fear of not only physical metamorphosis, but of his suddenly conflicted mentality.
Mr Brown says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:12am
I saw AVATAR last night and a film hasn’t come close to emoting a similar feeling of egregious astonishment for a long while. Whilst there are legitimate points to be said about the flaws in screenplay together with a slight hint of cheddar scattered throughout, the fact the audience leaves the film awestruck, pondering about those strange blue characters on a fictional planet and almost wishing they were there indicates the power this film has. Mr Cameron for the first time has shown it is possible to create incredibly convinving characters using this new technology that are able to emote the words they are speaking. This in conjunction with the unbelievable special effects and score must mean that AVATAR has to win the best film of the year as I believe it is one of the best films I have ever seen.
Mr Brown says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:12am
P.S – Is that Helen Mirrens real address?
Pete says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:13am
Ah Yes Helen Mirren’s address…my plan is almost complete!
Sasha Stone says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:15am
I feel the same way you do, Mr. Brown.
chrisw says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:19am
Sasha, I am intrigued to know what film, actor, etc. you are rooting for. Let’s see your paragraph.
Sasha Stone says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:20am
Chris, I just wrote one – the lovely bones, I’m sure I’m in the minority! In the Loop would be the other one. Abbie Cornish for Bright Star, maybe even Ben Wishaw.
chrisw says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:22am
I’m sorry I didn’t read the cut. Feeling like an idiot…
Chris Price says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:24am
FYC- The Brothers Bloom for Best Picture
I saw this movie at an advance screening in Los Angeles presented by the director Rian Johnson. It was held at the New Beverly Cinema, which always screens a double feature. That night’s double feature was The Brothers Bloom and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The latter film is one of my favorites, but I was shocked that I walked away from that night preferring the former film. Rian Johnson has directed a swooning, globe-trotting caper film with real heart and visual flair (there is as much going on in the background as there is in the foreground for the majority of the film’s running time). His script is well aware that we’ve all seen every con man film in the book, and it plays with that knowledge in exciting, and sometimes heartbreaking ways. The acting is superb on all counts, but no one shines brighter in the film than Rachel Weisz, who gives one of the best supporting performances of the year. It’s hard not to fall in love with her within the first 15 minutes she’s on screen. Easily one of the most under the radar films of the year, I implore all Academy members to dig this one out of the pile and drink it in. I will lay down a guarantee that it will be one of the most pleasureable screeners you pop in this year. (This is assuming that screeners of this film were even sent out. I truly hope so.)
DBibby says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:35am
I don’t think that’s quite right, Sasha. It won’t necessarily take 11 rounds- it may take less or many more.
My understanding is that for best pic (as for director above), all the #1 votes are counted first and put into piles from largest to smallest. Any film with more #1 votes than the magic number (I think you’re right with 504, or rounded up to 505?) is automatically in the top 10 and these counted ballots are discarded. It’s only after all the ballots have been counted that you move on to the next round, where the smallest pile is redistributed.
After all the #1 votes have been counted, then the smallest pile gets redistributed according to their next choice that still hasn’t hit the magic number. e.g., Let’s say only Up in the Air, The Hurt Locker and Avatar make the magic number based on #1 choices alone, and that the smallest pile after the first round is 2 ballots for people that chose Anvil for best picture. If one of these ballots went:
1. Anvil
2. Where the Wild Things Are
3. Bright Star…
then that ballot would get added to the Where the Wild Things Are pile.
If the second ballot went:
1. Anvil
2. Avatar
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Where the Wild Things Are…
then that ballot would also get added to the Where the Wild Things Are pile.
Once the smallest pile after 1st round (Anvil as #1 in this case) has been redistributed, the piles are recounted to see if any of the piles/movies make the magic number. You then move on to redistributing the next smallest pile. And so on until 10 movies have hit the magic number.
I’m probably terrible at explaing this and the examples may make it even more confusing, but hopefully that helps?
Sasha Stone says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:40am
Chris, I think I wrote it while you were writing your comment! I didn’t put it up initially so you are not.
Jeff says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:42am
@Sasha – In your Best Picture scenario, the magic number would be 505 rather than 504, so that it is not possible for more that 10 films to accumulate that many votes (11 films could each accumulate 504 votes within a set of 5550 ballots).
A better way to explain the calculation of the magic number is this: Take the number of nominees in the category and add 1, then divide the number of ballots received by that number. The magic number is then the next whole number up.
In Gray’s Best Director scenario, 375 divided by 6 is actually 62.5, so the magic number is 63 (which is the next whole number up). No more than 5 films could reach 63 votes from a batch of 375 ballots.
It might also be worth reminding readers that the final vote-counting in the Best Picture race is going to work preferentially, but with the magic number being a majority of the ballots received. Steve Pond has a good explanation of the process here:
http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/academy-makes-big-changes-best-picture-voting_5700
John O'Neil says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:43am
I’d ask voters to look at “Where the Wild Things Are” again. Even if you don’t love the movie like I do, its technical achievements simply cannot go unnoticed.
DHE says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:47am
Sharlto Copley, for a bravura debut performance which in its improvisatory nature was as pure and fearless as film acting can get in this CGI-smothered day and age. He was wry, gutsy, controlled and visceral. Surely this was one of the best-reviewed male screen performances of the year in a movie that a lot of viewers actually saw. Why not reward it with a nomination, Academy voters?
screenguy@hotmail.com says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:47am
Sasha – For those who are as interested as I, AMPAS has posted the 2009 Eligible Films list: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/reminderlist2009.pdf
DBibby says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:51am
I’m really disappointed Dean Spanley isn’t on that list screenguy. I thought it was a very good film, and released in the US this year.
bambi says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:51am
Zoe Saldana(Avatar) for best Supporting Actress. She was divine.
Rafael says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 10:51am
Thanks DBibby. I think I understand how it works much better now!
DaneM says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:06am
“Inglourious Basterds” for Best Picture. I feel like it may wind up with a screenwriting Oscar as a consolation prize for Tarantino (plus Waltz is a shoe-in for BSA) but it deserves consideration as Best Picture. What other director can get away with stringing together 10-minute scenes of almost pure dialogue and turning them into one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen on the silver screen? The last one I can think of who did it to perfection is Preston Sturges with films like “The Lady Eve” and “Sullivan’s Travels”. QT & Co. enlisted a pitch-perfect cast (distracting Mike Myers appearance aside), wrote thrilling & often hilarious dialogue, and had the audacity to rewrite the history books in order to bring us one of the most satisfying climaxes in the history of cinema.
Give Meryl Oscar #3 says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:08am
I second Bambi. Zoe Saldana was really good with the motion capture. I got so much emotion from her. Of course, not as much as Mo’nique or the lovely, deserving Anna Kendrick, but Zoe’s task was much harder.
Again, I am happy with just about anything happening this year. The only movie I disliked that other people liked a lot was Precious. I’d be giddy if Precious won nothing, but it’s probably going to win something.
An Education for screenplay. I hate that they always just give the screenplay award to the Best Picture winner. I loved Slumdog, for example, but Doubt’s screenplay was head and shoulders better. It was never in contention because the directing and the movie overall were not as good, so the script did not appear to be as exciting, but if you read both like books, Doubt was better. An Education’s script is beautiful–better than Up In The Air’s. Hurt Locker’s is also really good, but I think that’s original, right? An Education is clearly the best adaptation, in my mind.
Stephen Holt says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:31am
It’s also interesting to note that as soon as most members who are voting at all, immediately return their ballots. It’s still snail mail, yawl. And many don’t want their votes to get lost in the holiday postal mash-up. So where everyone is in voters’ minds TODAY, TOMORROW and the THE NEXT DAY are REALLY the most crucial days of all.
This is for nominating. And if I’ve heard once, I’ve heard it a thousand times from voting members, they’re “Scrambling” trying to find ten films to nominate…
The worst year for films in my memory and they expand it to ten!
Kay says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:32am
FYC: Marion Cotillard, Nine
She so deserves to be nominated.
red_wine says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:43am
Charlotte Gainsbourg – better than all the performances in consideration for Best Actress this year. Its a brave and courageous performance, not because of the nudity involved and doing an extremely private & intimate act on camera, but also because it really veers of the far end into dark territory. There’s something very primal about her performance, there is terror as well as malice in those eyes specially in the later stages of the film.
Tetro for Best Cinematography. I think it is handily better than the much celebrated cinematography of The White Ribbon. The White Ribbon was shot in color and then converted to black and white and it shows in some of the scenes. Tetro is pure gold though with a truly ravishing palette of greys that puts even the color scheme of Avatar to shame. It might be the most beautiful looking movie of the year.
bambi says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:54am
HP:HBP for Cinematography. Bruno rocked this one hard.
Amanda says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:59am
Dear Academy please nominate Matt Damon for the Informant! so i dont have to be mad that he was nominated for Invictus..a movie he was barely in. No make up nominations. Just nominate in the right place. I dont think that is asking too much. thanks.
Alex W. says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:05pm
Paranormal Activity – Best Picture
While not being typical Oscar fare, I truly feel Paranormal Activity deserves to be one of the ten films nominated for Best Picture. The film honestly left me literally shaking from head to toe for hours after I saw it. With a budget comparable only to a daily lunch bill on the Avatar set, the film was able to brilliantly attack the psyche of those in the theater providing viewers with a movie experience unlike any other this year. Also, I would love to put director/writer Oren Peli’s name out there as he created what many have cited the film as one of the scariest films of all time.
While Paranormal Activity is not my number one film of the year by any means, I do feel one of the biggest stories in film this year and arguably one of the scariest films of the decade should be recognized for its achievement.
TWC says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:23pm
WALL-E FOR BEST PICTURE
OH WAIT THAT WAS LAST YEAR!
I sat in awe last year when Wall-e wasn’t nominated for Best Picture! (or TDK for that matter, but especially Wall-e) I just knew Wall-e would be the animated film to make it to the top five! Alas the academy is trying to make up for these snubs by having 10 films compete for the top prize!
UP for BEST PICTURE
Besides so wonderfully showing us “it’s not just the destination…its the journey” this movie visually and emotionally soars, and I personally appreciate the delicate way it handles ellie and how when there’s a dream you really want that you can’t have, there are other dreams to be had!
dean says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:39pm
Tilda Swinton for Best Actress- Julia
If Acadmey members have seen the film, I don’t need to write a paragraph explaining. If they haven’t seen it, then they haven’t seen the best performance by an actress in a leading role for 2009.
Chance says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:47pm
Marion Coitillard has proven that she can take three words and make you feel three decades of emotion behind it. Every flick of her fingers, drop of her eyelashes, and twitch in the corners of her lips is layered in gravitas, heartbreak, and lovefool wisdom. And the fact that it doesn’t seem rehearsed is another achievement. When I watch Toni Braxton sing live, I see every thought, every note ripple across her eyes. Marion just IS and the fact that she’s pulled that off in a modern musical is even more impressive. She deserves to be nominated for best supporting actress. She has made every scene she’s in as important as scripture.
Alper says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:47pm
Shouldn’t nominate Meryl
Chance says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:47pm
And of course I spell her name wrong. Marion Cotillard, excuse me.
Also I’d like to add that Zoe Saldana is truly exquisite in Avatar. Arguably the first completely three-dimensional character in the history of CGI.
Alper says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:54pm
Maybe Hilary Swank will win Oscar.
Poor Meryl Streep’s got one but Hilary’s got two. Congratulations Hilary you are the one!
Marble_Plum says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 1:10pm
Zoe was THAT Good? Like comparable to Andy Serkis? I guess I’m going to have to watch it then. I’ve always liked her.
chrisw says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 1:15pm
I’m a big proponent of Jeff Bridges winning an Oscar. He’s vastly underrated and is one of the finest actors working today or ,really in my opinion, ever. He can do anything and make you believe him. It seems so natural like I’m not watching an actor act. It feels like I’m watching an actor become. I was emotionally invested with Rourke winning so I hope this year my horse wins because he deserves it over any other actor nominated this year.
To a much smaller degree I hope Mo’Nique doesn’t win, nor Avatar. I want IB to win more than 1 Oscar. I want at least 2 surprise nominations, espicially in best director. And I want The White Ribbon to get recognized for something maybe Director and/or Screenplay. It would be nice to see a foreign make it to the final 10.
Arturo says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 1:27pm
Marion Cotillard should receive an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ‘Nine’.
I cannot explain how her scene in ‘My Husband Makes Movies’ made me feel. As she stood up from her chair, and by looking at her face, I knew Luisa was finally ready to divulge a hungry secret to the audience, one that had seen only shadows until the moment she opened her mouth. She sang of her husband’s emotional abandonment of her and she made me feel her shaking anguish, how she felt as though she were hopelessly on a raft at sea, floating farther and farther from Guido. By the startling shine in her large eyes, I could tell that her heart was imploding inside her body. At the song’s quiet end, I was silently grateful to Luisa for sharing her repressed secret with me.
In her last number, ‘Take It All’, Luisa decides to show her husband the decay of her heart, her body and her soul, to force him to stare into that abyss and yell “look at me!” She walks on that stage, amidst a carnal carnival, almost like hell with it’s ravenous demons grabbing and pawing at her, and begins to strip furiously, almost proudly, for Guido. She is begging Guido to see her as vulnerable, as human as she can possibly be. And when she triumphantly exposes her breasts to him and screams “there will be nothing!”, she wants him to have a look at her emptiness, her annihilation at his indifferent hands. And with her final, horrifying glare at Guido, Luisa at last makes him understand that she died long ago, but that she will start from zero and reclaim her worth and live again……without him.
That is why Marion Cotillard should be an Academy Award nominee this year, because she has the ability to give an audience a treasure, a view of another life, one that breathes and feels. She effortlessly does what the great actresses of the Golden Era used to do, which is to take the people in the audience by their hands and help them step into the silver-screen with her.
Jerry Grant says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 1:35pm
“Where the Wild Things Are” for Best Picture.
Sadly, it may only be later that this is recognized as a miniature masterpiece. The most insightful and honest film about a kid’s inner world that I’ve ever seen, and also one of the most visually astonishing. The scenes with Max and his mother are among the best scenes this year–particularly when he tells her his story about the vampires. Also, somehow, the wild things’ personalities are so wonderfully present. Not to mention, they are as complex and fascinating as eavesdropping on any conversation between a group of 8-year-olds. A real masterwork, and one of the decade’s top ten in my opinion.
alliewayz says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 1:41pm
For once, not since Braveheart, might I agree with this year’s Best Picture lead contender: Up in the Air. It is well written, the actors hit every note without overdoing it, Jason Reitman’s direction is tops, and I was emotionally invested in the film more than any this year.
And this is coming from a guy who detested Reitman’s last film, Juno, albeit a good performance from Ellen Page.
Daniel says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 1:42pm
The one possible snub that will upset me the most is Mary and Max in the Best Animated Feature category. This film is maybe even the best one I’ve seen all year (although, to be fair, there’s still several big ones I haven’t seen). Sure its dark and a little bit twisted but something about the plights of the characters in this story struck a chord with me. Ultimately, I think that Mary and Max showed us once again that stylized animation can, in some ways, accomplish more in the way of emotional impact than live action actors can; the film touched on the issue of the universal loneliness that is, to varying degrees, a factor uniting every human. I have never, or not recently, seen a film that illustrates this poignant theme as effectively as Mary and Max did. In addition to the great animation and excellent score, this effectiveness can be attributed, above all, to Adam Elliot’s fantastic writing and direction as well as to the heartfelt voicework of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette. Without a doubt, these performances were two of the best I have ever seen (or heard I suppose) in the history of animated film. I’d even go so far as to say that PSH’s may be THE best I’ve heard. The film was a true work of art and it will be a sad day when/if it is not nominated.
Paddy M says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 1:55pm
I composed this very comment in the competition post for the District 9 giveaway, but I feel it’s just as appropriate here. And my choice is Anthony Dod Mantle for Best Cinematography for Antichrist.
For the clinical style of the early scenes, the intimate close-ups of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s face, the wonderful depiction of damp (as difficult an accomplishment as anything for a DOP), the tangible sense of rot in the woodlands, the magical surreality of the later foggy scenes, the outstanding monochrome of the first scene, and finally the consistent appreciation of what each and every individual scene demands visually, what the lyrical nature of Von Trier’s filmmaking also demands and how cinematography can unify all of the wildly contrasting styles of the film’s scenes.
I thought his work on Dogville and Manderlay was groundbreaking. He surpassed himself with Slumdog Millionaire. He surpassed himself again with Antichrist. It’s not about what you think of the film, or what you think of such a relatively unknown DOP winning back-to-back Oscars when people like Emmanuel Lubezki and Roger Deakins are currently Oscar-less. It only takes one film to recognise a genius. Had I not even seen his other work, I would be saying this same thing…
Anthony Dod Mantle deserves this Oscar! But a nomination will do…:)
Andrew says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 2:27pm
Tilda Swinton for Best Actress in Julia! See it on Netflix on demand right now.
Also – Christian McKay for Best Supporting Actor in Me and Orson Welles.
Bebe says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 2:34pm
Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna for Inglorious Basterds in the category of Best Supporting Actress. Her performance was subtle and magnificent, and in French no less. Also, though hopefully it’s a fait accompli, Christoph Waltz for Best Supporting Actor.
Also, Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes for Best Actor. He is so dynamic and fun to watch, the most full of life of any actor.
For Best Pic, while I haven’t seen all the possibles I’d back up those arguments for District 9. A great flick that looks effortless but so much went into making it.
And for Best Pic, Invictus. I hope this doesn’t end up being one of those years where the most relevant, powerful film gets overlooked only to get its due years later.
Insider says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 3:57pm
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for Cinematography and Art Direction.
District 9 for actor, screenplay, make up and visual FX.
adrian2nano says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 4:53pm
After watching “Precious” and “Up in the Air” I’m torn between Monique and Anna Kendrick for BSA. Who would I give it to??? I do realize that Monique’s performance is really good but then again I think any actress who fits that mold could have given a great performance in that role. I’m not trying to give stereotypes or anything but I believe her role is relatively easy compared to others. I just loved Anna Kendrick in UITA! She was perfect for that role and I do think it was way more complex that anything else we’ve seen this year in a supporting performance. I know she’s relatively new and all that but so is Monique. Just saw A Single Man and let me tell you even though Julianne Moore’s performance wasn’t so big it certainly was one of the best this year. If someone can come from behind and steal that Oscar it would probably be Miss Moore. She’s been nominated 4 times before and she’s waay overdue. I’d like to see either Kendrick or Moore win Best Supporting Actress.
Vermicious Knid says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 7:12pm
For your consideration: Marvin Hamlisch’s score for The Informant!
Musical scores can be big, booming, thunderous things, or sweeping, romantic creatures, but most of them exist as an emotional cue for the audience. Hamlisch’s score eschews that in favor of a retro-style composition reflecting the emotions of the main character, and, along with the brilliantly inane narration, the soundtrack of his mind. Not only that, it’s playful, fun, and even, within context, hilarious.
Lee in Chicago says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 8:36pm
No, for me, on Sharlto Copley. He was so over-the-top hysterical that he absolutely wore me out, immediately. Way too much mania in his performance, overacted and lacking subtlety, not modulated by Blomkamp, who was clearly occupied with other aspects of the production.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG, ANTICHRIST — MOST FEARLESS, BRAVE THIS YEAR
ALFRED MOLINA, AN EDUCATION — TOTALLY OVERLOOKED AND STRONGER THAN WALTZ
RACHEL WEISZ, THE BROTHERS BLOOM — COMPLETELY ORIGINAL
GWYNETH PALTROW, TWO LOVERS — SHE MADE NEUROSES FASCINATING
MARION COTILLARD, PUBLIC ENEMIES — IT WAS HERE, NOT NINE, THAT SHE DID HER RICHEST WORK
SIN NOMBRE — BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND CINEMATOGRAPHY
ZOE SALDANA, AVATAR — THE HEART OF THE FILM
ANTICHRIST — BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SOUND
NICHOLAS HOULT, A SINGLE MAN — INDELIBLE SUPPORTING
MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, AWAY WE GO — THE DEFINITION OF A GREAT SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, VERY INSPIRED
PAUL SCHNEIDER, BRIGHT STAR — TRAGIC, MEMORABLE
Other overlooked performances of merit:
Isabelle Fuhrman, Orphan (pulled off outrageous plot twist with utter believability)
Alden Ehrenreich, Tetro (great sensitivity)
Steve Zahn, Management (new, fresh, surprising)
Isla Fisher, Confessions of a Shopaholic (perfect comic timing and slapstick in a marginal film)
Chris Messina, Away We Go (doing a lot, with little)
John O. says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 8:55pm
I’d like to see Anthoy Mackie with best supporting actor nomination for “The Hurt Locker”.
Alex says:
Monday, December 28, 2009 at 9:54pm
Nine and Bright Star.
The two most visual, and compelling films this year, their both also, subtle in the way you see a heartbreak.
The two best films of the year!
Dmitri says:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 5:41am
For all the wrath you incur in me with your stance on TWBB (how can you HATE that film? HOW?????), your stance on Avatar (no details needed here, I feel), and your “Nobody Knows Anything” post, I must give you credit for your defence of The Lovely Bones. I have not had a chance to see the film yet, but I am quite positive it is going to be my favourite film of the year. Not only because I absolutely adore Peter Jackson, but because the film looks like a masterpiece in every way, and because I never give a damn what the idiot film snobs officially labeled ‘critics’ think anyway. So I guess that is my case. Some recognition for TLB. Of the films I have seen, District 9 for Best Picture. Acknowledge the work of art, the originality, and the fact that Peter Jackson gave a groundbreaking film a chance to be born.
Bryan says:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 5:13pm
I think a mention should be made in favor of a Best Actress nomination for Michelle Pfeiffer in “Cheri,” which has largely been forgotten since it opened. She was beautiful, micheivous and touching as an aging courtesan who falls for a younger man. Maybe the Academy will surprise us. It’s her best performance in a long time.
Justin says:
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 8:45am
Sasha – Thanks for asking people to really make their cases in more than a sentence. Some of these are really interesting. Some of them. Some.
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FYC, BEST PICTURE – THE HANGOVER
I’m one of those perpetually frustrated fools who complains about the treatment that comedies get during Awards Season. More importantly, I don’t have a suggestion on how to fix it, but when a such a solid comedy like The Hangover can get next to no buzz, it should be a bit of a red flag. The script was brilliant, and I would say it’s a hell of a lot harder to write a sincerely funny comedy that a sincerely moving drama. If you disagree, go write a funny screenplay. Make me laugh. There were more laughs in The Hangover than any comedy I can think of in a long time, and that was attributed to every aspect of the film. Comedic directors always get the shaft unless they are in that indie-darling zone (where they have enough dramatic moments to be “artful” enough) but Todd Phillips paced it perfectly, which is so crucial in a 100 minute comedy. And as for the actors, Galifianakis is an effing genuis and I’m thrilled this has made him more mainstream. If Robert Downey Jr. can get nominated for Tropic Thunder (another GREAT performance, but definitely nominated due in part to his being so well liked and his role being very hollywood-meta-in-on-the-joke-y) than Galifianakis shouldn’t be a complete darkhorse. The rest of the cast, especially Ed Helms, were also spot on. And the film was FUN. It made you want to leave the theatre and text people to tell them they had to see it. If I had the time to do more research, I’d love to write a longer piece on this Awards Season/Comedy conundrum, but I find it frustrating that we are only willing to recognize comedies when they are, in fact, dramedies – while we throw away legit, balls-out comedies like The Hangover as popcorn flicks.