FANTASTIC SHENANIGANS! I’D LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY…FOR THEIR NOMINATIONS
Here are the 2008 Oscar nominations in the major categories, followed by my quick (j)opinions.
Actor in a leading role
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)
Actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James…)
Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s War)
Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
Actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Julie Christie (Away from Her)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Laura Linney (The Savages)
Ellen Page (Juno)
Actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)
Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Best animated feature film
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf’s Up
Directing
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel)
Juno (Jason Reitman)
Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen)
There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Original score
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Original song
“Falling Slowly” (Once)
“Happy Working Song” (Enchanted)
“Raise It Up” (August Rush)
“So Close” (Enchanted)
“That’s How You Know” (Enchanted)
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Adapted Screenplay
Atonement (Christopher Hampton)
Away from Her (Sarah Polley)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Ronald Harwood)
No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen)
There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Original Screenplay
Juno (Diablo Cody)
Lars and the Real Girl (Nancy Oliver)
Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
The Savages (Tamara Jenkins)
Usually I am quite grumpy when these are revealed, as personal favorites are oft overlooked. However, I am more than satisfied with the following:
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR CATEGORY
In my humble opinion, this is the toughest category to choose from, and the most deserving group of actors. Though I thought that Philip Seymour-Hoffman was the best part about Charlie Wilson’s War, I don’t think this is the role that will add another golden statue to his collection. Comic relief isn’t usually rewarded by the Academy. Although…he might win based on his stellar work in two additional films this year (Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead and The Savages). As I mentioned in my last post, Hal Holbrook was mesmerizing in Into the Wild. I wasn’t emotionally connected to the journey of the lead character until he interacted with Holbrook. Sad, beautiful and very effective. Of course, Javier Bardem might win based on his eyes and that haircut alone; I haven’t seen No Country For Old Men yet, but just watching Bardem in the trailer creeps me out.
CATE BLANCHETT
That I love her is no secret. That she is nominated for both Lead Actress and Supporting Actress is quite impressive, but not shocking. If she wins for either Elizabeth: The Golden Age or I’m Not There, it would be the second time in a row that she is recognized for her interpretation of someone famous (Kathryn Hepburn in The Aviator, Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth, Bob Dylan in I’m Not There). She is golden…and I can’t wait to see her as the ‘bad guy’ in the new Indiana Jones movie!
FEMALE SCREENWRITERS
It is very encouraging to see that 4 of the 10 nominations for Best Screenplay (both adapted and original) were for women, and that two of them are multi-hyphenates (Sarah Polley and Tamara Jenkins both wrote and directed their films).
JUNO
Holy sh*t, this is fantastic! I totally believe that Diablo Cody deserves the recognition for her refreshing Original Screenplay. Earlier this month in a review of the film I mentioned that Jason Reitman’s work behind the camera should not be overlooked….and voila! Reitman gets his very first Academy Award nomination and his movie gets a Best Picture nod. So sweet. And then there is Ellen Page for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Amazing. Fitting. I love it.
LAURA LINNEY
Like Blanchett, I enjoy just about everything she does. I’ve been hearing buzz about Linney’s performance in The Savages since I tried to get tickets to it at Sundance a year ago. Good for her. One of these days she’ll join the ranks of the rare few who have actually earned Academy Awards. And I have to say, of all of my predictions from October, I am proud that this one became a reality.
MICHAEL CLAYTON
I liked this film and am pleasantly surprised by the number of nominations. I definitely think that Wilkinson and Swinton deserve their Supporting nods, and writer/director Tony Gilroy was also justly rewarded for his dual roles.
ONCE
Yes! I was worried that because this little indie came out earlier in 2007, it might have gotten lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, I was wrong and it earned a nod for Original Song. And I am thrilled for actors/singers/songwriters Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The soundtrack has earned a place in my Top 5 of all time. Here is my post about Once from last summer.
ORIGINAL SCORE
I don’t usually pay much attention to this category, but composer Michael Giacchino is nominated for scoring Ratatouille. I love his music from The Incredibles and (obviously) Lost.
But of course, there were some disappointments:
AMERICAN GANGSTER
Wow, talk about a shut-out. While Ruby Dee was nominated for Best Supporting Actress (in what must be the annual sentimental vote; I was not particularly stirred by her brief appearance), I am quite surprised that Denzel and director Ridley Scott are not among the nominees this year.
INTO THE WILD
Sean Penn was robbed; he should have earned nods for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay. And frankly, THREE original song nominations for Enchanted seems excessive, especially given that Eddie Vedder was ignored for his original music on the Into the Wild soundtrack.
ANGELINA JOLIE
Not to take anything away from the others in the Best Actress category, but Jolie was absolutely stunning in A Mighty Heart. Hers was one of the more memorable performances from 2007, and she truly deserved a nomination.
VIGGO MORTENSEN
Yes, he wrestled and killed two thugs while completely naked. But one scene does not a movie make, nor does it deserve a Best Actor nod. Eastern Promises was disappointing. End of story.
Thoughts?