OK, here we go. I've seen (I think) 43 movies this year, at my last tally...some thoughts on the nominations, from what I've seen:
SO GLAD that Dreamgirls got shut out from the major categories (can't wait to hear what Papa Knowles is going to have to say after Beyonce and the picture didn't get noms, after his bitching when they won their 3 Golden Globes). I thought it was just OK. I think Murphy and Hudson deserved their nominations (though, I don't think either of them would be my choice to win; that'd be Haley and probably one of the Babel ladies). I think the THREE Best Song nominations are kind of ridiculous (love how they're going to ride their "Most Nominated Film" bit, while almost half of them are in this category). The design nominations are also deserved.
Totally A-OK with the Best Actor and Actress nominees. I'm so thrilled Sacha Baron Cohen didn't sneak in there over Ryan Gosling (though, I haven't had a chance to see Half Nelson yet...waiting with baited breath for it to be released on DVD). I still need to see Venus, so I can't really compare fairly, but I really hope Whitaker wins and they don't give a "pity" award to O'Toole. Sure, he's gotten the shaft before, but overlooking a career-high performance (from a solid, underrated actor) is not the way to go here, folks!
Kind of glad to see Nicholson dropped from the Supporting Actor list. I sometimes feel he makes the cut just for "being Jack." Though, I would have preferred James McAvoy or Michael Sheen to have gotten in there over Wahlberg.
WHERE IS VOLVER?!?!?! Admittedly, I've only seen Volver and Pan's (which I'd imagine has this pretty much sewn up now), but I'll be catching Water on DVD, and The Lives of Others and Days of Glory are due out in limited release in a few weeks, so I'll be pretty much caught up by Oscar night. I thought Volver would be a shoe-in just because it was Almodovar (and it had strong buzz). This was more surprising to me than the Dreamgirls "snub."
WTF is up with Borat's Adapted Screenplay nomination? First of all, it's basically improvised. I know they must have conceived of general plans that they wanted to execute, etc, but I don't see how this could be nominated for Screenplay. As much as I LOVE Christopher Guest movies, that would be like nominated one of his here...And when they're dropping Thank You for Smoking and The Devil Wears Prada (which I didn't love, but was a VAST improvement on the novel)...GRRRR!!!!
Guess that's enough bitching for now.
A few positives before I go, though...
LOVE the love for Pan's Labyrinth! I hope they pick up some design nominations in addition to Foreign Film.
*fingers crossed* for a Cinematography win for Children of Men. Those jaw-dropping long takes were outrageous, and I'd love to see this pick something up on Oscar night. (Wish studios would shy away from the ridiculously late release dates; I think this suffered big-time because of this).
What a come-back for Jackie Earle Haley! I'd love to see him win, but it's probably rather unlikely (though he has won his fair share of critics' awards). Pretty ballsy to take on a role like that!
Even though I'm not as gaga over her performance as most, what a hell of a story Jennifer Hudson has! I was so livid when she got ousted from Idol, and boy, what a way to bounce back.
And one more big hooray for Little Miss Sunshine. Probably not the best film out there, but I love when a little film show up in a BIG way!