Glad to see "Waltz with Bashir" and "Man on Wire" got nods - all the rest was pretty well predictable, and like MBI said, more than a little boring. Looking forward to seeing "Milk", "Doubt" and "Benjamin Button" to see how deserving they are of their slew of nominations.
On the negative: Slumdog doesn't deserve 10 noms, but will probably pick up a few from worthier competitors just because it's "feel good" (see "Chicago"). Heath's nomination was a dead cert, excuse the pun. Sorry that Kristen Scott Thomas didn't get one.
I have to say, I guess I was spoiled by "The Departed" and "No Country for Old Men" winning back to back. But these Oscar nominations may be the worst since '84. I haven't seen a lot of them, and I may change my tune once I watch more, but Jesus, think of last year's Best Picture nominees. Not only did they have "No Country" and "There Will Be Blood," they had the surpisingly complex "Atonement," the surprisingly complex last half of "Juno" and the not-complex-but-at-least-could-fake-it "Michael Clayton."
This year's nominees are middlebrow straight down the line, to a one. Again, I may change my tune, but I don't see much that's dark or challenging in any of them. In any other year, "Slumdog Millionaire" would be the dark horse aw-it's-cute fifth pick like "Little Miss Sunshine." This year it's the frontrunner, which is appalling. It's like seeing the Academy go wild for "The Karate Kid," which for the record is a much better film than "Slumdog Millionaire."
But these Oscar nominations may be the worst since '84.
Some years the Oscars go to "pretty good" films because the best film(s) of the year were "pretty good" rather than brilliant. And of course it goes without saying that some other year a brilliant movie may miss out if there was something even better made that year. C'est la vie...
Best Picture My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Overlooked: Wall E
Best Actor My pick: Sean Penn, Milk Overrated: Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button Overlooked: Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Best Supporting Actor My pick: Heath Ledger, Dark Knight Overrated: Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder Overlooked: Richard Jenkins, Burn After Reading
Best Director My pick: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: David Fincher, Benjamin Button Overlooked: Christopher Nolan, Dark Knight
Best Original Screenplay My pick: Wall E Overrated: In Bruges Overlooked: Leatherheads
Best Adapted Screenplay My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: What Just Happened
Best Cinematography My pick: Dark Knight Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: The Fall
Best Film Editing My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: Tell No One
Best Visual Effects My pick: Dark Knight Overrated: Iron Man Overlooked: Wanted
Best Score My pick: Wall E Overrated: Milk Overlooked: Waltz With Bashir
Best Sound Mixing and Editing My pick: Wall E Overrated: Wanted Overlooked: Waltz With Bashir
Judging by my list, I'd say the most overlooked film of the year was Waltz With Bashir, the most accomplished film of the year was Slumdog Millionaire, and the most overrated film of the year was (without any doubt) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Best Picture My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Overlooked: Wall E
Best Actor My pick: Sean Penn, Milk Overrated: Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button Overlooked: Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Best Supporting Actor My pick: Heath Ledger, Dark Knight Overrated: Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder Overlooked: Richard Jenkins, Burn After Reading
Best Director My pick: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: David Fincher, Benjamin Button Overlooked: Christopher Nolan, Dark Knight
Best Original Screenplay My pick: Wall E Overrated: In Bruges Overlooked: Leatherheads
Best Adapted Screenplay My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: What Just Happened
Best Cinematography My pick: Dark Knight Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: The Fall
Best Film Editing My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: Tell No One
Best Visual Effects My pick: Dark Knight Overrated: Iron Man Overlooked: Wanted
Best Score My pick: Wall E Overrated: Milk Overlooked: Waltz With Bashir
Best Sound Mixing and Editing My pick: Wall E Overrated: Wanted Overlooked: Waltz With Bashir
Judging by my list, I'd say the most overlooked film of the year was Waltz With Bashir, the most accomplished film of the year was Slumdog Millionaire, and the most overrated film of the year was (without any doubt) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Agreed about The Fall. Tell No One wasn't from last year -- are the rules different for the foreign category?
The rules go by release date in Los Angeles. Tell No One was released this summer in Los Angeles and was a superbly edited film. The editor was Herve de Luze, who also edited The Pianist and Oliver Twist for Roman Polanski. The story was convoluted but the editor managed to keep the viewer following it most of the way through. The movie also deals with flashbacks, montages, chase sequences, dynamic dialogue sequences, several plot lines going at once, etc.
Benjamin Button was certainly a well cut film as well, and had its own set of unique challenges, but editing Tell No One must have been grueling and the editor pulled it off brilliantly.
Best Picture My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Overlooked: Wall E
Best Actor My pick: Sean Penn, Milk Overrated: Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button Overlooked: Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Best Supporting Actor My pick: Heath Ledger, Dark Knight Overrated: Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder Overlooked: Richard Jenkins, Burn After Reading
Best Director My pick: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: David Fincher, Benjamin Button Overlooked: Christopher Nolan, Dark Knight
Best Original Screenplay My pick: Wall E Overrated: In Bruges Overlooked: Leatherheads
Best Adapted Screenplay My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: What Just Happened
Best Cinematography My pick: Dark Knight Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: The Fall
Best Film Editing My pick: Slumdog Millionaire Overrated: Benjamin Button Overlooked: Tell No One
Best Visual Effects My pick: Dark Knight Overrated: Iron Man Overlooked: Wanted
Best Score My pick: Wall E Overrated: Milk Overlooked: Waltz With Bashir
Best Sound Mixing and Editing My pick: Wall E Overrated: Wanted Overlooked: Waltz With Bashir
Judging by my list, I'd say the most overlooked film of the year was Waltz With Bashir, the most accomplished film of the year was Slumdog Millionaire, and the most overrated film of the year was (without any doubt) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
RE YOUR LIST MOST OVERLOOKED GENDER - ACTRESSES
I didn't comment on the actresses because I had only seen one of the nominated films for Best Actress (The Reader) and two of the nominated films for Best Supporting Actress (Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Benjamin Button). I thought it would be unfair to choose a favorite without at least having seen Doubt.
I've rated it 6/5 here. I'm willing to say it was certainly the best Israeli film I've ever seen - if not one of the best movies from anywhere. What non-Israelis watching this with translations won't get is how totally natural and unscripted the dialogue is. I'm also not sure you'll get the humour included - some of which are "in-jokes" that only someone who lives here would truly get.
I've just noticed that Changeling wasn't nominated for Best Picture or anything other than Best Actress or the aesthetic ones. That doesn't seem fair at all, so I'm going to bump Jolie up to me my preference for the Oscar.
We have Oscar noms!
Posted - 01/22/2009 : 14:50:45
boooooo!
