Academy Award Nominations

[Rex]

I love Annette Benning but I don't think her performance in TKAAR is worthy of an Oscar. I felt Portman was much stronger, despite what you may think of the film. I think Portman might be robbed because the voters see her as young and having many more chances. If they would just give the awards on who earned it that year then the truly strong actors and actresses will eventually win. If someone is always up against a career defining role then so be it, maybe you will get a lifetime achievement award later.

Aronofsky's films deal with some disturbing, uncommercial stuff, and sometimes I think that turns off AA voters. Now, I thought Ellyn Burstyn was AMAZING in Requiem for a Dream, certainly better than Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (dishwater dull movie, despite the presence of Aaron Eckhart). Ellen was absolutely heartbreaking, and her breakdown scenes were not for the squeamish. As a matter of fact, too many scenes in the film made me cringe they were so powerful. I've watched the latter film twice, and think it belongs on Lifetime, starring Connie Selleca or some other mediocre TV actress.

[dramagrrl]

Andrew Garfield wuz robbed! If it were up to me, he would've been nominated for Best Supporting Actor twice - both for his stellar performance in The Social Network and his much more subtle, quietly devastating performance in Never Let Me Go.

[phoenixflamezzz]

ooh wow, maybe TKS is the fronrunner for best pic now. 12 noms indicates alot of support. hrm.

interested to see how the SAG plays out. i think that will go to the Fighter, the DGA to Fincher. this race just got interesting....

[gingercrush]

Aronofsky's films deal with some disturbing, uncommercial stuff, and sometimes I think that turns off AA voters. Now, I thought Ellyn Burstyn was AMAZING in Requiem for a Dream, certainly better than Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (dishwater dull movie, despite the presence of Aaron Eckhart). Ellen was absolutely heartbreaking, and her breakdown scenes were not for the squeamish. As a matter of fact, too many scenes in the film made me cringe they were so powerful. I've watched the latter film twice, and think it belongs on Lifetime, starring Connie Selleca or some other mediocre TV actress.

Ellen Burstyn's acting was just as cringe inducing as Julia Roberts. Utterly pathetic on what is one of the most overrated films of all time.

[BigB08822]

Ellen Burstyn's acting was just as cringe inducing as Julia Roberts. Utterly pathetic on what is one of the most overrated films of all time.

Oh, wow. I can honestly say I have never heard anyone describe Burstyn's performance that way. I know we each have our own opinions but that is shocking to me. I would say Burstyn is probably the most "wuzrobbed" in her category that I can think of in my generation.

[Jimena]

I think we discovered during the Golden Globes that gingercrush doesn't like much about the movies...

[missflick]

Yes, I remember! I thought that Cate Blanchett wuz robbed that year! At least I thought she deserved the Best Actress for portraying Elizabeth I more than Gwyneth did for her role in SIL -- and so did Emily Watson as Jacqueline du Pré.

I remember the comments that Paltrow would win because she was the only American in a field of Brits. I forget which movie critic said that, but I thought it was a stupid reason to win.

Anyway, Micelle Williams for best supporting actress? Shouldn't she be lead? And I thought Paul Giamatti would get something after his Golden Globe win.

Joan Rivers had a documentary? What?

[Cyn]

About more than one lead in a movie, yes it is possible. IIRC in Thelma & Louise both actresses were nominated for the lead actress Oscar (and neither won, probably because the votes got split).

Thelma & Louise was up against the juggernaut of Silence of the Lambs - the latter had been released in February of 1991 and still managed to sweep the big four. I liked both films, as well as all three actresses, but IMO there was no way T&L was going to win the Actress category.

Yes, I remember! I thought that Cate Blanchett wuz robbed that year! At least I thought she deserved the Best Actress for portraying Elizabeth I more than Gwyneth did for her role in SIL -- and so did Emily Watson as Jacqueline du Pré.

Absolutely. I went on a cursing streak like a sailer who was rolled outside a bar in Tijuana when Princess Gwyneth won . Again, JMO, but I think her win had more to do with her pedigree in Hollywood than her acting talent. No fecking way should she have won over the field she was up against.

I think we discovered during the Golden Globes that gingercrush doesn't like much about the movies...

[Wyliefan]

Now, I thought Ellyn Burstyn was AMAZING in Requiem for a Dream, certainly better than Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (dishwater dull movie, despite the presence of Aaron Eckhart).

Roberts was pretty bad. I remember watching a scene with her and the baby and thinking she looked like she'd never been around children in her life. She hoisted the kid like a sack of potatoes.

Andrew Garfield wuz robbed! If it were up to me, he would've been nominated for Best Supporting Actor twice - both for his stellar performance in The Social Network and his much more subtle, quietly devastating performance in Never Let Me Go.

He was amazing in Never Let Me Go. I'm pretty bummed that that movie didn't get anything.

[Seerek]

I think Never Let Me Go being released in September may have been to its detriment, because in the early fall, people were already giving nominations to Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield.

People are quick to label "Exit Through the Gift Shop" as mockumentary, but I think its overall insights are just as valid as the other more conventional docs. Interesting to see "Client 9" not getting nominated (although Eliot Spitzer himself appear in it was...kind of odd).

[vesperholly]

To top it all, Saving Private Ryan was head and shoulders over any other movie that year, but SIL won for best picture.

I LOVE Shakespeare in Love. I didn't like Paltrow's coronation win, but I definitely supported the win for Best Picture.

He was amazing in Never Let Me Go. I'm pretty bummed that that movie didn't get anything.

I found that movie OK, kind of disappointing. The book was phenomenal, but the movie ... meh. The way the book

Spoiler

gradually revealed the truth about the cloning program was haunting and horrifying

, but the movie fell kind of flat. It seemed like an interesting movie ran through the wash thousands of times, making it dishwater-dull.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

I remember the comments that Paltrow would win because she was the only American in a field of Brits. I forget which movie critic said that, but I thought it was a stupid reason to win.

Anyway, Micelle Williams for best supporting actress? Shouldn't she be lead? And I thought Paul Giamatti would get something after his Golden Globe win.

Joan Rivers had a documentary? What?

The American in a field of Brits was about Helen Hunt for As Good as it Gets where she was competing against the likes of Judi Dench, Julie Christie, Helena Bonham Carter, and Kate Winslet.

Gwyneth Paltrow was competing against Cate Blanchet (Australian), Fernanda Montenegro (my personal choice and from Brazil), Emily Watson (British), and Meryl Streep (American).

Michelle Williams is in Best Lead Actress, not supporting actress.

Paul Giamatti's field at the Golden Globes was Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. None of the nominees were really award contenders as none of them were really in the major awards circuit nor did they pick up any major critics awards. The category included two nods for Johnny Depp (The Tourist and Alice in Wonderland), Jake Gyllenhaal (Love and Other Drugs), and Kevin Spacey (Casino Jack). Pretty weak.

Joan Rivers had a critically-acclaimed documentary that came out this past year but I think it was out of the running pretty early on since the Documentary branch does their awards differently. I never liked the documentary branch since they snubbed films like The Thin Blue Line and Hoop Dreams. Plus they (I know it's the whole Academy, not just the documentary branch) gave the Oscar last year to that Whale movie when there were better, more riveting documentaries nominated that year.

Oh, wow. I can honestly say I have never heard anyone describe Burstyn's performance that way. I know we each have our own opinions but that is shocking to me. I would say Burstyn is probably the most "wuzrobbed" in her category that I can think of in my generation.

I disagree. I disliked Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovich but my personal vote would've gone to Laura Linney in You Can Count on Me. I kind of thought Ellen Bustryn (and the whole movie in general) was overrated and didn't really have depth. Funny because I love Black Swan and I see similar arguments made against that film.

BTW, I disliked Saving Private Ryan and thought it was sort of a hoaky and predictable WWII movie. I always laugh when people point out how the Oscars are biased towards WWII movies and yet I see a lot of the general public still complain when Saving Private Ryan lost to a movie that was actually pretty original and got great reviews for its cleverness and wit and originality at the time.

[IceAlisa]

Aronofsky's films deal with some disturbing, uncommercial stuff, and sometimes I think that turns off AA voters.

That may be the case but what turns me off is his bull-in-a-china-shop style. Disturbing, uncommercial stuff I can take. His clobbering the audience with the subject matter--not so much.

[tracylynn]

Mostly a reader here on the board, but I gotta say...yeah for Restrepo! I may be the only one who likes that documentary but it is, IMO, gripping.

[musicgurl]

I remember the comments that Paltrow would win because she was the only American in a field of Brits. I forget which movie critic said that, but I thought it was a stupid reason to win.

Anyway, Micelle Williams for best supporting actress? Shouldn't she be lead? And I thought Paul Giamatti would get something after his Golden Globe win.

Joan Rivers had a documentary? What?

Michelle Williams is nominated in best lead actress. I think people were questioning the push for Hailee Steinfeld in supporting because her character is the lead character.

[masofs]

Yes, I remember! I thought that Cate Blanchett wuz robbed that year! At least I thought she deserved the Best Actress for portraying Elizabeth I more than Gwyneth did for her role in SIL -- and so did Emily Watson as Jacqueline du Pré.

Blanchett was great (way better than Gwyneth) but I thought Fernanda Montenegro ("Central Station") deserved that one.

[Rex]

Ellen Burstyn's acting was just as cringe inducing as Julia Roberts. Utterly pathetic on what is one of the most overrated films of all time.

No biggie; to each his/her own....

Oh, wow. I can honestly say I have never heard anyone describe Burstyn's performance that way. I know we each have our own opinions but that is shocking to me. I would say Burstyn is probably the most "wuzrobbed" in her category that I can think of in my generation.

So true...and I didn't like Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, but she more than made up for it in this movie. The entire cast was damned impressive...

[gingercrush]

I do like movies. I just find the overly dramatic acting that is seemingly always rewarded over more subtle performances to be disturbing. Most of the best acting isn't even nominated.

[Rex]

Roberts was pretty bad. I remember watching a scene with her and the baby and thinking she looked like she'd never been around children in her life. She hoisted the kid like a sack of potatoes.

She looked great in the push-up bra though.

That may be the case but what turns me off is his bull-in-a-china-shop style. Disturbing, uncommercial stuff I can take. His clobbering the audience with the subject matter--not so much.

The scenes in Requiem where Jennifer Connelly had to put on that horrific sex show to get those drugs wasn't exactly subtle....

I do like movies. I just find the overly dramatic acting that is seemingly always rewarded over more subtle performances to be disturbing. Most of the best acting isn't even nominated.

You have a point, but I'm always a sucker for histrionics...if done properly.

[essence_of_soy]

Wow. I'm so thrilled for Shaun Tan's nomination for best animated short film. If you haven't seen The Lost Thing, it's beautiful and touching.