2010 Academy Award Nominations: Analysis and Predictions

February 2, 2010 isn't just Groundhog Day; it's also a very important day for the film industry: this was the morning that the 2010 Academy Award nominations were announced. The 2010 Academy Award nominations didn't contain too many surprises this year; however, there were a few notable omissions. Here are my thoughts on the 2010 Oscar nominations and some predictions about who will win the acting awards on Academy Awards night.

2010 Academy Award Nominations: Winners and Losers

If you love acting and movies, the 2010 Academy Award nominations are a big deal for film lovers. I eagerly tuned in at 8:30 a.m. this morning, to see who would garner a 2010 Oscar nomination, and who would be overlooked. As last year's Best Actress nominee Anne Hathaway and the Academy President Tom Sherak read the Oscar nominees, there weren't too many Oscar surprises with my morning coffee.

The 2010 Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Nine); Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air); Mo'Nique (Precious); Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air); and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart). My money's on Mo'Nique to win this category, as she's been honored for this performance at this year's Golden Globes and SAG Awards. I don't feel that any other actress in this category can beat her.

It was nice to see Penelope Cruz nominated again, after her Oscar win for Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona (I would have liked to see more performers nominated for Nine.) I'm not sure that young Anna Kendrick should have been nominated for Up in the Air; her nomination shut out the Oscar worthy performance by Julianne Moore in A Single Man (in my opinion, this was a serious oversight).

The 2010 Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds); Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones); Woody Harrelson (The Messenger); Matt Damon (Invictus); and Christopher Plummer (The Last Station). I'm pretty sure Christoph Waltz will continue his winning streak and take home the Oscar gold for Inglourious Basterds.

Not enough people saw The Lovely Bones or The Messenger to give Tucci or Harrelson a realistic shot at winning this year's Best Supporting Actor. The Last Station seems like the type of arty film the Academy Awards really likes to honor, so Christopher Plummer may have a small chance of pulling off an upset in this category (but I wouldn't bet on it.)

The 2010 Academy Award nominations for Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side); Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia); Helen Mirren (The Last Station); Carey Mulligan (An Education); and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious). While I would truly love to see actress Meryl Streep win for playing Julia Child, it is pretty much a foregone conclusion in Hollywood this year that Sandra Bullock is going to win Best Actress.

It's so fantastic to see young Carey Mulligan honored with a 2010 Academy Award nomination for her breakout role in An Education; Mulligan is certainly a rising young star just beginning an important acting career. Another talented young actress, Gabourey Sidibe, did an amazing job in Precious, but I don't believe that either one of these actresses can beat Bullock this year. Speaking of deserving young actresses, it's a bit surprising that with so much buzz surrounding her performance, Abbie Cornish was overlooked for Bright Star (an art film few people saw, so I guess that explains it).

It's delightful to see over sixty actresses Mirren and Streep honored with 2010 Oscar nominations, and I hope that Hollywood continues to recognize actors and actresses of all ages, with Oscar nods.

The 2010 Academy Award nominations for Best Actor: George Clooney (Up in the Air); Colin Firth (A Single Man); Morgan Freeman (Invictus); Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart); and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker). Just like Waltz, Mo'Nique, and Bullock, Jeff Bridges seems a foregone conclusion to win Best Actor for Crazy Heart; he's been Oscar nominated a few times before and I think this is his year to win.

The Academy seems to really love George Clooney, so he could pull off an upset and win Best Actor for Up in the Air, though I doubt it will happen. It was so exciting to see Jeremy Renner nominated for the first time, for The Hurt Locker. I've been following Renner's career since he was profiled as an up and coming (and somewhat struggling) actor in the Bravo reality show about actors, called The It Factor.

I personally would love to see one of my favorite British actors, Colin Firth, receive an Oscar, but I'm pretty sure it's not his year. Brad Pitt for Inglourious Basterds, and Academy favorite Daniel Day Lewis for Nine, both seemed destined for Oscar nominations for Best Actor, yet both were overlooked.

Other 2010 Academy Award nominations: I'm placing my bets on Mo'Nique, Waltz, Bullock and Bridges to win the Oscar on Academy Awards night. It's exciting to see a woman, Kathryn Bigelow, nominated for Best Director for The Hurt Locker, but I don't think she can beat out ex-husband James Cameron, who directed Avatar. In fact, I believe that out of the ten films nominated for Best Picture this year, blockbuster crowd pleaser Avatar will win (because the Academy has never seen a film quite like the innovative Avatar before!)

These are my predictions for the 2010 Academy Award nominations for acting. Tune in to the Oscars on Sunday March 7, 2010 at 8 p.m. on ABC to see which actors will be honored with an Academy Award.

Source:
http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees