The Academy Award Snubs

Now that the Oscar nominations are over twenty-four hours old I thought I would join those who have a thing or two to complain about to the Academy. This article is about the Oscar snubs, of which there are always a few.

Not everyone is going to be pleased with every nomination. The Academy long ago figured that out and still does things their way, evident by the fact that comedies are still the most overlooked genre in the Oscars game. I give them credit for sticking to their guns but sometimes you just have to shake your heads at some of the nominations. For me there were just a few head scratchers and only one genuine surprise inclusion, but basically I was very pleased, especially seeing that some smaller, largely unseen movies were recognized. Films like An Education, A Serious Man, A Single Man and The Messenger received well deserved notice. On the other end of that spectrum, however, are some terrific films that were shut-out altogether such as (500) Days of Summer, The Road and Where The Wild Things Are.

Let's take a look at the major categories and those I think were undeserved or snubbed.

BEST PICTURE - The nominees are Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up In The Air.

First off I am dead against the ten picture nomination category. Outside of the want for more viewers and so that five other films can boast that they are "Best Picture nominees," I don't see the point of it. Of the ten nominees I have an issue with three of them, for different reasons. The inclusion of District 9 must have received large cheers from sci-fi fans out there and I won't complain too much here because the film is innovative, its CGI effects are terrific and its story is well told. If you read my ten best list you found UP high on the list. So what am I complaining about? While I think it is terrific and deserving of a nomination, what is the point of the Best Animated Film category? UP will certainly win that category so it should have been ruled out of Best Picture to make room for another film. It's a small quibble but probably means something to the #11 film on the Academy's list. For me the real head scratcher here is The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock. This is a nice enough film but one of the best of the year? It's a crowd pleaser and perhaps the Academy members felt the need to include one. I was a bit surprised but totally satisfied at the exclusion of Invictus. Clint Eastwood's drama is a notch below most of his work but still a good film but not one of greatness, a place many of Eastwood's films belong under.

The snubs? My biggest complaint was the exclusion of Star Trek, which I thought was the best film of the series and helped to revitalize what was thought a long dead series at that. This was great film entertainment and its exclusion is made all the more odd by District 9's inclusion. (500) Days of Summer was the best romantic comedy of the year and deserved a spot on the list as well.

BEST ACTOR - The nominees are Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart," George Clooney for "Up in the Air," Colin Firth for "A Single Man," Morgan Freeman for "Invictus," and Jeremy Renner for "The Hurt Locker."

It's really hard to argue against any of the five men nominated so I will keep it to a minimum. Four of the five men are truly worthy (a BIG kudos for the inclusion of Renner, who was smashing in a difficult role) but the fifth actor, and one I would exclude, is Morgan Freeman. His portrayal of Mandela is a good one but not as important a performance as one would expect. Oh, I won't complain about Freeman's inclusion because he is a fine actor who couldn't give a bad performance if he tried but I just felt there were a few performances worth noting.

The snubs? Viggo Mortensen's role as a father trying to keep his son going after a worldwide apocalyptic event should have made the cut. Mortensen was powerful, quiet, sad and forceful all at once while trying to his and his son's lives together. Also worth noting are Ben Foster in "The Messenger" as a soldier who falls for a woman who has lost her husband in the war and Michael Stuhlbarg as the troubled Jewish college professor whose life troubles all seem to be happening the same week. His was a mannered but hysterical performance as a man trying to find some good in the bad. And let's not forget Matt Damon's strong work as a dimwit working undercover for the Feds in "The Informant." This is the performance he should have been remembered for.

BEST ACTRESS - The nominees are Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side," Helen Mirren for "The Last Station," Carey Mulligan for "An Education," Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious" and Meryl Streep for "Julie and Julia."

First off I can't say a thing about Helen Mirren as I have not seen the movie she is nominated for. Of the remaining four I only scratch my head at Bullock's nomination. It's a good performance (judging by all the pre-awards she will likely win) but I don't see it as Oscar worthy. Mulligan, Sidibe and Streep are all worthy nominees however.

The snubs? If the Academy really wanted to be daring they would have recognized singer Charlotte Gainsbourg for her portrayal of a mother suffering from the death of her only child and being taken by her husband into the woods to the one place she fears most. Hers is a performance of amazing bravery doing things most actresses wouldn't even consider doing on screen. If not her then Penelope Cruz (suffering from the Matt Damon syndrome), who was nominated for the wrong movie. She should have landed in this category in Pedro Almodovar's "Broken Embraces."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - The nominees are Matt Damon for "Invictus," Woody Harrelson for "The Messenger," Christopher Plummer for "The Last Station," Stanley Tucci for "The Lovely Bones" and Christoph Waltz for "Inglorious Basterds."

Once again I cannot pass judgment as I have yet to see Plummer's film but I still applaud the nomination just for being his first in a career where he has deserved more than a few nominations. Of the remaining four I think Tucci was nominated for the wrong film - he was much better as the husband of Julia Child in "Julie and Julia." Frankly I don't think Damon's performance was all that special to be included.

The snubs? This is where the biggest snub comes in. For me, one of the best performances of the year belongs to an actor named Christian McKay in his portrayal of Orson Welles in "Me and Orson Welles." McKay stole the film (or at least every single scene he was in) by not only capturing his look and voice but by totally becoming the actor. He played him as a rat, a ham, charismatic, pompous, charming and un-caring. This was one of the best performances of the year and it's a shame it was all but forgotten. If the Academy had been in a laughing mood they may have included Alec Baldwin, who is absolutely delightful in "It's Complicated."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - The nominees are Penelope Cruz for "Nine," Vera Farmiga for "Up In The Air," Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Crazy Heart," Anna Kendrick for "Up In The Air" and Mo'Nique for "Precious."

This was the only category where I was surprised by an inclusion and that was Gyllenhaal. She quite deserves the nomination but her absence from the other awards made this a long shot at best. I think that Cruz was nominated in the wrong category for the wrong film. The other three are well deserved nominations.

The snubs? I was rooting hard for Samantha Morton in "The Messenger" as a woman who becomes a single mother when her boyfriend is killed in Iraq and has to try and deal with life on her own. She even wants to move but doesn't know where, "because the Army always moved us. They always chose where we would go. Now it is up to me and I don't have a clue where to go." Her life is more complicated when one of the soldiers who deliver the bad news falls for her and she has to fight emotions she is not ready for. It's a soft but assured performance. Also overlooked here was Julianne Moore as a rich, often intoxicated woman in love with a hopeless homosexual who is the titled, "A Single Man." She is quite good and her exclusion is surprising as she has been recognized in other awards.

BEST DIRECTOR - The nominees are James Cameron for "Avatar," Katherine Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker," Quentin Tarantino for "Inglorious Basterds," Lee Daniels for "Precious" and Jason Reitman for "Up In The Air."

Of this category I have no real complaints. All five nominees are worthy. I am especially thrilled to see Tarantino back in the driver seat and Bigelow getting recognition that has avoided her for two decades in the film business. This is the fourth time that a woman has been nominated and only the second time an African-American is nominated (the first being John Singleton for "Boyz N The Hood). Although he has become one of our great directors, Clint Eastwood's omission is no shock. His film was good but not of the quality of his other recognized films.

The snubs? In a perfect world there would have somehow been room for Joel and Ethan Coen, two men who make original American movies each time they make a movie. This year's "A Serious Man" was a delightful black comedy about the bad luck and worse luck of a Jewish college professor. The Coens took his pain and made it funny for the audience while never deferring the true emotions from the character. But, alas, their film was nominated for Best Picture so my complaint is a minor one at best. Truthfully I couldn't have replaced any of the other nominees.

Perhaps next year there should be ten best director nominees along with picture? No. I don't even want to think about it.