Reactions to 2011 Oscar nominations

Biggest Snubs:

-Michael Fassbender and Leonardo Di Caprio not getting nominated for Shame and J. Edgar respectively, although I anticipated the latter.

-Tilda Swinton not getting nominated for We Need to Talk About Kevin.  How Rooney Mara got in instead is beyond me.  Although, I admit I haven’t seen this version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo yet.  I guess I have to now.

-Albert Brooks getting robbed of a nom for Drive. He gave a memorable performance in a film that I thought was generally overrated.

Biggest Surprises:

-Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close getting a nom for Best Picture.  The film has been blasted by several critics.  I’m now forced to see it and weigh in on the extremely loud debate.

-Demian Bichir for Best Actor in A Better Life.  Another film I haven’t seen, and though he was nominated for a SAG award few were predicting he’d get a nom here.

-I only correctly predicted one of the Best Documentary Feature nominees:  Pina, and three of the Animated Feature nominees:  Chico & Rita, Puss in Boots, & Rango.

Biggest Delights:

-Woody is in!  His Best Directing nomination for Midnight in Paris is his 7th but his first since Bullets Over Broadway in 1993.  His Screenplay nom is his 15th!  He extends his record in this category.  The Best Picture nom for Midnight in Paris is, surprisingly, only the third time one of his films has been nominated in this category, the previous being Annie Hall (winner) and Hannah & Her Sisters. 

-Glenn Close and Janet McTeer are totally deserving of their nominations for the underrated Albert Nobbs.

-Meryl Streep lands her 17th Oscar nomination.  She’s won twice for Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie’s Choice.

-Plainfield, IL native Melissa McCarthy is also totally deserving of her nomination for Bridesmaids.  So is Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo for their first-time screenplay.

-It’s great to see another Iranian film, A Separation, nominated for Best Foreign Language film.  The last was Children of Heaven in 1997.  I’ve been a major admirer of Iranian films since the early 1990s.  The fact that this one also received an Original Screenplay nomination is a major feat (and a serious threat to Woody in that category!)

-Brett McKenzie, from Flight of the Concords, is nominated for Best Original song for Man or Muppet from The Muppets.  Very cool indeed!

Here is the complete list of nominees:

• Best Picture: "The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"The Help"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"Moneyball"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"
• Best Director: 
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist" 
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"

Best Actor
Demián Bichir, "A Better Life"
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Gary Oldman, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" 
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"
• Best Actress: 
Viola Davis, "The Help" 
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Max von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
• Best Supporting Actress
: Bérénice Bejo, "The Artist" 
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
• Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): 
"The Descendants" -  Alexander Payne, Nat Fazon & Jim Rash
"Hugo" – John Logan
"The Ides of March” -  George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon 
"Moneyball" - Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zailian
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" - Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
• Best Writing (Original Screenplay): 
"The Artist" - Michel Hazanavicius
"Bridesmaids" - Kristin Wiig, Annie Mumolo
"Margin Call" – J.C. Chandor
"Midnight in Paris" – Woody Allen
"A Separation" – Asghar Farhadi
• Best Art Direction
: "The Artist" 
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"War Horse"
• Best Cinematography
: "The Artist"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"
• Best Costume Design: 
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Jane Eyre"
"W.E."
• Best Film Editing
: "The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"

Best Makeup
"Albert Nobbs"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"The Iron Lady"
• Best Music (Original Score)
: "The Adventures of Tintin"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
"War Horse"
• Best Music (Original Song): 
"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets"
"Real in Rio" from "Rio"
• Best Sound Editing: 
"Drive"
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"
• Best Sound Mixing: 
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon
"War Horse"
• Best Visual Effects: 
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Real Steel"
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" 
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
• Best Foreign Language Film: 
"Bullhead" - Belgium
"Monsieur Lazhar" - Canada
"A Separation" - Iran 
"Footnote" - Israel
"In Darkness" - Poland
• Best Animated Feature Film: 
"A Cat in Paris"
"Chico and Rita"
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango"
• Best Documentary Feature
: "Hell and Back Again"
"If a Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
"Pina"
"Undefeated"
• Best Documentary (Short Subject): 
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement"
"God is the Bigger Elvis"
"Incident in New Baghdad"
"Saving Face"
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Best Short Film (Animated)
"Dimanche/Sunday"
"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"
"La Luna"
"A Morning Stroll"
"Wild Life"
• Best Short Film (Live Action): 
"Pentecost"
"Raju"
"The Shore"
"Time Freak"
"Tuba Atlantic"