2011 Oscar Nominations – First Thoughts

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1. Steve Evans | January 24, 2012 at 11:54 am

   Shame on you for bagging on Tree of Life, which is a truly great movie. Don’t hate what you cannot understand!

   Mostly, this list reminds me that I need to see a lot of movies.
2. Susan M | January 24, 2012 at 11:55 am

   I don’t really care about any of the movies nominated, have only seen The Tree of Life among the Best Pic nominees. I’d love to rant about all the things I didn’t like about it but I won’t right now. I didn’t hate it, thought there was some cool stuff in it, but lots of stuff I thought was stupid.

   Of the docs, I’ve seen If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front and it’s kind of fascinating.
3. Daniel | January 24, 2012 at 12:02 pm

   It was a sucky year in film overall.
4. Tim J | January 24, 2012 at 12:39 pm

   The kid in Extremely Loud really bugs me in the the trailer. It’s made me not want to see this movie. And I would be expecting the payoff of the MacGuffin to not be so great.

   Hugo was a little too indulgent for my liking but I think my biggest problem with it is how it was marketed.

   Glad to see Moneyball get some love.

   The Best Supporting Actress list continues to ask the question, “Who?”.
5. Clark | January 24, 2012 at 3:26 pm

   It’ll be an other bum year for awards. Most of these movies the typical person couldn’t care less about.

   With the occasional exception Hollywood has bifurcated into small films with limited release most people don’t care about but which are well made and acted and then big films with broad release that are horrible. Tree of Life on one side and Transformers on the other. One wishes there were more that managed both: be a big crowd pleaser and be well made and acted. Nolan tries. Not many others do.

   The closest to a crossover this year is Moneyball.
6. Gilgamesh | January 24, 2012 at 3:36 pm

   I just can’t believe Cars 2 is not on the list.
7. Derek | January 24, 2012 at 4:22 pm

   It’s a very Mormon-friendly best picture list, at least for those offended by R-ratings. Only “The Descendants” is R. Usually it seems like the reverse is true. I have seen 4 of the 9 on the list and thought “Moneyball” was the most entertaining, but it doesn’t have a shot at winning.
8. Derek | January 24, 2012 at 4:24 pm

   And how do they pick best song nominees? Only 2? “Man or Muppet” is a singable and hilarious song, however.
9. Ben P | January 24, 2012 at 4:51 pm

   I loved Tree of Life, and even found it better the second time around when I rented it this month. It has my vote.
10. Kevin Barney | January 24, 2012 at 5:32 pm

    I’ve seen all the best picture nominees except Extremely Loud (which got terrible reviews; I was pretty shocked it made the list). I’ll see them all again the two Saturdays before the Oscar broadcaast (I attend a best picture marathon screening at my local mulltiplex; it’s great fun).

    I enjoyed them all, but if I had to pick one I think I’d go with The Artist, which I found utterly charming.
11. MCQ | January 24, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    Remember that the best song nominees are for best original song. There’s not that many original songs in movies nowadays. Original scores yes, original songs no.

    I’m a little surprised that Midnight in Paris got as many nominations as it did. Saw it and liked it, buit it was nothing too special.

    It’s funny how polarizing Tree of Life is. Most people either loved it or hated it. I’m one of the former.
12. Clark | January 24, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    Gilgamesh, that was a bit of sarcasm. Right? I was utterly disappointed with Cars 2. Beautiful animation but by far the worst thing Pixar has done. Surprisingly Disney’s charming Winnie the Pooh didn’t get much love. I’d be Rango picks this one up. Great little animated film.
13. Jack | January 24, 2012 at 9:25 pm

    “The Artist” all the way.
14. Brad Williams | January 25, 2012 at 5:36 am

    Im genuinely impressed that Meliisa McCarthy got a nom for ”Bridesmaids” – i think she was outstanding. Having not seen ”The Help” i cannot comment too much, but from what i hear it was white guilt drivel, with about as much relevance to the period of time it depicts as ”Star Wars” is to the origins of art cinema. So heaven knows why that has got so many nominations. Im so glad to see Nick Nolte on there as i think he was amazing in ”Warrior”. Its terrible that Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are on there. ”Moneyball” was a fun film, but in no way is it Oscar worthy. Brad Pitt was totally miscast, and i thought he was actually dreadful in it. To me Mel Gibson should be on there for ”The Beaver”. My money is on “The Artist” and “Hugo”. Mainly because the Academy likes people to think it has refined tastes, and both those pictures are a love letter to film history. I think the only surprises on the night will be if anyone other than Meryl Streep or Michelle Williams take best actress, and if Martin Scoresese gets a second statue. In all, i think this year’s nominations are a varied and haphazard bunch. I feel that there were either not enough solid films to pack each category (i.e: nominations for the big five), or some serious lack of imagination in picking. P.S: Drive was screwed big time!
15. Brad Williams | January 25, 2012 at 5:45 am

    Before i get taken out of context let me make a few annotations;
    1) ‘White guilt drivel’ – as i understand it, “The Help” paints a picture of black house servants who are ‘assisted’ in defying their white counterparts with the aid of a plucking young white girl. Thus perpetuating the idea that racism was the act of a minority, and that the civil rights moment was less of a necessity because the African American people would have been helped out by liberal whites eventually. We were not THAT hard on them after all, lets pat ourselves on the back. Basically reducing a very rich and emotive subject into Hannah Montana politics.

    2) My money is on “The Artist” and “Hugo” – just because they will get the easy victory, it in no way hinders the brilliance of these films. I personally think they are wonderful.

    3) and if Martin Scorsese gets a second statue – In all honesty, if “The Artist” loses out on best picture it will definitely be picking up best director. The only other major competition is Alexander Payne. Scorsese took many years to get his Oscar, and eventually got it with what is arguably one of his weaker films. There is little chance of him taking another, because the sympathy vote has been used. Which is a shame, because he really does deserve some recognition for “Hugo”
16. Chris H. | January 27, 2012 at 10:10 am

    Huh, Brad maybe you should watch it or read it first. Because I have done both and you are not even close. (Plus ranting about it like you have seen it…without having seen it….really make you look like a….)
17. Brad Williams | January 30, 2012 at 2:31 am

    I think you will find i was very clear with stating that i have not seen it and purely referencing the opinion of reviews i have read. I dont think that what i wrote constitutes a rant, more in the vein of prose.

    I am glad you enjoyed the film, and i am sure that many did (hence its nominations).
18. aubrey | January 30, 2012 at 2:39 am

    come on. NINE nominations for best film? is it that hard to chisel it down to only a handful. or even best three? does the academy really have to appease everyone by giving every highly reviewed film a nomination?
19. aubrey | January 30, 2012 at 2:39 am

    ….so, i haven’t seen the help but i’ve read the book and seen the trailer of the film and felt that it makes light of what was an extremely serious matter. the way i viewed the book, i don’t remember it being all sunshine and roses and giggling and theme song-y. but i repeat, i haven’t seen it so if i’m misperceiving it, let me know.
20. aubrey | January 30, 2012 at 2:40 am

    i was extremely impressed with nick nolte in the warrior. very understated, genuine acting. loved him in that.

    ok. i’m done.
21. MCQ | January 30, 2012 at 5:01 am

    I saw The Help. It’s far from sunshine and roses, and there’s not a lot of giggling and theme songs. It’s a serious movie about a serious issue; the point being that these women were willing to risk their lives and jobs to do something they felt was some small part of the civil rights movement: publicizing the stories about their lives. The knock on it is that it presents the story as requiring a white girl to make it happen, rather than being driven by the black women themselves. I think that’s nitpicking, and only partially accurate, but regardless of how you feel about that silly complaint, it’s a well-written, well-acted movie.
22. Clark Goble | January 30, 2012 at 11:54 am

    I think part of the complaint ultimately is why there aren’t more films that truly star black actors dealing with the black experience. Now on the one hand this isn’t entirely true. Film makers like Spike Lee or Tyler Perry have done very well with films focused on black culture with black leads. (Getting at the high brow end and low brow ends) However I think there’s still a feeling that this is a minority operating largely outside of mainstream Hollywood. When Hollywood proper does a black film it tends to have black actors acting white (Denzel Washington, Halle Berry) or else it throws a major white actor to get the white sentiment.

    I think there’s something to this of course. However I think it tends to be overstated. For one I think if you want a truly mainstream hit you have to have an “in” with your audience so they understand. That’s why The Help needs Emma Stone. For an other there definitely are a lot of black films out there that are highly profitable. While it’s fair to criticize Tyler Perry, it’s not as if there aren’t similar low brow humor coming from white studios – often even using black actors. (Think of most of Eddie Murphy’s films the past two decades)

    What I think is wanted is more of a mainstream recognition of black culture and black beauty on its own terms. And I truly get that. I think the mistake is in assuming Hollywood represents white culture in any real way. It simply doesn’t and uses the same techniques I think are used in The Help. Most women don’t look like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt or Emma Stone. There’s a huge degree of illusion and providing role models the audience can fantasize about being. There’s not a lot of “truth” in Hollywood. Even the art film circuit has a huge fantasy element to it.

    The real losers are, of course, Asians who are definitely not represented well in Hollywood on any level.
23. Clark Goble | January 30, 2012 at 12:08 pm

    Scorsese took many years to get his Oscar, and eventually got it with what is arguably one of his weaker films.

    Scorsese’s past decade or so has definitely been weaker than his early era. However I dispute whether The Departed is one of his weaker films. Yes he’s made better, but it’s definitely the best since Age of Innocence (93). Had he won for Shutter Island, Casino, The Aviator or the like then I think you’d have a point. But The Departed is really a great film.

    However directors like Scorsese, Hitchcock and others surely point out the problem with the Oscars as really indicating much.
24. Brad Williams | January 30, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    Its a double edge sword, because i feel that cinema represents the voice of its writer/director, but very often that voice does not represent everyone and creates divides. Yet that yerning to be heard gives a lot of marginalised filmmakers a real fire and often makes them my skilled than their piers. Steve Macqueen (director of Hunger and Shame) is a very angry young man and is very vocal about the lack of black professionals in the lime light, but that aggression is chanelled into his cinema and has amazing effect. I feel that it shouldnt be that way, i think audiences are increasingly willing to buy into any character regardless of colour as long as they care about the plot. So i totally agree in that i feel films should be less about what colour the audience is and more about who the best actor or what the best story is. A bit of a stretch for an example, but War Horse in all honesty is about the horse. The humans are there purely to facilitate the historical context and create dialogue. But people love that film. The majority of pixar films have very few human characters, yet they are probably some of the most cherished films of our time. Outside of the whole cinema race issue. Take Shelter was amazing, Michael Shannon and all involved have really been overlooked.
25. Jessica | January 30, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    I don’t think Michael Bay needs any more encouragement either. I felt that this year was kind of terrible as far as movies are concerned. My favorite best picture nomination was Midnight in Paris. But I have yet to see The Artist, that movie looks very interesting. I was happy to see some of the documentaries I’ve watched recently on the list. We’ll see what happens.

    Reel Mormon Housewife

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