Oscar sad...
I guess when I was building it up in my mind, I must have been imagining the Academy as some sort of group of people who actually likes outside the box thinking, unique storytelling, and you know, the best movies. That's probably how I get all hyped up every year, just to find out that they're exactly who I thought they were (thanks Dennis Green!). I said it was like Christmas every time they announce the nominations, except it's like that Christmas when you first find out Santa doesn't exist.
Why am I pessimistic about awards season all of a sudden?
Well the nominations came out, and I'm unimpressed. How so?
Let me count the ways...
1. Boring Best Picture nominations (The Reader? Milk? Come on, let's try a bit harder)
2. No Clint Eastwood for Best Actor
3. The Boss gets robbed of a Best Song nomination
4. Wall-E gets robbed
5. No Christopher Nolan or Darren Aronofsky...but Stephen Daldry?
6. Angelina Jolie over Sally Hawkins
7. Doubt getting 4 acting nominations
Of course, it wasn't all bad. There were some great calls by them, but the uninspired Best Picture nominations really nullified it. What were particiularly good calls by the Academy?
1. Ten (count it!) nominations for Slumdog Millionaire
2. The Academy making it possible to get an M.I.A. performance at the Oscars
3. In Bruges getting a screenplay nomination
4. Robert Downey Jr. in blackface getting a nomination
5. Michael Shannon (the only exceptional part of Revolutionary Road) getting a nomination
6. Richard Jenkins in tha house!!!!
7. Man on Wire getting a nomination
Here's hoping there is just a Slumdog sweep so we can have some fun with it. The rest of the nominees are tried and true Oscar bait, let's see some fresh blood win this year. Next year we can work on the nominees. Maybe between now and then the Academy will grow some cojones.