Today the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced, and so begins my annual tradition of watching as many of the nominees as possible before the telecast. Some of the flicks are near impossible to see, like the nominees for live action short or animated short, but I usually manage to see around 75-80% of all nominated pictures. The rest I usually catch later in the year on DVD or occasionally the shorts appear on YouTube.Watching all the nominees was a tradition that began in high school, when I knew for certain that I wanted to be a filmmaker. I thought if I was ever going to be a good director, it was in my best interest to see what 'the industry' deemed to be the best films, performances, and technical work each year. I've been continually amazed, shocked, entertained, and disappointed by the selections, but to say the least it's been an education in all facets of cinema. It's also the one time of year that I actually focus on watching movies critically - at least more than usual - trying to break them down to understand what I think works, what doesn't, and on occasion why they were even nominated in the first place. I always walk away having seen things I wouldn't have otherwise.
Maybe one day I'll have a 'real' Oscar of my own, but since high school I've enjoyed displaying the one I made for myself in art class (as seen in the photo above). It's treated as delicately as I'd treat the real thing, and displayed with just as much pride :)
The 81st Academy Awards air February 22, 2009 on ABC.
Here are the top nominees this year for:
Best Actor
- Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor"
- Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon"
- Sean Penn in "Milk"
- Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
- Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"
Best Actress
- Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married"
- Angelina Jolie in "Changeling"
- Melissa Leo in "Frozen River"
- Meryl Streep in "Doubt"
- Kate Winslet in "The Reader"
Best Director
- David Fincher for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
- Ron Howard for "Frost/Nixon"
- Gus Van Sant for "Milk"
- Stephan Daldry for "The Reader"
- Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best Picture
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
6 comments:
Wow, I really need to get to the movies. I haven't seen any of these. It's hard getting out when you've got a toddler. I'm most interested in seeing The Wrestler and Slumdog Millionaire, but I'm also interested in most of the rest of them. I had no interest in Benjamin Button whatsoever until I found out it was directed by Fincher (by reading it here just now).
By the way, have you seen the Razzie nominations? The Love Guru is going to clean up!
Sean Penn just has to show a finger in a movie to get a nomination, what the hell is with the people who pick these things there is no way Penn is that consistantly better than everyone else!
I too am rooting for fincher, I haven't seen the show but I think he got doged of Seven and Fight Club.
Jason, I know what you mean. A lot of the nominees are brand new films that haven't even been put into wide release yet, let alone on DVD, which is going to pose more of challenge in seeing them this year.
Derek, what about Meryl Streep?? This is her 15th Oscar nomination!
I am so glad that Angelina Jolie was nominated for Changeling. It was so hard to watch, but she was absolutely amazing.
I also really want to see milk.
I really dislike this year's Oscar's nominee's, I don't think this is going to make for a very good telecast, like usual. Sure, it's exciting, and magical, but I think the Academy is too stiff to recognize other genres as often as they should. But, they are learning, and I think by the time the 100th Oscars roll around, we may have more nominations for movies that actually appeal to people. (ie. Both Robert Downey Jr.'s and Heath Ledgers nominations in the Best Supporting Actor Category.) Yay for movies we actually want to watch more then once!
I agree, it is kind of a mixed bag this year Tyler, but I don't see the Oscars turning into the People's Choice Awards any time soon. In fact, I hope they don't. What I've always like about the nominations is that there's a lot I haven't seen, and likely wouldn't see if they weren't nominated. The Oscars are supposed to be about critical filmmaking in my view because films that make over 100 million don't need the PR anyway :)
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