Oscar Snubs? What Do You Think?
The Oscar nominations were announced a few days ago and I, along with a lot of people I’ve encountered (as well as a few entertainment sites), have been surprised by the omission of some of last year’s most worthy performances and films.
Here’s a list of some of the people/movies I feel were snubbed by the Academy this year:
Best Actress
- Angelina Jolie - "A Mighty Heart"
- Keira Knightley - "Atonement"
- Nikki Blonsky - "Hairspray"
- Amy Adams - "Enchanted"
- Keri Russell - "Waitress"
Best Supporting Actress
- Julia Roberts - "Charlie Wilson’s War"
- Jennifer Garner - "Juno"
More after the jump!
Best Actor
- Tom Hanks - "Charlie Wilson’s War"
- James McAvoy - "Atonement"
- Denzel Washington - "American Gangster" and "The Great Debaters"
- Russell Crowe - "3:10 to Yuma" and "American Gangster"
- Emile Hirsch - "Into the Wild"
- Christian Bale - "3:10 to Yuma"
Best Director
- Tim Burton - "Sweeney Todd"
- Joe Wright - "Atonement"
- Ben Affleck - "Gone Baby Gone"
Best Score/Soundtrack
- Eddie Vedder - "Into the Wild"
- Some songs from "Music & Lyrics"
- "Ladies’ Choice" from "Hairspray"
Best Animated Feature Film
- "The Simpsons Movie"
- "Beowulf"
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POSTED IN: Oscar Aacademy Awards
4 opinions for Oscar Snubs? What Do You Think?
PenaltyKillah
Jan 24, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Ok… Music & Lyrics? The Drew Barrymore/Hugh Grant chick flick? There were box office bombs which had better tunes. I agree that Hairspray should’ve got noms for Best Song, and Art Direction if they could squeeze it. And if Norbit’s plus-size tyrant got the Academy giving’em a Best Makeup nom, then Travolta’s transformation should be included.
Besides considering the Best Foreign Language Film category to be a farce this year… that’s France’s mistake. A terrible mistake. Who asked them to nominate a cartoon to represent them? I’m all for social commentary and foreign stuff… but a story about Iranians to represent this predominantly European nation… The Diving Bell and The Butterfly getting a nod for Best Directror and Marion Coutillard for Best Actress? What a big slap for them. Oh well, the Academy did honour them for Best Animated Feature. And no, I do no think the Academy made a mistake in that category. The Simpsons Movie was light, humourous, but still below the quality of the earlier episodes, or those which won the series an Emmy. And Beowulf would bring far too much controversy…
For the directors… this is a big diss to Joe Wright and the aspiring Brit filmmakers… He was a major factor for the film’s impact, compared to surprise nod Jason Reitman for Juno. Burton… giving him a nod is like giving Scorsese that nod for The Departed, honouring him for all his other work, aka sympathy nod. And Ben’s still in the rookie stage, despite directing Amy Ryan to a nod. Clooney’s Good Night & Good Luck was better than Gone Baby Gone, so yeah.
And if Christian Bale should be nominated for that cowboy film, heck, why didn’t he get one for the Prestige? Or even Batman? Emile’s role was too light, and Denzel’s a bit generic. Ruby Dee can outshine her on-screen son offscreen too. Glad to see that the Academy isn’t relying too much on favoritism unlike previous years, though TL-J’s nod is liberal signal…
But I’m surprised too, that the Academy considered Cate (again!?) for the same role she did years ago. Is this the first time an actor/actress was nominated twice for playing the same character, including sequel(s)? And they didn’t turn their backs on Linney, this time, but PSH was much better. I’d take’em both out and insert Keira and Angelina. The other 3 ’snubs’ were expected. Blonsky’s generic, Amy Adams’ role was convincing, but did not have the ‘impact’ factor, and Keri Russell in ‘Waitress’… does anyone remember that film??
Jeanne
Jan 24, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Excellent points, Penalty Killah! I knew someone would come along and add something to this discussion because I think this year’s nods are seriously lacking.
Forgive the indulgence, but I love 80s/90s music and “Music and Lyrics” felt just as deserving as all those flipping songs from “Enchanted.” Ugh.
I couldn’t help but notice your “name” and clicked on your YouTube link. I guess we have something aside from movies in common (although you’re a Canucks fan and I’m a Flames fan). You should come visit me on HockeyBeat.com. I’m just getting it going but I’m a really big hockey fan!
Jane Boursaw
Jan 24, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Jeanne - I can’t wait until we “duke it out” on our upcoming co-blog Oscar predictions! Just a couple thoughts re the snubbed list:
In “Charlie Wilson’s War,” I thought Julia Roberts was just playing dress-up. Her character just didn’t do it for me.
Like everyone else on the planet, I wish Keira Knightley would EAT something. Her performance in “Atonement” was just “a-ayet” for me, as Randy Jackson would say.
Ben Affleck as director of “Gone Baby Gone” - absolutely! That movie turned me into a big fan of his. He should stay behind the camera.
I’m completely bummed and ticked that Nikki Blonsky, Amy Adams, and Keri Russell were snubbed!
PenaltyKillah
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:31 am
Thanks for the YT peek Jeanne! Personally, I thought Keira spook too fast in the earlier scenes, but it didn’t damage the pace. And Jane, I’d give Ben Affleck a few more movies and a major world event until he would direct something close to an Eastwood.
Still reeling under Tommy Lee-Jones’ Elah nomination… understandable, though, considering Hollywood’s liberal stance…
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