While many of us were still in our beds dreaming last Thursday morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was busy fulfilling the dreams of some of Hollywood’s finest celebrities while, at the same time, breaking the hearts of others. This is because, at 5:38 a.m. PST, the Academy announced the nominees for this year’s 81st Academy Awards and, as has come to be expected, there were a fair share of ho-hum predictables and startling surprises.
Leading the pack this year with 13 nominations was director David Fincher’s dramatic backward marathon, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Although equal in nominations to “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” do not expect “Benjamin Button” to take the crown from the “King” for most Oscar wins — 11, a record shared with “Titanic” and “Ben-Hur.” Despite sporting an all-around stellar cast and spellbinding screenplay, “Benjamin Button” is sure to come undone in the major categories where it will face far more formidable foes. Instead, anticipate it to pick up wins in categories like Best Makeup and Visual Effects for the astonishing work done in aging Brad Pitt in both directions.
Riding high after monster wins at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, former underdog “Slumdog Millionaire” is destined to earn a new title following this year’s awards — top dog. Nominated for 10 awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, director Danny Boyle’s vibrant ode to the diverse culture and pulsating streets of Mumbai has been given the golden opportunity it so rightly deserves to send its fellow nominees to the doghouse.
Joining “Benjamin Button” and “Slumdog” in the Best Picture race are “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” and the semi-unexpected, “The Reader.” While the first four were all but guaranteed a spot on the ballot, critics were still debating over the fifth and final slot prior to the nomination announcements. Regrettably, “The Dark Knight,” the gritty, electrifying piece of cinematic art responsible for captivating audiences all over the world, was once again rendered powerless by voters. Although the Academy has nominated past blockbusters like “Star Wars” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” there appears to be no love for superheroes. What there does seem to be continued love for, though, is the Holocaust, a central theme in “The Reader” and a perennial favorite of Oscar.
But “The Reader” shockers did not end there. In an unprecedented move, the Academy overruled Kate Winslet’s Golden Globe-winning Best Actress campaign for “Revolutionary Road” and instead nominated her for her role in “The Reader,” ?the role that won her the Best Supporting Actress category at the Globes and SAG Awards. While this means Winslet will no longer have a shot at two Oscars, it does increase the six-time nominee’s chances at finally winning a golden statue of her own.
As far as the Best Actor category goes, Pitt (“Benjamin Button”), Frank Langella (“Frost/Nixon”), Sean Penn (“Milk”) and Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”) all received their projected nods and Richard Jenkins, who unquestionably deserves this nomination despite this being more of a career achievement honor than anything, filled in the last spot for his work in the virtually unheard of independent film “The Visitor.” Not only did the ageless wonder, Clint Eastwood, miss out on a chance to earn his first acting Oscar in what he has claimed to be his last performance as an actor, but the well-received and commercially successful “Gran Torino” has also crashed and burned with zero nominations. In the end, this one is going to come down to the SAG Award-winning Penn and Golden Globe-winning Rourke but will be given to Penn due to the Academy’s willingness to reward controversial roles over glorified comeback stories.
Despite being hyped as a rematch between Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”) and Heath Ledger (“The Dark Knight”) of 2005’s Best Actor category — Hoffman’s portrayal of the gay author (“Capote”) bested Ledger’s gay cowboy (“Brokeback Mountain”) — this one is sure to be anything but heated. Years from now, Ledger’s psychopathic turn as the Joker will be viewed as one of film’s most unforgettable onscreen villains and that alone guarantees Ledger only the second posthumous Oscar in Academy Award history. That said, it would have been nice to see Dev Patel earn a nod for his exceptional work in “Slumdog” instead of the only moderately funny, black-faced Robert Downey Jr. (“Tropic Thunder”).
Audiences can also expect a sure-fire win in the Best Animated Feature category from the critically-beloved “WALL-E,” which tied “Beauty and the Beast” as the most nominated animated film with six nods including Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song.
Speaking of Best Original Song, this category proved to be far and wide the most disappointing. Even though the category includes a respectable song from “WALL-E” and two exhilarating tracks from “Slumdog,” it is a mystery as to why the Academy cut the category down to three nominees this year. The live performances of the nominated songs have always been an audience favorite and are a proven ratings grabber at a time when the Awards are steadily losing viewers. Therefore, how do you explain snubbing Bruce Springsteen, who is not only an admired rock legend but a Golden Globe winner this year for the title track for “The Wrestler?”
In the end, all we can do is wait the remaining 26 days and see who the Academy deems worthy of film’s highest tribute. Because, although everybody always claims it is an honor just to be nominated, we all know that when it comes down to it, it is all about the win.
Tony Lewis is a junior majoring in journalism and legal studies. If you are also singing the blues over the lack of song nominees and “Dark Knight” nods, let him know at [email protected].
