about those oscar nominations...

Fassbender, Theron, Plummer, Swinton, Clooney, Davis. Oh, what could have been.
From thedailybeast

Disappointed and bitter. That's how I feel. I'm disappointed that the Oscars have become irrelevant. I'm bitter that my favourites weren't nominated.  I watched the nomination announcements this morning, and the disappointment and bitterness loomed over my head like a dark cloud. Okay, the skies in Toronto today were actually very dark; that didn't help.

The Academy Awards are now irrelevant. The awards are on par with the Genies, the People's Choice Awards, the winner of The Bachelor.  The 'Academy' sealed their fate with their disappointing and boring list of nominations for 2012. They are irrelevant because even if it wins Best Picture, Best Director and all other categories, nobody will watch The Artist or The Tree of Life. 

I once looked forward to the Oscar Awards every year. In 1973, my sister and I memorized the list of previous winners from the Encyclopedia Brittanica (purchased by our parents from a door to door salesman!) and then quizzed each other mercilessly. We were familiar with the careers of long-dead movie stars such as Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Vivien Leigh. The Oscars were my Super Bowl, my Stanley Cup, my big night! In 1976, Rocky won Best Picture over Network, All The Presidents Men, and Taxi Driver (among others). Rocky's win was considered a big fail. Except for moviegoers. Moviegoers actually watched and rooted for Rocky, both the character and the movie. It was a memorable, exciting night. Sadly, nothing like that is going to happen on February 26, 2012.

Oscar night has become nothing but a showcase for Hollywood studio producers, talent agents, publicists, and fashion designers. The nominees are a direct reflection of which movie has the biggest budget for their Oscar campaign, or the current power structure in Hollywood. LA is exactly like Entourage.

I'm bitter that my favourites were overlooked in favour of those less deserving and downright puzzling. A few cases in point:

• How can Pitt's performance in Moneyball be better than Leo as JEdgar, or Fassbender in Jane Eyre, Shame, or A Dangerous Method? Pitt, as an actor, is not in the same league as Leo or Fassy. Pitt however, is a powerful producer. He produced Moneyball, as well as the infinitely boring and confusing Tree of Life, also a Best Picture nominee. 
• While we're on the subject, how did Tree of Life get a Best Picture nomination? Hell, Sean Penn didn't understand Tree of Life and he was in it!
•  I'm puzzled that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and its supporting actor, Max von Sydow, were nominated. It's rated really low on the Rotten Tomato meter, nobody has seen it, and even critics who've seen it didn't like it.
• I have no bitterness towards the Best Actress nominees. I haven't seen most of their movies. But didn't Academy voters watch Jane Eyre?  Mia Wasikowska deserved a nomination for Jane Eyre. Perhaps more than Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. And I preferred Mara's Lisbeth over Noomi Rapace's Lisbeth. But clearly Dragon Tattoo had the higher profile and bigger budget. Although not a big enough budget to secure David Fincher a Best Director nomination. 
• I'm not bitter over RG being overlooked. His problem may be that he's too consistent, turning in great performances in too many good movies. The Academy doesn't know what role or category to nominate him for. I would've liked to see RG nominated for Crazy, Stupid, Love, but that wasn't going to happen. 

The nominations weren't all bad news. I, for one, am beyond thrilled that a few years ago, Melissa McCarthy was Lorelai's cheerful BFF, Sookie St James, on our beloved Gilmore Girls. And now she's an Oscar nominee for Bridesmaids! I'm also happy that Woody Allen and Midnight in Paris received nominations. Midnight in Paris is not Woody's best work, but then 2011 wasn't a great year for movies. That's the big problem.

If you're in denial, need a pick-me-up, or want to hear Charlize praise Fassy, or hear how Christopher Plummer really feels about Terence Malick, read this delightful article here. Oh, what could have been!