Get ready for the Oscars
Free screening of Awards at The Revue
by Sophie Tupholme
The Kids are All Right nominated for best film, best actress, best supporting actor and others.
After a year of movie releases that range from mind-blowing to hopelessly mediocre, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has declared its top picks for its 83rd Oscars ritual.
Some obvious choices and some more surprising came up on the list (like Barney’s Version for make-up?), but overall, the assortment seemed to include almost everything from 2010 that deserved attention. Winter’s Bone, a well-reviewed film from earlier in the year, received four Academy Award Nominations including Best Picture and Best Leading Actress and proved that the Academy is able to acknowledge smaller films.
Among the other independents of the year, Blue Valentine, the picture with all of the NC-17 (no admittance to 17 or under) drama, received a single nomination; Michelle Williams was recognized for her striking performance, however Ryan Gosling’s equally heart-wrenching work was left out of the Academy’s decision.
Javier Bardem was given the nod for his part in Biutiful, a stunning portrayal of a father struggling with reality and the fate that awaits him. Colin Firth will probably receive the award for his performance in The King’s Speech (once again playing someone in a period piece named George), but it’s still satisfying that Bardem was recognized for his work when the Academy could have easily left out his foreign performance.
Hailee Steinfeld, that spark of innocence praised in the Coen brothers’ remake of True Grit, was properly given a Best Supporting Actress nomination, as was Jacki Weaver’s chilling performance in Animal Kingdom.
Although the male Supporting Actor category included many of the well-deserved nominations, like Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech, where was Andrew Garfield’s recognition for his role in The Social Network? And what about poor Justin Timberlake, missing perhaps his only chance at a valid nomination?
Best Animated film thankfully included the small but strong The Illusionist, directed by the same brilliant artist behind 2003’s The Triplets of Belleville.
Best Motion Picture generally covered everything that deserved to be covered, although it could be argued by some that Barney’s Version, The Town, Rabbit Hole, or Blue Valentine also deserved spots on the list. Let’s hope, though, that they won’t make that category’s list any longer.
Perhaps, the biggest slight in the nominations this year was the absence of Christopher Nolan’s directing. His Inception was, no doubt, a difficult film to direct, more complex to put together than The Fighter, no offence to David O. Russell.
Although this wasn’t Nolan’s first snubbing (he missed out on directing nominations for The Dark Knight and Memento as well), Inception may have been his most stunning creation yet, and it’s a shame that he once again is out of the running for best director.
The Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, Feb. 27. Consider watching it, free of charge, at The Revue.
Meanwhile, you can check out Oscar-nominated films at The Revue: Exit Through the Gift Shop (best documentary feature); I Am Love (costumes); The Social Network, The Fighter, The Kids are All Right, Inception, all with multiple nominations including Best Film; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I (art direction, visual effects); The Tempest (costumes), and Animal Kingdom (best supporting actress).
Keep watching the schedule. More of the best of 2010 will be returning to your neighbourhood.
Sophie Tupholme attends a local high school and works part-time at The Revue.