Oscar Nominations Here.
I correctly predicted 35/40 in the eight major categories, which I'm pretty certain is the best I've ever done. No truly shocking nominations certainly helped that cause. Of course, I must request that if you do read my predictions from yesterday, by all means, don't look past the screenplay categories. Therein lies the bloodbath. As per usual.
Actually sitting back and taking a look at the nominees, I have to say this is one of the better Best Picture fields in recent memory, at least as far as movies I have enjoyed go. With the notable exception of Crash (which … I don't need to get into again), I very much enjoyed Capote and Good Night and Good Luck; and Brokeback Mountain and Munich are Top 5 of the year, for me. It's about as good a Best Pic lineup since 2002 (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Chicago, The Hours, The Pianist), with that year getting the edge on the basis of Gangs of New York being preferable to Crash. Do NOT even think of asking me to draw parallels between the racial/cultural/ethnic melting pot concerns of those two movies.
Looking at the acting categories, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress are full up on performances I loved, every single one. In fact, the only truly "weak" category is Supporting Actor, where I agree with the Gyllenhaal nomination (even if he's not exactly "supporting"), but not much else. I mean, Clooney was nothing special in Syriana; Giamatti was okay in Cinderella Man; Matt Dillon was one of a dozen similarly good performances in Crash, trying to hold up that weak script, but didn't exactly rise above everyone else to deserve a nomination. And I just have not been able to grasp the acclaim for William Hurt in A History of Violence. Not a great collection of performances, if you're me.
Overall, though: not too shabby there, Academy. Didn't go for the huge box-office. Enjoyed the understated indie (if not TOO indie) fare. Gave it up for Catherine Keener and Amy Adams. Not too shabby indeed.