Shout Out for Oscar Longshots

With the Oscar nominations coming Thursday morning (YAY!), I decided to give a rundown of some people and films that really impressed me this year but are more than likely going to be completely ignored by the Academy for having absolutely no buzz. If anyone remembers the bygone era of Ebert & Roeper and their segment "Memo to the Academy", this would be quite similar.

Best Picture: In Bruges
Everyone seems to love this movie, and they should. It’s got a great cast, headlined by Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, it’s smartly written by Martin McDonagh, and is a stirring black comedy. So why isn’t it a bigger threat at any Oscar? I know the Academy has a short memory, but this is another occasion where they need to think back to about February and pull out a true gem.

Best Director: Bryan Singer – Valkyrie
I know there’s a lot of a disagreement to be had about this movie, but from everything I’ve heard it seems that nobody complains about the intentions of Singer. And why should they? Singer’s direction was solid and tight, always trying to create an atmospheric thriller. Whether or not that worked is debatable (I think it worked mostly), but you can certainly say Singer did a helluva job trying.

Best Actor: Josh Brolin – W.
W. was one of those movies that had a lot of dividing opinions. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to agree that Brolin was excellent as the very recently made ex-President. He made Bush a fun and loveable guy while also making you feel kinda sorry for him, even when eight years of SNL and The Daily Show made that task impossible. He did it, and I personally think he should be rewarded for this instead of Milk.

Best Actress: Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Penelope Cruz has sucked up a lot of buzz for this movie, but I honestly believe Hall gave a far better performance than she did. Don’t get me wrong, Cruz was really good, but Hall managed to unintentionally steal the show as opposed to Cruz being forced to by Allen’s screenplay. She’s subtle and powerful at the same time, and definitely one of the most overlooked performances of the year.

Best Supporting Actor: Ralph Fiennes – In Bruges
I could also go with James Franco for Milk, a performance I do believe should be nominated, but with such a stellar year that Fiennes has had, I think he should get recognized for the one film that’s being forgotten. Once again I draw attention to this film, which boasts a performance from Fiennes that is without a doubt the showiest of the bunch, but no less entertaining and hilarious.

Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt – Rachel Getting Married
I’m glad that Anne Hathaway will probably get a nomination, but I am a little pissed that none of the other ensemble members are getting noticed either. Bill Irwin and Debra Winger were very good, but DeWitt was truly marvelous. As I wrote in my review for the film, it is a performance “that is always frank and honest, but never intentionally cruel.” This film boasts one of the best acting ensembles of the year, and I wish more attention was paid, especially to a person who would be my personal winner in this category.

Best Original Screenplay: Tropic Thunder
I know not everyone is going to agree with me on this, but I really found this film to be downright hilarious, and while Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise take a lot of credit for that, I’m willing to give some to Ben Stiller as well, at least when he’s working with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. Their premise is familiar, but they still provide the very funny lines that the actors deliver so well. Stiller’s years in the movie industry pays off here.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Snow Angels
You can probably count the number of people who saw this movie on one hand, but David Gordon Green’s adaptation of Stewart O’Nan’s novel proved to be filled with subtle emotions and powerful scenes. This mention exceeds the definition of longshot, but there was a lot of tenderness to this piece that should have been noticed by more people.


I simply can't wait for Thursday morning!!