Oscar snubs and surprises

Handing out 120 nominations, Oscars inevitably have to spurn others to get only what classifies as creme d’la creme.

NEW YORK: By now everyone’s gotten aboard the Oscar bandwagon and if it’s what you expected it to be then where is the fun in that?

In handing out 120 nominations, the Oscars inevitably have to spurn others to get only what classifies as the creme d’la creme. ‘Snub’ is the accurate word of choice for such oversights and Christopher Nolan seems to be one of those that are well acquainted with its meaning.

Christopher Nolan has faced streaks of disappointment; two years after seeing The Dark Knight earn neither best picture nor the best director nomination, Nolan was passed over for directing Inception, a film that was immensely appreciated at the box office.

As a compensation of sorts, Nolan’s Inception was included among the best picture nominees. The film counted eight nominations, including a best original screenplay mention for Nolan and yet not a single credit went to Lee Smith for his superb edit of the film.

Though many of the nominations announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Pictures were expected, the most glaring omission was that of Waiting for Superman in the best documentary category.

The film was one of the most talked about documentaries of the year and a widely expected Oscar favourite but was left out, perhaps because some experts deemed it an inaccurate exaggeration of charter schools.

However, the biggest surprise of the 2011 Oscar nominations was the love shown to two films that barely scored on various critics’ award lists: True Grit and Winter’s Bone.

Winter’s Bone, a Sundance 2010 film earned a gushing critical response but barely caused a ripple outside of the art-house circuit. What is even more shocking is that the film earns nominees for best picture, best female actor (Jennifer Lawrence), best supporting actor (John Hawkes) and adapted screenplay.

True Grit is less of a surprise, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the film is a hit - and a critically acclaimed one for that matter. But the question remains why has it been overlooked in most of the previous awards presentations for 2010? Many theories have been applied to this film’s nomination: firstly, by the time True Grit was released, critics has already anointed The Social Network and The King’s Speech. Second, while critics liked it, it was neither edgy in the way The Social Network was nor as easily defined as The King’s Speech, a heartfelt drama.

In retrospect, what else did the Oscar’s get right? Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours made its way to the list despite the fact that it underwhelmed at the box office. It spotlighted Javier Bardem in Biutiful (a foreign-language nominee) and gave him a nomination. The Oscars were also hip enough to nominate Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop.

While many expected the nominees, there were a lot of films that were ignored completely. Most egregious: Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, a savvy thriller from early in the year. Davis Guggenheim’s Waiting for Superman that did not get a nod for best documentary (but neither did Madeleine Sackler’s The Lottery). And the foreign-film category overlooked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and almost anything else that wasn’t dark and downbeat.

However, having commented on what should have and what should not have been chosen, it is also important to realise that the nominees originate from relative objectivity; one film’s nominee is another film’s loss.

WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE DAILY BEAST

OSCAR FRENZY

Here are some of the snubs and surprises of this year’s nominees

SURPRISE

Best Actor: Javier Bardem for Biutiful

Best Supporting Actor Female: Hailee Steinfield for True Grit

Best Animated Feature: The Illusionist

Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes for Winter’s Bone

SNUB

Best Actor: Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine

Best Documentary: Waiting for Superman

Best Director: Christopher Nolan for Inception

Best Supporting Actor Female: Mila Kunis for Black Swan and Juilanne Moore for The Kids Are All Right

Best Picture: The Town

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2011.