Tuesday 25 January 2011

The Obligatory Oscar Noms Post


Sorry guys, but I had to squeeze it out. But that's for another kind of blog – I also had to write something quick on the Oscar noms.

Few surprises – this was year was a safe list. All the expected movies got shouts – The King's Speech, in particular, was draped with nominations. Aside from this biggie, Brits didn't do badly at all this time around - Another Year got a look in, and sort-of-Brit-born Inception did well. Where most people would look at Best Film (it's got to be The King's Speech) or possibly Best Director (either Darren Aronofsky'll get the gong for his Brian de Palma and Roman Polanksi impressions in the otherwise quite divisive Black Swan or Boyle will get it for the technical wizadry of 127 Hours), the most interesting category is definitely Best Actress. Some of the others are too easy – Firth and Rush are bound to win for The King's Speech, for instance. And Sorkin will get the adapted screenplay for The Social Network.

But let's break it down Best Actress:


Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right. That little-seen Hollywood figure, the ageing, but successful, woman is seen here. I did honestly prefer co-star Julianne Moore's performance in the movie, but Bening 's showier role is still more than worthy.


Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole. John Cameron Mitchell's, ahem, straightest film to date has got comparatively little buzz, but has been achieving some warm reviews. Kidman won before, but I think she's the dark horse here.


Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone – Long predicted nom for this great performance. An otherwise very indie film, newcomer Lawrence brings Jodie Foster levels of precocity to the screen. She'll be a favourite to win this.


Natalie Portman - Black Swan. She was bound to get nominated, but her performance has divided people. Some say she lacks the depth for the role, others say her fragility is brilliance in itself. I think she has a good chance, but she's no dead cert.


Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine. The deserved winner – a stunning performance in a brilliant film. But will the controversy of the film's oral sex scene spoil her chances, or will it keep it in the academy's, erm, head?

Who wins? Well, find out in a month and a bit!

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