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Oscar Nominations 2012 Announced!

Published: Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Updated: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 14:01


Here's the thing: I couldn't care any less about the Oscars. I didn't wake up this morning to see the nominations, I didn't write any articles predicting them and God willing I won't be forced to watch the ceremony. Still, that doesn't change the fact that, for some unexplainable reason, people still take them very seriously as an indicator of the best in American cinema (yes, even after "FORREST GUMP" beat "PULP FICTION".) So, considering that A. this article will get a lot of hits, and B. I saw way too many new release films this year, I present to you a collection of the 2011 nominations placed next to my picks for what was unjustly ignored (consider them "reasons not to take the Academy Awards seriously"). So, accompanied by my choices, here are the nominees for this year's notable categories (from least to most important):

Best Editing

Anne Sophie-Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, THE ARTIST

Kevin Tent, THE DESCENDANTS

Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Thelma Schoonmaker, HUGO

Christopher Tellefsen, MONEYBALL

They Were Robbed: "DRIVE", "THE TREE OF LIFE", "BEGINNERS", "CONTAGION", "MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE"

I really don't see any reason for "DESCENDANTS" or "MONEYBALL" to be here. Sure, they were more than competently edited, but I imagine what was on the screen is incredibly close to what was on the page. I guess I'll assume it was the unexpected screen-wipe transition that got Payne's film in, and the crosscutting trade sequences of "MONEYBALL" that earned its stripes. Compare that to the non-linear editing of some of the films below, or to the way "CONTAGION" criss-crosses 6 storylines, or the way "DRIVE" is always built around the editing bringing us back to the master shot of Gosling in his car. "HUGO" should win; compared to the films left out I think it's the only work worthy of a nomination.

Best Cinematography

Guillame Schiffman, THE ARTIST

Jeff Cronenweth, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Robert Richardson, HUGO

Janusz Kaminski, WAR HORSE

Emmanuel Lubezki, THE TREE OF LIFE

At least all of the nominees here earned their place on the list; all five films featuring stunning photography But anyone but Lubezki winning would be a slap to the face of his innovations, he moved forward with a unique look while films like "HUGO" "THE ARTIST" and "WAR HORSE" invoked the photography of the past. But still, I highly commended the visuals (in fact, cinematography is pretty much the only reason to go out of your way to see "THE ARTIST") of all 5 films, so I won't say anyone was robbed here.

Best Original Screenplay

Michel Hazanavicius, THE ARTIST

Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo, BRIDESMAIDS

J.C. Chandor, MARGIN CALL

Woody Allen, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Asghar Farhadi, A SEPARATION

They Were Robbed: Kenneth Lonergan for "MARGARET", Terrence Malick for "THE TREE OF LIFE", Mike Mills for "BEGINNERS"

Very mixed bag here. "MIDNIGHT" and "SEPERATION" are impeccable scripts; exploring their central themes with precision, depth, and even-handed treatments that explore any possible avenues of thought. However, "MARGIN CALL" is an amateurish take on the stock market, complete with dying-animal-metaphors, and "THE ARTIST" script was probably 40 pages long, and for obvious reasons doesn't contain a single line of impressive dialogue. And finally, "BRIDESMAIDS", no movie where someone was paid to write "and then she shits in the sink" deserves a prize. Compare that to the novelistic depth of "MARGARET" or "TREE", or with the painful personal details that inform the entirety of "BEGINNERS". Are Melissa McCarthy's fart jokes really on a higher literary level?

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