The small surprises of the Academy

Sometimes you have to take the small victories in life.  

When we only complain about the things that didn’t turn out to be big victories, we get nowhere. Imagine if there was a place where everyone just moaned about all the things that didn’t go entirely their way.

Oh wait, it’s called the Internet.

But I digress. The Oscar nominations came out Tuesday, matching the predictions of many. Yours truly guessed 41 of 45 nominations in the big categories. However, if I had predicted what I felt the nominees should have been, my score would have been a lot lower.  

But as it stands, I’m satisfied with my guesses and surprised by a number of the smaller categories and nominees to be found in each. None of these may have any bearing on the final outcome, but they’re interesting to talk about while reflecting on some of the best films of the year.

The biggest standout to me is that both “127 Hours” and “Winter’s Bone” received Best Picture nominations, pushing out “The Town,” which is, admittedly, not a great film.
It’s a sign to me that Academy voters did their research and checked their biases at the door. “Winter’s Bone” is such a small indie film, and here it is up against “Toy Story 3” and “Inception,” the box office champs of the year. The nomination for newcomer Jennifer Lawrence was preordained, but now you have John Hawkes nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and he’s one more reason to go back and revisit the film.

Also, the controversy over “127 Hours” seems to have gone by the wayside after receiving six nominations. Audiences were so terrified of passing out while watching it that James Franco’s grandmother called people “pussies” on Funny Or Die. Perhaps now there has been a change of heart.

I chuckle at nominations like Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” for being nominated for, of all things, Best Visual Effects. Truly “Hereafter” is an, ahem, sci-fi, fantastical aesthetic masterpiece.

And I smile at nominations like “I Am Love” for Best Costumes because I can no longer say it got “completely” forgotten.  

Were there snubs? Of course there were! I can name a half dozen films that didn’t get the nominations they deserved, but I can name a half dozen more that did. I would’ve been torn up for instance if Michelle Williams was not nominated for Best Actress for “Blue Valentine.” I am disappointed Ryan Gosling wasn’t nominated as well, but that means great things for Javier Bardem in “Biutiful,” which has a slight chance of actually changing this race.  

I’m disappointed to not see any of “The Social Network” supporting cast in the running, but it is perhaps reassuring to know that Jeremy Renner is an actor here to stay and with great potential.  

I’ll also have to seek out the two documentaries “Gasland” and “Waste Land” following their nominations, because to be honest, I had reservations regarding “Waiting for Superman.” That film could’ve been a lock to win in this race, but now Banksy is the one we’re all looking for (as if we haven’t been already).

Although for an Academy that appears to be more receptive to interesting films, they may not have flinched on “The Ghost Writer” and Roman Polanski or “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” and everyone who has seen it (including myself), heralding it as a cult classic.

I mean seriously, why was Beck not at least nominated for Best Original Song for “Scott Pilgrim”? Was it because Sex Bob-Omb is only here to make us think about death and feel sad and stuff?

Sorry, sorry, small victories. Like Trent Reznor for Best Original Score!

Actually, that would be a big victory in my book.