Despite the fact that the WGA strike is still ongoing– though both producers and WGA are sitting at a table supposedly talking– heck they could be playing poker or shooting dice for all we know, the Oscars were announced earlier in the week — with some surprises in who did and who didn’t make it on the list.
Well Above Average’s Stella weighed into the fray with a post about her picks. I have mine, What about you?
Here’s a snippet (or two) of Stella’s commentary (yes……. you have to go to WellAboveAverage to read all of it.
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Of these, I felt that Juno, There Will Be Blood and Atonement were very good but overrated. Not surprised that the mindless Academy bought into the hype. But while Michael Clayton was top-notch, No Country for Old Men just blew me away. In my opinion, it’s No Country for Old Men without a doubt.
Here’s my take on it. Yes, there were many movies that were missed for the Oscar nominations. Truly it’s like the Academy haven’t got the brains of an ice cube– and I mean that with complete drop dead sincerity. Both Stella and I live in LA.. we know the ropes and the ins and outs.
I particularly thought that Michael Clayton should get a nod but there were other movies that could have gotten some recognition– Elizabeth 2, Bourne Ultimatum (yes.. because it was the best one of them all and had fine performances). There are others but I won’t take up space talking about them.. that’s more for a podcast.
More from Well Above Average’s Oscar Picks
Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”
Ruby Dee, “American Gangster”
Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”
Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”
Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton”
Of these, I’ve only seen the last three. Tilda Swinton was engrossing as the lawyer who loses her moral center–if indeed she ever had one, and Amy Ryan was a revelation as the drug addicted mother of a missing child, but Saoirse Ronan’s chilling turn as a fanciful teenage girl who ruins the lives of two others with her careless falsehood was uniquely fantastic.
I have to say that I love Tilda Swinton– everything she has ever done has been so cutting edge, off beat (Constantine for example) but so *real and genuine* in her performance that it kills. Cate Blanchett is androgenous enough but that doesn’t warrant an Oscar nod. However Atonement revolves not around the two protagonists but the little girl who makes the accusation– the younger sister. Saoirse Ronan is a young girl giving a telling performance with a look, a sigh, and not entirely understanding that the world isn’t just black and white but deft hues of shades of gray. This isn’t going to be the last we see of Ronan. Hopefully she will forego the casting sequence of Dakotta Fanning.
Stevie Wilson
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