In Praise of Great Films - 2009 Oscar Nominations

Seventh in a series.

This morning the 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. There were a few surprises, the occasional disappointments, and mostly anticipated selections.

Among the surprises:

The Reader was probably the least known of the Best Picture nominees, yet slipped in as one of the five. Vegas oddsmakers will most likely make this one the long shot, but congratulations to the filmmakers.

The film Doubt had a total of four best acting nominations (Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams) along with best screenplay, yet it isn't in the running for Best Picture or Best Director. We'll have to look into the history of the Oscars to see if any film has had that many acting nominees without being pegged for Best Picture.

Kate Winslet, a perennial nominee, got a nod for best actress for The Reader, but not for Revolutionary Road, which was by far the more high profile film. In fact, Revolutionary Road was largely shut out, with a single nomination for art direction.

Some disappointments:

The Dark Knight and Wall-E were among the best reviewed movies of the year, yet neither was recognized for Best Picture.

The Wrestler was highly praised by critics, but didn't get recognized in categories other than Best Actor (Mickey Rourke).

Slumdog Millionaire was the second-highest nominated movie with ten nods, yet not a single cast member was recognized with a nomination. This was probably expected, as the entire cast was unknown to American audiences, and after all, the Oscars are a distinctively American awards show.

Things to be happy about:

Anne Hathaway was nominated for her turn in Rachel Getting Married. This is one we managed to see in 2008, and we're glad she was recognized for her brave, raw performance. We didn't know she had it in her.

Heath Ledger was nominated posthumously for his amazing work in The Dark Knight. We're happy about the nomination, but we'd gladly trade it for bringing him back to life so he could spend another fifty years working in the film industry. Alas, it is not to be...

Richard Jenkins has had a long career as a fine actor, but has only recently been recognized and widely acclaimed. His nomination for The Visitor is a long overdue tribute to an artist who's been toiling in the business for more than three-and-a-half decades. He won't win, but as the cliche goes, it's a true honor just to be nominated.

Curiosities:

According to the great Rotten Tomatoes website, the Best Picture nominations certainly don't line up with critical opinion. Here are the nominations along with their percentage of good reviews from accredited critics:

Slumdog Millionaire - 95%
Milk - 92%
Frost/Nixon - 91%
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 72%
The Reader - 60%

Clearly, the one that wouldn't seem to belong is The Reader. We haven't seen the film, but of 150 reviews tracked so far, 60 are bad. That makes a Best Picture nomination a curious choice indeed. This is particularly highlighted by the fact that these high profile movies were much more praised critically:

The Dark Knight - 94%
Wall-E - 96%
The Wrestler - 98%
Tropic Thunder - 83%
Rachel Getting Married - 88%
Frozen River - 86%
Vicky Christina Barcelona - 83%

Of the Best Picture nominees, the only one we've been able to see is Slumdog Millionaire. It's a breathtaking film and certainly a worthy pick, although it's not the "masterpiece" that the TV ads are proclaiming.

It was an especially good slate for some of our favorite filmmakers. Here are the Best Director nominees and some of their previous movies we really like:

• Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) - Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later
• Stephen Daldry (The Reader) - The Hours, Billy Elliot
• David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) - Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac
• Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) - Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Parenthood
• Gus Van Sant (Milk) - Good Will Hunting, To Die For, Drugstore Cowboy

All these filmmakers have a fine body of work to be proud of. Congratulations to all of them, and may the best film prevail.

The Academy Awards will be televised on ABC on Sunday, February 22nd.

NOTE: The Academy Awards, Oscars and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are registered and copyrighted trademarks of AMPAS and are recognized as such here.