Movies

Oscars stick with current faves

“Hugo,” the fantastical film directed by Martin Scorsese, received 11 Oscar nominations on Tuesday — the most of any film this year. The ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal, will be televised Feb. 26 on ABC. | Courtesy of Paramount/Jaap Buitendijk

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced early Tuesday morning, ending speculations on the nominations and kicking off the speculation on who will actually win the award. With the caliber of each nominee, it is going to be an interesting ceremony.

The winners will be announced on ABC on Feb. 26, during a ceremony that will be hosted by a man who is arguably the greatest Oscar host alive — Billy Crystal.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picked nine films for the coveted Best Motion Picture of the Year Academy Award: “The Artist;” “The Descendants;” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close;” “The Help;” “Hugo;” “Midnight in Paris;” “Moneyball;” “The Tree of Life” and “War Horse.”

Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” leads the nominations with 11 votes, with “The Artist” coming in second with 10. “War Horse” and “Moneyball” both have six. “The Descendants” and David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” both received five nominations.

“Midnight in Paris” and “The Help” earned four nominations; “The Tree of Life” received three; and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” earned two.

In the Best Picture category, “The Artist” is the one to beat, as well as in most of its other nominated categories, which include Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Like the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards have a good chance of being spread out this year; Best Director may not necessarily be from the same film as the Best Picture winner, which is typical of the Oscars.

Meryl Streep just may win her third Academy Award out of a total of 17 nominations spanning over three decades. That would put her in the company of the few who have won three or more Oscars for acting along with Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan, Katherine Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman.

Gary Oldman has finally been recognized with a nomination for his leading role in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Christopher Plummer, nominated for his role in “Beginners,” may also win his first Oscar.

Woody Allen has received two nominations for writing and directing “Midnight in Paris,” which are his first nominations since “Match Point” in 2006. It’d be a great surprise if he shows up to the ceremony — he’s been known not to care for awards.

Also, Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,” excitingly enough, has been recognized with major award categories. The film was shot primarily all around Texas, with even some scenes taking place in Houston.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” was snubbed with only one nomination for Sound Editing. “The Adventures of Tintin” was also snubbed, receiving only one nomination in the Animated Feature Film category, the category in which it won a Golden Globe.

The Best Original Song category turned out to be pretty weak this year with only two nominees: “The Muppets” and “Rio.”

Overall, the nominations are extremely deserved and desirable.

This year is without a doubt going to be the most interesting and entertaining to watch — with all the greatest actors and stars of old and new being recognized and looking to receive the industry’s highest honor.

[email protected]

Leave a Comment