Here are my immediate reactions to the Oscar nominations. What are yours?
* Wow! Maggie Gyllenhaal! Was anybody expecting that? Biggest surprise of the acting categories, though certainly not a disastrous choice. And now Jake isn’t the only one in the family with a nomination, which will make the holidays a lot more comfortable.
* Lee Daniels is the second African-American director nominated (after John Singleton for Boyz n the Hood), and I’m really glad he got tapped. His work on Precious was great. Kathryn Bigelow is the fourth-ever woman nominated. The directing category is a rainbow coalition, y’all!
* Have we finally reached the point where acting nominees of color are no longer unusual? Ever since the Denzel/Halle year, it seems like there are always multiple non-Caucasian nominees, and this year, we’ve got Morgan Freeman, Gabourey Sidibe, Penelope Cruz, and Mo’nique.
* An animated film nomination for… The Secret of Kells? What in the hell is that? A best song nod for… Paris 36? Has anyone heard of that one?
* They used the expanded Best Picture category to embrace both big, popular films and films from perennial Academy favorites. I doubt that A Serious Man would have made the list of five, but Oscar loves the Coens. And lord knows that THE BLIND SIDE wouldn’t have made it, which… blech. That’s the Scent of a Woman nomination. But on the other hand, hooray for Up! And I’m happily intrigued by the District 9 nomination. Oh, and no Best Picture or Best Director nod for Invictus. Holla!
* I’ve seen 19 of the nominated performances, which means I’m… a geek? Yeah, kind of. Of all the ones I’ve seen, I’d say Penelope Cruz for Nine is the only one I’m super-sketchy on, though it’s only my general affection for Sandra Bullock and not my deep commitment to her work in The Blind Side that keeps me from protesting that one. I don’t have any desire to see The Lovely Bones, but Stanley Tucci is one of those actors who’s been in so many movies that this was probably his “long-timer” nomination. Too bad it couldn’t be for Julie and Julia.
* Overall, this is a cool slate of nominees. Diverse, worthy of argument, and generally representative of quality films. And I’ll admit… it is kind of cool that a few super-popular movie made the cut. It makes the conversation feel more rounded. Now begins my earnest rooting for Inglourious Basterds.
13 responses so far ↓
1 InfoMofo // Feb 2, 2010 at 11:04 am
I gotta say I’m already not liking the 10 nominees thing, and it’s exacerbated by the Oscar website’s box for the nominees not being large enough to display all 10 of them without scrolling.
2 Doug // Feb 2, 2010 at 11:07 am
I actually predicted Maggie for Supporting; it shows how strong sentiment on the West Coast currently is for the movie. (But I still thought Morton would get in over Cruz!) Too bad Sarsgaard couldn’t have gotten in as a surprise for An Education.
3 Emmanuel // Feb 2, 2010 at 11:09 am
with all due respect, the 2nd african american and the 4th woman in…how many years has this show been running?…isnt exactly proof of a “rainbow coalition.”
4 Doug // Feb 2, 2010 at 11:37 am
No, but if we want to talk about Oscar firsts, I do believe PRECIOUS is the first-ever best picture nominee directed by an African-American.
5 Mark Blankenship // Feb 2, 2010 at 11:53 am
@Emmanuel — Looking at the best director nominees, we shouldn’t overreact and say, “The work is done! All voices are being represented in American cinema!” We shouldn’t say this slate of nominees means everything, and you’re right, a single woman and a single African-American in the category cannot guarantee a new diversity in American filmmaking.
However, it would be equally short-sighted to say that this pool of directors means nothing. If we’re interested in an American cinema that makes room for more prominent voices of color and more prominent female voices, then we can take this year’s best director pool as a good sign. Is everything balanced now? No. But is this a good day for minority voices in American film? Yes. Absolutely yes. Let’s not completely disregard the moment just because it’s not single-handedly changing everything. Personally, I prefer to hope that this will be step one of a long, satisfying process.
I ground that optimism in the reality of the acting categories. When Denzel Washington and Halle Berry won in 2002, it was a landmark year, and since then, there have been more acting nominations (and wins) for actors of color than in any other decade. Are actors of color now receiving unfettered opportunity? No. But does their situation seem to be improving? Yes. The culture of American film is creating more excellent roles for actors of color than it was before.
Now, I’m not saying the Oscar wins for Berry and Washington kicked down the doors all by themselves, but I do think they make a useful touchstone for an era when the larger culture of American film started opening up a little for minority actors. And maybe the 2010 Academy Awards will be seen as the same kind of touchstone for female and minority directors. Again, we can’t say that’s absolutely what will happen, but I’d argue it’s perfectly valid to look at this morning’s announcement with a clear-eyed sense of excitement.
6 Rouge Gomez // Feb 2, 2010 at 11:58 am
I know that “An Education” has no chance of winning Best Picture, but I’m so glad it was acknowledged!
7 Gonzalo // Feb 2, 2010 at 2:05 pm
I’m glad The Hurt Locket tied Avatar in number of noms, and I hope that means they won’t crown Avatar best in show. I enjoyed it as a visual spectacle (and thus I’m ok with Cameron winning best director), but if a movie with terrible dialog, and hokey scenes (alien sex! arms-waving healing chanting!) wins as best picture, I’d be pretty disappointed.
On a nitpicking note: Since she’s from Spain, I’m going to guess that Penelope Cruz is actually Caucasian, which isn’t mutually exclusive with Hispanic (I’m familiar with this because I’m a white-tino too, and I’m always confused about which damn box to check). But in any case, I agree that it adds to the diversity of the contenders, which (as Mark argued in his response) is a good indication of progress, and not the end of the road.
8 stephanie // Feb 2, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Thrilled for Maggie. I saw “Crazy Heart” last week and wondered why she wasn”t getting more buzz.
9 Destiny // Feb 2, 2010 at 3:39 pm
It just so happens that I’m currently writing a book about actors of color in film, tv, and theatre. I think Oscar nominations aren’t necessarily the best way of judging how inclusive the film industry has or has not become, but there is a clear trend toward an increase in the number of black men nominated for the Best Actor and black women nominated for Best Supporting Actress over the last 10 years.
My first reaction to the nominations was “Ugh! Now I have to go see The Blind Side.” I’ve been avoiding it, but I’ll have to see it if I want to keep my flawless record of seeing all the Best Picture nominees before the awards ceremony (I’ve been doing it since 1994.) I’m happy about the nods for District 9 and An Education. I wish The Messenger could have slipped in for a best picture nod. And yeah, Penelope Cruz is Spanish so I’m not sure where she falls on the “people of color” spectrum. So many of the terms we use to simplify complex things like race, ethnicity, and sexuality just aren’t adequate.
10 Mark Blankenship // Feb 2, 2010 at 6:10 pm
@Destiny … That is so true about the terms we use being inaccurate. I hesitated to put Cruz on the list, but I did because… I don’t know… I do feel like her nomination adds to sense of a diverse slate of nominees. And I don’t know… call me a softie, but I do feel like the nominations are indicative of something about the film industry at large. I’m not saying they mean everything, but they are a type of bellwether. Yes? No? Maybe a little?
11 Michael // Feb 2, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Just a warning: if Avatar wins, a film whose brains are all in its look, with a script so generic and undistinguished that it defines deja vu, I’m just warning you all: I’m going to retreat into my ivory-tower condescension to popular culture and NEVER COME OUT AGAIN.
12 Amanda // Feb 2, 2010 at 10:36 pm
I loved Linda Holmes’ take on the Best Picture nominee-list expansion this afternoon: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123281511
She makes the point that for LOTS and LOTS of Americans, there aren’t art-house theatres available, and the Oscars can make these viewers feel like the movies they went to see, loved, hated, and discussed just didn’t make the cut–thus making the Academy Awards an exclusive affair. That’s totally true for most of my region, so I really appreciated her take on it, since I’ve been pretty skeptical of the expansion.
13 Destiny // Feb 3, 2010 at 10:54 pm
I read this article, and I think it is an interesting counterpoint (if you will) to the idea of a more racially and ethnically inclusive Hollywood. It comments on the recent Vanity Fair Hollywood cover (which featured nine rising starlets, all white and very, very thin) It’s something to think about.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/movies/Vanity-Fairs-Hollywood-is-Skinny-White-Female-83464507.html
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