Well, at least when I was wrong about my Oscar predictions, I figured I would be. You kind of have to, otherwise you’re the guy who ranted about how Atonement would never amount to anything, and then you have egg on your face at an ungodly hour of the morning when the announcements are read.
Overall, in the cases where I was wrong, I was thrilled to be wrong. I never saw In the Valley of Elah but heard more than enough good things about Tommy Lee Jones’ performance that I’m glad to see him included (plus, he was amazing in No Country for Old Men, so I’ll pretend this is for that movie). I was cowardly for not putting Laura Linney on my list, given that her performance ran circles around Keira Knightley in Atonement, or pretty much anyone else out there. Her name got one of the biggest gasps out of me as I watched the announcements, and I was delighted.
Fun fact: There Will Be Blood damn near walked away with the most nominations, until Jonny Greenwood’s score was disqualified at the last minute. You can read about the whole ugly thing here, and how the same rule screwed over the unforgettable score from The Godfather way back when. When I first saw There Will Be Blood I swore up and down that it and No Country would never both make it to Best Picture; I changed my tune later, of course, but never did I dream it would score so many nominations.
What I love the most, even beyond my favorites making it into the final five, is that four female screenwriters were nominated, including three in the Best Original category. Diablo Cody, Tamara Jenkins and Nancy Oliver all wowed me with their screenplays when I saw their movies, and Sarah Polley, from everything I’ve heard, is well-deserving of her surprise nod. In a year full of movies all about men, when Cate Blanchett can sneak into the Best Actress category with a movie practically no one liked, it’s good to remember that, at least behind the camera, women are still doing great work.
Of course there are snubs this morning that will be parsed over and over in the coming days, most notably a huge lack of love for Into the Wild, a whimper of support for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, no Best Animated Feature nod for The Simpsons Movie, and no nominations for Angelina Jolie/Keira Knightley/James McAvoy/Josh Brolin/whoever it is you supported. What strikes me, though, is what an amazing lineup this is down the line, with two of the most critically supported movies of the year, No Country and Blood, leading the pack. After several years in which movies I’ve fallen in love with (Children of Men, dear Brokeback Mountain) have gone on to break my heart on Oscar night, I’m thrilled that, when it comes to Best Picture, it really looks like we can’t lose.
Here’s the full list of winners, brought to you earlier this morning by Rafe. Now that the nominees are out, the predicting becomes a lot less fun. Daniel Day-Lewis? Of course. Diablo Cody? Most definitely. The Coen Bros for directing and adapted screenplay? You betcha. I’m thinking of trying to pretend that maybe There Will Be Blood can grab the Best Picture statue, or that somehow Ratatouille can win in all five of its nominated categories. More on that in next week’s column, when I’ll actually have some time to think through these nominees and hear what everyone else has to say about it. In the meantime lets be happy for our favorites and let the gossip and snark begin!
