One Week to Go...

this time next week, i'll be smack dab in the middle of the ultimate red carpet and anticipating the mother of all award shows. that's right, next sunday is oscar night. whoopee!! with just 7 days to go, i have much to be excited about. it seems i've crawled out from under that nasty case of writer's block and i'm feeling inspired by the impending celebration. i've seen the films, and i'm ready to dish.

but before sharing my own list of academolly award nominees i thought today i might focus instead on the nominations made this year by the hollywood foreign press association (hfpa) and the academy of motion picture arts and sciences. it's true, there are a plethora of awards handed out this time of year. and all the stars (or their publicists) fall all over themselves showing gratitude and humility as they accept each nomination. but, you and i know what's up, right? the 2 most distinguished awards on this side of the ocean, are the golden globes and the oscars. the rest are really just an excuse for the stars to dress up, get their buts kissed and promote their upcoming projects.

generally within the nominations for the globes and the oscars are a few random eye openers ~ you know, nominations that leave you shaking your head and thinking, "really?" this year is no exception. so without further ado, i bring you 2009's addition of "what the crap were they thinking? - nominations addition."

let's start out with the hfpa's category: best performance by an actor in a motion picture - musical or comedy. james franco was nominated for his turn in pineapple express. "really?" it's true that i am no longer in the target demographic (both genealogically and by choice) for a film like this. but i'm a bit surprised ANY performance from this sub-par stoner flick was even considered for a nomination. and since when is the stoner sidekick considered a leading actor??? while i no longer partake in that which might make this movie entertaining, i am still capable of appreciating the art form. dazed and confused, friday, half baked, up in smoke or cheech and chong's next movie prove that it's possible to make a movie about stoners that will even make sober people laugh. pineapple express was not entertaining. and james franco wasn't even a beacon of light in the disappointing movie. my only explanation is that the screener copies came equipped with some of the film's namesake. because the hfpa had to be high when they nominated franco for that performance.

staying with the globes, how about the inclusion of burn after reading in the category of best motion picture - musical or comedy? "really?" not only is there no excuse for this film being nominated for such a prestigious award, there is no excuse for how bad the film was. with the coen brothers at the helm directing an all star cast there is no reason for the film to have been so poorly executed. sure, i have high hopes for anything the coen brothers name is associated with. sure, i particularly love their bizarre and shocking brand of comedy. and sure, they were following the masterpiece no country for old men. it's true, my expectations were high. but this film was a real stinker. (i dozed off half way through... and i don't fall asleep in movies.) it wasn't funny, it wasn't shocking, and it definitely wasn't "best picture" award worthy.

my last golden globe beef is with tom cruise's nomination for his over the top, campy cameo in tropic thunder. "really?" my husband said cruise's performance was his favorite part of the film. which is, i think, much more indicative of the caliber of the film than the caliber of cruise's performance. truly, i've seen cruise mugging for the cameras enough in real life. i have zero desire to watch him in a fat suit doing a booty dance. and when he wasn't dancing all he did was scream. having him included in this category is a disgrace to ralph fiennes, philip seymour hoffman and heath ledger.

before i get to the academy award section of my rant... there must be a science to determining how a role is deemed supporting or lead. but clearly the 2 award shows don't follow the same rubric. how can kate winslet be nominated as both supporting and lead actress for the same (brilliantly acted - by the way) role? and why is philip seymour hoffman, who's character is the hub around which doubt's story revolves and the male with the most screen time in the film considered a supporting actor? i just don't get it.

why, oh why, oh why did the academy so dislike revolutionary road? art direction, supporting actor and costume design only? "really?" nothing for writing or directing? it couldn't have been easy to get leo to give that halfway decent performance. (sorry, he's cute - but he's not a good actor) sam mendes should have been recognized. and the story was compelling - it should have been nominated for best adapted screenplay. but most importantly, kate winslet gave a heartbreaking performance. i saw it and the reader on the same day, and in each film i totally FORGOT i was watching winslet. she got absolutely lost in both roles. it was amazing and she is incredibly gifted. for her performance to be overlooked, it is a crime.

the fact that the curious case of benjamin button is included in the film editing category is a shock. "really?" my biggest complaint with that bloated film was it's excruciating length. as a matter of fact, it's LACK of editing is exactly why i think the film is so overrated. i know, i know, "film editing" isn't only about paring down a film that is just plain too long. most of the blame for button's over-extended story and unnecessary bulk should be shouldered by the director. but what do you know, it got nominated in the directing category too! "really?" wait, wait, maybe we should point the finger at the film's screenwriter for trying to include uninteresting and unnecessary rabbit trail plot lines (ie. the whole katrina thing). nope, the film's up for best adapted screenplay too. "really?" okay, well, all i can say is that when a film's conceptually interesting plot gets lost in a heavy handed, cumbersome script that's short on character development, it's not a good film. but then, the academy would disagree me. button is up for best picture too. "really?"

so, that was a lot of complaining... but i promise i'm not full of only piss and vinegar. the hpfa and the academy got A LOT right. there were some great films this year and some nominations that i found to be RIGHT ON. and if i agreed with every globe and oscar nomination, there would be no need for the academolly awards. and who would want to live in a world like that?