In an all-too-brief (especially when you're trying to live tweet) announcement that featured the very lovely Jennifer Lawrence, the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced.
First off the bat, I'm shocked that Michael Fassbender wasn't nominated for Shame, or indeed that Steve McQueen's daring and rather brilliant dark character piece got no recognition at all. I would bet that Fassbender's nod probably went to Demian Bichir for A Better Life - that films director, Paul Weitz, has campaigned hard for the drama which was overlooked at the box-office. Also somewhat of surprise in the Best Actor category was the inclusion of The Artist star, Jean Dujardin; Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Gosling were both gathering steam moving into awards season and may also have split the vote between them. Elsewhere, The Artist was unsurprisingly popular, and may now be the favourite for Best Film - with The Descendants the second favourite. What the hell is War Horse doing in there, though? Actually, I know why - Steven Spielberg. One of the most mediocre "epics" in recent memory and reviews haven't been great considering the buzz. Also, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close may have picked up a nod purely for the Tom Hanks factor. I haven't seen it, but American hacks have not been kind.
On the plus side I am absolutely delighted that Nick Nolte got a Best Supporting Actor nomination - he'd been unfairly ignored throughout the awards season so far. Warrior is a superb film and he is nothing short of superb in it. Also, George Clooney picking up a co-screenplay nod for Ides of March and A Best Actor nomination for The Descendants is very welcome and I'd put bobs on him now. His best performance is still in Up in the Air, mind.
The ceremony takes place on the 26th of February, so expect the canvassing to begin... now.
Frontrunners are:
Hugo (11)
The Artist (10)
Moneyball (6)
War Horse (6)
The Descendants (5)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (5)
The Help (4)
Midnight In Paris (3)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (3)
The Tree of Life (3)
See The Full List of Nominations Here
