Months of hyperbole, and countless guessing games are over as the nominations are finally here. After frantically writing the names down, I pondered briefly and was simultaneously pleased and disinterested.
See, Meryl Streep is a truly stunning actress who has been knocking out wonderful performances for the best part of four decades, but Julie and Julia was a piece of shit. She may have been good in it, but the film was flat, disjointed and utterly boring. Also, I enjoyed Inglorious Basterds as much as the next person, but does it really deserve that many nominations? It was a fun ride, with a standout performance from Christoph Waltz, not an Oscar calibre film. And the fact that the more fun, thoroughly enjoyable 500 Days of Summer picked up nada is extremely perplexing. That said, on the good side, the wonderful Up is getting some well deserved recognition, as is the equally brilliant Up In The Air.
The George Clooney starring comedy drama hasn't been gaining steam in any area over the awards season in any category but Best Adapted Screenplay. That means nowt come Oscar night, but most will still expect Jeff Bridges to take Best Actor, while Best Film now appears to be a toss-up between The Hurt Locker and Avatar - ditto for Best Director. Mo'Nique is pretty much a certainty for Precious, while Sandra Bullock is the favourite for Best Actress with The Blind Side.
The two big surprises were Jeremy Renner being nominated for Best Actor, and Irish film The Book of Kells picking up a Best Animated Feature nod. Delighted for both respective parties, but neither stand a snowballs chance in hell of winning. We'll have a more depthful pondering once the dust settles.
