Bummers and Surprises in the Oscar Race

JAN 25, 2012 - As usual, the Academy awards nominations came with many surprises and bummers for movie fans. After following the Golden Globes, BAFTA and other awards, each of us has our own favourites for the Oscar race.

For me, the big surprise is that Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is running for Best Picture while Drive is almost ignored except for a measly Sound Editing nod which it has no chance of winning!

And of course, my big disappointment is that Ryan Gosling is nowhere on the Oscar radar despite his promising performances in Drive and The Ides Of March, both my favourite picks.

Another letdown for me is the exclusion of The Adventures of Tintin in the Animated Feature slot and the entry of two almost unheard of films: A Cat In Paris and Chico & Rita. That Tintin is named in the Original Music Score contest smacks of mere consolation.

Among the acting nods, the surprise is the inclusion of Rooney Mara (pic, left: Girl With The Golden Tattoo) in the Best Actress category - and the exclusion of Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin). Still, this category is a race between Viola Davis (The Help) and Michele Williams (My Week With Marilyn).

However, the nod for Gary Oldman (for Tinker Tailor soldier Spy) is a pleasant surprise for me. Oldman, fresh off a BAFTA nomination, gets his first ever Oscar nomination, beating out Best Actor favourites Michael Fassbender (Shame) and Leonardo DiCaprio, for J. Edgar. And who's Demian Bichir anyway? Never heard of him or A Better Life, either.

In the directing category, David Fincher did not get a nomination for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

George Clooney is expected to get a Best Actor nomination for The Descendants, but he's also nominated in the Adapted Screenplay category, with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon for The Ides of March. Don't they all love Clooney!

I have never expected Bridesmaids to make the Best Picture list, but it has enough regard from Academy voters - a Best Supporting Actress nod for Melissa McCarthy, and an Original Screenplay nomination for Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo.

On Oscar night, one thing we can be sure of is that Iranian film A Separation will win the Foreign-Language film category. However, it is a surprise that it is also nominated for Best Original Screenplay - the first time a foreign film has done so since 2007's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

What are Your thoughts on the Oscar Nominations? Comments are welcome.