If Critics Ruled the Oscars (They Don't): Avatar Heads for Nine Noms

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• Sydomori | December 29, 2009 10:29 AMReply

  Wei Zhao should be nominated for her strong performance in Red Cliff,Best Supporting Actress.

• feriatus | December 28, 2009 11:40 AMReply

  Dear ms Thomson will you kindly stop this pro-Avatar propaganda. You sound absolutely ridiculous - were you included in this latest crap's budget [that would easily explain its enormity]? or maybe good ol' Jim just patted you on the back - and gave free tickets to all your dear ones? have you lost your mind (if you had one)? brain-washed? - will all these technologies. "pro-liberal message" did it? child-like wonder? [you sure don't look THAT young.]
  
  Give us a break.

• Anne Thompson | December 28, 2009 8:51 AMReply

  Critics awards don't actually count for that much--while Avatar was well-reviewed, big-budget movies like this don't tend to need the critics' help. Also, Academy voters are looking at the craft, they will recognize the skill and tech advances that went into this. Titanic had 14 noms and Avatar may get to 9--no song, no acting, agreed. Titanic didn't get writing and this one won't either--obviously, not Cameron's strongest suit. But he knows how to deliver a movie that is wowing audiences all over the world. Question of how CG aspects of this will impact live-action branches of Academy is interesting. Will the movie be judged solely on live-action cinematography, art direction, etc or for the gorgeous world created by Weta? That could hurt those nominations, although it shouldn't.

• How do you get nine? I see maybe FX and not much e | December 28, 2009 8:31 AMReply

  I don't understand how you think Cameron will even get nine Oscar nominations? He'll sneak into best picture, even though the film didn't make as many top 10 lists as other films. He'll sneak into directing, just barely, because of the technology and scope of the film, but he'll have a hard time beating Bigelow who has all but swept all of the directing wins and nominations to date because his film is filled with sci-fi blue people and looks like a fancy CGI screensaver, but ultimately doesn't have any real world gravitas. So what's left? No acting nominations (that's minus four for Avatar), maybe not even all of the technical or craft nominations. He's not going to get story. He doesn't have his ACE editors anymore like Conrad Buff, just him and some TV guys who don't have many credits. No fancy cinematography. That's mostly CGI too. So scratch that. Bloggers are even making fun of the song which sounds so derivative of the Titantic one and dated. The music might not get nominated.
  
  So what is he a lock for a nomination for? Visual effects and maybe sound effects, but even there, will the sound guys award a guy who makes them copy his temp sound mix (made by him, someone who is not a sound editor)? I don't know. Sometimes doing "everything" and not having help, means "jack of all trades, master of none." Ask Robert Rodriguez who definately needs to start hiring other people to do the jobs that he can only half-way do himself.
  
  Oh, and that whole PR spin of "Cameron being a feminist" is hilarious! Is that to counteract the female voters who might want to see the first woman director win? Oh, don't vote for Bigelow, it's actually Cameron who is the first female director who will win best director! But wait a minute. Feminist? He didn't hire one single woman in any major department that is normally headed by men! On Avatar AND Titanic. No women writers, no women editors, no women cinematographers, no women composers! Yes, he's a feminist alright... (whew, then what do we call a sexist then?!)

• Carl | December 28, 2009 3:47 AMReply

  You "Oscar bloggers" blew a great opportunity this year.
  
  Joaquin Phoenix made the the year's most bizarre appearance on Letterman last Spring. But he also gave one of the year's best performances in Two Lovers around the same time.
  
  If you "experts" would have touted his deserving work in your charts and graphs, the actor would have had a chance to walk the red carpet this Spring AND bring his brand of crazy to the ceremony. His appearance would be as much a reason to watch as any comedian host or best picture nominee.
  
  The Academy should take note.

• Brian | December 28, 2009 3:05 AMReply

  For your consideration:
  
  Jason Statham in CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
  (Best Actor - could any other leading man working today have pulled that off?)
  
  Vicky Zhao Wei in RED CLIFF
  (Best Supporting Actress - hey, it was either her or Megan Fox in TRANSFORMERS 2)
  
  STORM RIDER: CLASH OF EVILS (Hong Kong)
  (Best Animated Feature - wishful thinking since this superb 2-D animated martial arts adventure never got released in the U.S.)
  
  That's about all I can add. Slow year.

• Mario | December 28, 2009 12:51 AMReply

  I really hate that the awards season so far has ignored Michelle Pfeiffer in "Cheri" and Sam Rockwell in "Moon". I hope Colin Firth gets an Oscar nomination for A Single Man, he was fantastic.