Gary Oldman is not a spy you want to mess with in ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’.
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 | 11:12 a.m.
HITS
Gary Oldman for Best Actor in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Oldman’s quiet, contained performance is not the typical stuff of Oscar nominations, but it’s great to see him finally acknowledged after a long (and sometimes uneven) career.
Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting Actor in Beginners. Plummer’s warm, humane turn as a man finally embracing his sexuality as his life comes to an end is just one of the strengths of this underappreciated movie.
The Tree of Life for Best Cinematography. Whatever you think of Terrence Malick’s meditation on the meaning of life (I found it too wispy and ponderous), Emmanuel Lubezki’s visuals are nothing short of stunning.
“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets for Best Original Song. There are an absurd two nominations in this category, but Bret McKenzie’s infectious, silly tune is easily the best of the year.
Bridesmaids for Best Original Screenplay. Finally some respect for comedy writing, which is usually ignored or restricted to “witty” (but not necessarily funny) movies like Midnight in Paris (also nominated).
MISSES
Albert Brooks for Best Supporting Actor for Drive. I wasn’t all that taken with Nicolas Winding Refn’s antiseptic non-thriller, but Brooks’ against-type portrayal of a cold-blooded gangster is consistently mesmerizing.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Best Original Score for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Reznor and Ross won for The Social Network and did another amazing job with Dragon Tattoo, yet were edged out in favor of two (two!) schmaltzy John Williams compositions.
Anything but The Artist for Best Original Screenplay. Look, The Artist is cute and amusing and has some nice performances, but its dialogue-free story is no feat of screenwriting. Insert Young Adult or Beginners or 50/50 or your personal favorite instead.
Tilda Swinton for Best Actress for We Need to Talk About Kevin. Swinton’s intense, devastating performance as a mother dealing with a psychopathic son racked up loads of pre-Oscar nominations but might have been too dark for the Academy.
Elizabeth Olsen for Best Actress for Martha Marcy May Marlene. Last year’s darling of Sundance seemed a shoo-in six months ago, but like Swinton, may have been too bleak to include among the glossy Oscar crowd.
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