My thoughts:
It is shocking and ridiculous that Benjamin Button got all of those noms. I think it will win a couple of minor awards but will be shut out of the big ones. I just never was engrossed enough by the movie to accept its premise. It just never worked...
I just got back from seeing The Wrestler and wow it was amazing. I really enjoyed it - it was very well made - I'm a big fan of Darren Aranofsky and although it wasn't necessarily as frantically edited and stylized as Requiem for a Dream it certainly was effective. Mickey Rourke did an amazing job with the character and made the instant connection that Brad Pitt never did.
I am very torn between Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn. Either of them is more than deserving of the nod. If Pitt wins, the Academy Awards should be scrapped altogether. My heart is with Penn. I think that the Academy will go with Rourke though...he personally has a feel good comeback story and Penn has had several nominations and a recent win under his belt.
RE: Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood was really good and held together a movie that had an interesting, yet not particularly creative plot and had very little support from his fellow actors. In fact the acting was almost painful to watch. They seemed to accept any person who was of Hmong/Chinese origin regardless if they had ever acted before. It showed. However, if this were any other year, I think that Eastwood would have earned a nomination.
Very strong year for movies in general. I would have liked to have seen The Dark Knight get nominated for best picture rather than Benjamin Button...I know that action movies rarely get the big nominations but it was clearly the superior film.
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