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Wait, Hellboy 2? Who said Hellboy 2 was the worst movie of the year?! Even people who didn’t care for it didn’t put it anywhere near the bottom, as far as I’ve seen.

Personally, I loved it, through and through. It might have been a bit light plot-wise, but it was stunningly beautiful, the action was great (except for the “holding the baby with his tail” thing), and I even loved the villain. He was a classic tragic villain, doing what he was out of rage and a sense of duty, not because he wanted to. He genuinely seemed to lament the monster he was becoming, which is a fascinating thing to see played out. I can’t wait for the third installment.

Indiana Jones, on the other hand…

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I think the most unfortunate miss of the Academy’s this season was the complete lack of love towards “Synecdoche, New York,” although I’m sure a large part of that is that it only ever saw limited release in the States. That, and a lukewarm critical reception (as all art movies generate) should not deter anyone from seeing it.

One final note: I completely agree that Wall-E deserves a Best Picture nod, if not a win. Easily in my top 5 picks of the year.

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In any event, below are all the categories BUTTON was nominated for:

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Achievement in Art Direction
Achievement in Cinematography
Achievement in Costume Design
Achievement in Directing
Achievement in Film Editing
Achievement in Makeup
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Achievement in Sound Mixing
Achievement in Visual Effects
Adapted Screenplay

And below are all the categories GUMP was nominated for in 1995; categories shared with BUTTON are presented ALL IN CAPS while awards won are indicated with a ‘#’:

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE #
BEST DIRECTOR #
BEST EFFECTS, VISUAL EFFECTS #
BEST FILM EDITING #
BEST PICTURE #
BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL FROM ANOTHER MEDIUM #
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
BEST MAKEUP
BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST SOUND

You might want to consider the above in your Oscar pools, in that if history is as willing to repeat itself as Paramount was, then these are the likely winners come Oscar night…

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I’ve come to recognize the politics and posturing that go into the Oscars. Indeed, like the tragic American economy, they don’t really seem based on anything I can grasp, and I doubt that they really mean anything. It’s also hard to get past this when I see the same sorts of movies get nominated year after year, and the same sorts of actors strive for the same sorts of roles. There is also still a decided lack of women and non-white nominees in directing, writing, and producing categories.

And, more to the point, I’ve realized that the movies nominated for awards–and, in fact, the entire enterprise in general–don’t have any real affect on my life and my movie choices. Dark Knight was quite frankly one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen. I was FLOORED by its depth and analysis of society, human nature, and frank portrayal of the multiple facets of good and evil; and it was entertaining to boot! It is a piece of art that stuck with me long after I left the theater.

Does that mean I’m bitter it wasn’t nominated? No, actually. I’ve just realized that the Academy and I are looking for completely different things. Oscar can fawn over his poignant WW2 epics, his costumed period pieces, his gritty American-realism, even his “almost-retards.” All that means is that the movies that touch my life–my Dark Knights, my Blade Runners, my Jurassic Parks, hell even my Bill & Teds and my Tank Girls–remain just that, MY movies, with their own unique effects on my own entertainment and personal growth.

(Additionally, since my movies don’t have these arbitrary awards attached to them, it means I have to be all that much more creative and insightful when critiquing them, and defending their worth to others.)

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I love that RDJ was nominated for “Tropic Thunder,” and I don’t necessarily think that it’s the Academy’s aversion to comedy that will prevent him from winning (remember, this is the same category that saw Kevin Kline win an Oscar for “A Fish Called Wanda” not to mention Alan Arkin’s win just two years ago for “Little Miss Sunshine.” I think it’s the Heath Ledger juggernaut that will keep RDJ from collecting a well-earned Oscar (not to say that Mr. Ledger does not deserve the award for his indelible performance).

I find it curious that you believe that Heath’s chances are harmed somehow by the fact that this is the only major nomination for “The Dark Knight.” While a quick glance of the Best Supporting Actor winners of the past 10-20 years would seem to show an inclination to honor performances in films with major nominations, it would also show an inclination to honor one of two particular types: Actors who have done strong work over the course of the year in multiple films such as Jim Broadbent (won for “Iris,” also appeared in “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Moulin Rouge!” that year) and Kevin Spacey (won for “The Usual Suspects,” also appeared in “Outbreak” and “Seven” that same year) or actor who have had distinguished careers and are “due” such as James Coburn (“Affliction”), Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”). Not to mention that Heath’s performance is one of the most talked about of the year, and there will never be another chance to honor his work. Also, as was the case with George Clooney’s win for “Syriana” (which even he seemed to think was in recognition for his directorial work in “Good Night, and Good Luck” since the Academy was content to give everything else to “Return of the King” that year), this could be the Academy’s only chance to recognize “The Dark Knight.” Rest assured, if Heath Ledger wins the SAG award this Sunday, he will win the Oscar.

Some of the other shoe-ins would have to be “Man on Wire” for best documentary and “Presto” for best animated short as well as the already mentioned by you “Wall-E” for best animated film. I, too was saddened at it’s lack of Best Picture status, as I had it as my best film of the year. Nothing I have seen has been able to top it, not even “Slumdog Millionaire” (which I loved, and will most likely walk away with more Oscars that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” even though the latter has more nominations.)

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