Oscar Nominees

The Oscar nominees were announced, early this morning. I suppose I'm one of the only people in the country nerdy enough to anxiously await this day.

There are no big surprises.

1. Brokeback Mountain recieved all the accolade that was expected, including Best Picture, Best Director, and two acting nominations for the two male leads. It's kind of disappointing to see a film like this get so much attention because of the Oscars. It almost seems as if they (the academy) just want to stir up controversey and attention by nominating a "controversial" film. Blah. It's all politics.

2. I was quite surprised that Star Wars Episode 3 wasn't nominated for Best Visual Effects. Yet, Chronicles of Narnia was nominated? Huh? Oh, well.

3. I was also surprised to see Tim Burton's Corpse Bride get nominated for Best Animated Feature. I guess they didn't have much to choose from this year.

4. No surprise that Joaquin Phoenix and Reece Witherspoon are both nominated for their acting. I am surprised, however, that Walk the Line didn't recieve any other nominations.

5. I'm somewhat surprised Jeff Daniels wasn't nominated for his performance in The Squid and the Whale.

6.And, finally, I was surprised that Broken Flowers got nothing.

Overall, this feels like an offbeat year for the Oscars. I'm fascinated to see how things will unfold. I sense there will be backlash to the Academy for honoring Brokeback Mountain to such a degree. It is one more step the Oscars are taking toward alienating themselves from a mass audience. Oh, well. It's their funeral.

Click here to go to the official Oscars web site and read about the nominees.