Eduardo Calderon|Staff Writer
This past Tuesday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it’s nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards. The Academy’s highest award of best picture has nine films competing for the nomination.
The nominations for best picture include, ‘The Artist’, ‘The Descendants’, ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’, ‘The Help’, ‘Hugo’, ‘Midnight in Paris’, ‘Moneyball’, ‘The Tree of Life’, and ‘War Horse’.” ‘Moneyball’ seems to be a big hit, as it is proclaimed to be the best sports movie this year, a surprise nomination with “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” has put it close in the lead, as it is a great film for the whole family. I believe that “Moneyball” will claim the spot as it has gained notable fame and a large box office number.
The nominees for Best Actor are Demian Bichir (“A Better Life”), George Clooney (“The Descendants”), Jean Dujarin (“The Artist”), Gary Oldman (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”), and Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”).
With many notable and talented actors, it seems Brad Pitt may clinch the award as his motion picture was very popular, and many claim his role was one of the best he’s ever had making him stand out from the others. I like him for the selection for his performance, and his overall popularity compared to the other films.
The nominees for Best Actress are Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs”), Viola Davis (“The Help”), Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”), and Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”). Even with such talented actresses, the Oscar will go to the experienced Meryl Streep, who’s performance has earned much praise along with her film the “The Iron Lady” in such a short amount of time.
The nominees for Best Supporting Actor include Kenneth Branagh (“My Week with Marilyn”), Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”), Nick Nolte (“Warrior”), Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”) and Max Von Sydow (“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”). Although his past movies were none like his part in “Moneyball,” Jonah Hill will pull out with the oscar, as the young actor following Brad Pitt’s performance with his own exceptionally well part. I believe this category had a few snubs, forgetting the good performance by Ryan Gosling in “The Ides of March”.
Berenice Bejo (“The Artist”), Jessica Chastain (“The Help”), Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”), Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”), and Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) are up for Best Supporting Actress. I believe the award will go to Berenice Bejo, who’s performance, along with her fellow actors, portrays a type of film we have not seen in a while.
The nominees for Best Animated Feature Film include “A Cat in Paris,” “Chico &Rita,” “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Rango.” The Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film will go to “Kung Fu Panda 2.” That was the most popular among movie-theatrics, and it followed a solid performance even for being a sequel.
The nominees for Best Cinematography include “The Artist,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Hugo,” “The Tree of Life,” and “War Horse.” The award will go to “The Artist,” a film that needed good shots to convey the message where words were not spoken, and its beautiful performance will keep it in the minds of the judges.
The nominees for Best Visual Effects include “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “Hugo,” “Real Steel,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” The winner for this award is between two films, the sequels of Harry Potter and Transformers, where it will most likely go to Transformers, with the most exciting visual effects.
Stay tuned for the rest of the categories at the Academy Awards ceremony which will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Billy Crystal.
