A Letter to Sid Ganis and the Oscar Nominations

Dear Sid Ganis - President of the Academy,

Your excitement for the Academy Award nominations this morning was contagious. If the Academy Awards are anything like the nomination ceremony, then we're all in for a real treat. I could barely contain myself because of the happiness and elation you exuded for your own awards. Thank you for a thrilling morning.

Sincerely,

Tim Hellendrung

If anyone says they're excited for the Academy Awards, they are either lying or have spent well over $200 on movies in the last 2 months. Most of the categories are pretty lackluster, to say the least. Though I am excited about a few of the nods. Here are my favorites. They are, by no means, Oscar predictions. They are just notable nominations in my humble eyes.

Actor in a Leading Role - Sean Penn - Milk

Has anyone ever been let down by Sean Penn? No. See Milk. It is amazing. Also, see Mystic River. And I Am Sam. And Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Actor in a Supporting Role - Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder

The movie was decent. It was exactly what I expected. But, RDJ was phenomenal. And three cheers for the Academy recognizing an actor in a comedy.

Documentary Feature - Man on Wire

An almost perfect film. It's a film that offers more talking points after the film than most I've watched recently. Also, there was no mention of the attacks on the World Trade Center. They didn't need to, so they didn't.

Makeup - Hellboy II: The Golden Army

How about some props for making Ron Perlman red with horns? Done.

Best Picture - The Dark Knight

Gotcha. It's not actually up for Best Picture and I'm glad it isn't. It's good, but not Best Picture sort of good.

Original Screenplay - In Bruges

I love that this was nominated for something. It deserves some praise, at least. I haven't seen a movie end with everything wrapped up so neatly in... oh... EVER.

Keep your eyes peeled for my Oscar prediction blog. It'll be great.