District 9
Here is a movie that I absolutely love. This was my pick for best of the year (rather, my favorite). Directed by Neill Blomkamp, this science fiction film fires on all creative cylinders. The characters are fascinating, the effects spectacular, the story involving, and the list goes on. You are given a lot to chew on here. I am not foolish enough to believe it will Best Picture, but I am ecstatic that it has been nominated. It is definitely a film that you should see.
An Education
The second of the films I have no seen. I was a little surprised to see this one get a nod. Frankly, I have heard it is a good film, but that talk is always overshadowed by the performance of Carey Mulligan (who received a Best Actress nomination). It is a coming of age story set in the 1960s and explores how a young girl's life changes in the wake of a playboy's arrival. This is another film I am sure to see at some point, but it never really inspired me to rush out and see it.
A Serious Man
The latest Coen Brothers film failed to garner the duo another directing nomination. As for the film itself, I am not as enamored with it as others have been. Still, it is a very good, very personal film from some of the best currently working filmmakers. The film centers on an embattled Jewish man, a college professor who believes in order as his life is beset by disorder. The snub here is Michael Stuhlbarg for Best Actor.
Up
Pete Docter and Bob Peterson co-directed this Pixar classic that has become the second animated film to be nominated for the big prize (after Beauty and the Beast). This is a phenomenal film that ranked number four on my list of top films. It is funny, exciting, and emotionally moving. However, in addition to the lack of a director nomination, it is also up for Best Animated Feature, a fact that is sure to hurt it here, much like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was hurt by a Best Foreign Feature nomination some years ago. Still, the fact that it got nominated is great and well deserved.
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