The omission of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 from the list of nominees for best picture was the subject of numerous blogs and newspaper commentaries on Tuesday -- not to mention water-cooler talk at Hollywood studios. Warner Bros. had made a big push for nominations, but the film received only a single major nod -- if one for art direction is considered a major nod. (It also received two other technical nominations). The snub seemed particularly perturbing when only nine films wound up in the best picture category. While ten films might have been nominated under academy rules, the organization presumably felt that no other film, the critically praised and moviegoer approved Deathly Hallows among them, was worthy. MTV.com columnist Kevin P. Sullivan observed that a nomination for the film "would have defied Academy stereotypes and shook up a race that is destined to leave many viewers snoring." New York Post film critic Kyle Smith said that the list was bad news for ABC, which will broadcast the Oscar event. It "made it clear that the Feb. 26 ceremony will be among the least-watched editions of the collapsing telecast," Smith wrote. And Jere Hester, who writes for NBC New York's blog, concluded that Harry is not the only "loser in Tinseltown's equivalent of the Quidditch World Cup. By snubbing a film series beloved by a young moviegoers, Hollywood may have cursed itself." (Movie blogs were also filled with remarks by moviegoers scratching their heads over the inclusion of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close in the list but the omission of Drive. Likewise the inclusion of the virtually unknown Demián Bichir in the best actor category but the ommission of Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling, arguably the two most critically acclaimed actors of the past year.)

25/01/2012