SCREEN ACTORS GUILD NOMINEES (AND GOLDEN GLOBES, TOO)

 

Having served on this year’s SAG Nominating Committee, (which means I saw as many films as hats thrown in the ring,) the official nominations that were announced yesterday were, for the most part, disappointments to me.

As soon as the nominations came out, I sat right down and banged this out, (which is rare for me to do, but the semi-outrage fueled me.) Then I decided to take the day to calm down and mull it over like a grown-up, and not a sulky child. And guess what—my opinion of the whole debacle has not changed even one iota. (And today’s Golden Globes nominations, though a bit different from the SAG choices, caused further upset.)

There were only 2,100 people on the movie nominating committee, (out of a SAG membership of over 160,000,) so how did I see it so differently from the majority of the nominators??? The chosen ones seemed to be based on political correctness. Or at the very least, it was little more than a popularity contest. Nominations for Sandra Bullock basically whispering to herself about how to use the controls on her spaceship??? Puh-leaz. It’s because people like her. And they feel bad for her because of her husband’s cheating scandal right after she won her Oscar a few years ago. And, as good as Oprah was in The Butler, she did not deserve a nomination over so many other actresses. It’s totally because people love her! (At least the Globes got her exclusion right.) And what about Tom Hanks’ performance in Captain Phillips? That was so not above and beyond; it’s exactly what a star actor making millions of dollars should be doing!!!

But the very worst category to me is male. Christian Bale gave two absolutely brilliant performances, (in Out Of The Furnace and American Hustle,) yet didn’t get nominated for either!!! (I voted for him for both!) And Leonardo DiCaprio was also brilliant in The Wolf of Wall Street, (his best performance since his first major role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,) yet nada for him because he’s a “bad boy” with shady pals. Not fair.

And did these idiot other nominators not see The Book Thief??? Yes, the handful of screenings were late-season, and the screeners themselves didn’t arrive until the day before the voting deadline, but when you accept a position on the committee, you need to be diligent and see everything they make available to you! The young star of that one, Sophie Nelisse, gave a performance the likes of which I’ve rarely seen. And Geoffrey Rush was perfect! But I haven’t even heard of them in the conversation!

And what’s up with Cate Blanchett’s nod in Blue Jasmine? She was annoyingly over-the-top, bordering on comedic. (In a serious role, though the director was Woody Allen.) She was doing a caricature of a preppy college girl, in seemed to me. Mr. X could barely watch her!

On another note, (and I feel bad saying this, but I have to call them as I see them,) I’m sure that James Gandolfini got a nomination only because he’s no longer with us! And he was lead male, not supporting! (But the lead category was already overflowing, so his film company demoted him, I’m sure for the purpose of getting the nod.)

I could go on and on, but to what end? I just rant because I so believe in fairness that I want people to get it right, and not just be sheep. The SAG Nominating Committee as a whole has been a real disappointment to me; other actors really should have a more discerning eye than non-actors, or, (as in the case of the Golden Globes’ panel, possibly,) nominators with perhaps an agenda other than rewarding the best performances of the year.

[Note: I’ll be reviewing as many of the films as possible on the road to the Oscars, which airs on March 2, 1014, so you’ll have a guide to the real hits and misses.]

Okay, so out of these weak rosters choices, these are the ones I’ll be voting for; I’m hoping the rest of the SAG voters do the right thing and follow suit. (My choices in each category are the ones in bold. And I’m not the idiot who put quotes around the titles, which is absolutely incorrect; I just re-printed the nominees form another source, and I don’t have the time to correct the mistakes of others right now.):

 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

“12 Years A Slave”

“American Hustle”

“August: Osage County”

“Dallas Buyers Club”

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”

Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years A Slave”

Tom Hanks, “Captain Phillips”

Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

Forest Whitaker, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”

Judi Dench, “Philomena”

Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”

Emma Thompson, “Saving Mr. Banks”

 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips”

Daniel Bruhl, “Rush”

Michael Fassbender, “12 Years A Slave”

James Gandolfini, “Enough Said”

Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”

Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years A Slave”

Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County”

June Squibb, “Nebraska” [Note: it could also be Jennifer Lawrence on this one, but it was so close in my opinion, that I hope this unknown very much older woman, who probably won’t get another chance, wins it. And the mostly unemployed members of SAG should empathize, and vote for June.]

Oprah Winfrey, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

 

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY STUNT ENSEMBLE MOTION PICTURE

“All is Lost” (but this category is really not my strong suit of knowledge of what went into their work)

“Fast and Furious 6″

“Lone Survivor”

“Rush”

“The Wolverine”

 

[And, just so you don’t have to waste your time looking them up elsewhere, here are the Golden Globes’ film nominees, which are known for having some strange categories]:

 

Best Motion Picture, Drama

12 Years a Slave

Captain Phillips

Gravity

Philomena

Rush

 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama 


 

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave


Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom


Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips


Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club


Robert Redford, All Is Lost

 

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama


 

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine


Sandra Bullock, Gravity


Judi Dench, Philomena


Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks


Kate Winslet, Labor Day

 

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy


 

American Hustle


Her


Inside Llewyn Davis


Nebraska


The Wolf of Wall Street

 

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy 


Amy Adams, American Hustle


Julie Delpy, Before Midnight


Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha


Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said


Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy


 

Christian Bale, American Hustle

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street


Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis

Joaquin Phoenix, Her

 

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture


 

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine


Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle


Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave


Julia Roberts, August: Osage County


June Squibb, Nebraska

 

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture


 

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle


Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave


Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club


Daniel Bruhl, Rush


Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips