Oscar Nominations that made you go "HUH?!?!?!?!"

Totally agree about Marisa Tomei.

Tom Cruise, JERRY MAGUIRE
Cuba Gooding, Jr., JERRY MAGUIRE
Albert Finney, ERIN BROKOVICH
Halle Berry, MONSTER'S BALL
Ken Wantanabe, THE LAST SAMURAI
Alan Alda, THE AVIATOR
Thomas Haden Church, SIDEWAYS
Jamie Foxx, COLLATERAL
William Hurt, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

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ZONEACE, as I was reading your post I was thinking of Johnny Depp for PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN, but you beat me to it. I hated the movie and was quite surprised when he was considered a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. That same year Jamie Lee Curtis was also being touted for FREAKY FRIDAY, so I didn't take Depp's consideration seriously.

I don't think Reese Witherspoon should have been nominated, let alone win, for Best Actress for WALK THE LINE. If anything, it was more of a supporting role, so she should have gotten her nomination in that category.

That girl who was nominated for WHALE RIDER. I hadn't bothered to watch the movie before because the premise didn't interest me. But after she got the Best Actress nomination, I rented it to see what all the fuss was about. Needless to say, I was disappointed. She only had that one good scene where she is all dressed up in tribal gear and giving a speech, but other than that her performance was nothing great.

Judi Dench for SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. I don't know how she received a nomination, seeing as she was only in it for like 8 minutes at the most, and her role was nothing to shout about. When she won, I think it was more of a consolation prize for not having been given the statuette the year prior for MRS. BROWN.

I can't think of any more at the moment. But I'll be back, I'm sure.

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Updated On: 8/7/06 at 01:15 AM

Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Carribbean. Definately not worthy.

D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y, people! Jeez.

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I disagree about Keisha Castle-Hughes. I think she was fantastic.

And I totally disagree about Reese Witherspoon. That was NOT a supporting role and she was absolutely incredible.

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Nicole Kidman for "Moulin Rouge." I still don't see how that was Oscar-worthy.

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Don't forget that if a smoking hot actress turns "ugly" for a role (and by "ugly", I mean a 7.5 instead of an 11), she's a shoo-in for at least a nom. (Hello Nicole, Renee, Halle and Charlize!) I usually think in those situations, the fact that the star's hotness is common knowledge is what makes their performance so [insert superlative]. Are we actually amazed by their performances or at the transformation? Would a plain-looking no-name actress get the same accolades?

(But on a totally different note, Keira Knightley for "Pride & Prejudice"? HUH???)

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How about changing sex? Felicity and Hilary both did so and to unanimous acclaim.

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But the point is she didn't play the sex symbol, and in fact, downplayed her appearance substantially. I'm not saying her performance wasn't good - I'm saying people took notice because it's Halle Berry in a dramatic 180. If a no-name actress whose persona and celebrity we weren't familiar with had done the role, she would not have received those accolades because we wouldn't have a yardstick to judge her range by. On the other hand, the preconceived notion of Halle is as a Bond Girl, Best Dresser, Revlon Spokesmodel, Sexiest Woman Alive, etc., and that's why this completely different role was so impressive.

(And a side note, Felicity was also amazing, and I think should've won the Oscar over Reese by a long shot.)

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Tough to say. I like to think I would've appreciated Monster if a no-name's performance had been as good as Charlize's, but who knows. I just don't understand how something like Ryan Gosling's astonishing performance (and I don't use that lightly) in The Believer didn't made his career explode but Johnny Depp's turn in Pirates... was treated like the best thing since processed cheese.

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United States Of Leland was pretty good. Murder By Numbers was a pretty crappy movie but Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt's performances steal the show. Do check out The Believer though. Ryan's performance is nuanced, complex, multi-dimensional, quietly tortured, and charismatic but not in an overplayed sexual way like Ed Norton in American History X which it is commonly compared to (and is still very good in its own right).

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why the hell does everybody have such a bitchfit over Marisa Tomei winning the Oscar? She was charming, funny, very well acted and just plain great in that role. Her performance is what Best Supporting Actress is all about.

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i definitely agree about Catherine Keener in Capote,

also... i didn't find ANYTHING special about Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line

Kiera Knightley in Pride and Prejudice really boggled my mind... i didn't like her in that movie at all

but probably my biggest complaint was when Clint Eastwood was nominated for acting for Million Dollar Baby... i think he is one of the most over-rated actors ever... ughhh, i thought his performance was awful