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The stars, guns, and snakes, were finally enough: the Oscar snub wasn't needed!

Let’s just get this out of the way up front: Great job, Academy! That the AMPAS found room for everything from Winter’s Bone to Toy Story 3 to the ferocious performance given by Movieline favorite Jacki Weaver means they deserve a bit of kudos. (If you’re one of those, “Yawn, I’m too cool for the Oscars!” people, just go back to bed today.) Of course that doesn’t mean many, many deserving nominees were left out in the cold this morning. Ahead, the six biggest from the major categories. (Christopher Rosen, “Your Favorite was Robbed: The 6 Biggest Oscar Snubs,” Movieline, 21 January 2011)

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I disagree. I thought the noms were fair and on the mark. I predicted that True Grit (this year's Blind Side) would be the sleeper movie and the Coens would get best director. There's an upset coming. I also predict that Colin and Jeff will split the best acting....or Jeff walks away with the best acting award. (response to post, Chicago48)

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I agree. Comparing True Grit to Lifetime movie of the week The Blind Side is ridiculous. There is so much nuance and meaning in True Grit. Can you really say the same thing about The Blind Side? That movie was only Oscar nominated because it was a crappy year with very few stand out films. If it had come out in 2010, it wouldn't even have made a blip on the awards radar.

I think the biggest snub this year is nominating Hailee Steinfeld for a "Supporting" role. Did the Academy not realize that True Grit is Mattie's story? Mattie is in every scene, it's narrated by her character. It's told completely from Mattie's perspective. How is that a supporting role? If anything, Bridges and Damon were supporting her. (response to post, Karen)

I agree. Hailee should have been nominated for best actress, best movie, or not at all. The lesson in the film is that a smart, head-strong, civilized girl can make most of the wild have to be at “their” best to not already seem akin to a tamed wild-west show. Rooster has his (touching) wild ride, Laboeuf gets his miraculous shot, but there's a sense that her only equal was Ned, the compelling leader of the congress of louts. The gun recoil and the snake terror ease her into an easing, more capitulated form, and leaves Rooster alone to demonstrate his experience, endurance, and drivenness, but had she been a couple years older, we would have been left without all that, and it would have simply been: "THIS is all you can conjure ..." As is, the night-conjured wild stars reign supreme, and clear the deck.

I'd like to have seen Damon nominated for best supporting. He's like Wilbur proving he's really quite the pig after all, and it made me cheer!

Link: “Your Favorite was Robbed: The 6 Biggest Oscar Snubs” (Movieline)

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