Well, we got ourselves a surprise or two, after all. If you predicted Hilary Swank’s out-of-nowhere Best Actress nomination for “Conviction,” go out and buy yourself a congratulatory drink. (While you’re at the bar, buy a commiserative one for Nathaniel Rogers too.)
I doubt the nomination will launch her into the Academy’s five (unless story-mongers really are desperate to see another round in the Swank vs. Bening grudge match), but it does demonstrate how up for grabs that fifth slot is. Lesley Manville and Michelle Williams, the ball is still in your court.
Nothing on the list matches that nomination for sheer unexpectedness, but I suspect a fair few people didn’t see “Winter’s Bone” star John Hawkes coming in the Best Supporting Actor category — much less at the expense of the season’s nominal frontrunner, “The Social Network.” I wrote in my predictions last night that I wasn’t sure how fully SAG would warm to the film’s young, non-insider cast: while I predicted a snub for Jesse Eisenberg, it was actually Andrew Garfield who got the shaft.
(He’s in distinguished company, at least: joining him on the sidelines are Jacki Weaver, Ryan Gosling and his aforementioned “Blue Valentine” co-star, all of whom I can easily imagine overcoming this roadblock a month from now.)
Though Mark Wahlberg didn’t repeat his Golden Globe coup from earlier this week, “The Fighter” still lived up to its reputation as the season’s potential late-breaking spoiler, joining “The King’s Speech” in the top spot with four nominations. Just behind, with three, are “The Kids Are All Right” — rallying nicely after a couple of early misses on the precursor trailer — and “Black Swan.” Darren Aronofsky’s film just goes from strength to strength: with nods from the BFCA, the Globes and now SAG, one-time longshot Mila Kunis is looking a mighty threat for an Oscar spot. Nice.
All four of those titles landed in SAG’s ostensible Best Picture category, Best Ensemble, with “The Social Network,” of course, rounding out the list. I see a number of our readers already fussing over “Inception”‘s absence from the list (well, save for Best Stunt Ensemble), to which I can only say that a large ensemble doesn’t count for much when the film isn’t much of actor’s piece.
Check out the full list of film nominees at The Circuit.
[Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures]
Comments
161 responses to “‘Fighter’ and ‘King’s Speech’ lead SAG nominations”
I wonder how many people that are disappointed in Swank’s inclusion in the Best Actress category have actually seen the performances given by Lesley Manville and Michelle Williams. Neither of those films have been given a wide release yet. Maybe Hilary Swank IS the best choice? She really does give a great performance in Conviction.
Note also that though this is the third match-up between Swank and Bening, Swank wasn’t always the winner. True she won both Oscars, but Bening’s performance in American Beauty beat Swank’s Boys Don’t Cry at SAG.
Too bad, once again no nod for Barbara Hershey:(
Still looking to learn how/why Josh Pence is on the ensemble list…
Does anyone know how they determine which members of the cast get nominated for the ensemble award?
Looking at Social Network, in particular, you’ve got Josh Pence who played one half of the Winklevoss twins, but whose face was never seen, but they leave off all the ladies — Rooney Mara, Rashida Jones, and Brenda Song. Granted, these three ladies were on the outskirts of the film, but I’m kind of shocked they weren’t included.
Is this something that SAG determines or is it decided by the studios?
Pence was essentially the stand-in for Armie Hammer, playing one of the twins. Hammer’s face was digitally placed over Pence’s.
Pal,
I’ve seen Another Year twice as well as BV and Conviction. Manville and Williams are more deserving of this nod.
I also thought Swank was very good in Conviction.
Sorry, Steve @#102. Didn’t mean to repeat your question…guess I should’ve refreshed before posting. But it is definitely an interesting topic and a completely confusing one to me.
If Lesley Manville is not nominated for an Oscar, she will be the first woman to win the NBR Best Actress award and not go on to an Oscar nomination in over ten years. Bjork was the last one in 2000. Before that, it was Mia Farrow in 1990 for “Alice.”
Check your history books, Tom. Bjork didn’t win the NBR award in 2000 — Julia Roberts did. (Bjork won a feeble special achievement gong for “outstanding dramatic musical performance.”)
So one does indeed have to go all the way back to 1990 to find an NBR Best Actress winner who missed with the Academy. Whether this means anything, of course, is another question.
Well — I predicted the stunt ensemble field 100%! (Though I predicted five…must have missed a memo.)
Nicole Kidman for a nomination aye. She’s been steamrolling through. Frequently popping up critics awards, then golden globes, now screen actors guild.
I’ve had this feeling for weeks now, but I’m gonna call it: “Black Swan” is the Dark Horse winner of Best Picture.
Crazy? Absolutely. It’s probably not going to happen, but that’s what my gut is saying. Widespread support, elicits passionate responses, audiences seem to be digging it. And I’m not coming from a biased view: I haven’t seen it yet, and I’m not exactly an Aronofsky fan.
And why the hate for Hilary Swank? I think it’s the fact that she has two Oscars. It just really irks people that of all contemporary actresses, she’s the one with a double-win. It strikes as a bit overboard for someone who has had only a handful of decent performances amidst a lot of mediocrity. In other words, she’s tied with Streep for Oscar wins. Others with only one (or zero!) Oscars: Winslet, Blanchett, Moore, Dench, Mirren, Kidman, Bening, Linney, Bonham-Carter, McDormand… So, yeah. I can see where the hate is coming from!
Guy: Wow, that’s a sad little award to be given.
Anyway, I certainly don’t consider any physical link between the NBR and the AMPAS, however, 20 years is a pretty long streak to suddenly be broken…in superstitious terms anyway.
What’s next? “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network” and “The Fighter” missing out on Best Editing nominations? Where would we be, then?
I’d be somewhat surprised if “The King’s Speech” got a Best Editing nomination.
I just don’t get the Mila Kunis love lately. She was perfectly adequate in BS. I felt the arc of her performance was flat. People must be hot for her.
Swank, really? Conviction went out to every SAG member, that is the only reason.
Manville was listed in supporting on the nomination ballot so her change at lead was out.
@Andrew F,
I think you are being way too extreme. I also think that Swank is as good as some of the other people you’ve listed and way better than others.
@ The other James
The thing is, though, that there isn’t much wiggle room for Best Actress. Really, there’s only one spot left open and there are at least two strong other actresses vying for that spot. I don’t see Steinfeld getting in there, meaning, no nomination for her at all.
@M
Oh, I don’t mind Swank at all, personally. I was just summing up what I’ve been reading on various boards for years. An explanation for all the Swank-hate.
It reads more like a justification to me (ie. , yeah. I can see where the hate is coming from!)
Tapley may finally have to utter those two dreaded syllables on an upcoming Oscar Talk: JOHN HAWKES.
:-)
Why do you think they’re dreaded syllables? Just because we haven’t spent every single Oscar Talk discussing his work in the film?
Yeah, concerning Mila Kunis ….
I’m mixed on it. I LOVED the movie. She’s pretty good in it. I’m glad BS is catching on with eveyrone (obviously including voters). I just don’t think she actually deserves the nom. So yeah, mixed feelings on it.
We’re breaking taboo, now.
Actually the Swank nod is helping Annette Bening in terms of winning (the SAG and the Oscar). You know, when a SAG voter looks at the ballot and sees Annette Bening and Hilary Swank, I bet many will be tempted to vote for Bening, who lost the Oscar twice to Swank and everyone in Hollywood knows the story pretty well. And now Swank isn’t already the dark horse they favored. Many realize how absurd her win in 2004 was and I bet Bening will benefit from that.
Ross, you seem to be assuming an awful lot. Like the fact that they don’t actually like Swank’s performance (why nominate it?) or that they love Bening, not to mention the fact that in their eyes Bening was robbed.
There’s also the fact that a different and independent sunset of SAG did the nominating this year. A lot of unknowns.
And then there’s the fact that Bening did win a SAG award before so she’s isn’t exactly snubbed.
Then there’s Portman.
And speaking of Kunis, Tomei’s nomination last year was a bit of a suprise so anything’s possible.
I wouldn’t have voted for Swank either in 2004, but it was hardly an absurd win. It was an unusually rich field, and she played a part in that.
Swank was devastating in Million Dollar Baby, a most deserving winner.
this is just the push both Renner and Hawkes need, especially the latter who i think has been overlooked all year.
and i’m glad to see Robert Duvall get some love for Get Low.
This Bening vs. Swank Part III is void, because Portman is going to wipe the floor with both of them…
For those that were wondering about how The Social Network ladies got shafted in terms of being nominated for ensemble, Nathaniel over at filmexperience has the explanation up which essentially boils down to title cards. People are only considered to be nominees if their name and their name alone appears on a title card. The ladies were bunched together with others, despite their importance to the film.
Of course, this still doesn’t offer up any explanation as to how Josh Pence got his own title card…
Somewhat of a ludicrous rule (although I understand the need to cap the nominees) when it leaves critical roles in a movie by the wayside.
i’m surprised that Green Zone was nominated for stunt ensemble
Black Swan shouldn’t be here. Great movie, but it’s a one-woman show. It frustrates me every year when SAG nominates a film for Best Ensemble that is NOT an ensemble film. Same with The King’s Speech to a lesser degree (three good perfs). Don’t agree on Mila Kunis. Her performance was fine but not worthy of an Oscar nomination.
I don’t recall saying you should discuss Hawkes every week, but hearing his performance mentioned once in the past 6 or 7 installments might have been nice, especially when the talk veered into Winter’s Bone territory. Maybe if you eliminate the weekly segment where you reiterate your diminishing affection for Inception, you’ll have enough time to discuss the man, his performance, and its awards potential.
Sincerely,
K. Shults
Can we all agree that Hawkes, a relative unknown in a film not widely seen, is likely to be pushed aside by academy voting time. Garfield will get in, and I actually think that if anybody’s left out, it would be Ruffalo.
tony rock – I totally disagree. While BS is Portman’s film, it wouldn’t be nearly as effective without the performances of Kunis, Cassell, and especially Hershey (which in my opinion deserves more praise than Kunis).
Not too many complaints about the noms. Except they nominated Hot In Cleveland over Community and Parks & Rec, so I’ve lost almost all respect for these voters.
Keil: There are a lot of things we could have mentioned but didn’t. It certainly isn’t willful You’re free to start your own John Hawkes-centric podcast any time you like, though. And I’ll be sure to chime in and complain about why you harmlessly forgot to mention this or that and then through around unfounded accusations, too. Should be fun!
Meanwhile, we probably discussed the diminishing impact of Inception — oh look, once, last week, during the top 10 segment.
DylanS: Disagree. The question with Garfield is how many #1 votes he’ll get — he’ll surely appear on a lot of ballots, but I’m unsure how many voters’ favourite he’s likely to be. I would wager that Hawkes’s fanbase is smaller but fiercely devoted — this is a tight race.
Swank winning in 99 was a surprise. Swank winning over Benning in 04 should have surprised no one. An aforementioned devastating performance in the eventual Best Picture winner vs a nice performance by Benning in a little seen film. Plus even if Swank had lost that year it wouldn’t have been to Benning. It would have been to Imelda Staunton or Kate Winslet.
This is not looking good for Gosling and Williams…however Marcia Gay Harden and Tommy Lee Jones got nominated with fewer precursors. Even if they get snubbed, which I believe they gave two of the very best performances of the year, Gosling especially, it takes nothing away from the film at all. Saw it at Sundance and I’ve been waiting for it to receive some love, and thankfully it has received some this season. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you, HFPA.
Right, you’ve only made one jab at Inception in the past couple of months. Whatever you say.
It’s still once more than you mentioned John Hawkes’ name. Admit it. You hate Southern characters with beards.
You’ve got me pegged.
I can’t stay mad at you. Hug?
If I had to fill out my SAG ballot today, I would not be voting for either Swank or Bening. And I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment. Jennifer Lawrence would be my pick, but the good news for Portman and Kidman is that ballots haven’t been sent out yet and I’m not the hasty type anyway.
Kunis’ performance was fine. The reason people feel as if it doesn’t deserve a nomination is because it didn’t derive on heavy emotion. Her performance was difficult and of equal stature to those with immense weeping and anger. It’s that we live in a world where ‘great acting’ is determined by how many tears one sheds.
Also, I believe Weaver was ineligible for SAG,s o dont worry. I mean she’s won the majority of critic’s prizes, it’s almost positive that she’s locked for a nomination.
At the moment, Leo, Weaver, and Steinfeld are locked.
HBC’s slot doesn’t look so secure compared to earlier on in the season; its momentum has been dwindling. She’s achieved all the major nominations, however, when it comes to Oscar, voters may be more keen on ensuring the underdogs they loves, Kunis and Adams, to obtain a spot, and leave HBC cold.
Its a close race between HBC, Kunis, and Adams. This is the most interesting race, ironically, considering just a few weeks ago it seemed like anybody’s game.
All I can say is KUNIS IS HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!
Yes, woo-hoo, KUNIS IS F***ING HAPPENING!!!!
Great for Black Swan! It`s in!
Now, is this going to hurt Inception? I thought the cast was incredible but SAG didn`t think so. This is the only precursor that skipped it but I guess it can`t fail PGA and DGA, can it?
@Tyler: Ineligible, you say? Interesting. Can that be confirmed anywhere? That’d be great, optimistic news for Weaver if so.
Also, excellent point about how undervalued certain acting can be due to the lack of waterworks. Let’s not lower our standards to Lifetime/Hallmark tv-movie level.
Inception isn’t on here because it’s not an acting showcase. Lots of talent on display, and Leo, Marion, Cillian, and JGL give great performances, but it can’t compete against acting showcases like The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, and The Social Network. It will do fine. Avatar missed out on any SAG nominations and it still wound up with 9 oscar nominations, including Picture and Director. Inception will be fine.
Thanks Kevin.
Doesn`t it look like TSN may lose Ensemble to another movie? Garfield got snubbed (boo!) so I`m just saying. Black swan upset would be perfect, though. This movie needs all support it can get so that Aronofsky can land a nom with his picture.
Wow, Kunis nails SAG, BFCA and GG, I’m really hoping this pushes her into the Oscar arena. Her performance really was amazing. I saw Black Swan 3 weeks ago and every day I continue to grown more and more amazed by it.
Interesting sneak from Swank.
For whatever its flaws maybe, the acting in Inception was pretty top notch for the most part. The only one I was underwhelmed by was Marion Cotilard.