Hollywood’s Biggest Morning

Oscar nominations morning is actually really fun, despite the ungodly hour. For years, I’d cover the nominations from the Academy on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills alongside all the other reporters and producers. Everyone’s in a good mood, if a bit bleary-eyed, buzzing on a combination of caffeine and expectation.

This morning, I rolled out of bed at 5 a.m., made some coffee and watched the nominations in the dark in my jammies. Here are a few, quick thoughts (and I may add to this as the day goes along):

— TOO MANY BEST ACTORS: I was shocked that neither Tom Hanks (for “Captain Phillips”) nor Robert Redford (for “All Is Lost”) heard his name called this morning. Hanks has a steely, steady power as the real-life captain who keeps his cool when Somali pirates invade his cargo ship, and the final moments when he lets himself collapse are just shattering. Redford does perhaps the best work of his prolific career — while saying about a dozen words total — as an aging man trapped alone at sea. Maybe the Academy just hates movies about people in trouble in the middle of the ocean. Oh wait …

— BAD GRANDPA MAKES GOOD: We must forever refer to Johnny Knoxville’s latest shock romp as “Academy Award nominee `Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa,'” with its recognition in the makeup and hairstyling category. (Eddie Murphy’s raunchy “Norbit” also was nominated in this category back in 2008.) Truly, Knoxville was unrecognizable as an inappropriate octogenarian with his dick stuck in a vending machine.

— FARE THEE WELL, OH HONEY: “Inside Llewyn Davis” isn’t necessarily my favorite Coen brothers movie, but it’s a beautiful (and beautifully acted) one, and it deservedly earned a lot of love critically. There was room for it in the best-picture category — only nine of the 10 slots were filled. And it would have been great to see Oscar Isaac sneak into the crowded best-actor race as a struggling folk singer in 1960s New York. Still, it did receive nominations for Bruno Delbonnel’s gorgeous cinematography, and for sound mixing.

— JUNE SQUIBB, PEOPLE!: The supporting-actress nominee is just a complete bad-ass as Bruce Dern’s long-suffering, spitfire wife in “Nebraska.” She’s not only the voice of reason, she’s usually the one to say the most shockingly blunt thing in the room, and in the process steals her every scene in Alexander Payne’s drama. After decades in this business, how cool is it to see her receive this very deserved recognition now?

— NO-PRAH: I did think Oprah Winfrey would get a supporting-actress nomination for “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” She’s riveting as Forest Whitaker’s drunk and damaged wife, and seems to revel in the chance to play such a meaty, gritty role. It’s a reminder that before she was a multimedia empire unto herself, Winfrey could really act. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” was shut out completely, which was a real surprise, given that it was the inspiration for a story I wrote on Oscar bait back in August.

— LOOK AT HIS SHIT! OR DON’T: It’s not a complete surprise to see James Franco snubbed in the supporting-actor category, given his ill-fated Oscar-hosting duties a few years back. But he is just mesmerizing as a trash-talking Florida drug dealer in “Spring Breakers,” and it would have been nice to see him nominated for such daring work. With his cornrows and shiny grill, the actor who famously played James Dean transforms completely. But the performance — and Harmony Korine’s film as a whole — were probably too much for the Academy to handle.

— “STORIES WE TELL,” SHUT OUT: This one bums me out the most. In a year of strong documentaries, Canadian actress-turned-director Sarah Polley’s was my absolute favorite. A clever and poignant exploration of family and the fleeting nature of memory, Polley’s film keeps changing and surprising. It continually keeps you on your toes and breaks your heart, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Go find it.