SAG Nominations: The Hurt Locker continues to build momentum...

It's still hard for me to believe that this little movie I saw over the summer has turned out to be such a frontrunner in this year's Oscar race.

When I saw Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker this past July, I knew I had seen something we'd be talking about for years—a war drama that elegantly focuses on a core of three characters. The film tackles the Middle East like no other film, divorced from politics and agenda-pushing. It's an incredible look at one of the most dangerous jobs anyone has ever had to do (disarming bombs), and it let's us into the minds of three men who must do this every day.

I won't be so bold as to say that the film will win Best Picture, but I will say that it is the clear frontrunner at this time. That is, especially after the SAG nominations were announced this morning.

The important thing to remember about the SAGs is that they are a very good indicator of what AMPAS might go for. SAG and AMPAS have many mutual members, and the actors make up a large part of the AMPAS collective.

The biggest winner here, as you might gather from above, is The Hurt Locker, which scored both an Ensemble Acting nomination (the SAG equivalent of Best Picture) and a nomination for Jeremy Renner for Best Lead Actor.

Another film that was heavily rewarded today is Inglourious Basterds, which I believe we can now safely include in our predictions for a Best Picture nomination. Tarrantino's film nabbed nominations for Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actor (I think Waltz's name is already engraved on that Oscar...) and Best Supporting Actress, Diane Kruger. It's not likely that Kruger's nomination will translate to the Oscar (I believe that spot will go to Julianne Moore), but it's a surefire indication that Harvey Wenstein's campaign engine is hard at work these days.

And while I'm very pleased with the nominations for Kendrick, Clooney, and Farminga, I'm shocked to learn that Up in the Air missed out on Best Ensemble. It really doesn't quite make sense, given the other nominations it received. I don't think it will have a great effect on the film's nomination chances for Best Picture, but it does seem to say something about it's chances of winning. If the acting section of voters did not recognize the film for Best Ensemble at the SAGS, it might mean that they're not thinking about the film as a frontrunner for Best Picture. Just a thought.

Oh, and I think I need to retire Bright Star to my list of films that are too good for AMPAS.

Full list of the film acting nominations after the cut.


Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Mo’Nique, Precious

Best Ensemble
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious

Best Stunt Ensemble
Public Enemies
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen