Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (François Duhamel / The Weinstein Co.) (top); Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (Jonathan Olley / Summit Entertainment) (bottom)
The Online Film Critics Society has announced its list of nominees for 2009. Avatar may be a huge blockbuster-in-the-making, but OFCS members apparently weren't that impressed. James Cameron's sci-fi adventure epic earned three nominations: best director, best cinematography (Mauro Fiore), and best editing (Steve R. Moore, John Refoua and Stephen Rivkin). Actually, that's not bad at all, but …
The Hurt Locker, with about $12 million in grosses at the domestic box office, received seven nominations, including best picture, best director (Kathryn Bigelow, Cameron's former wife), best actor (Jeremy Renner), best supporting actor (Anthony Mackie), and best original screenplay (Mark Boal). Quentin Tarantino's World War II revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds, for its part, got eight nods, among them best picture, best director, best original screenplay (also Tarantino), best actress (Melanie Laurent), best supporting actor (Christoph Waltz), and best supporting actress (Diane Kruger).
Another critical favorite, Jason Reitman's socially conscious romantic comedy-drama Up in the Air, was nominated in four categories (including one double nod): best picture, best actor (George Clooney), best supporting actress (Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga), and best adapted screenplay (Reitman and Sheldon Turner).
Reitman and Up director Pete Docter were replaced in the best director category by Neill Blomkamp for District 9 and Cameron for Avatar.
Surprising inclusions: Silent Light, which has been all but ignored by US critics' groups, in the best foreign-language film category; District 9's Sharlto Copley and Two Lovers' Joaquin Phoenix in the best actor category; Tilda Swinton as a best actress nominee for Julia (hers is one of US critics' favorite performances this year, except when it comes to naming their best actress winners); Jackie Earle Haley as a best supporting actor nominee for Watchmen; and Where the Wild Things Are in the best adapted screenplay category.
Missing in action: Colin Firth for A Single Man, The Lovely Bones, Nine.
The OFCS winners will be announced on Jan. 6.
Online Film Critics Awards 2009
BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Broken Embraces
Police, Adjective
Silent Light
Summer Hours
The White Ribbon
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil!: The True Story of Anvil
The Beaches of Agnes
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
Up
BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow (-) The Hurt Locker
Neill Blomkamp (-) District 9
James Cameron (-) Avatar
Joel & Ethan Coen (-) A Serious Man
Quentin Tarantino (-) Inglourious Basterds
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (-) Crazy Heart
Sharlto Copley (-) District 9
George Clooney (-) Up in the Air
Joaquin Phoenix (-) Two Lovers
Jeremy Renner (-) The Hurt Locker
BEST ACTRESS
Mélanie Laurent (-) Inglourious Basterds
Carey Mulligan (-) An Education
Gabourey Sidibe (-) Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep (-) Julie & Julia
Tilda Swinton (-) Julia
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Capaldi (-) In the Loop
Jackie Earle Haley (-) Watchmen
Woody Harrelson (-) The Messenger
Anthony Mackie (-) The Hurt Locker
Christoph Waltz (-) Inglourious Basterds
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vera Farmiga (-) Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick (-) Up in the Air
Diane Kruger (-) Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique (-) Precious
Julianne Moore (-) A Single Man
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
(500) Days of Summer (-) Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
The Hurt Locker (-) Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (-) Quentin Tarantino
A Serious Man (-) Joel & Ethan Coen
Up (-) Bob Peterson
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
District 9 (-) Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
Fantastic Mr. Fox (-) Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
In the Loop (-) Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
Up in the Air (-) Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Where the Wild Things Are (-) Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar (-) Mauro Fiore
District 9 (-) Trent Opaloch
The Hurt Locker (-) Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds (-) Robert Richardson
A Serious Man (-) Roger Deakins
BEST EDITING
(500) Days of Summer (-) Alan Edward Bell
Avatar (-) Steve R. Moore, John Refoua & Stephen Rivkin
District 9 (-) Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker (-) Chris Innis & Bob Murawski
Inglourious Basterds (-) Sally Menke
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Fantastic Mr. Fox (-) Alexandre Desplat
The Informant! (-) Marvin Hamlisch
Star Trek (-) Michael Giacchino
Up (-) Michael Giacchino
Where the Wild Things Are (-) Carter Burwell & Karen Orzolek
