Does 'Paranormal Activity' Deserve a Best Picture Nomination?
Filed under: Awards, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Oscar Watch
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The Indie Spirit Awards announced their nominations this morning, honoring a whole bunch of films that were only seen by film critics, artsy intellectuals and/or people who accidentally walked into the wrong theater while on their way to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I kid, of course, because if it wasn't for shows like the Spirit Awards, a number of really great independent films (and performances) would probably go unnoticed. So I command you to check out the list of nominees after the jump and start tracking them down one by one (either in theaters or on DVD). Go! Now!
This year's crop of nominees is definitely stirring the pot a little bit. Surprises include Maria Bello for Best Female Lead in Downloading Nancy, a film that all of about one person (me!) actually enjoyed. 500 Days of Summer also took home a couple nods for Best Feature and Best Male Lead (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and even the viciously panned Gentlemen Broncos walked away with a nod for Best Supporting Male (Jermaine Clement). One of the more interesting (and talked-about) nominations went to Paranormal Activity in the Best First Feature category, alongside other notable indies like A Single Man, Crazy Heart, Easier with Practice and The Messenger.
But does Paranormal Activity really belong there, or is it being honored more because of what it achieved at the box office versus how good it actually is? I've seen some already poking fun at the nomination on Twitter, as if it doesn't deserve to shine the shoes of the other films listed alongside it. But is that just because it doesn't fit the 'Best Picture" mold? Is it because it's become a "fanboy" film?
Granted, it's listed in the Best First Feature category -- a spot that I personally think it deserves -- and so it's technically not being considered for Best Feature ... but, still, seeing it listed among some of the year's best films does make you wonder whether it's being overlooked in all the Oscar talk. While some would like to write the film off as a joke, there's a reason why it earned over $100 million at the box office with little to no mainstream (TV commercials, billboards, etc) marketing. Obviously it's a film people really enjoyed on a number of different levels (and one that will go down in history as being one of the most successful independent films of all time) ... but is it a film worthy of awards?
What do you think? Does it deserve a spot in the Best First Feature category? And what about Oscars -- with ten nominations this year, does it deserve a spot in the Best Picture category?
Check out the full list of Spirit Award nominees below. You can watch the awards show live on IFC on March 5th at 11pm EST.
Best Feature
"(500) Days of Summer"
"Amreeka"
"Precious"
"Sin Nombre"
"The Last Station"
Best Director
Ethan and Joel Coen, "A Serious Man"
Lee Daniels, "Precious"
Cary Fukunaga, "Sin Nombre"
James Gray, "Two Lovers"
Michael Hoffman, "The Last Station"
Best First Feature
"A Single Man"
"Crazy Heart"
"Easier With Practice"
"The Messenger"
"Paranormal Activity"
Best Lead Female
Maria Bello, "Downloading Nancy"
Nisreen Faour, "Amreeka"
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
Gwyneth Paltrow, "Two Lovers"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"
Best Lead Male
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "(500) Days of Summer"
Souleymane Sy Savane, "Goodbye Solo"
Adam Scott, "The Vicious Kind"
Best Supporting Female
Mo'Nique, "Precious"
Dina Korzun, "Cold Souls"
Samantha Morton, "The Messenger"
Natalie Press, "Fifty Dead Men Walking"
Mia Wasikowska, "That Evening Sun"
Best Supporting Male
Jemaine Clement, "Gentlemen Broncos"
Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"
Christian McKay, "Me and Orson Welles"
Ray McKinnon, "That Evening Sun"
Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
12012009_themessenger.jpgBest Screenplay
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"
Michael Hoffman, "The Last Station"
Lee Toland Krieger, "The Vicious Kind"
Greg Mottola, "Adventureland"
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, "(500) Days of Summer"
Best First Screenplay
Sophie Barthes, "Cold Souls"
Scott Cooper, "Crazy Heart"
Cherien Dabis, "Amreeka"
Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious"
Tom Ford, "A Single Man"
Best Foreign Film
"A Prophet"
"An Education"
"Everlasting Moments"
"Mother"
"The Maid"
Best Documentary Feature
"Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
"Food, Inc"
"More Than A Game"
"October Country"
"Which Way Home"
Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins , "A Serious Man"
Adriano Goldman, "Sin Nombre"
Anne Misawa, "Treeless Mountain"
Andrij Parekh, "Cold Souls"
Peter Zeitlinger, "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
John Cassavetes Award
"Big Fan"
"Humpday"
"The New Year Parade"
"Treeless Mountain"
"Zero Bridge"
Robert Altman Award
"A Serious Man"
Acura Someone to Watch Award
Kyle Patrick Alvarez, "Easier With Practice"
Tariq Tapa, "Zero Bridge"
Asiel Norton, "Redland"
Piaget Producers Award
Karin Chien, "Santa Mesa" and "The Exploding Girl"
Larry Fessenden, "I Sell the Dead" and "House of the Devil"
Dia Sokol, "Beeswax," "Nights and Weekends"
Truer than Fiction Award
Natalia Almada, "El General"
Bill and Turner Ross, "45365"
Jessica Oreck, "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo"
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-01-2009 @ 12:51PM
Timothy said...
Seeing as it got nominated for Best First Feature... it wholly deserves the nomination. It would've been rubbish if it had been nominated for Best Feature seeing the competition in the Independent circuit this year, but as a first feature it did what many don't - not even including how insanely successful it became in theaters - so it belongs right where it is.
Does it deserve to win? Definitely not.
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12-01-2009 @ 12:59PM
Kevin said...
What an odd subject- is the movie deserving of even this smaller, less prestigious nomination and, if so, is it deserving of the ultimate award in film-making? Clearly it doesn't deserve a best picture nod if it is questionable as to whether it is deserving of a spirit nomination for best first feature.
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12-01-2009 @ 1:59PM
Candice Frederick said...
Yous eriously could have knocked me down witha feather afer hearing about this nomination. But it's a small film, garnered tons fo buzz. why not I guess? though I haven't seen the film, it doesn't seem like the kind of thing awards are made of.
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12-01-2009 @ 2:10PM
Sparkus said...
NO way. It was a poorly acted, poorly slapped together, popcorn flick with no story. What in that movie was Oscar worthy anything? The part where some knocking happened? The time lapse night vision?
This deserves to be up there as much as the saw franchise does.
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12-01-2009 @ 3:45PM
Eric H said...
Good job reading the article, you should be nominated for a literacy award.
12-01-2009 @ 3:19PM
Stan Winsome said...
Um no, it's utter tripe propped up by hubris and slick marketing. Then again, so is 99% of Hollywood...
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12-01-2009 @ 3:47PM
Eric H said...
As for Best Picture nominations, I would say 90% of the films nominated don't diverse it. As far as paranormal activity, I quite enjoyed the film, one of the better wide releases of the year.
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12-01-2009 @ 4:25PM
ralphiecharlie said...
Is it also the "spirit" of indie films to have your movie bought up, advised by Spielberg, and have the ending which is the PAY OFF and arguably the most important part COMPLETELY CHANGED because Spielberg blew his nose?
Seriously, I am asking...
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12-01-2009 @ 4:35PM
Sparkus said...
Eric H
"And what about Oscars -- with ten nominations this year, does it deserve a spot in the Best Picture category? "
I read it. You should be awarded the 'Tool of the year award'
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12-01-2009 @ 5:29PM
GL said...
The film seems to fit well enough for Best First Feature given all the past nominees.
As for an Oscar, no way in hell.
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12-01-2009 @ 8:35PM
ATRAGON said...
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE WORST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN,I WAS EMBARRASSED FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE MOVIE,AND ASHAMED OF MYSELF FOR EVEN WATCHING IT,SO IT WILL PROBABLY WIN SOME KIND OF AWARD
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12-02-2009 @ 8:23AM
Mangorilla said...
Best Marketing Ploy Since Blair Witch Project - Absolutely.
Best Use of Chicken Foot Prints - Without a doubt.
Best On-Screen Flaming Ouiji Board - Yep.
I could even support the Best First Feature nomination, because it is pretty impressive what they pulled off with such a tiny budget on their first attempt.
But Oscar worthy? Nah. I just really wasn't wowed by the story or the acting at all. It kind of felt like a haunted house put on by the PTA. "Ok, close your eyes and hold out your hand. Ew, you're touching brains! Now you're touching eyeballs." And you go home wondering why there's a noodle hanging from your finger, and your hands smell like grapes. A whole lot of "What was that?!" without any real payoff. And the original ending was much more effective and creepy than the jump scare camera lunge, I think. A good effort, but not at all Oscar worthy.
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12-02-2009 @ 11:38AM
MediaOKra said...
Sure that would be fun. Also, Coraline
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12-05-2009 @ 3:56PM
Ian said...
after i saw it, i started to think about what would happen if it WAS nominated for an oscar, and lo-behold, we have people putting it down because it doesnt LOOK like an awards movie...
Wouldnt it be fun if the academy dicided to nominate a film that doesnt have HUGE performances and a huge budget (and one that actually deserves a nod)!
Seriously though, this movie was fantastically made, acted well, did what it said on the tin and was one of the most memorable of the year! im delighted it was given the nod by the indie spirit awards. Good on them!
also happy to see Cold Souls in there...
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12-14-2009 @ 10:00AM
WiredRacing said...
Ignoring the slate of other indie movies this year. Consider the award show and the category.
Q: Is it an independant movie?
A: Yes.
Q: Does it embody the spirit of an independant movie?
A: Up for interpretation but I think any film that is a commercial success on fractions of pennies for the dollars it took in would be the spirit of an independant movie. Great cinema at bargain basement prices.. guerilla filmmaking. People investing their own money, taking on multiple production roles, etc..etc.. so for me.. "Yes"
Q: Was it any good?
A: Yes. 10x better if you walked into it blind, like I did. And especially if you didn't see the hypefest trailer.
Therefore should it be considered an award as a good film? Definately.
Now if this were the Oscars or Globes or something, then no way in hell. The production is minimal, there's only 1 set, one location, no costumes, 3 actors, no score, poor cinematography, etc..etc... therefore Best Picture being a production award does not really fit here.
But to turn all those things (rags) into a commercial success sounds like the spirit of independant business to me.. unless you have some holier-than-thou opinion of independant film where it should be trite, pretentious and something only you have the depth and analytical ability to like.. then yeah, this one sold out.
Good luck to them! But of the nominees I've seen, 500 Days was really good, better than I could have hoped for.
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1-02-2010 @ 11:33PM
Cassi and Colleen said...
We just saw this movie and every time we see a shadow on the wall we start screaming and hyper-ventilating. It was definently a scary movie and anybody who thinks it had poor acting needs to get their head checked. What about this movie was not scary?! I can bet ten million dollars that you would scream if you saw three-toed foot steps on your floor and woke up in the middle of the night to find your girlfriend had been standing over you staring for three hours. Just because this movie isn't real footage doesn't mean it doesn't deserve an award, I mean, the Blair Witch Project won an award and it wasn't real footage. If you watch this movie on DVD and wait a few minutes after the screen goes black, you can see the thousands upon thousands of people who demanded the movie to play in their town. THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE THIS MOVIE!! *whispers* It was a good movie...
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