Quick reactions to Oscar nominations

• I was surprised nine films were nominated at that one of them was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and none of them were The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I expected seven to make the list, eight if Tree of Life was included, which it was.
• I thought the supporting actor category had boiled down to a two-person race between Albert Brooks for Drive and Christopher Plummer for Beginners, but Brooks didn’t even make the cut.
• I have no problem with Demian Bichir receiving a best actor nod but I’m shocked that neither Leonardo DiCaprio or Michael Fassbinder didn’t make the final five.
• I am also shocked that Shailene Woodley didn’t make the supporting actress final five for her superb performance in The Descendants in which she held her own against George Clooney, the likely best actor winner.
• I guess the animation branch of the Academy is still not buying into stop-action. The Adventures of Tin Tin failed to receive a nomination even though it was named best animated film by the Producers Guild and the Hollywood Foreign Press.