Uproar As 'Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close' Gets Oscars Nod

Among the surprises at the Oscar nominations ceremony on Tuesday morning (24 January 2012) was a nod for the Tom Hanks movie 'Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close' - which was ripped apart by critics upon its release. Commentators are essentially dumbfounded by the movie's inclusion in the category of Best Picture, especially at the expense of films such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy.

The movie's nomination was certainly the biggest surprise, despite Albert Brooks, Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton and Leonardo Dicaprio all getting snubbed for their efforts. Even more baffling was the ripple of applause 'Incredibly Loud' received from a group in the audience when Jennifer Lawrence read out the nominees, despite the other movie's being met with silence. The movie's star Max Von Sydow received a Best Supporting Actor nomination, but there was nothing for Hanks. Receiving a paltry score of 48% on review aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes, the movie was heavily criticized by the movie press. Noted critic Roger Ebert said, "No movie has ever been able to provide a catharsis for the Holocaust, and I suspect none will ever be able to provide one for 9/11", while David Denby of the New Yorker said, "Sorry, but there must be richer ways of dramatizing so obvious a theme". Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com was the most scathing, saying the film "Renders Jonathan Safran Foer's best-selling 2005 novel into unconvincing Hollywood mush".

Following the announcement of the nominations, bookmakers have installed 'Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close' as the 50/1 outsider to scoop Best Picture come February 2012.