Oscars 2013: Nominations Recap
The nominations for the 85th Academy Awards were announced this morning, and you can find the full list here. As per usual, there were a few surprises. Here are some of my choice reactions to the nominees:
WHERE IS KATHRYN BIGELOW?
The Best Directing category was clearly the big upset of the morning. Not only was Bigelow missing for her superior directing of Zero Dark Thirty, but critical favorite Ben Affleck was MIA for Argo. Yet, there was David O. Russell (really?) and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), the latter which was a lovely surprise. But seriously: WHERE IS KATHRYN BIGELOW?
- Lots of Amour for Amour
With five nominations — significant for a foreign language film — Amour is the the most nominated film that I haven’t yet seen. Its Best Picture nomination was the biggest surprise; even the brilliant A Separation, last year’s Best Foreign Language Film winner couldn’t manage that, and critics raved about it (so did I). This shit had better be good, Haneke.
- Two Playwrights Become Oscar Nominees
Tony Kushner for his brilliant Lincoln and Lucy Alibar for her less brilliant Beasts of the Southern Wild. Go Tony! (Not that I’m biased or anything.)
- The Youngest and the Oldest Nominees Ever Compete Against Each Other
Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), at age 85, is the oldest Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee in Oscar history. On February 24, the night of the Academy Awards, she will turn 86. Quvenzhané Wallis is the youngest nominee at age 9. Before her, Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was nominated in the Best Actress category for Whale Rider in 2004, held the distinction at age 13. Unfortunately, neither of these record-holders are likely to win come Oscar night.
- Jacki Weaver!!!
Who knew this was going to happen? She’s fabulous as the mom of a bipolar man in Silver Linings Playbook, but no one — and I mean no one — could have predicted this. We were all so distracted by Jennifer Lawrence’s awesomeness and Cooper and DeNiro’s twitchy performances to truly appreciate her. I’m glad The Academy did. This is her second nomination (her first was in 2011 for disturbing Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom).
- One Posthumous Nomination
And it’s for the brilliant costume designer Eiko Ishioka who was also just nominated for a Tony Award this past June for her over-the-top comic book-looks for the Hottest Mess to Ever Hit Broadway Ever, Spider-Man. I kind of hate her because now I have to watch Mirror Mirror, but whatever, she’s fabulous.
- Flight is nominated for Best Original Screenplay
Remind me: What exactly is original about this overly familiar tale of addiction? #bullshitnomination
- What the heck is Chasing Ice??
- Ted. You’ve got to be kidding me.
Is this just to butter up the awards host?
- Richard Gere, I’m here for you.
Write-in nominee, anyone?
- As always, I’m stoked to see all the shorts (though I know nothing about any of them).
One is called Fresh Guacamole. Yum!
- So glad I don’t have to see Cloud Atlas.
Racist mess.
- TOM HOOPER IS SNUBBED.
Oscar season just got so much better.
- WHERE IS KATHRYN BIGELOW?!
Still not over it.
Out of 107 nominations (not including the 15 shorts), I predicted 80 correctly (which does not include the spoilers, many of which I also correctly predicted). Not too shabby.
Is it bad that I was most excited about the guacamole movie, too!?
No! In fact, I almost referenced you in this post because of that fact