For some reason, this year I thought I could change my ways. I tried so hard not to care about Awards Season and to snark on them along the way. (Did you see my Golden Globes commentary? It was so hilarious, no one got the joke.) But it’s a lie. I’m still obsessed with the Oscars and I watched Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announced the nominations this morning. The Oscars will always be one of my favorite things. Here are some of my quick thoughts on some of the nominations:
Best Picture:
- Argo
- Amour
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
- Les Miserables
- Life Of Pi
- Lincoln
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Zero Dark Thirty
Unlike last year when the Best Picture nomination for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close made me fire off a round of expletives, I’m not questioning any of this year’s nominees. Okay, maybe Les Miserables. (No, I still haven’t seen it. Yes, it’s still making me irrationally angry.) But I’m so pumped about the four nominations for Beasts of the Southern Wild, I’ll continue to ignore Les Mis.
Best Director:
- Michael Haneke, Amour
- Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern WIld
- Ang Lee, Life Of Pi
- Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
- David O. Russell , Silver Linings Playbook
Everyone thought this category was locked down when the DGA nominations were announced on Tuesday. But nothing is a sure thing. Sorry Ben Affleck, Tom Hooper, and Kathryn Bigelow. You didn’t make the cut. Not that I’m complaining about the nods for Haneke, Zeitlin, or Russell. Okay, I’m incredibly disappointed that Bigelow was excluded. And don’t let anyone tell you Ben Affleck was robbed. He wasn’t. (Now I’m picturing Ben Affleck crying on the phone to Matt Damon. I’ve been amused for about five minutes. Best of luck with that Whitey Bulger movie, guys.)
Best Actor:
- Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
- Denzel Washington, Flight
- Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
- Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Unfortunately, John Hawkes wasn’t nominated for The Sessions. For me, this is the most disappointing “snub”.
Best Actress:
- Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
- Naomi Watts, The Impossible
- Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
- Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
- Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
I’m changing my name to Quvenzhané Arcieri. Maybe then I’ll forgive myself for achieving nothing by the age of 9.
Best Supporting Actor:
- Alan Arkin, Argo
- Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
- Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
- Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook
Poor Leonardo DiCaprio. He tried so hard in Django Unchained and still didn’t get nominated. I hope Leo wins an Oscar soon because watching him try so hard for one has gotten exhausting.
Best Supporting Actress:
- Amy Adams, The Master
- Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
- Helen Hunt, The Sessions
- Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
- Sally Field, Lincoln
I love Jacki Weaver. I hope I look as good as Helen Hunt when I’m 49. I forgot Amy Adams was in The Master. I want Sally Field to win while Anne Hathaway over-enthusiatically applauds. This category rocks.
Best Original Screenplay:
- Amour – Michael Haneke
- Django Unchained – Quentin Tarantino
- Flight – John Gatins
- Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
- Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal
A million times yes for Moonrise Kingdom.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
- Argo – Chris Terrio,
- Beasts Of The Southern Wild – Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
- Life Of Pi – David Magee
- Lincoln – Tony Kushner
- Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell
Story time. For most of Lincoln, I was resting with my eyes closed. (It was not a nap.) The thing about resting with your eyes closed is that you pay more attention to the screenplay and the screenplay for Lincoln is phenomenal. It’s my favorite part of the movie and other than Sally Field’s performance, nothing else interested me about Lincoln. Also, if Beasts of the Southern Wild wins one Oscar, (which it probably won’t but I can dream) it would be in this category.
Here is the complete list of Oscar nominees.
What is your take on this year’s Oscar nominations? Satisfied? Angry? Let me know in the comments.
@Cinefille 