Oscars reveal satisfying but shocking nominees
It’s time to see what’s going on in the world of movie awards. The 2013 Academy Award nominees were announced earlier this month, and every category looks as expected, except for a few obvious snubs. Here’s a look at some of the top contenders, as well as some major brush-offs.
Nominations
“Argo”
“Zero Dark Thirty” was originally the hands-on favorite to win the Oscar for Best Picture, and why wouldn’t it be? It’s a movie about one of the most relieving moments in American History: the hunt for and assassination of Osama bin Laden. But “Argo’s” recent win for Best Picture Drama at the 2013 Golden Globes may have caused a turn of the tide.
“Argo” tackles a trying moment in American history, but it blends drama with Hollywood satire. A bizarre combination, but it easily works thanks to skillful direction by Ben Affleck, who, after screenwriting and acting, may have found his calling card as a director.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Anyone who has seen at least two of Daniel Day-Lewis’ films can easily see how well-rounded of an actor he is. He has gone from playing a spirited Native American warrior (“The Last of the Mohicans”) to an overly proud American butcher (“Gangs of New York”) to an oil tycoon mad with greed (“There Will Be Blood”).
Now he has earned his fifth Oscar nomination for his role as arguably the most well-renowned president in American history, Abraham Lincoln, in a movie that followed his methods to end slavery. He has been deemed the frontrunner for the Oscar, but he does have close competition, mostly from the likes of Hugh Jackman as self-redeeming Jean Valjean from “Les Miserables,” and Joaquin Phoenix, who garnered acclaim for his role as the drifting Freddie Quell in “The Master,” though his performance hasn’t received as much attention as it deserves.
Anne Hathaway
Acting in a musical film takes real talent and commitment, two aspects that have been lacking in musicals as of late. “Mamma Mia!” and “Rock of Ages” can vouch for that. But “Les Miserables” easily broke that barrier with a full cast of talented singers, especially with the show-stealing performance from Anne Hathaway as the down-on-her-luck Fantine.
Her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” was also the movie’s show-stealing musical number that has been the center of Hathaway’s acclaim for her performance. She wasn’t just singing through the song as if she were anxious to get home; audiences could actually feel Fantine’s grief and sorrow as she realizes how tough her life has become. I say Hathaway is a shoe-in to win her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, unless Sally Field from “Lincoln” can pull a surprising upset.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence has proved herself the most promising actress of her generation. Sure, she has had her flops, like “House at the End of the Street,” but what actress doesn’t? She easily established a promising career for herself ever since her Oscar nominated role in “Winter’s Bone,” not to mention her crowd-favorite role as Katniss Everdeen in the “Hunger Games” film series.
The Meryl Streep joke at the Golden Globes or the presence of Jessica Chastain in the Best Actress category, could cost her, but Joaquin Phoenix talked down about the Academy and they still nominated him as Best Actor. Her role as the mentally troubled Tiffany in “Silver Linings Playbook” was one worth raving about, but how will it fare against the strong performance from Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty?”
Christoph Waltz
As we learned from “Inglorious Basterds,” Christoph Waltz’s work with director Quentin Tarantino creates positive outcomes for his career. Waltz has already won an Oscar for his performance as the dastardly, witty Jew hunter Col. Hans Landa in “Inglorious Basterds” back in 2009. And now there’s talk that he’s a top contender to take home the Oscar for portraying bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in “Django Unchained,” a performance that recently earned him the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
He has also received numerous accolades from multiple awards societies. The only real challenge that stands in the way of his second Oscar win is Tommy Lee Jones, who has won multiple awards for his portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”
Snubs
“The Master”
Of all the deserving films that have been rejected by the Academy, both “The Master” and its director Paul Thomas Anderson have suffered the biggest snub. Anderson, who makes really dark, thought-provoking films, created his masterpiece, a film that had us thinking about our own religious beliefs while engaging in beautiful cinematography. At least the amazing cast has gained some recognition with Joaquin Phoenix nominated for Best Actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman for Best Supporting Actor and Amy Adams for Best Supporting Actress.
Ben Affleck
The directing category of the Academy Awards tends to carry some controversy whenever a director isn’t nominated when his or her film is up for Best Picture. It’s pretty much an unavoidable situation. But when a movie is nominated for many other categories, not including Best Director, the Academy really catches heat. Ben Affleck was denied a Best Director nomination when his movie “Argo” gained seven other nods, including Best Picture, best supporting actor Alan Arkin and Best Adapted Screenplay. Yet Affleck was nominated for Golden Globe for Best Director and won.
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow is in the same situation as Affleck. Her movie “Zero Dark Thirty” has been nominated for five other nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress Jessica Chastain and Best Original Screenplay. Bigelow became the first female director to win Best Director at the Academy Awards in 2010 with “The Hurt Locker.” Her direction was equally as brilliant behind the camera of “Zero Dark Thirty,” so it’s a real mystery why the Academy chose to ignore her this year, nothing against the other nominees of course.