Oscar 2013 Nominees

[Bells]

BEST PICTURE

Life of Pi
Amour
Lincoln
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Django Unchained
Les Misérables

ACTOR
in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper
Silver Linings Playbook

Joaquin Phoenix
The Master

Daniel Day-Lewis
Lincoln

Denzel Washington
Flight

Hugh Jackman
Les Misérables


ACTRESS
in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain
Zero Dark Thirty

Quvenzhané Wallis
Beasts of the Southern Wild

Jennifer Lawrence
Silver Linings Playbook

Naomi Watts
The Impossible

Emmanuelle Riva
Amour


ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

VISUAL EFFECTS

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman


You can see all the others here
http://oscar.go.com/nominees

So you may have noticed a few things...

Zero Dark Thirty and Django are head-to-head for a bajillion awards, The Hobbit only has 1 Nomination. The Avengers Too. Snow White and the Huntsman appears multiple times on the list... and Skyfall is up for most of the Technical awards.

So... here we go!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Terrible year for film, who cares.

[Bells]

Smarty is sad cause The Dark Knight Rises was not recognized at all...

Although to be fair, Joseph Gordon Levitt getting a Supporting Actor nomination nod would be well met...

[Professor Smarmiarty]

He isn't allowed an oscar till he publicly apologises for Brick, Bill Cosby styles.

[Magus]

I like how the unspoken tenth film is the Master but they weren't allowed to put it on there, thus it only 9 nominees for best film this year...

[Lumenskir]

Kind of baffled (in a good way) at the high profile nominations Beasts got, and also baffled (in a bafflement way) that its score wasn't recognized even though it was undeniably the best part of the movie/the movies.
Zero Dark Thirty and Django are head-to-head for a bajillion awards
...?

Sound Editing, Original Screenplay, and Best Picture == a bajillion??
I like how the unspoken tenth film is the Master but they weren't allowed to put it on there, thus it only 9 nominees for best film this year...
Hmm, well if the shadowy cabal really did have their chokehold on the voting in place, I wish they could have given Moonrise Kingdom a nod to make a round ten, in addition to snubbing The Master out of spite or whatever.

[PCD]

A noted lack of Moonrise Kingdom. Sure, I wouldn't have expected it to win for much, but I think it at least deserved a couple more nominations than Original Screenplay alone.

[Magus]

Yeah Moonrise Kingdom could have also been in there.

[Bells]

on the other hand i almost feel that Having a single Oscar category to be fought between The Hobbit and the Avengers is almost a cruel joke...

[Lumenskir]

Yeah Moonrise Kingdom could have also been in there.
I'm just mildly pissed because if The Master and Moonrise Kingdom had been included, with Life of Pi getting the boot, I would have actually seen all of the Best Picture nominees before the awards.
on the other hand i almost feel that Having a single Oscar category to be fought between The Hobbit and the Avengers is almost a cruel joke...
Ehhhh

[BloodyMage]

I can see Zero Dark Thirty picking up most of the awards, with Silver Linings Playbook picking up any extra, and maybe Django and The Master picking up one here and there. Tarantino is going the direction of Kubrick and Hitchcock of being quite overlooked at the Oscars (Inglourious Basterds was nominated for eight but only won best supporting actor, which was the same year Kathryn Bigelow won a bunch of awards with Hurt Locker.)

It's not that I think Silver Linings Playbooks is good but it has that kind of feel good, emotional, meaningful story without necessarily having any real depth that seems to do fairly well at the Oscars.

Mostly, I just feel indifferent to the Oscars this year.

[Aerozord]

It's not that I think Silver Linings Playbooks is good but it has that kind of feel good, emotional, meaningful story without necessarily having any real depth that seems to do fairly well at the Oscars.

which is why I refuse to accept the Oscars as a legitimate recognition of a films artistic merit. They have their place because they still push for diversity, but they are hardly an unbiased judgement of the industry. Hell they are bias to the point one can make a film tailor made with the intent to win awards.

[Lumenskir]

I can see Zero Dark Thirty picking up most of the awards, with Silver Linings Playbook picking up any extra, and maybe Django and The Master picking up one here and there.
...Based on what they were actually nominated for, I don't really think this holds up. I mean, like, it'll be hard for ZDT to get 'most' of the awards when it's only nominated in tech stuff (which, who cares), Screenplay (which it probably won't win due to controversy or whatever), Actress (which is possible but not anything close to a lock), and Best Picture (see: Screenplay).
but they are hardly an unbiased judgement of the industry
Hmm, well, the nomination process is basically a bunch of members of the industry saying what they feel should be awarded, and then the voting is done by a bunch more members of the industry saying which of those things nominated they liked the best, so I'd say it's pretty systemically set up to be as openly un-unbiased towards the industry as possible.

Maybe you'd be happier with one of the many awards given out by critic's groups? Or, I dunno, get over the insistence that any award could possibly equate to objective evaluation* and just approach the Oscars as what they are, a fun diversion.

*"Something something, my opinion is objectively right, something something." /Smartypost

[Bells]

everybody is sour because the MTV Movie awards is the only Movie Award show to properly convey the fact that Jim Carrey did a lot of really awesome movies.

[Krylo]

approach the Oscars as what they are, a fun diversion.

But to be a fun diversion, they'd have to be fun!

[Lumenskir]

But to be a fun diversion, they'd have to be fun!
"When one has tired of trying to divine how a bunch of old conservative white guys will vote on movies released in a given year in the face of arcane and mostly unseen campaigning and conflicting narratives driven by major corporate conglomerates, one has tired of life."

[Aerozord]

Hmm, well, the nomination process is basically a bunch of members of the industry saying what they feel should be awarded, and then the voting is done by a bunch more members of the industry saying which of those things nominated they liked the best, so I'd say it's pretty systemically set up to be as openly un-unbiased towards the industry as possible.

"in the industry" can mean alot. These aren't directors and screenwriters voting on it, they are primarily investors and businessmen or writers and directors that haven't actively made a film in decades. Almost entirely white males with a median age of like 60.

The oscars aren't decided based on innovation and well crafted narrative they are decided on what appeals to a conservative audience thats about 20 years out of touch with the medium.

[PCD]

This is almost pointless to bring up, since the Animated category is by far the one that the academy gives the least shits about, but I know plenty of people who are pretty cheesed off about Rise of the Guardians not getting nominated while Frankenweenie and Pirates! did. Not that I'd expect any of those three to win, but I can't help but notice that Rise is essentially the first major animated film with an African American director. Just saying.

[Azisien]

"in the industry" can mean alot. These aren't directors and screenwriters voting on it, they are primarily investors and businessmen or writers and directors that haven't actively made a film in decades. Almost entirely white males with a median age of like 60.

The oscars aren't decided based on innovation and well crafted narrative they are decided on what appeals to a conservative audience thats about 20 years out of touch with the medium.

Indeed, 94% white, 77% male, and a mean age of 62. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/9092558/Oscars-voters-finally-unmasked-94pc-white-and-77pc-male.html)

Doubt the demographic changed drastically in one year either.

[Solid Snake]

I'm guessing Lincoln wins best picture. I actually want Lincoln to win best picture because I enjoy a thriller where the action is in tense political machinations instead of stereotypical violence. But the reason I want Lincoln to win probably doesn't mesh well with why it will actually win: Because the predominantly white, male, elderly Oscar voting demographic will find identifying with a white, male, Messianic savior of the black race attractive.

...And because Lincoln wasn't made by Tarantino, it's not a violent film with a black protagonist (the fact that Tarantino's still racist enough to make Django subservient to a white liberator who calls the shots is something true progressives might note and criticize, but Oscar voters probably won't even catch the nuance that'd likely lead them to support the film.)
And it's not a film that glorifies torture, and it's not a comedy, and it's not brazen Oscar bait that's been canned by some reviewers like Les Mis was.

...Mind you, some of those reasons are very good reasons to dislike those other films. If anything my impression of the Oscar electorate is that they're immensely privileged and grotesquely rich but also at least toying with the fanciful notion that they're 'progressive', which in practice leads to some good results (canning Zero Dark Thirty) but also some bad ones (generally preferring narratives that cast whites as heroes, a smug derision of comedies and animated features, etc.)

This year the net result's going to happily coincide with the movie I liked most this year, but they'll make that decision for all kinds of wrong reasons.

I'll give an outside shot to Argo for Best Picture because, ironically, Affleck 'getting screwed' out of the Best Director nod is now giving him all kinds of positive publicity in Hollywood. Beyond that, maybe Life of Pi? I haven't watched it but based on the trailers it seems just unconventional, artistic, and inoffensive enough.

Denzel Washington's my favorite for Best Actor, but only because DDL has won Oscars recently and Washington single-handedly carried Flight. If DDL had never won an Oscar before and if he wasn't buttressed by a phenomenal supporting cast, I'd consider him a heavy favorite.

I don't expect Chastain or Lawrence to win Best Actress. The Academy often prides itself in being more unconventional when there isn't a heavy favorite and I don't see Zero Dark Thirty getting sufficient positive press.

ParaNorman *should* win best Animated, but it probably won't. I don't think Brave wins this year either, though. That's a case of Pixar's lofty reputation working against it. If Dreamworks or Disney makes Brave without the Pixar label attached, it would have a better shot.

Tommy Lee Jones should win Best Supporting Actor for a phenomenal job playing an ace abolitionist but I'm not sure if his reputation in Hollywood will support his chances.
Anne Hathaway runs away with Best Supporting Actress. No offense to Anne, who does have a phenomenal singing voice and great stage presence, but I'd prefer to see Sally Field win that one.

Before he was snubbed I actually thought Affleck had a decent shot of winning Best Director outright. Now I'm not so sure.

[Aerozord]

I think Zero Dark Thirty is too contemporary to win, they are too out of touch to care about recent events. Now if the story was about finding Hitler then it would be a guaranteed win

[Lumenskir]

Amour: First Ten Minutes of "Up" x ALL MY FEELS!

Argo: A 'Zero Dark Thirty' your chaplain can enjoy.

Beasts of the Southern Wild: A hot mess of delight and music.

Les Miserables: A hot mess.
--Alternate: Wait, they sing EVERYTHING?? And no Mandy Patinkin?! Pass.

Django Unchained: Fuck Yo Couch, Slavery.

\\Actually Seen These Edition

The Master: More processing and Lil' Jon next time, please.

Moonrise Kingdom: AKA, Wes Anderson: The Collectible Card Game: The Movie.//

Lincoln: Mo like "Four SNORES" amirite.

Silver Linings Playbook: Great center, mushy surroundings. The filmic alcoholic gummy bear.

Zero Dark Thirty:
"I was surrounded by those willing to sacrifice all of mankind if doing so achieved their goals. Evil deeds by evil men that only I could prevent.

Mourn then the passing of the world. For when the time came, I could find no good in myself."

[synkr0nized]

Zero Dark Thirty motivated me to find out about Scala & Kolacny Brothers, which is neat, but I honestly hope it wins nothing.

[Lumenskir]

You guys.

I just got back from the movies. The fact that Les Mis clearly has all of the nominations that should rightfully belong to Anna Karenina...it can only be explained by assuming that a super villain actually managed to go back in time and fuck up the time stream somehow.

[Aerozord]

You guys.

I just got back from the movies. The fact that Les Mis clearly has all of the nominations that should rightfully belong to Anna Karenina...it can only be explained by assuming that a super villain actually managed to go back in time and fuck up the time stream somehow.

or lazy janitors (http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/25p52/)

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I hope they keep up last years trend of rewarding people for stealing shit from long enough ago that nobody remembers and then claiming its a revolution in cinema by giving all the oscars to Les Mis

[BloodyMage]

...Based on what they were actually nominated for, I don't really think this holds up. I mean, like, it'll be hard for ZDT to get 'most' of the awards when it's only nominated in tech stuff (which, who cares), Screenplay (which it probably won't win due to controversy or whatever), Actress (which is possible but not anything close to a lock), and Best Picture (see: Screenplay).

As in, most of the awards that they're nominated for. I don't think the controversy will be as big a deal as people thing. As it's already been discussed since, the judging panel isn't exactly representative of modern morals and current ideals. They probably agree with the sentiment that torture sometimes justified, or else it probably wouldn't even be nominated. And after it wins, they can play it off as winning due to cinematic brilliance rather than it's message.

I think Zero Dark Thirty is too contemporary to win, they are too out of touch to care about recent events. Now if the story was about finding Hitler then it would be a guaranteed win

Tarantino already made that film and it didn't win.

[Lumenskir]

Hmm, while I think it'd be great to see ZDT win*, I really do think the narrative has turned on it too much (if it ever even had a shot in the face of Lincoln + SLP's Harvey Weinstein Onslaught). If Bigelow hadn't been snubbed I think there might have been an outside chance, but I think that particular lack of a nomination is going to be the final word.

*Although, a Beasts of the Southern Wild win would be probably the greatest upset ever, in addition to the greatest thing ever.

I'm hopeful that SLP getting a nomination in all of the major awards (including that what tf nod in Supporting Actress), plus Weinstein, plus the precursor awards momentum == a win over Lincoln. Lincoln is a fine Mario-movie, but I'd much rather something with an interesting core and janky edges get the award over something that's just solidly above average in everything.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

ZDT is on easy mode though. Moving the audience to the glories of fascism is literally the easiest thing to do with a film. There is a reason the fascists pretty much invented modern propaganda. Eli bloody Roth did a good job with his short film in the Bastards which should tell you how easy that is. Now if someone makes a powerful film arguing that you should be eating your own fecal matter- then that is the sign of a good director.

[Magus]

Of course Les Mis is the most revolutionary film this year! They actually sang the songs! I know this because everyone involved has gone on and on about how they sang the songs! They don't sing the songs in any other musical movie! All the Oscars!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

It is the film with the most revolutions in it.

[Bells]

It is the film with the most revolutions in it.

Mora than Matrix Revolutions?

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Did that even have 1 revolution in it? As far as I remember it was like the machines and the humans fighting off computersatan together.

[Magus]

It was a revolution in how boring a movie could be made and yet still involve mechs.

[Bells]

It was a revolution in how boring a movie could be made and yet still involve mechs.

And a 5 min long Dragonball Z fight.

[Betty Elms]

The nominations essentially confirmed Lincoln for best picture winner. Whoever wins is going to be one of the editing nominees, so BotSW, Django, Les Mis, and Amour are out. Then we can pretty safely cut out Argo and Zero Dark Thirty due to them not being up for Director. So we're left with Lincoln, Life of Pi, and SLP. Lincoln is the very clear frontrunner, I guess with Life of Pi hinging on some people wanting to make up for picking Crash over Brokeback, and SLP maybe getting a good chunk of the very sizable actor's branch. But Lincoln will win and any argument against that is a wrong one.

I guess my only real thoughts on the nominees are that Amour isn't that good but it's nice to see a foreign film get this much recognition, and also it's a shame that they didn't nominate It's Such a Beautiful Day for best animated feature even though it was the best film in general of 2012.

also argo is a movie which derives all of its tension from its editing and its soundtrack. you could point your camera at john goodman milling about in a bathtub, hand the footage to alexandre desplat and editor william goldenberg, then have everybody frothing about how much you deserve a best director nomination. though i guess you'd have to stick in a stupid runway chase and scenes that expect you to somehow give a shit about how much ben affleck misses his kid.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I give a shit because its Ben Affleck and he's so dreamy.