Oscar nominations

[JasonEvans]

Minutes away... I am going to post instant reactions here.

Seth McFarlane hosting the nominations. Funniest man in Hollywood today. Awesome!
Emma Stone co-hosting... cool. She's pretty.

Supporting actor - Waltz, Hoffman, De Niro, Arkin (Argo), Lee-Jones: Brutal field. Amazing performances. Lee-Jones is my pick, but Waltz or Hoffman could easily win it.

Supporting Actress - Field, Hathaway, Hunt, Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings), Adams. Another brutal field. I think Hathaway or Hunt win, but Adams was great in her limited role in the Master.

Foreign Language - Amour will win. Mortal lock. Many thought it had a shot at Best Picture.

Adapted Screenplay - Beasts of So Wild, Lincoln, Silver Linings, Argo, Life of Pi. I think Lincoln should win. This is probably a tougher field than original screenplay this year.

Orig. Screenplay - Flight, Zero Dark, Django, Amour, Moonrise Kingdom. Ummm, ignore what I said five seconds ago about the field. I would love to see Quentin win here as he is the best dialogue writer in the biz. But he won't. The Academy won't pick a script with 200 N-words in it.

Best Director - David Russell (Silver Linings), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Spielberg (Lincoln), Michael Haneke (Amour), Benh Zeitlin (Beast of Southern Wild). WOW! No Quentin is not a huge surprise but no Bigelow! No Tom Hooper! I sorta knew Affleck would get a snub as the Academy does not like actors turned director, especially younger actors. This is the category everyone will be talking about right after nominations are done.

Best Actor - Day Lewis, Denzel, Jackman, Cooper, Phoenix. The more I think about it, the more I think Day Lewis is a shoe-in.

Best Actress - Naomi Watts (Impossible), Chastain, Lawrence, Emmanuel Riva (Amour), Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts). I am so glad Wallis got nominated! This category is Jennifer vs. Jessica. The rest of the field is just happy to be nominated. My money is on Lawrence.

Best Picture - Beasts, Silver Linings, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Les Mis, Life of Pi, Amour, Django, and Argo. In my mind, Lincoln is the clear favorite.

-Jason "ok, let me think for a bit and then I will say more" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Lincoln got 12 nominations, the most of any film.

Life of Pi's 11 nominations was second most. It is going to be a major force in all the technical awards.

Biggest snubs are Affleck and Tarantino not getting a director nod. No Tom Hooper for Les Mis either. Wow, Best Director is a real head-scratcher.

Django didn't get as much love as many had expected as Jamie Fox did not get a best actor nod either.

I think a lot of folks thought Skyfall or Avengers or maybe even Hunger Games might get a best picture nod as a tip of the cap to the year's huge boxoffice success stories, but no dice. In fairness, that Best Picture category is really full of quality pics.

Beasts of the Southern Wild and Amour both generated tons of awards buzz but I think most felt they would come up a bit short when it came to nominations. Nope. Many of the snubs may have come from those two smaller films being included at the expense of bigger name flicks.

-Jason "ok, time for the rest of you to weigh in" Evans

[Duvall]

Minutes away... I am going to post instant reactions here.

Seth McFarlane hosting the nominations. Funniest man in Hollywood today.

Did every other comedian in Hollywood die yesterday?

[weezie]

hahahaha^

Was kind of surprised Ben Affleck didn't get more of a nod.

[JasonEvans]

Just noticed that Rian Johnson didn't get a screenplay nomination for Looper. Someone call the police... a crime has been committed!

-Jason

[CameronBornAndBred]

Seth McFarlane hosting the nominations. Funniest man in Hollywood today. Awesome!

Has a host ever been a nominee before?

[JasonEvans]

So, which Best Director snub was the worst: Affleck for Argo, Bigleow for Zero, Tarantino for Django, or Hooper for Les Mis?

-Jason "this is really tough... I think it is Affleck though" Evans

[Mike Corey]

I'll pitch in that the lack of Paul Thomas Anderson for best director is the most disturbing to me, followed closely by the lack of The Master on the best picture list--all the more surprising since its three primary actors--Phoenix, Hoffman, Adams--were among the nominees for their respective acting awards.

[Jim3k]

So, which Best Director snub was the worst: Affleck for Argo, Bigleow for Zero, Tarantino for Django, or Hooper for Les Mis?

-Jason "this is really tough... I think it is Affleck though" Evans

Agree that this is tough. I have to go with Hooper, though. Both Affleck and Bigelow had near-documentary tracks to follow, so their story lines were easier and didn't require super-imaginative presentations, though Bigelow pretty much got there. Tarantino hammed his story up a bit, but the film plays like a standard western for director skills.

By default that kind of leaves Hooper the most snubbed--but converting the stage musical to the film extravaganza seems to me to be the hardest job required by those four and he succeeded the best. He can't just film the play; he must expand it. He can't just have his actors sing it straight, they have to film-act it. He can't cast it straight from the theater; he must find actors who fill the screen. He daren't mess with the music too much or he will offend the purists; a balance is required.

It wasn't easy, but Hooper accomplished all those goals. Plus, he drew a performance for the ages from Hathaway. So I vote Hooper as having received the biggest snub.

[Jim3k]

Another major snub: Samuel L. Jackson for his supporting role in Django. Waltz may have taken the film's slot, but Jackson was still deserving.

[A-Tex Devil]

Agree that this is tough. I have to go with Hooper, though. Both Affleck and Bigelow had near-documentary tracks to follow, so their story lines were easier and didn't require super-imaginative presentations, though Bigelow pretty much got there. Tarantino hammed his story up a bit, but the film plays like a standard western for director skills.

By default that kind of leaves Hooper the most snubbed--but converting the stage musical to the film extravaganza seems to me to be the hardest job required by those four and he succeeded the best. He can't just film the play; he must expand it. He can't just have his actors sing it straight, they have to film-act it. He can't cast it straight from the theater; he must find actors who fill the screen. He daren't mess with the music too much or he will offend the purists; a balance is required.

It wasn't easy, but Hooper accomplished all those goals. Plus, he drew a performance for the ages from Hathaway. So I vote Hooper as having received the biggest snub.

My thoughts on director:

- Agree to an extent with Bigelow and Affleck. But just because they are "faux" documentary doesn't make the directing any less difficult

- I think Hooper's style (weird angles, close ups) was off-putting to a lot of folks based on reviews I've read. Even those who enjoyed the movie otherwise. I disagree, but it is what it is.

- Frankly, as good as SLP may be, that doesn't seem like a "directors" movie. That's and actors and screenplay movie.

- I saw and like Beasts of the Southern Wild, but I think the director and best picture nominations there was overcorrecting on the Academy's part trying not to seem too ensconced in the mainstream. I am fine with Wallis getting the Best Actress nomination, though, and thought that + a screenplay would have adequately honored a nice first film.

So in that category, I'd have removed Russell and Zeitlin and added in 2 of the 3 of Hooper, Affleck and Bigelow.

I think there is a Paul Thomas Anderson backlash. I haven't seen the Master yet, but I've heard it's really hard to watch, as good as it is.

[JasonEvans]

Another major snub: Samuel L. Jackson for his supporting role in Django. Waltz may have taken the film's slot, but Jackson was still deserving.

Many critics, myself included, think that one of the real failings of the Academy is figuring out what is a lead and what is a supporting role. To me, Waltz was the lead actor, the main character, in Django for the entire film except for the last 15 minutes. He was hardly a supporting player. This was a movie with co-leads. The supporting actors in the movie were DiCaprio and Jackson -- both of whom should have been strong nominees for the prize.

Similarly, I sorta think Jennifer Lawrence was a supporting character in Silver Linings Playbook. It was a close call, but the movie is more about Bradley Cooper's character than it is about her. There isn't any part of the movie that focuses on her life and condition unless it directly relates to him.

-Jason "FWIW, I thought John Goodman was more deserving than Alan Arkin from Argo... not that it matters, Argo is going to largely get shut out" Evans

[Tom B.]

Has a host ever been a nominee before?

Yes, this year. Seth MacFarlane wrote the lyrics to the song "Everyone Needs a Best Friend" from Ted, which is nominated for Best Song.

And it's happened before, too:

In 2011, James Franco co-hosted and was nominated for Best Actor for 127 Hours.

In 1987, Paul Hogan co-hosted and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Crocodile Dundee.

In 1976, Walter Matthau co-hosted and was nominated for Best Actor for The Sunshine Boys.

In 1973, Michael Caine co-hosted and was nominated for Best Actor for Sleuth.

Source.

(This also says that Frank Capra is the only host to win an Oscar, when he won Best Director for You Can't Take It With You in 1939. But that Academy Awards ceremony actually had no official host.)

[brevity]

Has a host ever been a nominee before?

Yes. James Franco was up for Best Actor (127 Hours) the year he co-hosted. His unusual behavior could be attributed as nerves, or a response to nerves, and he was in no condition to perform. People seem to forget that when they trash that ceremony. It wasn't so much a bad performance as it was a bad choice; knowing he was a likely nominee, the producers should never have asked him, and he shouldn't have agreed to do it.

It will be interesting to see if Seth MacFarlane is affected by his nomination. The producers can minimize the effects by placing the category during an early lull, well after the opening monologue but before the buildup gets to be too much.

[Jim3k]

Many critics, myself included, think that one of the real failings of the Academy is figuring out what is a lead and what is a supporting role. To me, Waltz was the lead actor, the main character, in Django for the entire film except for the last 15 minutes. He was hardly a supporting player. This was a movie with co-leads. The supporting actors in the movie were DiCaprio and Jackson -- both of whom should have been strong nominees for the prize.

I think you have pegged this correctly. And in that sense DiCaprio took a snub. With him, though, he is ordinarily so excellent I, at least, tend to take him for granted. That is wrong.

***

-Jason "FWIW, I thought John Goodman was more deserving than Alan Arkin from Argo... not that it matters, Argo is going to largely get shut out" Evans

Goodman...Ha Ha...Goodman. I dunno if he is 'more' deserving than Arkin, but he was equally deserving in "Flight," at least in the sense that he provided a great comedic contrast to Washington's darker character. In both films his manic humor was fun to watch.

And I think we have ignored Flight unnecessarily. It's a very good film and generally worthy of consideration. It has Cheadle and Kelly Reilly. Both outstanding. Plus, it has a surprise at the end--at least for me--Melissa Leo, though not in a demanding role.

The problem with this film is that it is the periodic variant of Days of Wine and Roses. The Temperance people love the message but Oscar has seen it before. Even so, Washington plays the functioning alcoholic role perfectly and deserves the nomination.

As with Argo, Flight will probably get shut out even though it has two nominations

[CameronBornAndBred]

Yes, this year. Seth MacFarlane wrote the lyrics to the song "Everyone Needs a Best Friend" from Ted, which is nominated for Best Song.

And it's happened before, too:

In 2011, James Franco co-hosted and was nominated for Best Actor for 127 Hours.

In 1987, Paul Hogan co-hosted and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Crocodile Dundee.

In 1976, Walter Matthau co-hosted and was nominated for Best Actor for The Sunshine Boys.

In 1973, Michael Caine co-hosted and was nominated for Best Actor for Sleuth.

Source.

(This also says that Frank Capra is the only host to win an Oscar, when he won Best Director for You Can't Take It With You in 1939. But that Academy Awards ceremony actually had no official host.)

Well I knew about MacFarlane..that's why I asked..lol. Thanks much for the past findings though, way more than I expected.

[bedeviled]

It’s difficult for me to say someone got “snubbed” by the Academy. If the fame and fortune isn’t enough without an award, perhaps the individual can get an award from another of the myriad of back-patters:
Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, Producers Guild of America Awards, Writers Guild of America Awards, Art Directors Guild Awards, Costume Designers Guild Awards, American Film Institute Awards, Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, National Society of Film Critics Awards, African-American Film Critics Association Awards, Black Film Critics Circle Awards, Online Film Critics Association Awards, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Every other major US city and geographical area critics association awards, London Film Critics, blah, blah, blah ad infinitum, British Academy Film Awards, International Press Academy Satellite Awards, National Board of Review Awards, People’s Choice Awards

Alas, I do think there is an omission:
Denis Lavant deserved a Best Actor nom for Holy Motors

Perhaps not deserving, but it would have pleased me to have seen:
Michelle Williams nom for Best Actress (Take This Waltz)
Ezra Miller nom for Supporting Actor (Perks of Being a Wallflower)
Gina Gershon nom for Supporting Actress (Killer Joe)
I also think it is a shame that Wreck-It Ralph, Moonrise Kingdom, and Looper don’t get more respect for being creative concepts and executions (Note: I anticipate Ralph losing to Brave).

My most fervent disagreement, though, is that Zero Dark Thirty was nominated in any major category. I really can’t understand the recognition it’s getting. There are quality films here and abroad that are more deserving.

I’m okay with DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson being bypassed. I enjoyed their characters, but I don’t think they were the actors’ best work. It was always in my mind that DiCaprio’s character was DiCaprio (partly because he looked young for the character I thought he was supposed to be). Regarding Jackson, I really liked his character at first, but then got the sense that he got carried away with himself. It seems like he improvised, trying to make the part/character bigger than it was (too flagrant for a Tarantino “spaghetti” western!?!).

I’m also okay with Beasts of the Southern Wild getting a Best Director nom. I didn’t agree with it at first, but it makes sense to me now. I credit the director with getting a good performance from Quvenzhané Wallis more than I credit her (kids are good at imagining, but that doesn’t mean you want to work with them). Also, I’m impressed with his achieving very hard reality and surreal qualities simultaneously (I’m referring to the bulk of the narrative, not the dream beast sequences).

[snowdenscold]

I sometimes get a little lost as to the distinctions between Best Director and Best Picture, and why there is sometimes little overlap. What specifically about direction can be great, if the overall film isn't considered great? How, in watching a finished product, do you separate out the script, editing, acting, music choices, etc. and concentrate on the direction ? Similarly, how do you have great films without great directing? I don't have any background in film or theater, so maybe I'm overlooking the obvious.

And on a related note: although they have their own category, doesn't it sometimes seem silly that a director might go home with nothing if their film wins Best Picture? If they're not also one of the 3 key producers (and don't win Best Director), no recognition at all? Seems a little odd.

[brevity]

Looking closer at the list of nominees, this year does not offer much in the way of interesting obscurities. In past years you could find some real gems: recognizable actors getting nominated for making documentaries and short films. Fisher Stevens and Christine Lahti have actually won. Griffin Dunne and William Zabka (yes, that guy) have been nominated.

This year the Academy nominated the director of The Simpsons Movie and the director of House Party, but it's not exactly the same. If you're looking to root for someone besides Adele or Seth MacFarlane, there's always Greg P. Russell. He's now a 16-time nominee for Sound Mixing, with zero wins.

Or, you know, take a nap until something interesting happens.

[BD80]

Just noticed that Rian Johnson didn't get a screenplay nomination for Looper. Someone call the police... a crime has been committed!

-Jason

But when? In which timeline?

Another major snub: Samuel L. Jackson for his supporting role in Django. Waltz may have taken the film's slot, but Jackson was still deserving.

Totally disagree. Sam's performance is also indicative of why Taratino did not get a nod for best direction. Jackson and DiCaprio were like boy band singers trying to make the most of their solos in a performance. Tarantino couldn't walk the line between homage to spagetti westerns and a serious exposition of emotions, and allowed uneven performances in such key scenes.