The 85th Academy Award nominations were announced just a little while ago, and suffice it to say there's going to be a lot of discussion amongst film fans about it. As expected, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln was the big winner today, earning twelve nominations including Best Director, Best Picture, while also earning a surprising honor in the Best Supporting Actress category for Sally Field.
It was a big night for Benh Zeitlin and his acclaimed fantasy Beasts of the Southern Wild, which took four nominations, including one for its young star, Quvenzhané Wallis, who became the youngest actress ever to be nominated for Best Actress. Michael Haneke's brutally tough Amour was also well-represented, earning five nominations, including being up for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film. Ang Lee's Life of Pi did gangbusters with eleven total nominations. Argo and Les Miserables each pulled seven, while Marvel's The Avengers managed only one in the Best Visual Effects category. That's still one more than Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises received.
The uproar will surround those who did not hear their names called today as often as expected. Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty did manage three nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Jessica Chastain, and Best Original Screenplay, but Bigelow was shut out of the Best Director category. Quentin Tarantino was left off the list, as well, and so was Tom Hooper for Les Miserables. Ang Lee got in for Life of Pi, and David O. Russell is back again for Silver Linings Playbook, just a couple of years removed from The Fighter. It was a strong year for directors, and you could reasonably add a few more names to the list of contenders. As much as I think Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, or even Paul Thomas Anderson should have been nominated, the absence of Bigelow isn't just surprising, it's shocking. And where was Ben Affleck for Argo? The film was an unabashed Hollywood darling which has been lavished with praise from every corner, and also had a pretty sizable box office to boot. I'm going to make a prediction that because of this year, you'll see the Academy expand the pool of nominees in much the same way they've done with Best Picture.
Things went a little bit more according to plan over on the acting side, although there were still a couple of minor blips on the radar. The Best Actor field was led by Denzel Washington for Flight, with Joaquin Phoenix getting in for The Master, this despite ripping the Academy a new hole a few months ago. Of course, Daniel Day-Lewis is in there for Lincoln, but the dark horse may be Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook. Naomi Watts got in the Best Actress field for The Impossible, where she squares off against Wallis, Jessica Chastain, Emmanuelle Riva, and Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook. Sorry, fans of The Hunger Games, but it was totally shut out.
The Django Unchained entry in the Best Supporting Actor group was Christoph Waltz, rather than Leonardo DiCaprio. Alan Arkin got in for Argo, despite not really doing all that much. He'll be joined by Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Tommy Lee Jones. Helen Hunt's performance in The Sessions earned her an entry in the Best Supporting Actress field, where she and Jacki Weaver, Sally Field, and Amy Adams will probably lose to Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables.
With Cooper, Zeitlin, and Wallis all vying for major victories, this feels like a "passing the torch" year for the Academy. Don't be surprised to see one or all of them come away with some gold.
See the complete list of nominees below. The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday February 24th.
Best Picture
"Amour"
"Argo"
"Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Miserables"
"Life Of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
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"
Best Actor In A Leading Role
Denzel Washington - "Flight"
Hugh Jackman - "Les Miserables"
Daniel Day-Lewis - "Lincoln"
Joaquin Phoenix - "The Master"
Bradley Cooper - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Actress In A Leading Role
Emmanuelle Riva - "Amour"
Quvenzhane Wallis - "Beasts Of The Southern Wild"
Naomi Watts - "The Impossible"
Jennifer Lawrence - "Silver Linings PLaybook"
Jessica Chastain - "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Actor In A Supporting Role
Alan Arkin - "Argo"
Christoph Waltz - "Django Unchained"
Tommy Lee Jones - "Lincoln"
Philip Seymour Hoffman - "The Master"
Robert De Niro - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Actress In A Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway - "Les Miserables"
Sally Field - "Lincoln"
Amy Adams "The Master"
Helen Hunt - "The Sessions"
Jacki Weaver - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Original Screenplay
Michael Haneke - "Amour"
Quentin Tarantino - "Django Unchained"
John Gatins - "Flight"
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola - "Moonrise Kingdom"
Mark Boal - "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio - "Argo
Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin - "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
David Magee - "Life Of Pi"
Tony Kushner - "Lincoln"
David O. Russell - "Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Foreign Language Film
"Amour"
"Kon-Tiki"
"No"
"A Royal Affair"
"War Witch"
Best Animated Feature Film
"Brave"
"Frankenweenie"
"ParaNorman"
"The Pirates! Band Of Misfits"
"Wreck-It Ralph"
Best Original Song
"Before My Time" - "Chasing Ice"
"Pi's Lullaby" - "Life Of Pi"
"Suddenly" - "Les Miserables"
"Skyfall" - "Skyfall"
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend" - "Ted"
Best Cinematography
Seamus McGarvey - "Anna Karenina"
Robert Richardson - "Django Unchained"
Claudio Miranda - "Life Of Pi"
Janusz Kaminski - "Lincoln"
Roger Deakins - "Skyfall"
Best Film Editing
William Goldenberg - "Argo"
Tim Squyres - "Life Of Pi"
Michael Kahn - Lincoln
Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers - "Silver Linings Playbook"
William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor - Zero Dark Thirty
Best Costume Design
Jacqueline Durran - "Anna Karenina"
Paco Delgado - "Les Miserables"
Joanna Johnston - "Lincoln"
Eiko Ishioka - "Mirror Mirror"
Colleen Atwood - "Snow White and the Huntsman"
Best Documentary Feature
"5 Broken Cameras"
"The Gatekeepers"
"How To Survive A Plague"
"The Invisible War"
"Searching For Sugar Man"
Best Visual Effects
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Life Of Pi"
"Marvel's The Avengers"
"Prometheus"
"Snow White And The Huntsman"
Best Production Design
Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer - "Anna Karenina"
Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, Simon Bright - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Eve Stewart - "Les Miserables"
David Gropman, Anna Pinnock - "Life Of Pi"
Rick Carter, Jim Erickson, Peter T Frank - "Lincoln"
Best Original Score
Dario Marianelli - "Anna Karenina"
Alexandre Desplat - "Argo"
Mychael Danna - "Life Of Pi"
John Williams - "Lincoln"
Thomas Newman - "Skyfall"
Best Make Up
"Hitchcock"
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Les Miserables"
Best Sound Editing
"Argo"
"Django Unchained"
"Life Of Pi"
"Skyfall"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Sound Mixing
"Argo"
"Les Miserables"
"Life Of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Skyfall
Best Documentary Short Film
"Inocente"
"Kings Point"
"Mondays At Racine"
"Open Heart"
"Redemption"
Best Animated Short
"Adam And Dog"
"Fresh Guacamole"
"Head Over Heels"
"Maggie Simpson In The Longest Daycare"
"Paperman"
Best Live-Action Short Film
"Asad"
"Buzkashi Boys"
"Curfew"
"Death Of A Shadow"
"Henry"
