The 85th Academy Awards are impending and, as is the custom, the nominations have been announced. There are some surprise inclusions, some notable acknowledgements, and the odd bizarre lack of recognition; yes, it’s the Oscars 2013!
Whatever your opinion of Hollywood’s annual pat-on-the-back the ceremony does hold incredible weight; when the selected films come for DVD release and have a “Oscar Nominated” stamp on their cover the chance of a sale will certainly jump up. And, indeed, the press coverage surrounding nominated films will also lead to stunning exposure. However, please note a number of nominations haven’t even been released in UK cinemas yet! That’s Hollywood for you – always way ahead of the game.
The Nominations
After a luncheon on Friday 8th February (sounds delightful) final voting will begin, with polls closing on Tuesday 12th at 5pm. You can then tune in online, via the radio, or by television, on Sunday the 24th February for the 85th Annual Academy Awards Presentation! Seth McFarlane (the Family Guy creator and voiceover performer) will be presenting the whole show.
Here, for your entertainment, is a selection of the major nominations for the 85th Academy Award. In all the categories, it should be noted, Lincoln (which which is pictured above) has a total of 12 Oscar nods, with Ang Lee’s Life of Pi next up with 11.
Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts Of The Southern Wild (picture above)
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Life Of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Reaction: Some fans will be annoyed/confused/infuriated with the lack of a nomination for The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, The Hobbit, The Master, and Skyfall. However, it seems highly likely the winner of this Oscar will be Lincoln. Cue Steven Spielberg and his trademark beard.
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis – Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Naomi Watts (pictured) – The Impossible
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (pictured) – The Master
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman (pictured) – Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight
Reaction: The general feeling here is Daniel Day-Lewis will utterly destroy all those who stand in his way.
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin – Argo
Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Christoph Waltz (pictured) – Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Best Foreign Language Film
Amour
No
War Witch (pictured)
A Royal Affair
Kon-Tiki
Reaction: The expectation is for Amour to easily win considering it’s already up for a Best Picture shot.
Animated Feature Film
Frankenweenie
The Pirates! Band Of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
ParaNorman (pictured)
Brave
Best Original Song
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life Of Pi
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables
“Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from Ted
“Skyfall” from Skyfall
Reaction: One of Skyfall’s few nominations, Adele is expected to win with her moody effort.
Best Documentary (Feature)
5 Broken Cameras (Kino Lorber), Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
The Gatekeepers (Sony Pictures Classics), Nominees to be determined
How To Survive A Plague (Sundance Selects), Nominees to be determined
The Invisible War (Docurama Films), Nominees to be determined
Searching For Sugar Man (Sony Pictures Classics), Nominees to be determined
Reaction: There is great surprise the superb The Imposter and Jiro Dreams of Sushi aren’t included in the list of nominations, but Searching For Sugar Man has received widespread critical acclaim since its release. We’ll bet on it for the Oscar!
