It’s awards season, and with that comes the nominations for the 85th Academy Awards. This year had many predictable entries such as “Life Of Pi” and Steven Spielberg’s biopic “Lincoln.” However, there were quite a number of pleasant, and unpleasant, surprises which many could not have seen coming.
First on the list of pleasant surprises is the four nominations given to “Beasts Of The Southern Wild,” a small independent film that got critical acclaim, but not much Oscar buzz. It managed to snag up much deserved nominations for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, a directing nod for first-time nominee Benh Zietlin and a Best Actress nod for nine-year-old Quvenzhan’ÛΩ Wallis. Wallis is now the youngest nominee for Best Actress in the history of the Oscars, a feat few thought would ever be surpassed.
Another fantastic surprise is the love for Michael Haneke’s devastating French film “Amour,” which managed to snag five nominations, including Best Director and a much deserved Best Actress nod to Emmanuelle Riva, who is heartbreaking as a woman suffering a stroke in the midst of a marriage that is falling apart. It’s shocking that Haneke and Zietlin beat out sure-fire nominees Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck for Best Director, but it’s a kind of pleasant shock. It’s nice to see two seemingly forgotten films getting so much recognition.
Along with these two films, seeing David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” getting multiple nominations this year is exciting to say the least. While Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper were obvious contenders for Best Actor and Actress, it was interesting to see O. Russell snag a Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, as well as Jackie Weaver for Best Supporting Actress for . All were well deserved nonetheless. Tarantino managed to snag a Best Original Screenplay nomination, while “Django Unchained” got a Best Picture nomination despite controversy. The bigger surprise is Christoph Waltz getting a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his outstanding work in “Django Unchained,” beating out predicted cast member Leonardo DiCaprio.
On the list of unwanted surprises comes the shocking omission of Paul Thomas Anderson’s provocative film “The Master.” While it managed to snag three deserved acting nominations (for Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams), it received no other nominations. Anderson was never in consideration for Best Director, but Best Original Screenplay for sure, and a Best Picture nomination could have been possible, seeing as there are only nine nominations this year instead of 10. Two other unpleasant surprises are the inclusion of “Flight” for Best Original Screenplay and Denzel Washington for Best Actor. It was an OK film that knocked out better nominees like Anderson for screenplay or John Hawkes for his knockout performance in “The Sessions.” And while Ang Lee was assured a nomination for Best Director and Best Picture for “Life Of Pi,” the inclusion of it in Best Adapted Screenplay over films like “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” is almost appalling.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, welcomed or not, is Oscar host Seth MacFarlane getting a nomination for Best Original Song for his film “Ted.” It’s news no one could have seen coming, and appears to have come out of the blue. But that’s what the Oscars are all about: surprises, good and bad.
