Oscar Nomination: Napoli's Reactions

The Oscar Nominations: Or How I Feel the Academy Got It Right

by Michael Napoli

Well as many of you know by now, the Academy Award nominations came out this morning. There were many questions that were being asked the past few weeks. 

Which film, Lincoln or Les Miserables, will come out as the front runner?

How many films will round out Best Picture?

Will Joaquin Phoenix make it into the Best Actor race? If so, who gets kicked off?

Due to technicalities from every guild, does Beasts of the Southern Wild have what it takes to break into the major categories?

What we discovered this morning was quite surprising then what every pundit had been anticipating.

Best Picture

1. Amour (5 nominations)

2. Argo (7 nominations)

3. Beasts of the Southern Wild (4 nominations)

4. Django Unchained (5 nominations)

5. Les Miserables (8 nominations)

6. Life of Pi (11 nominations)

7. Lincoln (12 nominations)

8.Silver Linings Playbook (8 nominations)

9. Zero Dark Thirty (5 nominations)

Thought(s): This is quite of an impressive lineup of Best Picture nominees. Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild managed to sneak into the race beating some of the more assumed films. But the most talked about films are there and all have multiple nominations to boost. Though I have my complaints about Les Miserables, it's a film that the Academy goes for. If I have any real problem is the inclusion of Django Unchained as a Best Picture Nominee.

Overall thought I could not be happier to see so many diverse films. Kudos Academy.

Snubbed: The Master. Moonrise Kingdom. Skyfall.

Best Director

1. Michael Haneke - Amour

2. Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

3. Ang Lee - Life of Pi

4. Steven Spielberg - Lincoln

5. David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

Thought(s): I don't need to repeat what everyone else is going to say, but yes the biggest snubs were in this category. Ben Affleck (Argo) and Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) were presumed favorites throughout the entire year, with one of them winning the big prize. You know, from my point of view, it maybe the fact that both film are similar in their storytelling. I am not knocking either filmmaker. Both have their own way of creating suspense and drama. The two films managed to be on my top ten among others, but maybe the Academy was looking for something different this year. I honestly have no idea what went wrong. 

I am not surprised of the omission of Tom Hooper. He has been criticized for his take of the famous musical and I know most directors are more particular in their choices and maybe the fact that Hooper's ambitions were too much. 

Snubbed: Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty. Ben Affleck - Argo.

Best Actor

1. Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

2. Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln

3. Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables

4. Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

5. Denzel Washington - Flight

Thought(s): Poor John Hawkes. It was a six man race and we all knew one out of these six great performances were going to get left out. I would've preferred Hawkes over Jackman, but I can't have everything I guess. 

Snubbed: John Hawkes - The Sessions

Best Actress

1. Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

2. Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

3. Emmanuelle Riva - Amour 

4. Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

5. Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Thought(s): As I wrote in my predictions, these were the five ladies that I wanted. I had my reasoning for Marion Cotillard being left out. I asked, therefore I received. 

Snubbed: Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone

Best Supporting Actor

1. Alan Arkin - Argo

2. Robert DeNiro - Silver Linings Playbook

3. Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master

4. Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

5. Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Thought(s): Well, someone is going to be a lucky man on Oscar night. Whoever wins, will walk away with either their second or third Oscar. I am thrilled to see Robert DeNiro as a nominee again. Out of all the Django men to get the nomination, I would've taken Samuel L. Jackson. But they went with Christoph Waltz for playing Hans Landa/Dr. Schultz. I guess his move to supporting really screwed Leonardo DiCaprio of getting nominated, let alone a win. I really wanted to see if Dwight Henry get in instead of Waltz or Arkin.

Snubbed: Leonardo DiCaprio - Django Unchained. Dwight Henry - Beasts of the Southern Wild. Matthew McConaughey - Magic Mike.

Best Supporting Actress

1. Amy Adams - The Master

2. Sally Field - Lincoln

3. Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

4. Helen Hunt - The Sessions

5. Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

Thought(s): They really liked Silver Linings Playbook. I never thought that Jacki Weaver would get in for her minimal role as the mother of Bradley Cooper. But she rode on the coattails of Cooper, DeNiro, and Lawrence and got herself nominated. As for the others, there were no surprises. Just the fifth spot that were speculated for Maggie Smith, Nicole Kidman etc. 

Snubbed: Ann Dowd - Compliance. Maggie Smith - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy.

Best Screenplay(s)

Adapted    

1. Argo

2. Beasts of the Southern Wild

3. Life of Pi

4. Lincoln 

5. Silver Linings Playbook

Original

1. Amour

2. Django Unchained

3. Flight

4. Moonrise Kingdom

5. Zero Dark Thirty

Thought(s): All best picture nominees got a writing nomination with the exception of Les Miserables. It' pretty much expected. Too bad that writing was Moonrise Kingsdom's only nomination. Flight was the big surprise here. I really thought that Looper was going to get in. Paul Thomas Anderson was shut out this year for The Master. As for the adapted, no Perks of Being a Wallflower. One of the best book adaptions in recent years. The Academy tends to have a wider range in the writing categories, so I was expecting some more obscure nominations. 

Snubbed: Original Screenplay: Looper, Arbitrage, The Master, The Intouchables.

                Adapted Screenplay: Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Final Thoughts: 

As I heard the nominations being announced this morning, I had my initial reactions of how people got snubbed and how some got nominated. After looking over all the nominees, a big smile came across my face. Through out the years, I've seen the Academy show love for a particular film, which often makes it the frontrunner. But this year it seems a bit different. 

The Academy really embraced these film. If you add up all the nominations every Best Picture nominee has, you get a total of 65 nominations. Damn. That is sure better than some years when a Best Picture nominee gets two or three nominations.

I will say that Life of Pi has gotten a boost. I think because it speaks to the Academy beyond what the story takes us. My second time seeing it, I had a "spiritual experience", something that maybe too complicated to explain, but the idea that a movie with so much imagination, heart and spirit can receive as many nominations as it did, says something. 

The most significant thing I've noticed was the nominees for Best Director. Yes, there are huge snubs. But look what came ahead of them. The five directors really take the art of film and goes above and beyond. These directors had a unique vision and that's what ended up winning in the end. Creativity is something that people often criticize about modern film. But take a look at the Best Director nominees and the worlds, people, places, and I dare you to challenge me that there isn't. 

Through all the campaigning, it look like the art of film has really won this year. Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild got big boosts today. Both prime examples of the art. People wrote off Joaquin Phoenix, but the PERFORMANCE made it. The acting nominees along proves that our actors are choosing the right roles for themselves. That Oscar will come to them as opposed to them chasing after it. Many of these actors took risks. Which is what movies are all about. Though we may disagree, but this is one of the best acting lineups I've seen. 

Overall, I am very happy about the nominations this year. And of course I have my grips, but them again everyone has something to complain about. All in all, it could be worse. Way worse. I congratulate the Academy for taking risks this year. For embracing the art and not the money. Performance over campaign. Keep it going. See you at the Oscars.