(Originally posted Febuary 11, 2013)
The Oscars aren’t far away and you want to know who is going to win in the important categories. Here are the nominees and winners, and the others that I think missed out. Keep in mind I haven’t had the time to view every film all year, including probably most importantly Life of Pi and Les Miserables. Check out my film reviews for more information on the leading contenders before the big day on February 25.
Best Director.
My Nominees:
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Ben Affleck – Argo
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
This category came down to Spielberg, Bigelow and Tarantino, the latter two bizarrely missing out on Oscar nominations. Spielberg’s controlled use of panning and zoom in Lincoln was impressive, and Bigelow’s you-are-there journalistic approach elevated Zero Dark Thirty into a thriller, and the final sequence was incredible. It was hard however to go past Quentin Tarantino’s showcase of angles and zooms, keeping Django Unchained outlandishly entertaining.
Academy Nominees:
Michael Henke – Armour
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild
The surprise in the nomnations was the best director category. Leaving out names like Tarantino, Bigelow and Affleck was a shock for many, and it was underlined by Affleck going on to scoop the pool at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Directors Guild Awards. This leaves Steven Spielberg in poll position for Lincoln to take out his third Best Director award.
Best Actress
My Nominees:
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Sally Field – Lincoln
The actress categories were a struggle due to the films I haven’t seen. I elevated Field from supporting actress for this category due to the importance and sheer dominance of her performance. However, up against Chastain and Lawrence she didn’t stand a chance. Jessica Chastain gets the nod from me ahead of Lawrence due to her ability to carry Zero Dark Thirty through it’s torture and confronting scenes, and still be our hero.
Academy Nominees:
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Emmanuelle Riva – Armour
Quevenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
As above I am not able to judge on three nominees, however the two front runners, Chastain and Lawrence I have seen. The head to head race has been close, with both taking out Golden Globes. Jennifer Lawrence winning at the Screen Guild awards and Satellite awards puts her in the front position.
Best Supporting Actress
My Nominees:
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
Judi Dench – Skyfall
Anne Hathaway – The Dark Knight Rises
Jennifer Ehle – Zero Dark Thirty
Kerry Washington – Django Unchained
Weaver and Dench’s roles as mother figures were both terrific, with Dench dominating the screen in Skyfall. Hathaway may win the Oscar for Les Miserables (see below), but her manipulative, vulnerable and sexy turn as Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises was a scene stealer. However Judi Dench in Skyfall gets my nod.
Academy Nominees:
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Amy Adams – The Master
Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Sally Field – Lincoln
In the lead up to the Oscars, Anne Hathaway has dominated the awards in this category. Field may provide some competition in her excellent performance as Mary-Todd Lincoln, but it is hard to see anybody taking the award away from Hathaway.
Best Actor
My Nominees:
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Denzel Washington – Flight
Jamie Foxx – Django Unchained
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Looper
Washington and Cooper both have fantastic performances in completely contrasting roles. Washington’s addicted pilot with control issues in Flight is wonderful, while Cooper’s mentally problematic Pat is his best performance to date in Silver Linings Playbook. It is impossible though to look past Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln.
Academy Nominees:
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Early Australian hopes for Jackman were promising, but simply nobody is in the same league as Daniel Day-Lewis this year, and expect him to take the award in a canter for his Lincoln, the definitive recreation of the great president. Day-Lewis will become the first actor to ever win the award three times.
Best Supporting Actor
My Nominees:
Leonardo DiCaprio – Django Unchained
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Tommy Lee-Jones – Lincoln
Javier Bardem – Skyfall
Jason Clarke – Zero Dark Thirty
Anybody who has seen Django Unchained will agree how unfathomable it is that Leoardo DiCaprio was not nominated for the Oscar. Managing to outperform Waltz and dominate the screen is no mean feat. Lee-Jones in Lincoln is terrific as well, but DiCaprio’s menacing Calvin Candie is one of the better villains in recent memory, thanks largely to Leo.
Academy Nominees:
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Tommy Lee-Jones – Linocln
Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin – Argo
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Christoph Waltz was born to work under Quentin Tarantino, and that is so blindly evident in Django Unchained. Lee-Jones appears to be his greatest competition ahead of De Niro, but Waltz’s win in the Golden Globes seems to have him set to claim the Oscar.
Best Original Screenplay
My Nominees:
Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty
John Gatins – Flight
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Rian Johnson – Looper
Boal’s journalistic take on Zero Dark Thirty was magnificent, and the remarkable imagination of Johnson made the underrated Looper a stand out. However Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained featured his trade mark quirky and strange characterization, and brilliant dialogue.
Academy Nominees:
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola – Moonrise Kingdom
Michael Haneke – Amour
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
John Gatins – Flight
Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty
Quentin Tarantino’s win for best screenplay at the Golden Globes puts him in a great position to claim this award. Anderson and Coppola’s quirky Moonrise Kingdom and Boal for Zero Dark Thirty will put up some competition, but it is hard to deny Tarantino.
Best Adapted Screenplay
My Nominees:
Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan (Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer) – The Dark Knight Rises
Chris Terrio (from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman) – Argo
Neal Pervis, Robert Wade and John Logan – Skyfall
Tony Kushner (from Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin) – Lincoln
David O. Russell (from The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick) – Silver Linings Playbook
The intricately mapped out action thrillers Skyfall and The Dark Knight Rises are deserved nominees for their well made efforts, this race and the Oscars will be a three horse effort. David O. Russell’s effort in balancing the comedy and serious tones of Silver Linings Playbook was a wonderful effort, and a well earned winner.
Academy Nominees:
Lucy Alibar and Benh Ailtlin (from Juicy and Delicious by Lucy Alibar) – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Chris Terrio (from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman) – Argo
David Magee (from Life of Pi by Yann Martel) – Life of Pi
Tony Kushner (from Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin) – Lincoln
David O. Russell (from The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick) – Silver Linings Playbook
The three way Oscar race between Argo, Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln will be one of the most interesting of the night. Early on it appeared Tony Kushner had this wrapped up, but the love for Russell’s Playbook and the rush of Argo in the major categories has put it in doubt. Kushner will still take out the Oscar, though it will be tight.
Best Picture
My Nominees:
Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison
Argo – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney
Django Unchained – Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone
Lincoln – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
Silver Linings Playbook – Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon
Looper – Ram Bergman and James D. Stern
While the Oscar race is coming down to Argo and Lincoln, my race came down to Zero Dark Thrity and Django Unchained. For the sheer intensity and wow-factor, Zero Thirty gets my nod. Bigelow’s direction is near faultless and the film never loses its surprises.
Academy Nominees:
Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison
Argo – Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney
Django Unchained – Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone
Lincoln – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
Silver Linings Playbook – Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon
Amour – Mararet Menegoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka and Michael Katz
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottweld
Les Miserables – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh
Life of Pi – Ang Lee, Gil Netter, David Womark
Not so long ago it appeared Lincoln would win by a long length. It contained the best actor and Argo isn’t even nominated for best director. But Argo has come home with a wet sail. Wins at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTAs has put it right out in front of Lincoln. It is still difficult to go past Lincoln, but Argo is showing all the signs of victory. The controversy surrounding Zero Dark Thirty’s depiction of torture has all but ruled it out, Les Miserables has gone cold on the awards circuit lately and Django Unchained appears to be to Tarantino for the Academy. Silver Linings Playbook is a sleeper in the category. Having nominations in all four acting categories, directing and screenplay make it impossible to rule out, but Argo has the form to take out the big award.
Couch Opinions 
Pingback: Lead up to the 86th Academy Awards | Couch Opinions