Award season is in full swing! The Golden Globe awards are this Sunday January 13th (hosted by the hilarious Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) and as if that weren't enough to be excited about, Oscar nominations were announced today! Below you'll find my take on the list of nominees. Well, my take on the categories we actually care about.
Best Picture
- Argo
- Amour
- Beasts of The Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
- Les Miserables
- Life of Pi
- Lincoln
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Zero Dark Thirty
Pop.Bop.Shop. Prediction: It's no surprise to see Argo, Les Mis, Lincoln, Life of Pi or Zero Dark Thirty in this category. They all have the makings of a classic Oscar contender. I am pleasantly surprised to see indie love given to Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild. I just got Beasts from Netflix, so look forward to that review. I am overjoyed that Silver Linings Playbook got a nom! That was one of my favorite movies this season. There are so many worthy pictures, but I think it's going to Les Mis, especially because Tom Hooper didn't score a nomination in the Best Director category.
Best Actor
- Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
- Daniel-Day Lewis, Lincoln
- Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
- Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
- Denzel Washington, Flight
Pop.Bop.Shop. Prediction: This is an incredibly strong category. I am rooting for Bradley Cooper because I thought Silver Linings Playbook was his best role yet. He is up against very heavy hitters. I didn't see The Master or Flight, so based on the others I did see, I think the gold statue is going to Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln.
Best Actress
- Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
- Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
- Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
- Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Pop.Bop.Shop. Prediction: Of these movies, I have only seen Silver Linings Playbook, so it's a tough call at this point. At nine years old, Quvenzhane Wallis is the youngest nominee for Best Actress in history. I plan to see Zero Dark Thirty and The Impossible before Oscar night, so for now, no prediction, just giddy anticipation.
Best Supporting Actor
- Alan Arkin, Argo
- Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
- Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
- Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Pop.Bop.Shop. Prediction: I cannot believe Alan Arkin received a nomination for Argo. No Best Actor or Best Director nomination for Ben Affleck, but Arkin gets recognized for his 10 comedic minutes on screen? I absolutely loved Robert DeNiro in Silver Linings Playbook. He was funny, endearing and vulnerable. I equally loved Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln and in general, I feel Tommy Lee Jones is undervalued in the Hollywood community. I didn't see Django Unchained, but Christoph Waltz won for Inglorious Bastards in 2010, so certainly he could make a return to the stage. My gut is telling me Tommy Lee Jones will walk away with the gold.
Best Supporting Actress
- Amy Adams, The Master
- Sally Field, Lincoln
- Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
- Helen Hunt, The Sessions
- Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Pop.Bop.Shop. Prediction: Two words: Anne Hathaway. This award already belongs to her. She was outstanding in Les Mis. Period. While I am happy The Sessions got some Oscar love, a nomination really belongs to John Hawkes, not Helen Hunt.
Best Director
- Michael Haneke, Amour
- Ang Lee, Life of Pi
- David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
- Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
- Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Pop.Bop.Shop. Prediction: I am very surprised that neither Tom Hooper (Les Mis) or Ben Affleck (Argo) scored nominations in this category. As I said in my review of Silver Linings Playbook, "I attribute the overall tone and power of the film to writer and director David O. Russell who is also the creative mind behind The Fighter. No one understands family dysfunction better than Russell. His movies are incredible because they are so honest and poignant." While I would love for David O. Russell to win it (he lost two years ago to Tom Hooper, who won Best Director for The King's Speech), I think it's impossible for anyone to beat Spielberg.
So there you have it! I've put my predictions in writing. We'll see how accurate I am on Oscar night. If you haven't already, mark you calendar for Sunday February 24th.
If you missed any of my reviews of the nominated films, you can catch up here:
- Argo
- Les Miserables
- Lincoln
- Silver Linings Playbook
- The Sessions
Are you an Oscar nut like me? Who do you think will bring home the gold?
