Last week, the Oscar nominees were released to the world and so now cinephiles around the world are now going to argue on and on about whose sure to win and who the Oscars have snubbed this year.
While I’m not ready just yet to expose my personal biases and give my predictions of who will win and who will lose, I am here to let you know the whose who and what’s what of this year’s nominees, so you can all make smart guesses on the winners. And when I say this year’s nominees, I mean every single movie that’s nominated for anything. ANYTHING. It’s gonna be a doozy. However, this list ended up being so long, I had to split it up. So here’s part one, A-L, and next week will be M-Z.
5 Broken Cameras
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
Plot: A documentary on the non-violent protests of a Palestinian farmer against the Israeli army.
Adam and Dog
Nominated for: Best Animated Short Film
Plot: The story of Adam, the first human, and his interactions with a dog in the Garden of Eden.
Amour
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film (Austria), Best Actress in a Leading Role – Emmanuelle Riva, Best Director – Michael Haneke, Best Original Screenplay
Plot: The tale of an elderly couple and their daughter in the wake of the mother’s devastating stroke.
…I haven’t seen the film but I think it’s kind of unfair to be nominated for Best Foreign Film and Best Film. Just saying – its one or the other.
Anna Karenina
Nominated for: Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Production Design
Plot: An adaptation of Tolstoy’s novel about a married aristocrat who has an affair.
Argo
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Alan Arkin, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Adapted Screenplay
Plot: (Full Review Here)
Dear Academy, what’s with not nominating Ben Affleck for Best Director? You nominated Alan Arkin and he didn’t do all that much in the film. I’m not saying that your nominees for Best Director don’t deserve it, but come on, Ang Lee doesn’t need more awards. What David O’Russell? He’ll be okay waiting another year.
Asad
Nominated for: Best Live Action Short Film
Plot: The coming of age tale of a young Somali boy in the midst of war.
The Avengers
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects
Plot: (Full Review Here)
YES! ONE NOMINATION! Take that Batman!
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role – Quvenzhané Wallis, Best Director – Benh Zeitlin, Best Adapted Screenplay
Plot: A semi-fantastical film concerning a young girl dealing with life in the wake of a massive flood.
Man, this one came out of nowhere! Always good to see an indie film making it’s way up the ladder.
Brave
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature Film
Plot: (Full Review Here)
This film was one of the most disappointing of the year, but you can’t deny it was beautifully designed.
Buzkashi Boys
Nominated for: Best Live Action Short Film
Plot: A film of two young Afghani boys coming of age through both war and the sport of Buzkashi, which is horse polo with a dead goat.
…going be honest here, they had me until dead goat.
Chasing Ice
Nominated for: Best Original Song – “Before My Time”
Plot: The real life film about a man who uses time-lapse photography to measure the effects of global warming.
…yay for a nomination? I’m wondering why this wasn’t nominated for best documentary. Seems a little random. Not a good year for the best original song category.
Curfew
Nominated for: Best Live Action Short Film
Plot: A young suicidal man’s attempts to kill himself are put on hold when his sister asks him to babysit her daughter.
I just love this poster. I really, really do.
Death of a Shadow
Nominated for: Best Live Action Short Film
Plot: A man attempts to beat death in order to return to the woman he loves.
Django Unchained
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Christoph Waltz, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Screenplay
Plot: (Full Review Here)
Hands down, deserves to win best screenplay. But man is competition for Best Supporting Actor tough this year.
Flight
Nominated for: Best Actor in a Lead Role – Denzel Washington, Best Original Screenplay
Plot: An airline pilot saves a doomed flight through quick wit, but comes under legal scrutiny due to his being drunk during said flight.
Frankenweenie
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature Film
Plot: A boy brings his beloved pooch back to life and brings severe consequences to his whole town.
Fresh Guacamole
Nominated for: Best Animated Short Film
Plot: A cook prepares some guacamole with some less-than-edible objects.
The Gatekeepers
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
Plot: Six former heads of the Israeli counter terrorism agency discusses their roles in the Israel-Palenstine policies, starting from 1967.
Head Over Heels
Nominated for: Best Animated Short Film
Plot: An emotionally distant married couples find themselves in an unusual living situation.
Henry
Nominated for: Best Live Action Short Film
Plot: A old pianist gets more than he bargains for as he searches for his wife.
Hitchcock
Nominated for: Best Makeup and Hair Styling
Plot: The life of acclaimed horror and thriller director Alfred Hitchcock as he films his most famous work, Psycho.
I’m pretty sure the Academy is obligated to nominate any Anthony Hopkin’s movie for something. It’s in the rule book somewhere.
The Hobbit
Nominated for: Best Makeup and Hair Styling, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design
Plot: (Full Review Here)
You best believe it takes forever to do the makeup for 13 dwarves.
How to Survive a Plague
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
Plot: A documentary concerning the mania surrounding the 1980′s AIDs epidemic.
The Impossible
Nominated for: Best Actress in a Lead Role – Naomi Watts
Plot: A family survives a deadly tsunami while on vacation.
Inocente
Nominated for: Best Documentary Short
Plot: A documentary which follows Inocente, a young migrant worker who strives to fulfill her dream to be an artist.
The Invisible War
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature
Plot: A documentary discussing the high rate of sexual assault against female soldiers in the U.S. military and the efforts made to cover it up.
This is the only one of the nominees I saw…and I cried. A lot. I am not ashamed though. I really hope this one wins if only so it gets recognition. I recommend everyone watch it, sincerely.
King’s Point
Nominated for: Best Documentary Short
Plot: A documentary that follows the lives of 5 elderly people residents of the King’s Point retirement community.
Kon-Tiki
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film (Norway)
Plot: A scientist attempts to prove his theory correct by attempting to make a boat journey from Peru to Polynesia.
…I’M ON A BOAT!
Les Miserables
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Lead Role – Hugh Jackman, Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Anne Hathaway, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hair Styling, Best Production Design, Best Original Song – “Suddenly,” Best Sound Mixing
Plot: (Sort of debate about film here) French people living terrible lives and dealing with a revolution … IN SONG!
Life of Pi
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Director – Ang Lee, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Original Song – “Pi’s Lullaby,” Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay
Plot: A young man survives a shipwreck on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, and must find his way home.
Pretty films always finish first, don’t they?
Lincoln
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Lead Role – Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Tommy Lee Jones, Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Sally Fields, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director – Steven Spielburg, Best Film Editting, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Adapted Screenplay
Plot: A biopic of Lincoln’s back door struggles to approve the 14th Amendment before the end of the Civil War and his subsequent assassination.
Calling it now, this movie is going to win almost everything it’s nominated for. In all seriousness, it’s going to happen. Bet accordingly.
The Life of Pi movie is underwhelming :< Read the book for the surreal, unreliable narrative experience! (Not to say that the unreliable narrator can work in film, but I think… IDK it's always the best when you're reading)
I mean, if LOTR can win ALL THE AWARDS one year The Hobbit can win at least one
Also I quietly am hoping that The Hobbit wins best make-up
ALSO YES Best Supporting Actor is going to be a tough one