By: Mark Di Stefano
The 85th Academy Awards are rapidly approaching, with Seth MacFarlane set to host the film industry’s biggest night on February 24th, 2013. With the recent reveal of the nominations there’s a lot to be excited about, with Spielberg’s Lincoln leading the pack with 12 nominations. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any upsets though. Here are my top 5 upsets of this year’s nominations:
5) So many overlooked films
It’s impossible for every film to get nominated for an Oscar, but this year there were many films and performances that got overlooked. Robert Zemeckis’s Flight where Denzel Washington gave one of his finest performances only got one nod for Denzel. Robert Linklater’s Bernie was a superb film that was overlooked, including Jack Black’s incredible performance. Those were only two examples, but you get the point. The films that were nominated deserve their nods I’m sure, but spread the love.
4). P.T.A., Wes, and Quentin Snubbed
Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, and Quentin Tarentino all got snubbed (respectfully) for a chance at a Best Director Oscar this year. The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, and Django Unchained were films that were led ferociously. Although the nominees for this year’s Best Director Oscar are all strong visionaries, it still stinks that not all visionaries, including these veterans, are nominated.
3). No love for Looper
Looper was a movie that can’t easily be confined to one type of genre. It takes elements of many genres and defies what a blockbuster has to be. If anything it should be nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Johnson who also wrote it (and was nominated at the Golden Gllobes in the same category). It’s as smart as it is entertaining as it is fresh. Rian Johnson’s sophomore effort is one that felt more exciting than most films this year, and for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to not recognize films like Looper is just criminal.
2). Ben Affleck Snubbed
Ben Affleck proved Gone Baby Gone and The Town that he has a very keen eye for telling very compelling stories and Argo may be his finest picture to date. What got everyone was that this was a true story and you knew how it would end, but Affleck still takes you on a wild ride. It’s a shame that he’s not nominated for Best Director, especially since he won the Golden Globe for Best Director, beating out Spielberg and Ang Lee, who both got Oscar nods for directing this year respectfully. If anyone has a shining moment in the sun right now, it’s Affleck.
1). Only 9 slots for best picture?
The number of films that could be nominated per year varied over the years. For the past couple of decades though the number was five entrees, but a couple of years ago the number doubled giving more films a chance. Then for some reason the number decreased to nine last year. There are so many films that could take that tenth spot from The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, Brave, and dozens of other films. That tenth spot could make all the difference.
Source:
http://reel2reality.com/2013/01/19/top-5-upsets-from-this-years-oscar-nominations/