2013 Academy Awards: Snubs & Surprises
The announcement of the nominees for the 85th Annual Academy Awards brought us 9 Best Picture nominees, some expected nods (Lincoln dominates the awards with 12), and a few surprises and snubs that helped mix up this year's Oscar race - check out our list of notable omissions and inclusions now!
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- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.Snub: While Ben Affleck's thriller nabbed an impressive 7 nominations, including Best Picture, the actor-director -- who most definitely came into his own as a filmmaker this year -- was overlooked for a Best Director nomination, all the more shocking considering he was one of the few who looked to give Lincoln's Steven Spielberg some competition in that category.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJessica ChastainJoel EdgertonChris PrattA chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.Snub: Well, at least Mr. Affleck has some distinguished company in the Best Director-omission category: former winner Kathryn Bigelow was also shut out of the race, though her film is up for Best Picture, Actress (Jessica Chastain), and Screenplay. This could be the most-discussed snub of the year considering ZDT's headline-garnering controversies.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsJean-Louis TrintignantEmmanuelle RivaIsabelle HuppertGeorges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.Surprise: It was expected that Michael Haneke's superb and devastating drama would be up for Best Foreign Language Film, but it also received high-profile nods for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Emmanuelle Riva, officially the oldest nominee ever in that category now), and Screenplay, making it now one of the major players in the Oscar race.
- DirectorBenh ZeitlinStarsQuvenzhané WallisDwight HenryLevy EasterlyFaced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.Surprise: The heavily favored indie was hoping for some recognition from the Academy, but probably didn't expect this much! It's up for Best Picture, Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis, officially the youngest nominee ever in that category now), Screenplay, and most surprisingly, Best Director for Benh Zeitlin, who outpaced Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow, AND Quentin Tarantino.
- DirectorTom HooperStarsHugh JackmanRussell CroweAnne HathawayIn 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.Snub: Without Best Director or Screenplay nominations to go with its Best Picture nod, the Academy has pretty much killed any big-time Oscar dreams that this big-screen adaptation of the stage musical ever dreamed... Though Anne Hathaway should start working on her Supporting Actress acceptance speech right now!
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleTom HardyAnne HathawayEight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.Snub: Absolutely zero love for Christopher Nolan's Caped Crusader epic, not even in any of the tech categories. Heck, even The Avengers and Prometheus got one nomination each! (Both are up for Visual Effects) Sorry, Batman...
- DirectorBen LewinStarsJohn HawkesHelen HuntWilliam H. MacyA man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.Snub: While his co-star Helen Hunt grabbed a nomination for Supporting Actress, star (and former nominee) John Hawkes, who plays a man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity via a professional sex surrogate, was overlooked for Best Actor. Unlike the nominated Joaquin Phoenix, he would have attend the ceremonies.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsBradley CooperJennifer LawrenceRobert De NiroAfter a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.Surprise: The idiosyncratic romantic comedy was pretty much a sure thing for Best Picture nomination and nods for three of its stars (Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro), the additional nomination of Jacki Weaver for Best Supporting Actress makes it the first film since Reds to score nominations in all four acting categories.
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsMarion CotillardMatthias SchoenaertsArmand VerdurePut in charge of his young son, Alain leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Alain's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.Snub: Former Oscar winner Marion Cotillard's powerful performance was on everyone's short list for Best Actress, but the French star found herself omitted in favor of Amour's Emmanuelle Riva and Beasts of the Southern Wild's Quvenzhané Wallis.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.Surprise: Another expected contender, the mystical Ang Lee is up for an impressive 11 nominations, making it the second-most nominated film after Lincoln and a prime contender for sweeping up a number of technical awards.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy AdamsA Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.Snub: Though it received three acting nods for stars Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson was left out in the cold in both Director and Screenplay categories.
- DirectorTarsem SinghStarsLily CollinsJulia RobertsArmie HammerAn evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright.Out of Left Field: Every year there's always one movie in a minor (or even a major) category that got very little critical love yet manages to score an Oscar nomination that makes you scratch your head and go, "Huh?" This year's Unexpected Academy Award Nominee is the Julia Roberts Snow White-redo, which is up for Best Costume Design opposite its film doppelganger, Snow White and the Huntsman -- though expect either the tophats of Lincoln or the furry hats of Anna Karenina to triumph.