Oscar Nomination Reactions 2013

Oscar Nominations Day, it seems, is a day for me to wake up early, getting much less sleep than I otherwise would, because I’m excited to see the nominees as they’re announced. Every year, though, they make decisions that, at best, make me shake my head. This year, though, the Academy really outdid itself. If not for my sleeping roommate, there were have been much yelling (and perhaps even some expletive flinging) at some of this year’s head-scratchers.

Here are my reactions to the main categories. I have fewer thoughts on all of the others, so this should pretty much split the length up in half, with the second set of reactions coming out probably tomorrow sometime. For this post, I will also put my score (out of 100 for films; out of 5 for performances, directorial efforts, and screenplays) next to everything, as well as ranking them.

Best Picture Predictions:

1.      12 Years a Slave

2.      Gravity

3.      American Hustle

4.      The Wolf of Wall Street

5.      Nebraska

6.      Saving Mr. Banks

7.      Captain Phillips

8.      Her

9.      Inside Llewyn Davis

10.  Dallas Buyers Club

First Ones In: Blue Jasmine; August: Osage County

Other Alternates: Philomena; Before Midnight

Actual Best Picture:

1.      12 Years a Slave (97)-1

2.      American Hustle (56)-9

3.      Captain Phillips (88)-6

4.      Dallas Buyers Club (95)-3

5.      Gravity (91)-5

6.      Her (96)-2

7.      Nebraska (62)-8

8.      Philomena (78)-7

9.      The Wolf of Wall Street (94)-4

Score: 7/9

Reaction: If you stick to the Academy’s number of 9 nominees, then I got 7/9, or 8/9 if you allow me 10 prediction slots for 9 nominations. Anyway, that’s not all that bad, I don’t think, though last year I was perfect in this category, 9/9, with Moonrise Kingdom as my #10. That said, I am pretty ecstatic with the results here. Sure, I don’t think this category (or pretty much any of them for that reason) should be touching American Hustle or Nebraska with a 10-foot pole, but it was going to happen all along, so I’m not going to fight it (trust me, there’s much complaining to come on that front). Dallas Buyers Club getting in absolutely terrific, and while I’m disappointed I didn’t get Saving Mr. Banks right, I’m happier that Philomena was nominated as opposed to SMB. Very, very, very disappointed Inside Llewyn Davis failed to make it on, though.

Best Director Predictions:

1.      Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave

2.      Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity

3.      Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street

4.      Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips

5.      David O. Russell for American Hustle

First One In: Alexander Payne for Nebraska

Other Alternates: Spike Jonze for Her; Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine; J.C. Chandor for All Is Lost

Actual Best Director:

1.      Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity (5)-1

2.      Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave (5)-2

3.      Alexander Payne for Nebraska (2.5)-4

4.      David O. Russell for American Hustle (2)-5

5.      Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street (5)-3

Score: 4/5

Reaction: Again, not a bad showing at all. Alexander Payne is an Academy darling, so I’m not surprised, even though I think his nomination, as well as Russell’s, is horrendous. Russell is such an absolute jerk that he deserves nothing, ever. I really liked his direction of Silver Linings Playbook, but here he shows his true colors. He has put Christopher Nolan in a headlock for trying to steal Jude Law for a movie (Jude Law? Seriously!). He also got into a fistfight with Clooney over his poor treatment of extras (I assume that was on Three Kings), and his fights with Lily Tomlin, which can be found on YouTube, are pretty bad. (All info courtesy of Louis Morgan (actoroscar.blogspot.com)). There were really only 6 legitimate contenders this year (sorry, Spike), and Greengrass’s hand-held, wobbly style is troubling to many, so his absence is understandable, and thus Payne gets on.

Best Actor Predictions:

1.      Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave

2.      Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club

3.      Tom Hanks in Captain Hanks

4.      Bruce Dern in Nebraska

5.      Robert Redford in All Is Lost

First One In: Christian Bale in American Hustle

Second One In: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street

Third One In: Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis

Other Alternates: Joaquin Phoenix in Her; Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station; Forest Whitaker in Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Actual Best Actor:

1.      Christian Bale in American Hustle (3)-5

2.      Bruce Dern in Nebraska (4)-4

3.      Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street (5)-2

4.      Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (5)-3

5.       Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club (5)-1

Score: 3/5

Reaction: This was very unfortunate. I have seen neither Hanks nor Redford, but I have not heard anything negative about any of them, and most things are quite positive, so it’s a shame that somebody so mediocre like Bale gets on. When I saw Cooper and then Bale get nominations, I knew American Hustle was in for making a killing, and they did. It’s a borderline terrible movie that is poorly directed, disgustingly overacted, horrendously underacted, and just plain bad. Not one “character-driven” moment seems authentic in any way, and much of the film, which should be continuously fun in the vein of the ‘70s heist it masquerades as, is terribly boring. Bale is fine, but does nothing with his character, which fortunately for him, is supposed to be a boring guy.

Best Actress Predictions:

1.      Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine

2.      Sandra Bullock in Gravity

3.      Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks

4.      Judi Dench in Philomena

5.      Meryl Streep in August: Osage County

First One In: Amy Adams in American Hustle

Other Alternates: Brie Larson in Short Term 12; Adèle Exarchopoulos in Blue Is the Warmest Colour; Julie Delpy in Before Midnight

Actual Best Actress:

1.      Amy Adams in American Hustle (3.5)-3

2.      Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine (not seen)-N/A

3.      Sandra Bullock in Gravity (4.5)-1

4.      Judi Dench in Philomena (3.5)-2

5.      Meryl Streep in August: Osage County (not seen)-N/A

Score: 4/5

Reaction: It is very unfortunate that Emma Thompson got snubbed for Amy Adams’ performance and for Meryl Streep. Let’s be honest: Streep got on because she’s Streep (granted I haven’t seen her). Adams used to be my favorite lead member of Hustle’s cast, but the more I think about her, the more I dislike her. It’s unfortunate that Thompson, my current #2 for the year, got snubbed. Her film was so-so at times, but she was always great, lending much-needed depth to a sometimes idle script. Kristen Bell not even being in the conversation for her brilliant voice work in Frozen is understandable, but frustrating nonetheless.

Best Supporting Actor:

1.      Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club

2.      Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave

3.      Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips

4.      Daniel Brühl in Rush

5.      James Gandolfini in Enough Said

First One In: Bradley Cooper in American Hustle

Second One In: Tom Hanks in Saving Mr. Banks

Third One In: Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street

Other Alternates: nobody really

Actual Best Supporting Actor:

1.      Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips (5)-2

2.      Bradley Cooper in American Hustle (2)-5

3.      Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave (5)-1

4.      Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street (3)-4

5.      Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (5)-3

Score: 3/5

Reaction: First, let’s get the snubs out of the way before I rage against the machine. I thought James Gandolfini would get on because he had the SAG nomination and because he died within the past year, but evidently playing completely against type (film type, evidently he was an immensely gentle and loving guy in real life) and dying isn’t good enough. Brühl, who I figured was a long shot at the beginning, got every single major prerequisite nomination. SAG, BAFTA, Globes. What else does a guy need? I haven’t seen Rush, which was completely shut-out surprisingly, so I can’t comment, but he’d be hard-pressed to be worse than Cooper. Hill was fine, and better than his Moneyball nomination, but he wasn’t worthy of his nomination. Cooper was horrendous. He played an off-the-wall character, but never figured out how to create an actual character. Instead, his outbursts have no backing in the personality he otherwise emits, which should have been an overly ambitious one. Everything about this performance is bad, and I’m toying with knocking him down to a 1.5 instead of a 2.

Best Supporting Actress Predictions:

1.      Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave

2.      Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle

3.      Julia Roberts in August: Osage County

4.      June Squibb in Nebraska

5.      Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine

First One In: Oprah Winfrey in Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Other Alternates: nobody, but there should be, especially Sarah Paulson and Alfre Woodard in 12 Years, Carey Mulligan in Inside Llewyn, Jennifer Garner in Dallas Buyers, and Margot Robbie in The Wolf.

Actual Best Supporting Actress:

1.      Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave (5)-1

2.      Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle (3.5)-3_

3.      Julia Roberts in August: Osage County (not seen)-N/A

4.      June Squibb in Nebraska (3.5)-2

5.      Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine (not seen)-N/A

Score: 5/5

Reaction: Checkmate, atheists! It’s a real shame I got all 5 in such a terribly weak category, though. Nyong’o was a shoo-in, but her co-star Sarah Paulson should have been, too. Roberts, sight unseen, is obviously a co-lead, but I’ve heard it might be her first semi-good performance, so kudos to her. Squibb is fine as the sassy old woman but adds little-to-no of the requisite emotional depth. Lawrence is sometimes overacting and sometimes entertaining, though she always just seems to be repeating her SLP performance when she is the latter. Perhaps worst of all, though, she is, at age 23, incredibly unconvincing as a woman who has supposedly been in a dead-end marriage for 10 years of so. Is terrible casting, and Lawrence does nothing to help it.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

1.      12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)

2.      The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter)

3.      Philomena (Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope)

4.      Captain Phillips (Billy Ray)

5.      Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy)

First One In: August: Osage County (Tracy Letts)

Second One In: Lone Survivor (Peter Berg)

Other Alternates: none that I can think of

Actual Best Adapted Screenplay:

1.      12 Years a Slave (John Ridley) (5)-2

2.      Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy) (not seen)-N/A

3.      Captain Phillips (Billy Ray) (4-4.5)-4

4.      Philomena (Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope) (4.5)-3

5.      The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter) (5)-1

Score: 5/5

Reaction: 2 perfects in a row. As far as I know, this is a very strong category, and the only film with the potential to be a better option than one of these is Frozen, which wasn’t even in the conversation, so what can you do.

Best Original Screenplay:

1.      American Hustle (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell)

2.      Her (Spike Jonze)

3.      Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen)

4.      Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen)

5.      Nebraska (Bob Nelson)

First One In: Dallas Buyers Club

Second One In: Enough Said (Nicole Holofcener)

Other Alternates: Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón)

Actual Best Original Screenplay:

1.      American Hustle (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell) (2.5)-3

2.      Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen) (not seen)-N/A

3.      Dallas Buyers Club (Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack) (4.5)-2

4.      Her (Spike Jonze) (5)-1

5.      Nebraska (Bob Nelson) (2.5)-4

Score: 4/5

Reaction: This is a pretty bad category. Gravity, a pretty weak script, would have made this a better category, as would have Saving Mr. Banks’s sappy, schmaltz-fest. I’m sure Blue Jasmine and Her are good, but they cannot save this category from the terribleness in the room, American Hustle and Nebraska.

Of the films nominated in these 8 major categories, I still must see Captain Phillips and Her, both of which I hope to see this weekend, as well as Blue Jasmine, August: Osage County, and Before Midnight.

As I said, I will probably get the rest of the categories out tomorrow. At the end of that, I will do some sort of summation where I discuss overall goods, bads, and uglies (I think most people know where that one will lead). Until then, good night, and good luck.