Ten Noteworthy Oscar Nomination Tidbits

Ben Affleck, unquestionably the biggest snub of the day

1. "How did you do on your predictions" I hear you ask. I managed 35/44 in the top 8 categories and 79/107. Respectable, but not really that good. 

2. No one - no, really, no one - saw the Affleck and Bigelow shut out coming. Even if you'd told me before the announcement that Zeitlin would get in, I would have left Haneke out, or even Lee. Those two seemed like the frontrunners fighting out for the win, and now they're left on the outside looking in. 

3. The lack of a best director nomination for Argo means it will inevitably not be our best picture winner this year. No film since Driving Miss Daisy has won the top prize without an accompanying nomination for the director, but the real surprise is that when you think about it, Argo might actually leave the ceremony empty handed. Unless it wins editing (a strong possibility since none of the films there have a clear advantage over the other and the thriller elements of Argo feature really showy editing) then it will just have to be happy for the ride. 

4. With Argo out of the running Lincoln is definitely in the front seat at the moment, especially when you consider that two of the top five Oscars are almost definitely in its bag (best actor, best adapted screenplay) and that Tommy Lee Jones is also the potential frontrunner in his own category. Spielberg is arguably going to take home his third best director Oscar. If that happens, then... well, case closed.

5. There are only two films that can potentially crash Lincoln's party: Silver Linings Playbook and Life of Pi. The former is the first film to nab nominations in all four acting categories in 32 years and the nomination for a performance as slim as Jacki Weaver's is an indication of the massive support the film enjoys within the Academy's ranks. On top of that, and the directing and writing nods, it also managed a crucial catch in the editing category. Plus, the better showing for this film means that Jennifer Lawrence is back in front in the actress race, too. But the real threat is Ang Lee's Life of Pi, which unlike Playbook lacks support from the acting branch but its considerable nomination haul of 11 is hard to ignore. It will almost surely win two statues (visual effects, cinematography) and if it can manage a directing win for Lee, then it will look like a very likely best picture winner. 

6. The second biggest shock of the morning was the absence of The Intouchables in the best foreign language film category. Most people considered the French feel-good dramedy as the frontrunner for the win, but as it turns out, Michael Haneke's Amour is the one set to take gold. With this respectable lineup - though it's still sorely missing Beyond the Hills - coming on the back of A Separation's win last year, the experiment with the executive committee seems to be paying off.

7. The Dark Knight Rises was completely snubbed, which is really ironic considering that its predecessor is widely considered the film that prompted the Academy to expand their best picture lineup. Then again, it was really underwhelming so I'm not surprised. It wasn't a good morning for summer superhero fare in general since The Amazing Spider Man also failed to register and The Avengers' sole nomination came in the visual effects category. 

8. The Master's absence in the best cinematography category is an absolute, unforgivable travesty. 

9. Hitchcock's presence in the best makeup and hairstyling category is a travesty. Admittedly it's not of the same magnitude as The Master's cinematography but since the option of choosing Lincoln and Men in Black 3 was there, the Academy could have done much better. 

10. I'm excited - in descending order - to see Norah Jones, Hugh Jackman, Adele and Scarlett Johansson sing at the Oscars. Hopefully the producers won't deny us the possibility.