<p>VERY angry about Director. That category was friggin’ mangled this year. The best one is probably Cinematography, which has my five choices in it. Best Pic is pretty much perfect as well. </p>
<p>I thought the race to win was between Lincoln/Zero Dark Thirty/Argo, but now it’s pretty much Lincoln and Silver Lining’s Playbook with Lincoln taking it all unless Harvey Weinstein really is God.</p>
<p>Do you think Kathryn Bigelow didn’t get nominated because she already won for Hurt Locker? I wonder if these nominations have less to do with who deserves to be nominated and more with some industry insiders deciding whose turn it is to be recognized.</p>
<p>Also – why is Helen Hunt nominated for Supporting Actress instead of Actress? Was there another female lead in that movie who had a bigger role? Maybe I’m not understanding the term “supporting”.</p>
<p>I was disappointed in the directing nominees, too - especially because Ben Affleck was overlooked for “Argo.” It was outstanding work.</p>
<p>As I understand it, the production companies and actors themselves have a lot to say about what categories specific performances are nominated in, via unofficial “for your consideration” campaigning in trade journals. It does surprise me that Helen Hunt’s central role in “The Sessions” could be considered a supporting part, but apparently that’s legit, and she may have wanted it that way to give herself a better shot at a nomination (just speculating): [Rule</a> Six: Special Rules for the Acting Awards | Rules for the 85th Academy Awards | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences](<a href=“http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/rule06.html]Rule”>http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/rule06.html)
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<p>Love all the nominees in the best supporting actor category, which is always my favorite and seems to me always the toughest one to choose a “best” (or rather, “outstanding”) in. </p>
<p>The nomination announcements today were more entertaining to watch than usual. I have mixed feelings about Seth Macfarlane. But Emma Stone is terrific in everything! Next year she should host the whole thing.</p>
<p>I don’t know WHAT happened with K-Biggy. If it was The Hurt Locker, that would have prevented her from winning, but there was absolutely no good reason to snub her (and Affleck) completely.</p>
<p>Supporting categories tend to have a lot of fraud as people go supporting when they think they have better chances (Hailee Steinfeld was so lead in True Grit the movie was basically called Hailee Steinfeld but she was nominated and criminally lost in supporting).</p>
<p>Due to things going on in my life this year, I have not seen any movies in ages. I’m very embarrassed to admit that I haven’t even seen Life of Pi, even though my brother in the film industry worked on that movie. :o</p>
<p>So I can’t be outraged about anything. I need to see a few of these movies so that I can enjoy the Oscars.</p>
<p>I thought Lincoln was so boring; I hope it doesn’t win, but it probably will because “Its Spielberg!” I could barely stand Sally Field’s character, and couldn’t get past the silly wig worn by Tommy Lee Jones enough to appreciate his acting.</p>
<p>I really liked Silver Linings; Argo was good but didn’t blow me away; I was unimpressed with Life of Pi after having read the (good!) book. Did not see the others yet.</p>
<p>I LOVED Lincoln. I thought the acting was superb. I liked Argo but saw it two days after Lincoln so, to me, it couldn’t hold a candle. I am really looking forward to Zero Dark Thirty. I know people who are beyond ticked that Bigelow was snubbed. What’s up with that?</p>
<p>The Oscars will be a Lincoln coronation–it’s just the sort of film that makes Hollywood feel good about itself-“We’re serious folks who do serious work!” I thought Lincoln was a tedious, self-important snoozefest, and I’m bored by this year’s Oscars before they even begin. Though I was happy to see Jacki Weaver’s nomination for the role of the mother in Silver Linings Playbook–she was terrific. (Crabby snacks, anyone?)</p>
<p>I’m glad Tom Hooper of Les Mis wasn’t nominated. Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild deserves the nomination.</p>
<p>Weaver is one of the most annoying noms, lol. She’s in the movie for a VERY limited amount of time and doesn’t do anything.</p>
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<p>See [“Lincoln</a> Watch”: The Wig of Tommy Lee Jones From New York to San Francisco](<a href=“http://gcaggiano.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/10/07/lincoln-watch-the-wig-of-tommy-lee-jones/]“Lincoln”>“Lincoln Watch”: The Wig of Tommy Lee Jones – Caggiano's Corner)</p>
<p>“maybe, just maybe, this heavily researched, $50 million epic directed by one of cinema’s greatest, might actually have a reason for giving Jones such a terrible mop. Well, it just so happens that the real Stevens wore a wig because he suffered Alopecia, a condition that caused him to go bald at a young age (gee, and all this time I thought he just had an aversion to combs). The wig he wore was noted to be ‘ill-fitting’…”</p>
<p>Director category must be the most political based on these noms…so is it the general consensus that Lincoln will take everything?</p>
<p>I can’t imagine either Argo or Zero Dark Thirty taking best picture with what they did with the director category…</p>
<p>If I had a vote, Argo would take it…but I haven’t seen Zero Dark yet…</p>
<p>I saw “Lincoln” three times (different members of my family wanted to go at varying times), and liked it better each time. One of the rare times I forgot that the lead actor was acting.</p>
<p>SLP might win since The Weinstein Co. won the 2010 Best Picture Oscar for King’s Speech and 2011 Best Picture for The Artist.</p>
<p>The problem with the Oscars is that they’re just so… stodgy somehow, so behind the times. And too predictable. Remember when Crash beat out Brokeback Mountain? Some people I knew were pleased because they finally picked a movie that dealt with race. That’s good and all but shouldn’t they have done that long ago, at least when Do the Right Thing came out?</p>
<p>Then I looked up Do the Right Thing and that year, it wasn’t even nominated for best picture. It was only nominated for screenplay and Dead Poet’s Society won that award. Best Picture that year? Driving Miss Daisy!!!</p>
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<p>My experience was so different. I found the Lincoln portrayed by Day as a plodding, completely uninspiring leader, whose long-winded stories almost made me get up and walk out of the theater. I cannot imagine sitting through that film twice more.</p>
<p>MaineLonghorn, I felt the same way about DDL’s Lincoln performance. The guy is an acting genius, as evidenced by a spectacular body of work: Last of the Mohicans, My Left Foot, The Age of Innocence, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, In the Name of the Father, Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood (now that’s a film I could barely sit through once, but not because of the acting), and now Lincoln. And thanks for the historical point about Thaddeus Stevens’ wig. I thought it probably wasn’t a matter of just not being able to find one that fit Tommy Lee Jones. :)</p>
<p>FWIW, people have always complained about the Oscars. Including me - no performance Oscars for Barbara Stanwyck and Greta Garbo? Vertigo and Jimmy Stewart’s performance in it not even nominated? Edward G. Robinson not nominated - ever? And don’t get me started on the songs: [Steve</a> Lawrence/Sammy Davis Jr. - Not Even Nominated - YouTube](<a href=“Steve Lawrence/Sammy Davis Jr. - Not Even Nominated - YouTube”>Steve Lawrence/Sammy Davis Jr. - Not Even Nominated - YouTube)</p>
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Well, it’s a supporting actress nomination, so it’s appropriate that it’s a small role. Beatrice Straight won that award for Network when she was on-screen for just five minutes. It’s not the quantity, it’s the quality. And what Jacki Weaver “does” is create a completely credible and fully fleshed out character despite her limited screen time. (I never felt her “acting”–as opposed to Daniel Day Lewis, who is so acting so damn hard every minute.) David O. Russell pulls amazing performances from his supporting actors–just think of the mother and sisters in The Fighter.</p>
<p>I had looked up Thaddeus Stevens after seeing the movie and learned that he wore an “ill-fitting” wig. I didn’t read anything about it looking silly and distracting, which is what I thought of the one worn by Jones.</p>
<p>For a $50 mill film that was “heavily researched,” the role of Mary was miscast. Sally Field is more than 10 years older than Day, while Mary was 10 years younger than Lincoln.</p>
<p>"Members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominated film editors, etc. However within the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominations are selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees.</p>
<p>All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees."</p>
<p>I liked Lincoln very much, including the art direction. Was already familiar with the Argo story, but certainly though Affleck looked great.</p>