First, you kvell.
When the 2013 Academy Awards nominees were announced early Thursday morning, all ears were attuned to the expected names. Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong’o, Cate Blanchett, Matthew McConaughey and Bruce Dern all given nods in their respective categories? Check.
Video
"American Hustle" is one of the nine best picture nominees in this year's Academy Awards. The film's four stars, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, were also nominated for their performances in David O. Russell's film which is loosely based on the FBI's 1978 Abscam investigation.
Video
The 3-D space thriller "Gravity" chronicles astronaut Ryan Stone's (Sandra Bullock) desperate attempt to survive in space after an accident separates her from the NASA space shuttle she was working to repair. The movie was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy Awards.
“Gravity,” “American Hustle” and “12 Years a Slave” dominating nominations for acting, writing, directing and best picture? No big surprises there, and all as it should be.
Then, you cry. No nomination for Robert Redford for his astonishing one-man show in the gripping seafaring thriller “All Is Lost”? Outrage! No Tom Hanks, who delivered such a subtle tour de force in “Captain Phillips”? The nerve! No Oprah or Forest Whitaker for their superb performances in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”? Robbed, I tell you, robbed!
No love for “Inside Llewyn Davis,” other than deserved nods for sound mixing and cinematography? (The film’s brilliantly satiric ditty “Please Mr. Kennedy” should have been a shoo-in for best original song but was deemed not original enough due to its sly nods to previous ‘60s folk songs.) No “Stories We Tell” in the line-up for best documentary?!
Oh, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You exist to make us crazy.
Granted, in a year as strong as 2013, there are bound to be heartbreaks once the winnowing process begins. But Thursday’s shut-outs were notable, especially the near-complete zotzing of “Saving Mr. Banks,” a paean to Hollywood studio big-footing (er, collaboration) that only earned one nomination, for original score. Emma Thompson, who many predicted would be a shoo-in for her tart portrayal of “Mary Poppins” author P.L. Travers, went un-lauded, her spot presumably on permanent hold for Meryl Streep.
Still, having nominated nine films for best picture, surely the Academy could have come up with a tenth in such a strong year. What a perfect way to honor “Fruitvale Station,” Ryan Coogler’s stunning debut featuring a quietly electrifying lead performance by Michael B. Jordan — or at least “Saving Mr. Banks,” “Blue Jasmine” or “Llewyn Davis.”
The day’s biggest “Huh?!” came when the nominees for best original song were announced. Exactly which left field did “Alone But Not Alone” come from, and how did it snag a coveted Oscar nomination
After the kvelling and the crying, the questioning begins.
READ MORE:
Ann Hornaday’s picks for Best Movies of 2013
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1fBWK8E
0 comments:
Post a Comment