Three Oscar Races That Just Got Real

Forget "Surprises and Snubs" - this is the long and the short of when the Academy got it right and where it went off its rocker.

1. Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

The Academy better watch it's back - one more DiCaprio shutout and things will get ugly. Look at him and that hammer! 

At the unusually entertaining Oscar Announcement, presenter Emma Stone wittily pointed out all of the nominees in this category have already won before. Co-presenter and this year's host Seth MacFarlane went even further by quipping “Breath of fresh air in that category…” to which the crowd laughed earnestly if not nervously, really begging the question: WHAT IS THE ACADEMY’S PROBLEM WITH LEO???? At this point, this is just getting ridiculous. I have gone over almost every scenario in my head and it just doesn’t make sense. Was Robert De Niro great? Of course! All of them were but DiCaprio’s role was unique in that it required abandon and control that we rarely get to see except when you pair a great actor with a contentious role. He was remarkable and vile - you could not stop watching him and yet you could not wait for him to die horrifically as you knew he must. I cannot fathom a single reason as to the Academy’s continued dismissal of him as an actor. For the time being, I abstain from choosing one of these fine performers because as far as I’m concerned, the BEST is not among the nominees.

2. Best Director

Ben Affleck graciously poked fun at his Oscar snub as he accepted the Critics Choice award - take that, Academy! 

The half-cocked director category was missing major contenders as favorites Ben Affleck (Argo) and Quentin Tarantino (Django) were bypassed for David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), Michael Haneke (Amour), and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild). Also overlooked, although not as surprisingly, was Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) which I suspect is partially due to the controversy that continues to surround the film’s depiction of torture. The same can be argued, in a way, about Django but then why would both film be nominated in the Screenplay categories? It’s a mystery and a shame but the real loser here is Mr. Affleck.  As last night’s Critics Choice winner for Best Director, this clearly was meant to be his year.

3. Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

There once was a Hushpuppy who was a total badass and became the youngest Oscar nominee EVER!

In searching for a lead actress, age apparently doesn’t matter to the Academy. This year was extraordinarily diverse in terms of each particular actress and the roles they took on. We have an 85 year old Emmanuelle Riva (Amour) going up against 9 year old (but was 6 years old when she actually made the film) Quvenzhané Wallis – the pint-sized powerhouse from Beasts of the Southern Wild. Neither may be able to beat the formidable Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) – both of whom have been nominated before, despite their youth and relatively recent arrival on the Academy’s radar (Lawrence was nominated in 2010 and Chastain in 2011.) Clearly these two are the future of Hollywood yet as Riva and Wallis show, it’s never too late – or early – to get into the game.

So Lincoln leads with 12 noms and Life of Pi follows closely behind with 11 - not surprising but what is interesting to note was the Academy’s attention to the little guy over the blockbusters. Silver Linings Playbook and Les Misérables both received 8 nominations, Amour tied with Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty for 5, and Beasts of the Southern Wild earned 4 which is 4 more than expected considering they were pretty much shut out of the Golden Globes. It certainly will be an interesting season so keep your eyes out for my coming reviews of all the Best Picture nominees. Happy watching!