Under six weeks to push the Oscar baby out

Last week's Academy Award nominations definitely brought some shockers, which is always inevitable.  Most of the chatter has been all about Ben Affleck being left off the list for 'Argo' and Kathryn Bigelow for 'Zero Dark Thirty'.  Let's not forget they are still Academy Award-nominated producers for their films though.  Some say bad press for 'Zero Dark Thirty' may have hurt Bigelow's chances, as the director has come under fire for crafting a pro-torture film which she has been left to defend again and again, most recently in the Los Angeles Times.  Despite the snubs, it really was wonderful to see Michael Haneke and Benh Zeitlin recgonized for their work, allowing foreign and indie films a place at Oscar's table, a place that so many often complain should be there.  Throughout the year, I often hear friends talking about the great indie or foreign films that are being passed over for the mainstream critical hits.  As far as the Best Director nominations go, we do all have to remember that it is less than 400 people who decide those nominations.  It's a very small branch of the Academy that often likes to do their own thing, with results often very different from the DGA, Globes, BFCA, and other groups. 

Awards Daily's Sasha Stone posted a great piece yesterday stating the case for 'Lincoln'.  As someone who grew up cherishing Spielberg's films, I could very much to relate to her words.  For me, 'Lincoln' is the best film of the year and will be looked at in history classes to come and cherished by many, especially for its exceptional writing by Tony Kushner and standout performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, among others.  As Sasha Stone said in the above article, "Lincoln is a subtle, quiet, subdued, meditative masterpiece."

Are there other films I enjoyed this year?  Very much so.  'Looper' was a incredible idea that seemed lifted out of an entirely original sci-fi universe.  'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' broke my heart and put it back together.  'Silver Linings Playbook' was full of great characters, and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence gave their best performances with big careers still to come.  'Argo' was tensely paced and had me on the edge of my seat thoughtout, even if I already knew the ending.  'Life of Pi' was a visual wonder and prompted many discussions with friends and family after the viewing and having read the novel.  'Beasts of the Southern Wild' was a visual wonder and little Quvenzhané Wallis had me captivated throughout the beautifully sad film.

I still have a few films left to get to before the Oscars are handed out February 24th, including 'Amour', 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'The Master', 'The Sessions' and 'Django Unchained', but I can't wait to dig into them over the next month and keep the eye-opening 2012 film season going on into the beginning of 2013. 

85th Academy Award nominations

I'm back.  Here's the complete list of today's nominations.  More commentary on the season to come on Wednesday.

http://oscar.go.com/nominees