2012 was a weird year for film . That isn’t to say there weren’t some great ones, but even some of the greats were a little odd. The 2013 Oscar nominees were recently announced , and let’s just say that they reflect this strangeness perfectly. Even so, there’s a little something for everyone. Sure, there’s a lot going on with the 85th Academy Awards that a number of folks won’t care about. Not everyone’s a cinephile, after all, but it’s still pretty exciting to see Wreck-It Ralph , Brave , The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , and Django Unchained get nods .
Just to get it out of the way immediately, here’s the nominees for Best Picture :
Amour Argo Beasts of the Southern Wild Django Unchained Les Misérables Life of Pi Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook Zero Dark Thirty
I’ve seen a whopping two of those — Beasts of the Southern Wild and Django Unchained — but none are that surprising. Beasts received a good deal of critical praise, and the rest are your typical Best Picture nominations. The real surprises are in the other categories.
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1. The Longest Daycare
The short film The Longest Daycare Ice Age: Continental Drift in theaters. You'll notice that the Ice Age sequel is absent from the list of nominees.
The short's nominated for Best Animated Short Film , though, and it rightly deserves it. There's apparently no good way to currently view it, save some shaky and illegal footage filmed from the theaters, but it takes place either during or after the "A Streetcar Named Marge" episode of The Simpsons since Maggie's adventure centers around the Ayn Rand School for Tots.
A quick synopsis: Maggie attempts to save a butterfly from the certain doom that is her nemesis Baby Gerald. I won't spoil anything further, but it's absolutely worth watching if you can manage to find it.
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Of all the nominations that the first installment of The Hobbit Best Visual Effects , Best Makeup and Hairstyling , and Best Production Design all include a nomination for the film.
Anyone that thinks The Hobbit deserves a Best Picture nod apparently didn't see the same movie that I did. It was good for what it was, but it doesn't really fair well in comparison to even The Fellowship of the Ring , let alone something like Django Unchained .
3. Wreck-It Ralph
Yay, Wreck-It Ralph Best Animated Feature . If you can't tell, we're all pretty big fans of the movie here at Geekosystem.
Even so, Ralph will have some stiff competition. The same category includes Brave , Frankenweenie , ParaNorman , and The Pirates! Band of Misfits . Pixar has a history of winning the category on the regular since its inception, so Brave is probably the biggest opponent here.
It'll be interesting to see which film makes out with the award.
4. Paperman
Even if Wreck-It Ralph is robbed of its Oscar, the short film from Ralph 's opening, Paperman Best Animated Short Film . That's the same category as The Longest Daycare , so it's not like Paperman is without competition, but there's still a good chance it could win.
5. The Avengers
The one and only nomination for Joss Whedon's take on The Avengers Best Visual Effects . Considering the competition from the same category, like Prometheus , my money's on the film taking its one and only nomination all the way to the bank.
6. Lincoln
Lincoln not nominated for than those that it is.
Considering that the cast is stuffed to the brim with talent and Spielberg's behind it, it's not surprising to see it all over the nominations.
7. Ted
Even Seth MacFarlane managed to walk away with a nomination for Best Original Song . Ted 's "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" is the one nominated, and it includes lyrics by MacFarlane.
You can listen to the song for yourself here.
8. Snow White and the Huntsman
Of all the films nominated that I managed to see this past year, Snow White and the Huntsman Best Visual Effects is one that it deserves.
Charlize Theron's transformations were by far the best thing the film had to offer. Unfortunately, it'll likely lose to The Avengers .
9. Django Unchained
Ah, Django Unchained Best Picture , Best Supporting Actor , Best Original Screenplay , Best Cinematography , and Best Sound Editing .
It's hard to imagine that it'll walk away without at least one of these, especially since it's Christoph Waltz in the running for Best Supporting Actor. The man's excellent.
(via 2013 Oscar Nominees , image via prayitno )
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