We take a look at the movies, directors and actors that were ignored at the 85th Academy Award nominations.
Weeks of speculation finally came to an end yesterday, with the announcement of the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards, which take place on Sunday February 24th.
There are 122 nominees in 24 categories, and leading the race is Steven Speilberg's Lincoln, with a whopping 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis. Silver Linings Playbook, directed by David O. Russell is an unexpected contender for the Big Five - Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay - but which films did not get the recognition they deserve?
Brogen Hayes has trawled through the nominations to find out the big losers at this year's Academy Awards.
Cabin in the Woods
The Academy does not have a history of acknowledging horror comedies, or horrors at all, but since the Academy fell in love with Bridesmaids last year, we thought Cabin in the Woods would at least get recognised for it’s fantastic script. It seems the Academy thought differently, and Joss Whedon will just have to by happy that Avengers Assemble got a nod for Visual Effects.
Skyfall
James Bond’s 50th outing has been nominated for five awards – Song, Cinematography, Original Score, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing – and while this is the first time a Bond film has been Oscar nominated since 1982’s For Your Eyes Only, may fans were left wondering at the lack of nominations in the big categories. Sam Mendes lost out for Best Director, Judi Dench for Supporting Actress, Javier Bardem for Supporting Actor and the film was not nominated for Best Picture, despite the fact that it won almost universal acclaim and was the first official Bond movie to pass the $1 billion mark at the box office.
Samuel L. Jackson – Django Unchained
Django Unchained hits cinemas next week, and while Tarantino’s latest has been nominated for five awards – including Best Picture – many feel that Samuel L. Jackson was unfairly overlooked for his portrayal of the evil and institutionalised Stephen. Yes, Samuel L. Jackson has played roles that have been more entertaining, but he has rarely been as good on screen. A crying shame.
Ben Affleck – Argo
Argo was incredibly well received on its release last year, and many had Ben Affleck’s name at the top of their predictions list. Sadly, this was not to be and Ben Affleck’s work on Argo – one of the standout films of 2012 – continues to go unrecognised by the Academy. Keep trying Ben!
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Another shameful snub in the Best Director category; Kathryn ‘The Hurt Locker’ Bigelow. Maybe it is because Zero Dark Thirty is the director’s second film about the US led War on Terror, or maybe it’s because the Academy fears the wrath of James Cameron, who lost out to Bigelow at the 2010 Oscars, then promptly promised to make three Avatar sequels. We’re sorry, James!