2013 Academy Awards Nominations

This morning the contenders where released for the 85th Academy Awards and I must say, I’m pretty surprised with the outcome. There were some serious snubs this year that I don’t think anyone saw coming. Anyway here’s the list…

Best Picture

• Amour
• Life of Pi
• Argo
• Lincoln
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Django Unchained
• Zero Dark Thirty
• Les Miserables

Actor in a Leading Role

• Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
• Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
• Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
• Denzel Washington in Flight
• Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables

Actress in a Leading Role

• Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
• Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
• Naomi Watts in The Impossible
• Emmanuelle Riva in Amour

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Alan Arkin in Argo
• Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
• Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln
• Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Amy Adams in The Master
• Sally Field in Lincoln
• Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables
• Helen Hunt in The Sessions
• Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook

Animated Feature Film

• Brave
  
• Frankenweenie
• ParaNorman
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits
• Wreck-It-Ralph

Cinematography

• Anna Karenina
• Django Unchained
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Skyfall

Costume Design

• Anna Karenina
• Les Miserables
• Lincoln
• Mirror Mirror
• Snow White and the Huntsman

Directing

• Michael Haneke for Amour
• Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Ang Lee for Life of Pi
• Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
• David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook

Documentary Feature

• 5 Broken Cameras
• The Gatekeepers
• How to Survive a Plague
• The Invisible War
• Searching for Sugar Man

Documentary Short

• Inocente
• Kings Point
• Mondays at Racine
• Open Heart
• Redemption

Film Editing

• Argo
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Zero Dark Thirty

Foreign Language Film

• Amour
• Kon-Tiki
• No
• A Royal Affair
• War Witch

Makeup and Hairstyling

• Hitchcock
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Les Miserables

Music–Original Score

• Anna Karenina
• Argo
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Skyfall

Music–Original Song

• “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice
• “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from Ted
• “Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi
• “Skyfall” from Skyfall
• “Suddenly” from Les Miserables

Production Design

• Anna Karenina
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Les Miserables
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln

Short Film Animated

• Adam and Dog
  
• Fresh Guacamole
• Head Over Heels
• Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
• Paperman

Short Film Live Action

• Asad
  
• Buzkashi Boys
• Curfew
• Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
• Henry

Sound Editing

• Argo
  
• Django Unchained
• Life of Pi
• Skyfall
• Zero Dark Thirty

Sound Mixing

• Argo
  
• Les Miserables
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Skyfall

Visual Effects

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  
• Life of Pi
• Marvel’s The Avengers
• Prometheus
• Snow White and the Huntsman

Writing Adapted Screenplay

• Argo
  
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Silver Linings Playbook

Writing Original Screenplay

• Amour
  
• Django Unchained
• Flight
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Zero Dark Thirty

Now that all the nominations have been made, I’m going to try and take the next month and a half to see as many of these films as I can so I make my predictions for who will win.

30 Day Movie Challenge: Day #24

Day 24. Movie With Your Favorite Soundtrack

I’m a person who will like a movie a million times better just by what the soundtrack is like. If there are bad songs that don’t really fit the movie, it takes me out of the story and I just find it distracting. I also just want to point out that I’ve been listening to Skyfall by Adele since it came out. That song alone makes me think that the new Bond film will have an excellent soundtrack.

• Pitch Perfect (2012)–Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girl singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition. Starring Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp and Rebel Wilson. The soundtrack is full of popular songs of right now mashed up with other songs…all sung without music. Some of the songs that make an appearance are “Since U Been Gone,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Just a Dream,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Magic,” and “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”. The songs are fun and it’s always entertaining to hear songs in new arrangements! It’s the college version of Glee basically.

• What A Girl Wants (2003)–An American teenager learns that her father is a wealthy politician running for office. Although she is eager to find him, she realizes it could cause a scandal and cost him the election. Starring Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth and Kelly Preston. I’m not really sure why I love the music so much but I listen to it all the time. I feel like the songs really worked for the story. Plus Oliver James singing is so adorable!

• Hanna (2011)–A 16-year-old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana. This soundtrack isn’t really songs, it’s a score by The Chemical Brothers. But it’s still one of the best soundtracks! The combination of action and childlike innocence. It’s eerily beautiful. Plus, “The Devil is in the Beats” is my running song…I like to pretend I’m a teenage assassin.

• 8 Mile (2002)–A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make the most of what could be his final opportunity but his problems give him doubts. Starring Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger and Mekhi Phifer. I always have been and always will be obsessed with “Lose Yourself”…my brother and I used to walk around the mall rapping this song. I’m a fan of Eminem’s other songs but this is by far his best one!

• The Fighting Temptations (2003)–A New York advertising executive travels to a small Southern town to collect an inheritance but finds he must create a gospel choir and lead it to success before he can collect. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyonce Knowles and Mike Epps. Even though I’m not really religious, I have a huge love for gospel music. It’s fresh and fun and they even rap a little! And come on, who doesn’t want to hear Beyonce sing “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”?

What’s your favorite movie soundtrack??