This year’s Oscar list is as notable for its snubs as for its nominees.
The Best Picture category, which has included 10 films since 2009, features only nine this time. In a year so rife with great films, surely the Academy could have come up with one more nominee. I would give the spot to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” — the most authentic, heartfelt high school drama I’ve ever seen.
To make room for another deserving film like the harrowing addiction thriller “Flight,” the Academy could have booted “Les Misérables.” Sure, it’s an ambitious production, but the film is also a big, bloated mess; its breathless pace and splashy musical set-pieces undermine the story’s attempt to create a sense of intimacy.
Leading the race with 12 nominations is “Lincoln” — a worthy but safe nominee. While Best Director nominee Steven Spielberg paints a stately portrait of the Civil War era, snubbed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino holds a funhouse mirror up to it with the slave-turned-gunslinger revenge fantasy, “Django Unchained.” While “Lincoln” represents respectable, stuffy Oscar bait, “Django” is an ideal Best Picture nominee, as it engages in daring dialogue with history. (It offers plenty of juicy popcorn entertainment as well.)
Although it may seem equally safe and sentimental as “Lincoln,” “Silver Linings Playbook” deserves all its accolades. With it, writer-director David O. Russell (“Three Kings,” “The Fighter”) breathes new life into the tired themes of mental illness, family and romance. As vibrant and frenetic as its bipolar lead character (played by a never-better Bradley Cooper), “Silver Linings Playbook” keeps viewers on edge even as it heads in predictable directions.
Practically the whole cast of “Playbook” is nominated for acting, and all the members are deserving, especially Robert De Niro, who gives his most dynamic performance in years.
In terms of the acting category, perhaps the boldest inclusion on the list is Joaquin Phoenix for Best Actor in “The Master.” As the post-WWII era waif at the forefront of the story, he is magnetic and mesmerizing.But his performance is also bizarre. Rarely does the Academy recognize a performance so eccentric and alien. Unfortunately, the Academy did not recognize the director that drew this powerful portrayal, the great Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights” and “There Will Be Blood”).
Oddly enough, every actor in the Best Supporting Actor category has already won an Oscar. Perhaps the Academy could have given a nod to someone who hasn’t, such as Leonardo DiCaprio for his delicious turn in “Django Unchained” as a menacing plantation owner.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Emma Watson deserved a nod for her tender, poignant performance as a high school student in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” which beautifully embodied the melancholy wonder of youth. Jacki Weaver could have been booted from the category for her performance in “Silver Linings Playbook.” Frankly, she doesn’t do much in that film.
The big film that is stirring up a lot of buzz at the moment is “Zero Dark Thirty,” which chronicles the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Star Jessica Chastain is a shoo-in for Best Actress and many critics are upset about its director Kathryn Bigelow being snubbed. (Bigelow was the first female filmmaker to win Best Director for another film about the War on Terror, “The Hurt Locker.”) “Zero Dark Thirty” opens this weekend; stay tuned for my review.
All in all, this year’s Oscar list is worthy and well-rounded. Who knows what the ceremony’s host and “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarlane will say about it. Be sure to tune in to ABC on Feb. 24 for the 85thannual Academy Awards.
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