The 2012-2013 Oscars! Hosted by Seth McFarlane.

[Still Servant]

I definitely thought last year was a weaker year for film (compared to this year's offerings). I don't think I've seen too many of the probable nominees, but will before the show. And it's also nice to see some "darker" films getting some buzz (Zero Dark Thirty, Django, Les Miserables). Don't get me wrong, last year has some good films, but they were fairly lighthearted, in my opinion (Hugo, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, etc. I didn't see War Horse so can't comment on that one). Nothing in the vein of Black Swan, Winter's Bone, or True Grit from a couple years back.

I too hope to see many of the films that get nominated before the big night. I'm really looking forward to Zero Dark Thirty. I didn't really notice it until you listed the films, but you're right, they were way more lighthearted. The Artist may be the lightest of light. I could see the Academy going in the complete opposite direction this year and giving it to something gritty like Zero Dark thirty.

Also, I just watched War Horse last week and I enjoyed it for what it was. It's beautifully shot and tugs at your heart strings, but it's also very cheesy at times and highly improbable. The other problem is lack of a main character. We are constantly shifting from POV's of the people that come into contact with the horse. Essentially, the horse is the main character. Not an easy thing to pull off.

War Horse also includes one of the most eye roll inducing scenes of the year where German soldiers and English soldiers in opposite trenches call a truce to help the horse. They are talking like they are life long buddies and the German soldier speaks perfect English. God forbid they should use subtitles because you know how much us American hate subtitles.

[Ricky]

I could see the Academy going in the complete opposite direction this year and giving it to something gritty like Zero Dark thirty.

That would be great. Obviously I haven't seen it, but it looks really good. Homeland the Movie.

And I saw all of the BP nominees last year except for War Horse. I just couldn't help not being interested in seeing it.

[Ricky]

Lots of suprises in the nominations this morning. What was most suprising to me (and a lot of other people, it looks like) was the Best Director category: no nomination for Bigelow, Hooper, OR Affleck.

It seemed for a little while that Skyfall might get a BP nomination, but no dice. Makes me wonder if it would have if it weren't for Beasts of the Southern wild (another suprise, I thought) and Amour.

And while it definitely wasn't the best film of the year, it's a shame that The Dark Knight Rises wasn't nominated for a single thing. No sound, effects, mixing, nothing.

I haven't seen any of the BP nominees yet, but it definitely looks like a tough category. Lots of really good ones, by the looks of it.

[Ricky]

Lots of suprises in the nominations this morning. What was most suprising to me (and a lot of other people, it looks like) was the Best Director category: no nomination for Bigelow, Hooper, OR Affleck.

It seemed for a little while that Skyfall might get a BP nomination, but no dice. Makes me wonder if it would have if it weren't for Beasts of the Southern wild (another suprise, I thought) and Amour.

And while it definitely wasn't the best film of the year, it's a shame that The Dark Knight Rises wasn't nominated for a single thing. No sound, effects, mixing, nothing.

I haven't seen any of the BP nominees yet, but it definitely looks like a tough category. Lots of really good ones, by the looks of it. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it'll be either Zero Dark Thirty or Lincoln.

[Merlin1958]

A sign of things to come?

Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper, Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg nominated by the Directors Guild of America.

Yeah, I think that sounds about right. Seems like those names are the consensus names I've been hearing. I think PTA might be able to sneak in. Also, the director of Amour could get in there. That movie is on fire right now. If I had to choose, I would say Tarantino gets in there. Django is hot right now. I could see Hooper being left out.

Also, Billy Crystal hosted last year. He wasn't nearly as memorable as in the past. He was still better than Franco/Hathaway the year before. Not Hathaway's fault, she was trying to carry him, but he was like an anchor.

Well, Oscar nominations come out Thursday. This is always an exciting time of year. Because I'm bored, I'm going to predict some nominations:

Best Picture
1. Argo
2. Lincoln
3. Zero Dark Thirty
4. Les Miserables
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. Amour
7. Django Unchained
8. Skyfall
Life of Pi

Best Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
2. John Hawkes, The Sessions
3. Denzel Washington, Flight
4. Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
5. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

You may hear Phoenix's name for The Master, but his disdain for the Oscars and everything that goes along with it means there is no way they honor him with a nomination.

Best Actress
1. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Naomi Watts, The Impossible
4. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
5. Hellen Mirren, Hitchock

Mirren is my surprise pick here. There's always one. Hitchock was underwhelming, but her performance is supposed to be really good. I've heard a lot about the little girl from Beasts of the Southern Wild, but I think she is just too young.

Best Supporting Actress
1. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
2. Sally Field, Lincoln
3. Helen Hunt, The Sessions
4. Amy Adams, The Master
5. Samantha Barks, Les Miserables

Most lists I've seen aren't even mentioning Barks. I'm just going on a hunch here. Plus, I'm not crazy about any of the other possibilities. Barks is a newcomer that really outshines some huge actors in the second half of Les Miserables. If she gets a nomination, I will look like a genius.

Best Supporting Actor
1. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
2. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
3. Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook
4. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
5. Leonardo diCaprio, Django Unchained

This was a hard one. I really like Arkin's performance in Argo and the Academy likes to reward comedic performances in the supporting category. I just think DiCaprio is so good in Django as a charmingly evil slave owner. He plays against type, which the Academy loves. Leo has never won, but he could take home his first Oscar. It's not going to be easy to beat Waltz who's equally as captivating in Django. Waltz has already won though and it was only 2 years ago. The other competition will be tough too. Should be interesting.

I have yet to see the list. So, how'd you do?

[Still Servant]

Merlin, I did pretty well with my predictions. I got only 1 best picture prediction wrong. I thought Skyfall might snag a nom and didn't see Beasts coming. I thought John Hawkes was going to get nominated and didn't think they would snub him in favor for the ungrateful Phoenix. Took a shot with Hellen Mirren in best actress category, it went to Wallis. Took another shot with Barks, but they went with Weaver, giving Silver Linings Playbook an acting nomination for every category. I also thought Leo would get a nom, but not surprised it went to Arkin.

Where I went wrong, and where most people went wrong is best director. This category just got blown up. No noms for Affleck, Tarantino, Hooper or Bigelow. The problem we are running into is that there are 9 nominations for best picture and only 5 for best director. This means some great directors are going to get left out. I was really surprised to see the director of Amour and Beasts to get noms. That came out of nowhere. I'm happy for O'Russell. I've been a fan of his work since Three Kings. The most surprising directing omission has to be Affleck. I thought he was a lock for a best director nom and the film was a front runner for best picture. I'm still worried that people are still not respecting Affleck as a director, but that's for another thread.

[Ricky]

Thought these were pretty funny:

Best Picture Nominees Recast With Animals

[Ricky]

Oscar Roadtrip

Pretty cool! Coming to Baltimore on the 8th, so I'll see if I can track it down.