By Shawne Wang
No real surprises in the category of Best Film, which features nine of the most critically-acclaimed films of 2013 except, perhaps, for the fact that the Coen brothers` Inside Llewyn Davis has been quite unceremoniously left out in the cold.
There were a couple of surprise omissions in the acting categories, due in no small part to the surfeit of excellent cinematic performances we were treated to this year.
Most noticeably, Emma Thompson, of Saving Mr Banks, was missing from the Best Actress nominee list Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) taking the final slot with her 18th Oscar nomination. Anyone who`s enjoyed watching Thompson booze and schmooze her way through the awards circuit for the past month or so will surely be disappointed aside from the fact that she also turns in one of the most powerful and unforgettable performances of the year.
As proof that the voting juggernaut that is American Hustle can take down pretty much anything in its path, Tom Hanks, too, missed out on a Best Actor nomination for Captain Phillips, as did Robert Redford (All Is Lost) and Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), in favour of Christian Bale (American Hustle).
The nominations definitely prove that it`s been a year of great movies and great performances and hey, if you ever get bored about debating the merits of American Hustle (is it this year`s Crash?), you can delight in the fact that Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa can now officially say that it`s an Oscar-nominated film!
Here are the nominations for the 86th Academy Awards:
BEST PICTURE
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf Of Wall Street
BEST DIRECTOR
Steve McQueen – 12 Years A Slave
David O. Russell – American Hustle
Alfonso CuarÃ