Nerd 5’s Oscars Season Coverage Presents: Oscar Nominations… Snubs, Scrubs and Surprises Edition!

          

            Sections is RED have been updated.

            January 16^th 2014, IS OSCAR ANNOUCMENT DAY!! I am just a little excited. Tonight we are going to take a look at a couple of things. First being who I would nominated for the award, the next being my predications of who will actually be nominated, and if those are correct who would win. My personal predictions will be listed alphabetically, like the Oscars do and I’ll be handing my acting awards in this year’s Top 30 Acting performances of 2013 and 20 Best films of 2013 (because 10 just won’t cut it this year) and of course more through the month, for now It’ll just be the top 5. Also not every category will be covered here; we are leaving out all the short film categories, foreign films, and documentaries mainly because I’ve not seen enough of them to judge; and for the purpose of time I’m limiting my technical categories too.  

            After the awards are announced I’ll update the article with the real nominations, but for tonight here we go! Enjoy!! I know I will

            Well, now that Nominations have arrived, it’s time to talk about what we got right, what got snubbed and what doesn’t deserve to be here! Now let’s jump in!! Snubs. Scrubs and Surprises edition; snubs being people who were shut out and scrubs being people who are overrated and not deserving of their nominations and surprises… well you know what a surprise is.

            Before I jump into this article I want to say this; Inside Llewyn Davis is my biggest snub of the year. It should have been nominated for Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Actor, and Supporting Actress… but it wasn’t and I’m not happy about it. I want to say That the two awards it is up for, Cinematography and Sound Mixing, are very deserved, but this film deserved more. So let me say this here; Inside Llewyn Davis was snubbed in every category, so I won’t list it below but I’m not happy about it.  

Best Picture

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
12 Years a Slave	12 Years a Slave	American Hustle
Dallas Buyers Club	American Hustle	Captain Phillips
Frozen	Dallas Buyers Club	Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity	Gravity	Gravity
Her	Her	Her
Inside Llewyn Davis	Nebraska	Nebraska
Nebraska	Philomena	Philomena
Philomena	The Wolf of Wall Street	12 Years a Slave
Saving Mr. Banks	(IF There is 9) Inside Llewyn Davis	The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street	(IF There is 10) Saving Mr. Banks

Well only 9 films nominated this year, it’s a three year trend now, but there are some definite snubs and scrubs.

Best Picture Snubs: Saving Mr. Banks

Best Picture Scrubs: Captain Phillips, American Hustle

Best Picture Surprises: None really…

Best Director

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Joel and Ethan Coen – Inside Llewyn Davis	Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity	American Hustle – David O. Russell
Alfonso Curron – Gravity	Spike Jonez – Her	Gravity – Alfonso Cuaron
Spike Jonez – Her	Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave	Nebraska – Alexander Payne
Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave	David O. Russell – American Hustle	12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen
Alexander Payne -- Nebraska	Martin Scorsese – The Wolf of Wall Street	The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorsese

A strong year for directing means a strong category for awards season. Scorsese sneaks in based on merit and a good film, while somehow David O. Russell has tricked the academy into another undeserved nomination; while I’m presently surprised that Payne pulls a nomination because his work with Nebraska is great

Director Snubs: Spike Jonez – Her

Director Scrubs: David O. Russell – American Hustle

Director Surprises: Alexander Payne – Nebraska

Best Actor

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Bruce Dern – Nebraska	Bruce Dern – Nebraska	Christian Bale – American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street	Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years A Slave	Bruce Dern – Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave	Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips	Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Issac – Inside Llewyn Davis	Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club	Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyser Club	Robert Redford – All is Lost	Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

This is likely one of the best years in Best Actor history; it’s been a crazy good year for male leading performances, there is an entire other category full of deserving actors this year. These five are very good and even the bottom performance could have one in another year. Relish years like this because they are not likely to come around again soon.  

Best Actor Snubs: Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips, Robert Redford – All is Lost, Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis,  Forest Whitaker – Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Joaquin Phoenix -- Her

Best Actor Scrubs: Christian Bale – American Hustle (he’s very good, no doubt, but not one of the top 5)

Best Actor Surprises: Christian Bale – American Hustle (not many people thought he’d sneak into the nomination group this year, and Mr. Hanks is sad on the outside looking in)

Best Actress

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Amy Acker – Much Ado About Nothing	Amy Adams – American Hustle	Amy Adams – American Hustle
Sandra Bullock – Gravity	Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine	Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Judi Dench – Philomena	Sandra Bullock – Gravity	Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Adele Exarchopoulos – Blue is the Warmest Color	Judi Dench – Philomena	Judi Dench -- Philomena
Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks	Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks	Meryl Streep – August: Osage County

Guys, I hate taking this position as I really do love Meryl Streep, but she does not deserve to be here, there are times in August: Osage County where she is downright bad. I’m sorry to say that but it’s true. Streep is great, but not perfect. This is the biggest mistake of this year’s Oscars. The other 4 of this category were pretty locked in

Best Actress Snubs: Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks

Best Actress Scrubs: Meryl Streep – August: Osage County

Best Actress Surprises: Streep over Thompson… just wow. Thompson is wonder in a rare role for a woman that doesn’t revolve around a romantic relationship with a man or about the struggles of motherhood; it’s even more rare to have it come from a woman over 50 is even more rare… and in fact one of the few from an actress not name Streep.

Best Supporting Actor

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave	Daniel Bruhl – Rush	Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
James Franco – Spring Breakers	Bradley Cooper – American Hustle	Bradley Cooper – American Hustle
Tom Hiddleston – Thor: The Dark World	Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave	Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street	Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street	Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club	Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club	Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

A pretty unshocking category overall, I think it’ll be a tight race between Leto, Fassbender, and Cooper. Everyone is just happy to be here

Supporting Actor Snubs: James Franco – Spring Breakers (just saying, fascinating film – although I’m not sure if it’s good—and an even more fascinating performance.

Supporting Actor Scrubs: None—all actors are pretty deserving here.

Supporting Actor Surprises: Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street (he’s not been nominated in any other major awards show this year, yet he appears here, very deservedly so, good job Hill)

Best Supporting Actress

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle	Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle	Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine
Carrie Mulligan – Inside Llewyn Davis	Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave	Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave	Octavia Spencer – Fruitvale Station	Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave
Octavia Spencer – Fruitvale Station	June Squibb – Nebraska	Julia Roberts – August: Osage County
Oprah Winfrey – Lee Daniels’ The Butler	Oprah Winfrey – Lee Daniels’ The Butler	June Squibb – Nebraska

With Lawrence pulling the upset at The Golden Globes, I would not shocked to see her go back to back as she’s possibly the most popular actress on the planet right now. Spencer needs to be mentioned as she’s flawless in Fruitvale Station and gives one of the most emotional performances of the year, a true tear-jerker. June Squibb is amazing and Lupita Nyong’o is still the front runner for this award for her transformative and memorable role in 12 Years a Slave.

A couple of surprises here one nice, Hawkins (a very deserved nomination) and Roberts (a very undeserved nomination

Supporting Actress Snubs: Octavia Spencer – Fruitvale Station is one of the most criminally underrated films of the year and Spencer’s nomination would have be a least a small tip of the hat to this great film.

Supporting Actress Scrubs: Julia Roberts – August: Osage County (star power! Activate!)

Supporting Actress Surprises: The fact that Roberts is this category is one of the biggest shocks of this whole process.

Best Original Screenplay

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack – Dallas Buyers Club	Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack – Dallas Buyers Club	Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell – American Hustle
Joel and Ethan Coen – Inside Llewyn Davis	Joel and Ethan Coen – Inside Llewyn Davis	Woody Allen – Blue Jasmine
Spike Jonez – Her	Spike Jonez – Her	Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack – Dallas Buyers Club
Bob Nelson – Nebraska	Bob Nelson – Nebraska	Spike Jonze – Her
Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright – The World’s End	David O. Russell & Eric Singer – American Hustle	Bob Nelson – Nebraska

Original Screenplay Snubs: Joel and Ethan Coen – Inside Llewyn Davis (so good it cannot be not mentioned here), Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright – The World’s End

Original Screenplay Scrubs: Singer & Russell (this film is full of great acting performances, but the overall story and screenplay are a convoluted confusing mess. It’s what really hurts this film.)

Original Screenplay Surprises: Dallas Buyers Club picking up the nod here was a great little shock in the announcement section

Best Adapted Screenplay

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Simon Beaufoy & Michael deBruyn (Michael Arndt) – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire	Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope – Philomena	Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke – Before Midnight
Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope – Philomena	Jule Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater – Before Midnight	Billy Ray – Captain Phillips
Abdellatif Kechiche & Ghalia Lacroix – Blue is the Warmest Color	Abdellatif Kechiche & Ghalia Lacroix – Blue is the Warmest Color	Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope – Philomena
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber – The Spectacular Now	John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave	John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave
John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave	Terence Winter – The Wolf of Wall Street	Terence Winter – The Wolf of Wall Street.

Really nothing much shocking or surprising here, some of the films I wanted were not here but that was more wishful thinking than anything else. I’m rooting for Philomena as that is the best screenplay out of all these listed.

Adapted Screenplay Snubs: Nothing

Adapted Screenplay Scrubs: Nada

Adapted Screenplay Surprises: None

Best Animated Feature

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2	Despicable Me 2	The Croods
Ernest & Celestine	Ernest & Celestine	Despicable Me 2
Frozen	Frozen	Ernest & Celestine
Monsters University	Monsters University	Frozen
The Wind Rises	The Wind Rises	The Wind Rises

Best Animation Snubs: Monsters University – The first years since 2011 that Pixar has had a film in theatres and it didn’t get an Oscar nod, however that film was Cars 2 and this film Monsters University is much better. Sad day.

Best Animation Scrubs: The Croods, Despicable Me 2 – These films did well at the box office, but not good enoght to be here over Monsters University. Ehhh, no big deal really Frozen is the easiest guarantee of the year.

Best Animation Surprises: The Croods, was a shock to end up here. But hey I guess it’s more deserving the Despicable Me 2

Best Original Score

Josh’s Picks (Alphabetical)	Oscar Predictions	Oscar Reality (ComingSoon)
William Butler & Owen Pallett – Her	Alex Ebert – All is Lost	John Williams – The Book Thief
Thomas Newman – Saving Mr. Banks	Thomas Newman – Saving Mr. Banks	Steven Price – Gravity
Mark Orton – Nebraska	Stephen Price – Gravity	William Butler and Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire) – Her
Stephen Price – Gravity	John Williams – The Book Thief	Alexandre Desplat – Pholomena
The Book Thief – John Williams	Hans Zimmer – 12 Years a Slave	Thomas Newman – Saving Mr. Banks

Pretty happy all around here these are five fine scores, I’m rooting for Newman myself. But be happy no matter what!

Best Score Snubs: Nothing

Best Score Scrubs: Nothing

Best Score Surprises: Arcade Fire and Newman were both great surprises this morning one of the few categories where The Academy went five for five.

Talk to you soon!!