Total Recall: 2013 Best Picture Nominees
We take a closer look at this year's contenders.
Awards season is in full swing, and film fans everywhere are either debating their picks for who's about to win or arguing over those who've already won. That goes double for us at RT, and to celebrate our annual embrace of Oscar fever, we've decided to dedicate this week's list to the films getting ready to duke it out for this year's Best Picture Academy Award. With room for real-life stories, a little romance, a few songs, some hard-hitting drama, and even some action and/or comedy, this year's batch of nominees is certainly an eclectic bunch -- so let's take a look at them all, reminisce about how many we've seen, and then hit the comments section to weigh in on their odds of winning come February 24. It's time for Total Recall!
Amour
93%
Michael Haneke's films aren't exactly known for their cheerfulness, and Amour is no exception -- but don't assume this unflinching look at a long-married couple's final days bears the director's typically misanthropic stamp. In fact, while it was on its way to earning the writer/director another round of awards show honors (including the Palme d'Or at Cannes) and critical hosannas, Amour also surprised a fair number of scribes with the warmth that glowed behind its patient, brutally honest depiction of love's unwillingness to yield in the face of death. "Growing old is a war, and movies rarely go there," observed Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News. "Michael Haneke's amazing, dignified Amour is the exception."
Argo
96%
An ensemble suspense thriller about the Iran hostage crisis, starring and directed by a guy whose career had been all but left for dead 10 years ago? Argo seemed like one of 2012's unlikeliest hits for any number of reasons -- not the least of which was that title -- but thanks to Ben Affleck's steady direction, a sharp Chris Terrio script, and impeccable work from its splendidly cast stars, it ended up raking in critical praise while racking up more than $100 million at the box office. "It's an embodiment of the kind of quality adult film that really shouldn't be an endangered species," observed the Village Voice's Karina Longworth. "And a love letter from Affleck to the industry that made him, shunned him, and loves nothing more than to be loved."
Beasts of the Southern Wild
86%
A year ago, saying the name "Benh Zeitlin" was liable to get you strange looks, or maybe a "Gesundheit" -- but today, Zeitlin is the Oscar-nominated director of Beasts of the Southern Wild, his startlingly assured debut picture about the denizens of the Bathtub, a Louisiana bayou community threatened by a looming storm (as well as herds of prehistoric creatures resurrected by the melting polar icecaps). Blending elements of drama and fantasy as artfully as any 2012 release not involving hobbits, Beasts thrilled critics like Tom Long of the Detroit News, who wrote that "The atmosphere Zeitlin develops here is moist with promise and danger, and he moves back and forth between outright fable and pungent reality with an astounding sureness of vision for a first-time director."
Django Unchained
88%
One of the toughest things about being a history buff -- aside from remembering all those names and dates -- is continually reading about all the rotten things that the human race has perpetrated upon undeserving victims. So three cheers for Quentin Tarantino, who's been on something of a revisionist history kick over his last couple of films: First with the anti-Nazi revenge fantasy of Inglourious Basterds, and now with the scathing slavery indictment Django Unchained, which funnels centuries of rage and injustice into a rollicking, bloody buddy pic about a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) and the slave (Jamie Foxx) he enlists to help him track down a trio of truly bad guys. As divisive as ever, Tarantino repelled some critics with Django's enthusiastically gory set pieces, but for others, it was just part of the experience -- like Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal, who called it "Wildly extravagant, ferociously violent, ludicrously lurid and outrageously entertaining, yet also, remarkably, very much about the pernicious lunacy of racism and, yes, slavery's singular horrors."
Les Misérables
70%
If you're going to film a property that's been adapted as many times as Les Miserables, you'd better bring something new to the table -- and that's exactly what director Tom Hooper did with his new version of the oft-told Victor Hugo tale, corralling an all-star cast (including Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, and Russell Crowe) and asking them to sing live on the set instead of lip-synching while the cameras rolled. The result was a holiday hit at the box office when it bowed on Christmas Day 2012 -- and an unsurprising target for critics who accused Hooper of going for broke with a two-and-a-half-hour piece of unapologetic Oscar bait. Whatever Hooper's hopes for Les Mis, it looks like Oscar took the invitation -- and so did critics like Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who wrote, "The piercing sincerity of this stupendous, heart-wrenching epic would move even the most jaded cynic. See it and weep."
This comment has been removed.
Giovanni Rodriguez
I agree with this guy :(
Jan 16 - 04:59 PM
Keith Allison
Probably. Though there is a chance it could go to Argo.
Jan 16 - 05:09 PM
Joe Renzo
I doubt it will go to Argo as the director was not even nominated.
Jan 16 - 06:39 PM
Perry Ah
a shame Affleck was snubbed.
Jan 16 - 09:07 PM
Eduardo Díaz
True but not impossible. In 1990 Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture and its director was not nominated. We'll see...
Jan 17 - 10:27 AM
Sebastian Ochoa
Yeah, but that film was not so great...
Jan 26 - 09:39 PM
Don Ammar
I hope it does go to Argo or Zero Dark Thirty. They are both incredible pieces of movie magic which inspire incredible amounts of emotion.
Jan 17 - 01:17 PM
Ric Almazar
I totally agree. I'll give my vote to either of the two.
Jan 18 - 03:55 PM
This comment has been removed.
Aaron Grossman
your opinions are the worst opinions
Jan 16 - 06:49 PM
Jacob Miller
Oh man. Totally.
Jan 17 - 01:41 PM
Gage Kent
Your opinions are terrible.
Jan 16 - 07:57 PM
Jansen Gefert
agreed
Jan 16 - 08:32 PM
Grant Avritt
I hope you're trolling. 2/10 made me respond.
Jan 16 - 09:02 PM
Max Power
no wonder you posted as alan smithee, terrible post absolutely terrible
Jan 17 - 09:36 AM
Don Ammar
If you consider Zero Dark Thirty "Hackneyed" in any shape or form you don't understand film, you don't understand conceptualizing real drama and you've never experienced movie magic. You're not just an idiot. You're an idiot who is fooling himself into believing that you're not. I respect opinions but I don't respect those that bash without any sort of corroboration. You're a fool. Good day tool bag.
Jan 17 - 01:11 PM
Alan Smithee
Either you've never seen the multitude of modern military programs on TV or you don't understand the term hackneyed in any shape or form. Go watch Generation Kill, Strike Back, The Unit, Homeland, Code Name: Geronimo, etc. Although something tells me you already waste your time watching all that junk... It's you, the jarhead Call of Duty generation that truly do not understand "drama", as you think standing around spouting a bunch of jargon while looking angry is what film is all about. You think waving the camera around like the cameraman is having a seizure in conjunction with a fast cut every millisecond is somehow a technical marvel. You don't have any clue about solid character development or creativity and instead fixate on whatever the next hot current event that can be unnecessarily exploited is. All you do is flock to whatever the critics and payed for by Weinstein Oscars claim is sophisticated despite the obvious truth of the matter.
Say baa, bro!
Jan 17 - 04:35 PM
Jackson Eckert
Alan Smithee, you deserve an award for this level of trolling. You can't be an idiot, because you know what "hackneyed" and "pubescent" mean. I applaud you and your art, sir.
Jan 17 - 05:34 PM
Alex Maverick
Screw you.
Jan 17 - 02:33 PM
Gage Kent
Agree with the first part of your statement, but disagree with the second part of your statement. Lincoln has some tough competition.
Jan 16 - 05:51 PM
Dylan Soller
It was not a better film than Lincoln. Good, but not better.
Jan 16 - 06:42 PM
Sebastian Ochoa
Lincoln was a dull, cheesy movie that brings nothing new to the table. While I agree it'll win, I believe the most enjoyable films were Django and SLP. The former is a truly fantastic film that is impressive in it's acting, cinematography, and overall screenplay, which I believe in itself makes it a winner. And not only that, but it's certainly the most entertaining film of all the nominees. People think that to be a good film, it needs to be sophisticated (which is kind of true), but people also think that sophisticated films need to be dull! If you look at the individual components of Django, you will realise that it may seem silly, but is actually a very good film.
Now, I believe BotSW was a fantastic effort, and much different to the same old Hollywood film story that Lincoln and Argo delivers. It was a beautiful film, and it deserves more recognition. Amour was a nice story, but films were made to entertain. That is the purpose of the entire film industry. There is a great emotional impact, which will make it win the Foreign Language category, but it deserves nothing else (maybe the actress, though). Life of Pi was entertaining, beautiful and emotional, which is a mixture of the previous films I mentioned, which is why Lee DEFINITELY deserves the Best Director, and maybe Best Picture.
But all in all, this year was much better than the last.
Jan 16 - 07:43 PM
Gage Kent
I didn't think Lincoln was dull. A few moments were cheesy, but Daniel Day Lewis did a great job carrying the film. I LOVED Django, didn't get around to seeing SLP yet. You say "Amour was a nice story, but films were made to entertain." This isn't always true. Some films aim only to entertain, some films aim to be artistic, and some films do both (like Django). I do hate it how people think something can't be art and entertainment at the same time, so I still see where you are coming from. Look at Pulp Fiction. It is definitely a work of art, but beside that it is so entertaining! Django I think was QT's best film since Pulp Fiction (though Basterds comes close). I think Django might be the most re-watchable out of all the movies that came out this year. The second time I saw it in theaters, there were scenes I could not WAIT to see again. Overall, this year kicked last year's ass with respect to having better movies. The only movies I really enjoyed last year were Drive and The Descendants.
Jan 16 - 10:35 PM
Timothy Kerridge
yes probably better nominees than last year but nowhere near as good as 2010 where any of the ten could have won and I'd have been happy
Jan 17 - 10:29 AM
Dane Mychal
SLP is a fantasy rom-com that makes a storybook ending out of a severe bipolar case. This never happens in real life, people. SLP is harmless but the least important film in the pack. Lincoln was dull if you are a mindless sod who thinks SLP and films of its ilk are the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's only in the conversation because it has the power of Harvey Weinstein behind it, and he's looking to deliver his third straight Best Picture win.
Django was good; I've seen it twice -- but hardly the best film of the year. Way too long, QT's first film without the late Sally Menke suffers from a lack of editing. It's simply not as good as Inglourious Basterds (the best film of 2009 for my money).
Lincoln, Argo and ZDT would make great BP winners.
Jan 20 - 03:41 PM
Sebastian Ochoa
I never said SLP was the best this year (or the best thing since sliced bread), I simply said that it was one of the most enjoyable. It made me laugh, while Lincoln made me sleep. However most of what you said was true. Inglorious Basterds certainly was a FANTASTIC film, and much better than Django.
However, Lincoln, Argo and ZDT are certainly not the best films of the year. In fact, the two latter films weren't even nominated for Best Director! While they might win, the only other film to win without Best Director was Driving Miss Daisy, and that certainly was not an amazing film.
But we've all seen Argo and Lincoln before, it is just another Hollywood film. Argo may have been a bit more unique that Lincoln, you have to understand that Lincoln may have been a beautiful piece of filmmaking, but it's something we've all seen before. That's why I like Django and Beasts.
A lot of the best films in history were European (or from European directors), while Lincoln, ZDT and Argo are the farthest from being European. Tarantino always has a European style, which is why I like his work.
I'm not saying Lincoln wasn't a good film, quite the opposite, it's just not unique. Everything was good about Lincoln, which is why it very well could win the Oscar, it just wasn't that interesting, nor entertaining.
This doesn't show my favourite films, just what I believes deserves to win:
Lincoln - too familiar, but great acting, directing, everything, just not something I would want to watch for a good time.
Argo - may also be familiar, but much more exciting than Lincoln, BUT not as good
Amour - Sad, well directed and acted, but more boring than Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty - Exciting, interesting, but too repetitive. The last half an hour was really one of the only good parts.
Life of Pi - best film of the year. Emotionally enchanting, visually astounding, not dull [cough].
Django Unchained - If Basterds couldn't win, this one can't.
Silver Linings Playbook - Moving, funny, well acted, MUCH different to The Fighter, but not the best film of the year
Les Miserables - Haven't seen it
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Most unique, but too indie to win
Jan 26 - 08:09 AM
Blake Lovullo
Yeah.
Jan 16 - 07:47 PM
David Gaillardetz
I liked Django, but Lincoln was great too. Anyone that says otherwise is fooling themselves. It may not be for everyone, but then neither is Django. Both were superbly acted with a great script and production design. Quit complaining and just enjoy the fact that for once we have decent contenders in the running.
Jan 17 - 12:50 PM
Gage Kent
^ this
Jan 17 - 06:27 PM
Sean D
I will actually go out on a limb and say that QT will get the best screenplay.
As for best pic, I could see the rare instance that Argo gets best pic and Lincoln gets best director. It happened with Driving Miss Daisy/Born on the Fourth of July. If it happens again, this could very well be the year.
Jan 17 - 08:21 PM