The list of nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards, released on Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was filled with a number of surprising snubs and inclusions. The nominations have shaken up several of the categories, setting the stage for many interesting races over the next month.
Leading the pack this year is Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech," which received a total of 12 nominations — just a few short of the all-time record of 14, which only "All About Eve" (1950) and "Titanic" (1997) have reached. Simply having this many nominations solidifies "The King's Speech" as a strong contender for Best Picture.
Of the films released this year, "The King's Speech" is one of the most academy-friendly with its British pedigree and solid performances from a well-respected cast, including Best Actor front-runner Colin Firth. The film should do very well at the February awards, especially when contrasted with the many violent or controversial films in contention for Oscars this year.
David Fincher's "The Social Network" also had a strong showing Tuesday morning, earning eight nominations, including one of the ten Best Picture slots, as well as Best Director for Fincher himself. Though "The Social Network" did get many nods, it received far fewer than had been expected.
The exclusion of Andrew Garfield in the Best Supporting Actor field came as a particular shock. Garfield, who will be playing Spider-Man in the upcoming reboot, probably lost out on a nomination because of vote-splitting among the other strong supporting actors in the film, including Armie Hammer and pop superstar Justin Timberlake, who were also in contention for the nod.
The most glaring omission was Christopher Nolan, who did not receive a Best Director nomination for "Inception." The film was one of the summer's biggest blockbusters, earning more than 800 million at the box office worldwide. Critics and audiences alike lauded the film, yet Nolan did not receive a nomination.
"Inception" was highly ambitious and required a strong director, and the only thing more puzzling than some of the film's plot developments is how the Academy could leave Nolan off the final list.
This is not the first time the Academy has snubbed Nolan. He did not receive a Best Director nomination for his massively successful film, "The Dark Knight" (2008), or for his intricate thriller, "Memento" (1999). While critics and audiences love Nolan's pictures, the Academy has been much less kind toward the British filmmaker.
Historically, five films have been nominated each year for Best Picture, but in 2009, the Academy announced the field would increase to 10. This year, continuing that trend, the body nominated 10 films, allowing for a number of smaller, independent films, like "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone," to sneak into the Best Picture race. "Toy Story 3," the universally acclaimed Pixar film that would normally only fall into the Best Animated Feature category, also benefited from the expanded field.
There is always speculation as to whether or not the Academy, which is mostly made up of older voters, will be responsive and accepting of some of the more daring and ambitious pictures like "The Social Network," "Inception" and "Black Swan" or if they would favor more traditional stories and approaches, like "True Grit" and "The King's Speech."
After seeing the nominations, however, it is clear that the Academy is not that out of touch with audiences and is willing to acknowledge some of the more audacious films of the year.
While some categories seem to have a sure winner already, a lot can — and most likely will — change between now and the Oscar ceremony on Feb. 27, as the nominees go out and campaign to take home that golden statue.
