My reactions to the 2013 Academy Award Nominations (and my predicted winners)

In the end, I got 67 nominations correct out of 103 predicted--better than average, for me.  Here's the rundown, with those correct predictions noted by asterisks.  My predictions for the winners are highlighted in boldface:

Best Picture
AMOUR
*ARGO
*BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
*DJANGO UNCHAINED
*LES MISERABLES
*LIFE OF PI
*LINCOLN
*SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK 
*ZERO DARK THIRTY
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (It was a long shot, of course, based on the SAG Ensemble award nomination, so no surprise that it didn't get any Oscar love this morning)
>THE MASTER (which, despite getting three acting noms, got no recognition for P.T. Anderson's screenplay OR the film's magnificent photography; I still am not surprised it didn't get in, though, because it's a strangely divisive film). 
SURPRISES: AMOUR!  Wow.  It happened!  Well, this must be the TREE OF LIFE slot.  Totally deserved.  This is going back to CRIES AND WHISPERS territory.   Also surprised that this year, again, wielded only NINE Picture nominations.  I was sure there was going to be an even ten.  I guess the genre films--SKYFALL, THE HOBBIT, THE AVENGERS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES--never had a chance. 

Best Director:
Michael Haneke for AMOUR
Ang Lee for LIFE OF PI
*David O. Russell for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
*Steven Spielberg for LINCOLN
Behn Zeitlin for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Predictions that didn't get in:
>Ben Affleck for ARGO (I'm glad this didn't happen; I thought his direction was one of the things holding the film back from greatness.  Still, a big surprise...)
>Kathryn Bigelow for ZERO DARK THIRTY (Maybe the biggest omission of the year.   How did this not happen?   Is it the old sexism charge once again?  Seems like a possibility...especially since it's perfectly directed.   Or maybe the controversy hurt the film (which walked away with fewer nominations than I was expecting).  Whatever the reason, it's totally erroneous leaving her name out of the mix.)
>Quentin Tarantino for DJANGO UNCHAINED (Spotty direction.  Glad this didn't make it.  In the end, DJANGO was nominated for all the right things (though I would have left it off the Picture roll call.)
SURPRISES: Lee made it in, huh?   Well, his film got the second highest tally of nominations so this now makes sense.   Haneke totally deserves to be here.   And it's nice to see newcomer Zeitlin...but at the expense of Bigelow???   Uhh...no.  No way.  Finally...THANK YOU, ACADEMY, for NOT nominating Tom Hooper for LES MISERABLES.

Best Actor:
*Bradley Cooper for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
*Daniel Day-Lewis for LINCOLN
Hugh Jackman for LES MISERABLES
*Joachin Phoenix for THE MASTER
*Denzel Washington for FLIGHT
Prediction that didn't get in: John Hawkes for THE SESSIONS (Hugh Jackman took his place, which is a travesty of justice.   Then again, I would have voted for Jean-Louis Trintignant in AMOUR over Hawkes...)
SURPRISES: I still think it's weird that Cooper is now an Oscar nominee.   Also, SILVER LININGS is the first film to be nommed in all four acting categories since 1981's REDS. 

Best Actress:
*Jessica Chastain for ZERO DARK THIRTY
*Jennifer Lawrence for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Emmanuelle Riva for AMOUR 
*Quavenzene Wallis for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
*Naomi Watts for THE IMPOSSIBLE
Prediction that didn't get in: Marion Cotillard for RUST AND BONE (Thank heavens cooler heads prevailed here.   No one likes that movie.)
SURPRISES: That both the oldest acting nominee ever (Riva at 85) and the youngest acting nominee ever (Wallis, 6 years old at the time of the performance) are contained in this one category. 

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin for ARGO
*Robert De Niro for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
*Philip Seymour Hoffman for THE MASTER
*Tommy Lee Jones for LINCOLN
Christoph Waltz for DJANGO UNCHAINED
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>Leonardo Di Caprio for DJANGO UNCHAINED (Good for them. Christoph Waltz was OBVIOUSLY the draw in DJANGO (though I would have loved to see Samuel L. Jackson in there, too!))
>Matthew McConaughey for MAGIC MIKE (I guess a lot of Academy members felt TOO WEIRD watching a male stripper movie.  Still, this is a disappointment, as it's my fave supporting performance of the year, from an actor who's had a stellar 12 months. My guess is he gets a sympathy nomination next year...)
SURPRISES: That Arkin got in, despite the sort of performance he can do in his sleep.  Also, that all the nominees have won before; this is a rare event that will make handicapping the winner VERY difficult for all. 

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams for THE MASTER
*Sally Field for LINCOLN
*Anne Hathaway for LES MISERABLES
*Helen Hunt for THE SESSIONS
Jacki Weaver for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>Ann Dowd for COMPLIANCE (I feel so sorry for this actress.   I suppose her efforts were too little, too late.   It's a real shame, because she REALLY deserved the nod.  The saddest omission of the morning.)
>Maggie Smith for THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (somewhat unexpected, but if it means Amy Adams got in instead, then I'm happy about it.)
SURPRISES: That Amy Adams gets her fourth nomination in this category, despite the film not being loved quite that much (but she deserves to be here) and Weaver getting her second (she was very good in the film...but over Ann Dowd?   Uh-uh...) 

Best Original Screenplay:
*Michael Haneke for AMOUR
*Quentin Tarantino for DJANGO UNCHAINED
John Gatins for FLIGHT
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for MOONRISE KINGDOM
 *Mark Boal for ZERO DARK THIRTY
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>Paul Thomas Anderson for THE MASTER (I feel extremely sad, too, for Anderson, who for some reason really pissed people off with this movie.   Remember when people were saying he was a lock to win?   That was a long time ago...)
>Rian Johnson for LOOPER (not a movie I think highly of, so I'm relieved, though a lot of genre fans are piping mad about its exclusion)
SURPRISES: Roman Coppola becomes the seventh member of the Coppola dynasty to receive an Oscar nomination (after Francis Ford Coppola, Carmine Coppola, Talia Shire, Sofia Coppola, Nicholas Cage, John Schwartzman (Shire's husband)).   The FLIGHT screenplay getting nommed is obviously something no one was predicting, but it does make sense; that film had a very unusual structure and theme. 

Best Adapted Screenplay:
*Tony Kuschner for LINCOLN
*David Magee for LIFE OF PI
*David O. Russell for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
*Chris Terio for ARGO
*Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Predictions that didn't get in: My one perfect score!   
SURPRISES: No love for THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (though this did not surprise me, personally; they rarely nominate movies about teenagers...) 

For Best Cinematography:
Seamus McGarvey, ANNA KARININA
*Claudio Miranda, LIFE OF PI
Janusz Kaminski, LINCOLN
Robert Richardson, DJANGO UNCHAINED
*Roger Deakins, SKYFALL
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>Danny Cohen, LES MISERABLES (more snubbing for LES MISERABLES; all those close-ups really hurt the film)
>Grieg Frasier, ZERO DARK THIRTY (I can understand this, I suppose)
>Mihai Malaimmare Jr., THE MASTER (But this???? No way.  This was the cinematography of the year!  A crime!)
SURPRISES: That Deakins will probably lose for the tenth time...and that ANNA KARININA got in here as well, completing its craft category hat trick.  Nice to see Richardson in here, too--I wasn't sure they'd go for his superlative DJANGO work, but he's obviously well-loved by this branch! 

Best Production Design: 
*ANNA KARININA
*THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
*LES MISERABLES
LIFE OF PI
*LINCOLN
Prediction that didn't get in: CLOUD ATLAS (I let my adoration for this movie obscure the fact that it was inevitably going to be shut out.  Too bad.  A movie that successfully portrays five or six time periods should have made the grade!)
SURPRISES:  None, really...
 
 Best Costume Design:
*ANNA KARININA
*LES MISERABLES
*LINCOLN
MIRROR MIRROR
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>ARGO (Accurate costuming, but I guess not enough ruffles and frills for this crowd)
>CLOUD ATLAS (See above...)
SURPRISES:  Double Snow White nominations.  Though I should have seen MIRROR MIRROR coming a mile away...

Best Original Score: 
Dario Marinelli, ANNA KARININA
Alexandre Desplat, ARGO
*Mychael Danna, LIFE OF PI
*John Williams, LINCOLN
Thomas Newman, SKYFALL
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>Behn Zeitlin and Dan Rohmer, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (A real surprise omission, but this proves this branch doesn't like collaborations all that much; obviously one of the bets scores of the year) 
>Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek (and Tom Tykwer), CLOUD ATLAS (Another lost dream for this film, even though the score is CENTRAL to the story)
>Johnny Greenwood, THE MASTER (Is it because he's from Radiohead that he's getting constantly overlooked?   Except for Randy Newman and Trent Reznor, they definitely don't like rock stars in this category.)
SURPRISES: The love for ANNA KARININA continues...seems like this should have led to maybe a 10th pic nomination.   Thomas Newman joins Roger Deakins as yet another SKYFALL contender set up for, like, his tenth loss.  Also mildly surprised that Desplat gets in for ARGO rather than MOONRISE KINGDOM (but I suppose the latter may have had too much pre-existing music in the score). 

Best Original Song: 
"Before My Time" from CHASING ICE 
*"Suddenly" from LES MISERABLES
"Pi's Lullaby" from LIFE OF PI 
*"Skyfall" from SKYFALL
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from TED 
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>"Still Alive" from PAUL WILLIAMS STILL ALIVE (lovely song but maybe a little aimless; still, I thought that since he was a music branch veteran, he'd get the sympathy vote)
>"Song of the Lonely Mountain" from THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY (I guess I was really just taking a stab in the dark with this prediction; no surprise it was left out)
>"From Here to the Moon and Back" from JOYFUL NOISE (Maybe this wasn't seen enough?  Too schmaltzy?  I didn't think that was possible for this group.)
SURPRISES:  Very happy for the CHASING ICE song; hopefully we get to see Scarlett Johansson singing it at the show (I guess we'll be having Norah Jones, Adele, Hugh Jackman and an Indian chorus as more performers on the show).   Also nice to see McFarlane and Walter Murphy nommed for that TED song.   But I could do without "Pi's Lullaby."  

Best Editing: 
*ARGO
LIFE OF PI
*LINCOLN
*SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
*ZERO DARK THIRTY
Prediction that didn't get in: CLOUD ATLAS (I knew I was making a mistake including it so much in my predictions, but I just could not let the film go)
SURPRISES: None, I suppose...

Best Sound (Mixing):
ARGO
*LES MISERABLES
LIFE OF PI
LINCOLN
SKYFALL
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>THE AVENGERS (Maybe I went to heavy on the genre movies in this category, which is historically my worst category)
>THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (Should have predicted a Batman shut-out!)
>LOOPER (I thought this might take the DRIVE spot...)
>ZERO DARK THIRTY (Now THIS was a surprise; I still don't get it)
SURPRISES: LINCOLN and ARGO just in there as part of a sweep... 

Best Sound Effects (Editing)
ARGO
DJANGO UNCHAINED 
*LIFE OF PI
*SKYFALL
*ZERO DARK THIRTY
Predictions that didn't get in: 
>THE AVENGERS (I guess the movie with the MOST sound effects doesn't always get a nom...)
>THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (First time that the series has been left out of the running here...)
SURPRISES:   ARGO again?   I dunno about that.   But glad to see DJANGO in here; spectacular sound effects in that film.  

Best Visual Effects: 
*THE AVENGERS
*THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
*LIFE OF PI
*PROMETHEUS
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
Prediction that didn't get in: JOHN CARTER (I was just trying to be surprising...but it DID make the short list)
SURPRISES: SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, eh?   I guess I have to see this now... 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
HITCHCOCK
*THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
*LES MISERABLES
Prediction that didn't get in: LINCOLN (How did this NOT get nominated?  I mean...really....)
SURPRISES: HITCHCOCK.  I thought the makeup on Hopkins was a bit of a fail.   But I did like what they subtly did to make Johansson look like Janet Leigh.   Also...I'm mad that CLOUD ATLAS couldn't even get on the short list here.   Gosh, that movie got shafted...

Best Animated Feature: 
*BRAVE
*FRANKENWEENIE
*PARANORMAN
THE PIRATES: BAND OF MISFITS
*WRECK-IT RALPH
Prediction that didn't get in: THE RABBI'S CAT (I was thinking there might be one under-the-radar surprise...)
SURPRISES: THE PIRATES: BAND OF MISFITS made it in.  I guess this was the "under the radar" choice I was searching for.   I began to hear great things about this movie at the end of the season, though...
  
Best Documentary Feature:
*5 BROKEN CAMERAS
THE GATEKEEPERS
*HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE
*THE INVISIBLE WAR
*SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
Predictions that didn't get in: AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY (I can be forgiven for this; it really looked like a sure thing)
SURPRISES: None, really...THE GATEKEEPERS is highly acclaimed.   Two films about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict on the list.   But I'm pulling for SUGAR MAN! 

Best Foreign Language Film (NO PREDICTIONS):
AMOUR (Austria)
KON-TIKI (Norway)
NO (Chile)
A ROYAL AFFAIR (Denmark)
WAR WITCH (Canada)

Best Documentary Short Film (NO PREDICTIONS): 
INNOCENTE
KINGS POINT
MONDAYS AT RACINE
OPEN HEART
REDEMPTION

Best Live Action Short Film (NO PREDICTIONS):
ASAD
BUZKASHI BOYS
CURFEW
DEATH OF A SHADOW
HENRY 

Best Animated Short Film (NO PREDICTIONS):
ADAM AND DOG
FRESH GUACAMOLE
HEAD OVER HEELS
MAGGIE SIMPSON IN "THE LONGEST DAYCARE"
PAPERMAN

The Top 20 Movie Songs of 2012!

This is one of those instances where I love to be proven wrong. 

Last year, when the Oscar nominations dropped and only two songs were listed as nominees, I posited on MOVIE GEEKS UNITED that the entire category should be scrapped, because obviously songs in movies had become irrelevant.  The fact is, it seemed as if few musical artists and filmmakers were trying anymore--we are, after all, no longer in the era of Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer.  I have to admit, this development made me both seethingly angry and pouty sad, because I love music nearly as much as I do movies, and when the two are combined, the best results can be explosive.  So, on the show, I just said, in frustration "Can the category."  And here I point out the Academy's culpability, because of their needlessly complex rules for judging movie songs (which, apparently, they have finally remedied).

This year, for the first time, I've taken the effort out to listen to nearly every one of the 75 songs eligible for this year's Oscars, and....well....wow.   There are some real gems in the mix.   Finally, some hits are among the competitors (I think Adele's "Skyfall" is the first movie song to hit #1 in over a decade; ditto Katy Perry's "Wide Awake").   And nearly all of these tunes have masterful lyrics and memorable melodies.   So I thought I'd concoct a "Top Twenty" for the year, just to save you movie and music fans the trouble.   I have listed them in order of personal preference, and I judged based on the song alone, and not necessarily how they were used in the movies they hail from.   Anyway, sit back and enjoy a heartening sign that songs from movies are getting an overdue reprieve!

But first: A caveat: the REAL best film song from 2012 was recorded in the early 70s, by Sixto Rodriguez, the subject of Malik Bendjelloul's superb documentary Searching for Sugar Man.  This was, as is said in the doc by one of Rodriguez's verklempt, regretful producers, the last song he recorded before he was dropped by his record company.   This is a masterpiece if ever there was one but, of course, it wasn't written for the film, so it's technically out of the running.  But it's REALLY the most memorable song from the 2012 movie crop; it evokes an UNBELIEVABLY STRONG emotional response in the film, and on its own.   Get this soundtrack and support the memory of Sixto Rodriguez! 



And now, the 2012 contestants...


"Looking for a Sign" from Jeff Who Lives At Home (music and lyrics by Beck, performed by Beck). One of Beck Hansen's most gorgeous songs, and very memorably connected to the body of the Duplass Brothers' smart little indie. The movie song of the year, for sure. 


"Metaphorical Blanket" from Any Day Now (music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright, performed by Rufus Wainwright).  More dreaminess from songwriting genius Wainwright.   I have yet to see this movie, but this is a intimate, typically beautiful tune from this distinctive troubadour.


"Who Were We?" from Holy Motors (music by Neil Hannon, lyrics by Leos Carax and Neil Hannon, performed by Kylie Minogue).  Possibly the most prominently featured song in any movie this year; it occurs as an unforgettable oasis of lament in a rambunctious sea of chaos.   But this is the only song listed here NOT eligible for the Oscar.  Man...how the hell did THAT happen?


"Who Did That To You? from Django Unchained (music and lyrics by John Legend, performed by John Legend).   Out of the many original tracks recorded for Tarantino's ersatz western is this menacing R&B smoker!  


"Before My Time" from Chasing Ice (music and lyrics by J. Ralph, performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell).  Miss Johansson's slinky voice is put to great use in this haunting plea that plays over the end credits for this environmentally-concious documentary.


"Dull Tool" from This is 40 (music and lyrics by Fiona Apple, performed by Fiona Apple).  Wild and punchy and funny, just like much of Ms. Apple's works, it too is put to good use in the Judd Apatow comedy.   


"Wide Awake" from Katy Perry: Part of Me (music and lyrics by Katy Perry, Lukasz Gottwald, Bonnie McKee, Maz Martin and Henry Walter, performed by Katy Perry).   I really love this song; like any great hit, it put its hooks into me and refused to let go.   I resisted at first, but now I find it extremely moving.


"Anything Made of Paper" from West of Memphis (music and lyrics by Bill Carter and Ruth Ellsworth, performed by Bill Carter and The Blame).   Achingly beautiful lyrics here from the Texas music legend; a perfect song to cap this doc about the wronged West Memphis Three.  


"Still Alive" from Paul Williams Still Alive (music and lyrics by Paul Williams, performed by Paul Williams).   Williams, a former Oscar winner and many-time nominee, will cap his career with yet another nod for this nakedly autobiographical piece.


"La Casa de Mi Padre" from Casa de Mi Padre (music and lyrics by Andrew Steele and Patrick C. Pérez, performed by Christina Aguilera).  Wonderful, spaghetti-western production backs this huge track, sung entirely in Spanish by Ms. Aguilera.   This Will Farrell comedy has a number of great songs, but I thought it fair to keep this list down to one song per film. 


"The Sambola! International Dance Craze" from Damsels in Distress (music and lyrics by Mike Suozzo and Adam Schlesinger).   The Sambola is one of two original songs in Whit Stillman's superb comedy of manners, but this is the one you go out of the theater humming!  


"Skyfall" from Skyfall (music and lyrics by Adele and Paul Epworth, performed by Adele).  Simply one of the best in a long series of Bond songs.   It deserves to be in the running.


"Big Machine" from Safety Not Guaranteed (music and lyrics by Ryan Miller, performed by Ryan Miller).  Not a movie I liked, but I sure have to give it to Miller for crafting a catchy tune --one of a few in a pretty good soundtrack. 


"From Here to the Moon and Back" from Joyful Noise (music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, performed by Dolly Parton, Jeremy Jordan and Kris Kristofferson).   Pure and superb schmaltz, but nobody does this kind of song better than Dolly Parton; it feels like an instant standard.


"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from Ted (music by Walter Murphy, lyrics by Seth McFarland, performed by Norah Jones).  I'm a bigger fan of Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven" than I am of McFarland's TV work, but I do recognize the worth of this Gershwin-influenced big band number.   Not a trace of irony here, either.


"Cosmonaut" from Lawless (music and lyrics by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, performed by Emmylou Harris and The Bootleggers).   An evocative country song from the brilliant writing team who gave us the unforgettable score to The Assassination of Jesse James.   Oh, and Nick Cave has his fans for all that other music he's done, too.  


"Dotted Line" from People Like Us (music and lyrics by Liz Phair, performed by Liz Phair).  This is a personal choice; I love me some Liz Phair.    Never heard of the movie, but if Liz is eligible, as far as I'm concerned, she's in.


"Breath of Life" from Snow White and the Huntsman (music and lyrics by Florence Welch and Isabella Summers, performed by Florence + The Machine).  Big and brash and completely different from anything else on this list.   I dig it.


"Strange Love" from Frankenweenie (music and lyrics by Karen O, performed by Karen O).  Wonderfully precious and rambunctious---just what we might expect from Karen O, who also gave us the great, unrecognized songs from Spike Jonez' Where The Wild Things Are a couple of years ago.  


"Song of the Lonely Mountain" from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (music by Neil Finn and Howard Shore, lyrics by Neil Finn, performed by Neil Finn).   Always been a big Neil Finn fan, from Crowded House til now, with this perfectly majestic ballad dedicated to Middle Earth.

I know, I know...I left off that song from Les Miserables.   That's because it irritates me, like most of that entire score.  

My Gut Predictions for the 2013 Academy Award Nominations

Okay, so now it's time to examine the year in film (at least, as far as the Academy Awards are concerned).  I see it as a three-pronged approach....

The first is the usual...these are the ones that are going to make it in to the top, if we were still dealing with an initial five:

ARGO

LES MISERABLES

LINCOLN

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

 ZERO DARK THIRTY

Then we have the strong upcomers:

AMOUR

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD  

THE MASTER

MOONRISE KINGDOM

LIFE OF PI

Then we have the final slight hopefuls...

ANNA KARININA

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL 

DJANGO UNCHAINED 

THE PROMISED LAND

THE SESSIONS

In the end, it'll be:

Best Picture
ARGO
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL 
DJANGO UNCHAINED
LES MISERABLES
LIFE OF PI
LINCOLN
THE MASTER
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
ZERO DARK THIRTY

Best Director:
Ben Affleck for ARGO
Kathryn Bigelow for ZERO DARK THIRTY
David O. Russell for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Quentin Tarantino for DJANGO UNCHAINED
Steven Spielberg for LINCOLN

Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Daniel Day-Lewis for LINCOLN
John Hawkes for THE SESSIONS
Joachin Phoenix for THE MASTER
Denzel Washington for FLIGHT

Best Actress:
Jessica Chastain for ZERO DARK THIRTY
Marion Cotillard for RUST AND BONE
Jennifer Lawrence for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Quavenzene Wallis for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Naomi Watts for THE IMPOSSIBLE

Best Supporting Actor:
Robert De Niro for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Leonardo Di Caprio for DJANGO UNCHAINED
Philip Seymour Hoffman for THE MASTER
Tommy Lee Jones for LINCOLN
Matthew McConaughey for MAGIC MIKE

Best Supporting Actress:
Ann Dowd for COMPLIANCE
Anne Hathaway for LES MISERABLES
Sally Field for LINCOLN
Helen Hunt for THE SESSIONS
Maggie Smith for THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

Best Original Screenplay:
Paul Thomas Anderson for THE MASTER
Mark Boal for ZERO DARK THIRTY
Michael Haneke for AMOUR
Rian Johnson for LOOPER
Quentin Tarantino for DJANGO UNCHAINED

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Tony Kuschner for LINCOLN
David Magee for LIFE OF PI
David O. Russell for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Chris Terio for ARGO
Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

For Best Cinematography:
Danny Cohen, LES MISERABLES
Roger Deakins, SKYFALL
Grieg Frasier, ZERO DARK THIRTY
Mihai Malaimmare Jr., THE MASTER
Claudio Miranda, LIFE OF PI

Best Production Design: 
ANNA KARININA
CLOUD ATLAS
LES MISERABLES
LINCOLN
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Best Costume Design:
ARGO
ANNA KARININA
CLOUD ATLAS
LES MISERABLES
LINCOLN

Best Original Score: 
Behn Zeitlin and Dan Rohmer, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek, CLOUD ATLAS
Mychael Danna, LIFE OF PI
John Williams, LINCOLN
Johnny Greenwood, THE MASTER

Best Original Song: 
"Suddenly" from LES MISERABLES
"Skyfall" from SKYFALL
"Still Alive" from PAUL WILLIAMS STILL ALIVE
"Song of the Lonely Mountain" from THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
"From Here to the Moon and Back" from JOYFUL NOISE

For Best Editing: 
ARGO
CLOUD ATLAS
LINCOLN
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
ZERO DARK THIRTY

For Best Sound (Mixing):
THE AVENGERS
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
LES MISERABLES
LOOPER
ZERO DARK THIRTY

For Best Sound Effects (Editing)
THE AVENGERS
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
LIFE OF PI
SKYFALL
ZERO DARK THIRTY

For Best Visual Effects: 
THE AVENGERS
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
JOHN CARTER
LIFE OF PI
PROMETHEUS

For Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
LES MISERABLES
LINCOLN

For Best Animated Feature: 
BRAVE
FRANKENWEENIE
PARANORMAN
THE RABBI'S CAT
WRECK-IT RALPH
 
Best Documentary Feature:
5 BROKEN CAMERAS
AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY
THE INVISIBLE WAR
HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

Have I missed anything?  Please tell me...