Oscars 2013: Shocks, snubs and surprises

Small wonder, then, that the list of nominations announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday is a study in dramatic and rather bewildering contrasts.
It is no surprise to see Lincoln, Steven Spielberg's hefty eulogy to one of America's greatest statesmen, lead the field with 12 nominations.
Yet snapping at its heels with 11 nods is Life of Pi, a magical realist fable based on a celebrated novel about a boy and a tiger reluctantly sharing a lifeboat.
In the best actress category, an 85-year-old veteran of French cinema - Emmanuelle Riva, of Hiroshima Mon Amour fame - finds herself rubbing shoulders with a nine-year-old so fresh-faced even the term newcomer seems excessive.
In the best director category, meanwhile, Benh Zeiltin, a New York rookie with just one feature under his belt sits alongside Michael Haneke, a powerhouse of European arthouse cinema with a reputation as formidable as his often austere demeanour, Kazinform cites BBC News.
What can we deduce from this? Perhaps that the Academy's 6,000-strong membership have more diverse and varied tastes than they are often given credit for.
Sure, they are not above saluting the tried and true. In the best supporting actor category, for example, there is not one candidate who has not one or more Oscars already adorning their mantelpiece.
On this evidence, though, the narrow-minded conservatism that seemed to characterise previous generations of voters has been replaced, for now at least, by a more embracing, inquisitive outlook.
Time will tell if this is a flash in the pan or a lasting trend. At the very least, though, the list of nominees makes for interesting and intriguing reading.
Oscar hopefuls tend to fall into two camps at this time of year. You have your darlings, and then you have your orphans.
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin's low-budget indie about a little girl from Louisiana whose pluck helps her survive a devastating Delta disaster, is unquestionably one of the former.
Much of its success lies in the enchanting Quvenzhane Wallis, a captivating presence who, despite being five when she auditioned, gives a performance older and wiser than her tender years.
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