2012 Academy Award Analysis
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013
Acting Film Type Audio Visual Other
Leading Actor Picture x Sound Cinematography x Direction
Leading Actress x Foreign Film x Sound Editing Art Direction x Original Screenplay x
Supporting Actor x Animated Feature x Song x Visual Effects Adapted Screenplay x
Supporting Actress x Short, Animation x Score x Costume Design x Editing x
Feature Documentary Makeup
Short, Documentary x
Short, Live Action

Recap:

  • 16/24
  • missed a couple big ones, but did well overall.
  • the best picture category was fairly weak this year in my opinion.
  • the visual effects award not going to transformers 3 was a travesty.

  •  

     

    Key:

  • my pick
  • my prediction

  •  

     

    Best Motion Picture of the Year Nominees:
    The Artist (2011): Thomas Langmann
    The Descendants (2011): Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
    Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011): Scott Rudin
    The Help (2011): Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
    Hugo (2011/II): Graham King, Martin Scorsese
    Midnight in Paris (2011): Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
    Moneyball (2011): Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
    The Tree of Life (2011): Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill
    War Horse (2011): Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy


    Best Achievement in Directing Nominees:
    Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris (2011)
    Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (2011)
    Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life (2011)
    Alexander Payne for The Descendants (2011)
    Martin Scorsese for Hugo (2011/II)

  • wasn't the best movie of the year, but scorsese deserves more than one oscar and it was a weak year in direction. what he did with 3d, and the multiple nominations hugo received, make for a director's award.


  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:
    Demián Bichir for A Better Life (2011)
    George Clooney for The Descendants (2011)
    Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011)
    Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
    Brad Pitt for Moneyball (2011)


    Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Nominees:
    Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs (2011)
    Viola Davis for The Help (2011)
    Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
    Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady (2011)
    Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn (2011)


    Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees:
    Kenneth Branagh for My Week with Marilyn (2011)
    Jonah Hill for Moneyball (2011)
    Nick Nolte for Warrior (2011)
    Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010)
    Max von Sydow for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)


    Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Nominees:
    Bérénice Bejo for The Artist (2011)
    Jessica Chastain for The Help (2011)
    Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids (2011)
    Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs (2011)
    Octavia Spencer for The Help (2011)


    Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Nominees:
    The Artist (2011): Michel Hazanavicius
    Bridesmaids (2011): Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
    Margin Call (2011): J.C. Chandor
    Midnight in Paris (2011): Woody Allen
    A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi


    Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Nominees:
    The Descendants (2011): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
    Hugo (2011/II): John Logan
    The Ides of March (2011): George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
    Moneyball (2011): Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin
    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan


    Best Achievement in Cinematography Nominees:
    The Artist (2011): Guillaume Schiffman
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Jeff Cronenweth
    Hugo (2011/II): Robert Richardson
    The Tree of Life (2011): Emmanuel Lubezki
    War Horse (2011): Janusz Kaminski

  • to me it comes down to whether this is going towards the artsy-fartsy (tree of life) or the new wave (hugo). both are deserving in this category so i'm kinda split. in the long run, though, hugo is breaking new ground and tree of life is doing what's been done before already, but doing it well.


  • Best Achievement in Editing Nominees:
    The Artist (2011): Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
    The Descendants (2011): Kevin Tent
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
    Hugo (2011/II): Thelma Schoonmaker
    Moneyball (2011): Christopher Tellefsen

  • kind of a head scratcher for me. most of these weren't especially well edited. girl with the dragon tatto and moneyball are the only stand outs so far as i am concerned. schoonmaker has won before, don't know about the others.


  • Best Achievement in Art Direction Nominees:
    The Artist (2011): Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
    Hugo (2011/II): Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
    Midnight in Paris (2011): Anne Seibel, Hélène Dubreuil
    War Horse (2011): Rick Carter, Lee Sandales


    Best Achievement in Costume Design Nominees:
    Anonymous (2011/I): Lisy Christl
    The Artist (2011): Mark Bridges
    Hugo (2011/II): Sandy Powell
    Jane Eyre (2011): Michael O'Connor
    W.E. (2011): Arianne Phillips

  • i've only seen two of these. usually it goes to a period drama so anonymous or jane eyre are obvious choices, but i'm going to go out on a limb and say that the artist is the night's big winner.


  • Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Nominees:
    The Adventures of Tintin (2011): John Williams
    The Artist (2011): Ludovic Bource
    Hugo (2011/II): Howard Shore
    Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Alberto Iglesias
    War Horse (2011): John Williams


    Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song Nominees:
    The Muppets (2011): Bret McKenzie ("Man or Muppet")
    Rio (2011): Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett ("Real in Rio")


    Best Achievement in Makeup Nominees:
    Albert Nobbs (2011): Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnson, Matthew W. Mungle
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
    The Iron Lady (2011): Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland


    Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Nominees:
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Bo Persson
    Hugo (2011/II): Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
    Moneyball (2011): Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, David Giammarco, Ed Novick
    Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011): Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Peter J. Devlin
    War Horse (2011): Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Stuart Wilson


    Best Achievement in Sound Editing Nominees:
    Drive (2011): Lon Bender, Victor Ray Ennis
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Ren Klyce
    Hugo (2011/II): Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty
    Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011): Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl
    War Horse (2011): Richard Hymns, Gary Rydstrom

  • going out on a limb here in the 11th hour...


  • Best Achievement in Visual Effects Nominees:
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler, John Richardson
    Hugo (2011/II): Robert Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning
    Real Steel (2011): Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Danny Gordon Taylor, Swen Gillberg
    Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White, Daniel Barrett
    Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011): Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew E. Butler, John Frazier

  • transformers absolutely must win this time around.


  • Best Animated Feature Film of the Year Nominees:
    A Cat in Paris (2010): Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli
    Chico & Rita (2010): Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal
    Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011): Jennifer Yuh
    Puss in Boots (2011): Chris Miller
    Rango (2011): Gore Verbinski

  • haven't seen any of these, but puss in boots should win because i directed it.


  • Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Nominees:
    Bullhead (2011): Michael R. Roskam(Belgium)
    Footnote (2011): Joseph Cedar(Israel)
    In Darkness (2011): Agnieszka Holland(Poland)
    Monsieur Lazhar (2011): Philippe Falardeau(Canada)
    A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi(Iran)


    Best Documentary, Features Nominees:
    Hell and Back Again (2011): Danfung Dennis, Mike Lerner
    If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011): Marshall Curry, Sam Cullman
    Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011): Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky
    Pina (2011): Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
    Undefeated (2011): Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin, Rich Middlemas


    Best Documentary, Short Subjects Nominees:
    The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement (2011): Robin Fryday, Gail Dolgin
    God Is the Bigger Elvis (2012): Rebecca Cammisa, Julie Anderson
    Incident in New Baghdad (2011): James Spione
    Saving Face (2012): Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
    The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011): Lucy Walker, Kira Carstensen


    Best Short Film, Animated Nominees:
    Sunday (2011): Patrick Doyon
    The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011): William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg
    La Luna (2011): Enrico Casarosa
    A Morning Stroll (2011): Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe
    Wild Life (2011): Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby


    Best Short Film, Live Action Nominees:
    Pentecost (2011): Peter McDonald
    Raju (2011): Max Zähle, Stefan Gieren
    The Shore (2011): Terry George, Oorlagh George
    Time Freak (2011): Andrew Bowler, Gigi Causey
    Tuba Atlantic (2010):