‘Lincoln’ Leads Oscar Race with 12 Nominations
Todd Leopold, CNN, January 10, 2013
“Lincoln,” director Steven Spielberg’s film about the 16th president and his battle to end slavery, rounded up plenty of votes for the 85th Academy Awards, topping all films with 12 nominations, including best picture.
Spielberg, one of the most successful directors in Hollywood history, doesn’t need the honors — he has six previous directing nominations, including wins for “Saving Private Ryan” and Schindler’s List” — but the showing marks a return to dominance for the filmmaker. In the last decade, his films, including “War Horse” and “Munich,” have received little more than respect at the annual gathering.
Along with the best picture and best director nominations, the film also earned nods for best actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), best supporting actress (Sally Field), best supporting actor (Tommy Lee Jones) and best adapted screenplay (Tony Kushner).
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“Les Miserables” and “Silver Linings Playbook” both received eight nominations, including for best picture. Other best picture nominees are “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Amour,” “Argo,” “Django Unchained” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”
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Tarantino remains a critical and popular favorite — “Django” has grossed more than $100 million domestically in three weeks — but he failed to impress the academy with his directing prowess. The movie, however, picked up best picture and best original screenplay nominations. (David O. Russell, who directed “Silver Linings Playbook,” earned the fifth slot in the directing category.)
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[Editor’s Note: See here for AR’s review of Lincoln.]