While there were some precursors of note this past week, most of the focus has to be on the Oscar nominations that were announced. Below, the winners and losers article will discuss the biggest winners and losers of the week, largely because of their performances at the Oscars.

But, before we get into this week’s winners and losers, let’s take a look at what’s coming up this week:

Week 8

Monday, Jan. 14 – USC Scripter Nominations
Thursday, Jan. 17 – Costume Designs Guild Nominations (guesstimate)
Friday, Jan. 18 – Motion Picture Sound Editors Nominations (guesstimate)
Sunday, Jan. 20 – London Film Critics Awards

Big Winners

Life of Pi may never have been considered the front-runner, but Ang Lee’s CGI drama about a boy alone on the ocean with a tiger has unexpectedly captured eleven Oscar nomiantions, a significant achievement for a film that few were talking about as more than an also-ran for the big prize. With that size of haul, the potential for a Best Picture spoiler is there. It captured nominations in nearly every category that makes such a feat feasible: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing, but it failed to earn an acting nomination. With the Best Actor slate so overwhelmingly full, it’s little surprise and it would not be impossible for such a film to make off with the big prize.
Lincoln was going to lead the nominations, there was little doubt about that. A prominent historical drama from a prominent director starring prominent actors. It has been in play for the Oscars ever since it was announced that Spielberg was considering directing a drama about Abraham Lincoln several years ago. Now that discussion has become a reality with twelve Oscar nominations including three in acting, plus the requisite directing, writing and editing nominations. It is no the front-runner for the award, but as Spielberg knows, things can change with the right level of campaigning.
Silver Linings Playbook is the film that could beat Lincoln. Fourteen years ago, a slight, period dramedy about William Shakespeare came out of nowhere to take the Best Picture prize leaving Spielberg holding only a trophy for Best Director. The person responsible for making Shakespeare in Love one of the biggest surprises in the last few decades: Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein’s muscles are behind this year’s eight-time nominated film, which has earned nominations in all four acting categories, a feat that has not occurred in 31 years. That he could pull along the low-impact Jacki Weaver for a nomination in Supporting Actress, suggests his clout within the Academy is still dominant and should he push the right buttons, he could end up with his third Best Picture winner in a row.

Big Losers

Argo seemed like it was coming on strong in the last few weeks, a possible spoiler in the Best Picture race. Its director, Ben Affleck, had already proven himself with two well received prior efforts and the precursors had started breaking in Argo direction in the waning days. Then the nominations were announced and with one small gesture, the directors branch may have obliterated the film’s chance at victory. Affleck wasn’t on the list. One of two directors that had been long seen as a lock for a nomination had been left off and in spite of receiving the Best Picture award from the Critics’ Choice awards for Best Picture and Best Director, the film lost much of its potential
Zero Dark Thirty was the other film whose director, long considered a favorite to possibly repeat, was left in the cold on Oscar nomination morning. Whether it was the controversy over torture that torpedoed the films chances or not, Kathryn Bigelow will not further make history as the first woman to win two Best Director Oscars. The film also ended up with fewer nominations than one might have otherwise expected from a front-runner. While Argo remains injured and in the race, Zero Dark Thirty will struggle to catch up even in spite of its strong performance at the box office.
Les Misérables has suffered a fate similar to that of Dreamgirls. Recognized by the DGA, Bill Condon’s film went into the Oscars a strong contender, but was not nominated for Best Director and left off the Best Picture slate as well. This year, a similar fate befell Tom Hooper’s follow up to his Oscar winning film The King’s Speech. Hooper earned a nomination from the DGA before the Oscars not only ignored him, but left the film out of several races where it had been expected to do well. With a measly eight nominations, Les Misérables may still have a chance in several categories, but a Best Picture winner it cannot be. It lacks a director, writing and editing nomination. Those are three factors that cannot be ignored.