Once again, the Oscars (and other awards ceremonies) misunderstands the staggering requirements for actors/writers and directors in large scale films.

The Dark Knight Rises didn't receive any nominations.

In actress terms at least I'd argue Scarlett Johansson's performance in The Avengers was one of the cleverest and best directed of last year given the requirements.

feelinglistless | January 10, 06:03 CET

I will go out on a limb and say that in 2019, Joss will be rewarded by the Academy for Avengers 3.

Simon | January 10, 06:04 CET

Maybe we should change the link to the PDF file (http://cdn.media.oscar.abc.com/media/2013/pdf/2013/nominees.pdf) which has a static link, so we won't lose the intended source when the year turns.

Numfar PTB | January 10, 06:05 CET

Anyone surprised? Superhero films and horror films both almost never get nominated at The Oscars. Unfortunately, those categories cover both of Whedon's 2012 films.

libradude | January 10, 07:23 CET

It should definitely win. Hellicarrier battle, the Hulk, virtual midtown Manhatten, any one of those were awesome achievements.

And ParaNorman FTW!

bivith | January 10, 07:25 CET

As much as I loved The Avengers, and to a lesser extent The Dark Knight Rises, neither were ever going to get much recognition from the Academy, and I don't think they should either.

Spielberg's Lincoln just screams "OSCAR BAIT", but I love the Best Picture nominees this year.

TheHellOfItAll | January 10, 08:48 CET

Silver Linings Playbook is my pick of the year, but I do love Argo and Life of Pi.

Loving that the Avengers got nominated :) I'm surprised it didn't for the sound editing and mixing though...

lisatwingomez | January 10, 09:23 CET

Well, a superhero action movie isn't really expected to win Oscars, because of the biases and politics and genre-snubbing that goes into them. It was the most profitable film of the year, and it was damn good, too. In the ways that mattered to the studio and the fans, it was a success.

WhatsAStevedore | January 10, 09:23 CET

I'd liked to have seen Skyfall get a Best Picture nod, it was a beautiful film.

Simon | January 10, 09:27 CET

I'd vote for The Avengers (greater complexity and realism) but I think Life of Pi might get it. Although ... is it VFX artists who vote? Or is it the whole Academy?

zoinkers | January 10, 09:35 CET

Despite Lincoln being a shoe-in, I'm hoping Beasts of the Southern Wild picks up Best Picture. It's wonderful. I hope Quvenzhane Wallis picks up Best Actress - she's only 9 years old! Not that her age should be a factor. The fact that she delivered a phenomenal performance should secure it for her.

I'd love to see Django Unchained win, too.

TheHellOfItAll | January 10, 09:45 CET

Yay! My friend's husband was on the VFX team for the Avengers and spent months working around the clock to get the job done in time for the release. It's so nice to see their hard work recognized. :-)

BrewBunny | January 10, 10:36 CET

I'm willing to bet that The Avengers will be referenced multiple times during the Oscar telecast. Perhaps the opening sequence of the broadcast with Seth McFarlane trying to assemble the Avengers, or some such??

It was, apparently, not "worthy" of Oscar consideration in other categories, but it was a huge cultural influence this year. I think it ought to be up for Original Screenplay along with Sound Editing. And, honestly, the directing was top notch too. :-)

StalwartTrue | January 10, 11:46 CET

And hey! Seamus McGarvey got a nod as well, but admittedly for Anna Karenina ...still! Congrats to Seamus!

BlueEyedBrigadier | January 10, 11:51 CET

Skyfall is a beautiful film to look at, literally - pretty cinematography, gorgeous opening credits - and to listen to, in terms of music and Adele's song. But the story/script is awful, and to me, that makes an awful movie. But since it only got the nominations for the things it did good, I'm OK with it.

I'm shocked that John Hawkes didn't get nominated for The Sessions.

TimeTravellingBunny | January 10, 11:55 CET

Silver Linings Playbook takes place in the town I live in (and written by someone who grew up here). Unfortunately, it was not filmed in our town (which was passed over in favor of places in PA that look a lot like it).

As for The Avengers, I think we knew this would be the outcome, though I thought there would be at least one or two more in the technical categories.

Nebula1400 | January 10, 17:36 CET

Yeah, I was surprised by the lack of sound nominations. I thought the work was pretty good. Very visceral. I really felt every blow.

zoinkers | January 10, 19:28 CET

I'm going to play the cynic here and say that the Oscar's do not matter for the people behind the The Avengers - the people who make the decisions at the Oscar's are not their target group. They managed to make an incredible amount of money, make many comic book fundamentalists happy, and get a lot of mainstream moviegoers to the cinema. Getting a best film nod on top, in the form of the prestigious tiny golden statue, would be nice, but I don't know how to say it, besides the point, over the top, not really necessary.

If the Avengers turns out to be an artistically successful trilogy, maybe the Academy will pull the stunt they did with LotR:Return of the King, awarding the last movie, not only for the quality of that movie, but also for the quality of the previous instalments. That was what happened, right?

Geez, I need to learn brevity.

Anyway, I hope Kon-Tiki (Norwegian film) takes the foreign film award, just because it is such a ridiculously different film from the others that are nominated in the category. If it wins, it would be as big a surprise as if Avengers won the Best Movie award. It has sharks!

alber | January 11, 01:10 CET

I think it should go to Life of Pi. The effects are amazing and the animals look real. Best CGI I have seen.

redeem147 | January 11, 19:58 CET