This year, Lincoln tops the field with 12 Oscar nominations. However, Life of Pi was a close runner up, being nominated for 11 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Many people were skeptical about the award-winning novel, by Yann Martel, becoming a motion picture, because of the lack of dialogue in the narrative. However, with the use of voiceover and narration, the film is both intriguing and captivating while staying true to the original novel. As one of the most visually astounding movies that I have ever seen, Life of Pi should definitely win Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography. However, in terms of Best Picture, the acting holds the movie back. This year, Life of Pi is the only Best Picture nominee to not have a nomination in one of the acting categories. Since the first Oscars ceremony in 1929, only 11 films have won best picture without a single acting nomination, the most recent was Slumdog Millionaire. While Life of Pi should not be counted out, it is not guaranteed the win because of the acting.
The nominations for Best Director are directors of five of the nine Best Picture nominees. While Ben Affleck won the Golden Globe for Best Director, he was not nominated for the Academy Award, which makes the playing field fairly even. Personally, I think that Ang Lee should win. Acting might hold this movie back from winning Best Picture, but all of the other pieces are there and it is truly an amazing film.
The overall music score in the movie is astonishing and Life of Pi should win Best Music (Original Score), especially after the win at the Golden Globes. As for the Best Music (Original Song), “Skyfall,” by Adele, is the popular song to win.
For those of you looking to see Life of Pi in the future, I strongly recommend the movie in 3-D. While I am not normally one to watch movies in 3-D, it simply adds to the experience of this beautiful movie.
Nominations:
- Best Picture
- Best Director (Ang Lee)
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Cinematography
- Best Film Editing
- Best Music (Original Score)
- Best Music (Original Song) (Pi’s Lullaby)
- Best Production Design
- Best Sound Editing
- Best Sound Mixing