Best Picture Nominees — 'Life of Pi'


I continue my exploration of Best Picture nominees with one of the most beautiful films of the year.

Life of Pi
Starring: Irrfan Khan and Suraj Sharma
Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director (Ang Lee), Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Production Design
Synopsis: Each year there is a great film that garners a lot of nominations that doesn't really win much. It's good in a lot of areas, but not the best at anything. It's easy to say that this year that film could be "Life of Pi." It was a beautiful film, very moving, and incredibly well crafted. But it came out around Thanksgiving, was marketed poorly, and seemed to get lost in the shuffle. This film has long odds for winning Best Picture — despite receiving the second most nominations with 11. The film has no real marketable stars and no nominations in the acting categories, but is well represented in the technical categories. That isn't usually the kind of film that dominates on award day. Lee, a great director and previous winner, delivers another beautiful and moving tale. He could be a strong contender for the directing honor — but I think he will lose out to either Steven Spielberg or David O. Russell, whose films are showier. The same goes for Magee, who wrote a nifty script but will likely be overshadowed by the prestige of his competition. That leaves "Life of Pi" to try and score Oscar gold in the technical categories. The film is likely to do well for its visuals — which were stunning — and for its score, which was a beautiful accompaniment to the visuals. I could see this film winning awards in a number of those categories. In a weaker year, "Life of Pi" could have been the leader of the pack. In a brilliant and crowded field in 2012, I think it's a beautiful, moving film that could easily get lost in the shuffle.
Rating: PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.

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