Arts & Entertainment
2013 Oscar Nominations Have Definite DC Flavor
Nation's Capital features prominently in three Best Picture nominees.
Three Academy Award nominees for Best Picture prominently feature Washington, DC: Argo, Zero Dark Thirty and, of course, Lincoln.
While serving as a location for major films is nothing new to Washington, DC, I can't think of another year in which so many DC-centric movies have been nominated.
The Washington Post described each movie as "an engrossing, superbly crafted story that plunges viewers into otherwise opaque and unknowable worlds made distant by time, secrecy or both" and believe film attendees will be pleased that the films "enthusiastically celebrate institutions more often mired in dysfunction and public malodor."
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Argo, the Ben Affleck-directed tale of a CIA mission to rescue Americans caught up in the 1979 Iranian hostage crises, garnered seven nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
Antonio Mendez, the retired agent about whom the film is largely based, lives in Washington County, MD, and his family runs the Pleasant Valley Studio in Knoxville, MD, according to a recent story in the Herald-Mail.
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Zero Dark Thirty portrays the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, and was directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It earned five nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing.
Lincoln earned a whopping 12 nominations for its portrayal of President Lincoln's efforts to abolish slavery via the 13th Amendment: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field), Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Actor (Daniel Day Lewis), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), Best Production Design and Best Sound Mixing.
The 85th Academy Awards—also known as the Oscars—will be held on Feb. 24, 2013.
Have you seen any or all of these films? If so, what did you think? Did they accurately portray the DC area? Do you have a favorite? Tell us in the comments.
