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 Director David O. Russell's 1970s con-men caper "American
Hustle" and Alfonso Cuaron's space thriller "Gravity" each won
10 Academy Award nominations, while Steve McQueen's brutal
depiction of slavery in "12 Years a Slave" secured nine. All
three films garnered nods for best picture and best director.
"This has been an amazing ride, and to receive nine nominations
from the Academy is testament to all of the hard work," said
McQueen, a British filmmaker who unearthed the real-life
American story about a free man sold into slavery.
But in a year hailed as one of high quality for the Hollywood
industry, several other films could challenge the favorites in
the race for the world's top film prizes.
Somali piracy thriller "Captain Phillips," the AIDS activism
tale "Dallas Buyers Club," and heartland comedy "Nebraska,"
which each garnered six nominations.
Martin Scorsese's cautionary tale on financial greed, "The Wolf
of Wall Street," quirky computer-age romance, "Her" and adoption
drama "Philomena" round out the nine nominees for best picture.
Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may
nominate up to 10 films for best picture, but only chose nine
this year. A notable exclusion was the Coen Brothers' "Inside
Llewyn Davis," which had won some top critics' awards, and
scored only two nods overall.
The race could be complicated by the long lead time to the
Oscars ceremony, to be hosted by comedian Ellen DeGeneres in Los
Angeles on March 2.
TOP ACTORS SNUBBED
The crowded honors race spilled over into the acting categories,
where the Academy snubbed some veteran stars and instead chose
to recognize up and coming talent.
Eight individuals in the acting categories are first-time
nominees, including Chiwetel Ejiofor as the free man sold into
slavery in "12 Years a Slave." He will compete in the best actor
race with Matthew McConaughey, the Golden Globe winner last
Sunday for his role as the unlikely AIDS crusader in "Dallas
Buyers Club," and Leonardo DiCaprio as the swindling,
fast-living stockbroker in "The Wolf of Wall Street."
DiCaprio said he "found the role to be one of the most
challenging and rewarding of my career."
And while the best actor race included veteran Bruce Dern for
his cantankerous old man in "Nebraska" and Christian Bale as the
con-man with bad hair in "American Hustle," it excluded Robert
Redford, who won acclaim for his solo role as a sailor lost at
sea in "All is Lost," and Tom Hanks as the captain under siege
in "Captain Phillips."
Hanks, who has not won an Oscar since his back-to-back wins in
1994 and 1995, was considered a favorite, mostly because of his
harrowing final scene in the film.
"I'm disappointed by it," said "Captain Phillips" producer
Michael De Luca. "It was a crowded field this year. It's a great
field of movies. I think with Tom, who has been so excellent in
everything for so long, he makes it look easy."
Hanks' Somali nemesis in the film played by newcomer Barkhad
Abdi did win a best supporting actor nod, however.
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 It was a good year for veteran actresses and Oscar
winners. Meryl Streep extended her lead as the most nominated
performer with an 18th nomination, this year for best actress as the
matriarch in "August: Osage County."
Streep goes up against fellow Oscar winners Sandra Bullock as the
astronaut lost in space in "Gravity," Cate Blanchett as the
riches-to-rags socialite in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine," and Judi
Dench as the Irish mother who loses her son in "Philomena." Amy
Adams is nominated for her turn as a con-lady in "American Hustle."
"This is just the loveliest news," said Dench. "I'm
so happy for everybody involved, and so proud to have been part of
the wonderful experience that Philomena has been."
The list excluded Emma Thompson, praised for her role as the "Mary
Poppins" author in Disney's "Saving Mr. Banks."
RARE FEAT FOR "AMERICAN HUSTLE"
In the supporting categories, there was a nod for newcomer Lupita
Nyong'o as the slave Patsey and another for her cruel master, played
by Michael Fassbender.
"American Hustle" also earned supporting nominations
for actors from Russell's hit last year "Silver Linings Playbook": Jennifer Lawrence, who won the best actress Oscar, and Bradley
Cooper.
Russell's romp through 1970s New York earned nominations for best
picture, directing, writing and all four acting categories, a rare
feat he also scored last year.
At the Golden Globes on Sunday, "12 Years a Slave," distributed by
Fox Searchlight, a unit of 21st Century Fox, won best drama while
"American Hustle," distributed by Sony, won best musical or comedy.
"Gravity" was distributed by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner
Inc.
In the next few weeks, Hollywood will look to see how the actors,
producers, directors and writers guild awards shape up. Their
members also constitute the bulk of the 6,000 Academy members.
Oscar voters have a longer time this year between
nominations and awards and there is a risk they could get bored by
the frontrunners, change their minds or be distracted by the Winter
Olympics, said awards handicapper Tom O'Neil of Goldderby.com.
"Right now it's looking like '12 Years a Slave' is ahead based on
the momentum," said O'Neil. "It feels very important. It has the
urgent social message that the Oscar voters like, but it's a hard
movie to take."
"American Hustle," he added, has an A-list cast, a good box office
and lighter fare, while "Gravity" is "a spectacular achievement
cinematically."
Cuaron won best director at the Globes and the techical advances he
used to depict the wonders of space in "Gravity" yielded nominations
for cinematography, visual effects and sound, among other technical
categories.
(Reporting by Mary Milliken and Nichola
Groom; editing by Sandra Maler)
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