Oscar Nominees: Best Cinematography

My predictions: 2/5, picking only “Life of Pi” and “Lincoln”
My ballot: Come back next week!
The nominees: Anna Karenina, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall

The inclusion of two ASC nominees, “Anna Karenina” and “Skyfall,” is worthwhile, considering the former was gorgeous and also creative in its construction, and the latter marks the franchise’s first-ever placement in this category. “Life of Pi” definitely deserves to be here, and though I don’t think it does as much, I understand “Lincoln” being here. I can’t, however, understand “Django Unchained.” I think the movie was overrated and five nominations is probably a fair total, but there’s no reason it should be here over “Zero Dark Thirty,” which certainly should have earned more than five nominations, and “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” which could have made it based on its strong showing elsewhere, or “Argo,” which I thought was a decent contender. That doesn’t even account for the omission of “Les Miserables,” which still managed nine nominations and whose cinematography I didn’t love but did get nominated by the ASC.

My current bet to win: It would seem silly to bet against Life of Pi, but wouldn’t it be cool if it was “Skyfall”?