Does Oscar history repeat itself?

Jason Fraley, WTOP film critic

WASHINGTON – Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”

As I combed through this year’s nine Oscar nominees, some familiar themes emerged.

Does the Academy choose its films based on similar themes? Or is it just a freak coincidence?

You be the judge.

A Thematic Comparison of the 9 Best Picture Nominees

Based on thematic elements, not the quality of the film or its chances of winning

2012

2011

Common Themes

Beasts of the Southern Wild

The Artist

Low-budget, indie powerhouses that thrive off unknown actors, upstart directors, powerful music and plenty of heart

Silver Linings Playbook

The Descendants

Off-beat family dramedies from Oscar-nominated writer/directors (David O. Russell / Alexander Payne) with known stars (Bradley Cooper / George Clooney)

Argo

Moneyball

True stories become thrilling crowd pleasers, showing range from Bennifers and Brangelinas (Ben Affleck / Brad Pitt)

Lincoln

War Horse

Spielberg period pieces of wartime heroism with John Williams scores and Kaminski cinematography

Life of Pi

Hugo

Oscar-winning directors (Martin Scorsese / Ang Lee) comment on storytelling while pushing the 3D envelope

Amour

The Tree of Life

Daring directors (Michael Haneke / Terrence Malick) win the Palme d’Or, breaking conventions of life and death

Les Miserables

Midnight in Paris

Best Picture directors (Tom Hooper / Woody Allen) tell stories of Paris heroes dreaming “dreams of time gone by”

Django: Unchained

The Help

Deep supporting casts bolster mainstream race flicks about servants and slaves

Zero Dark Thirty

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Gutsy heroes grapple with 9/11 cell-phone memories

Note: The years are when the movies were released.

Follow WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley on Twitter @JasonFraleyWTOP or check out his blog The Film Spectrum.

Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up