4. Anna Karenina for Best Cinematography (and Snubbing Les Miserables)
It looks as though Roger Deakins is finally going to get his due this year and win the golden statue that has eluded him for 9 nominations so far. However, as is often the case, the Academy would merely be rectifying past mistakes by awarding the cinematography legend this year. If they were to actually give the award to the best-shot film of the year, it would go to Seamus McGarvey for his stunning, spectacular work on Anna Karenina. I am surprised that so many people are perturbed by Anna Karenina's strong showing in the technical categories. Though this is a controversial opinion, I thought it was one of the best and most creative films of the year, and certainly one of if not the most beautiful. On the flip side, Danny Cohen's sloppy, erratic work on Les Miserables was justly ignored. The film itself is beautiful and one of the best of the year, but the cinematography - with its uncomfortable close-ups and constant focus issues - was definitely not its strong suit.