With Apologies to John Hawkes and Marion Cotillard Pity poor John Hawkes. Mr. Hawkes endured weeks of discomfort - and perhaps permanent back damage - to play the polio-stricken writer Mark O'Brien in "The Sessions," only to be snubbed by the Academy for best actor. His co-star Helen Hunt, playing a sex therapist in a deeply felt performance that has her frequently naked, did earn the attention of the Academy, though. Mr. Hawkes may get a chance to go to the ceremony though: he appears in "Lincoln"; then again so do hundreds of other actors. In other surprising misses for films that might be considered typical Academy fare, Marion Cotillard, who plays an animal trainer who loses her legs in the gripping French movie "Rust and Bone," was overlooked. Naomi Watts, who suffered what she said was the most physically demanding role of her career, playing a mother nearly swept away by the Indian Ocean tsunami in "The Impossible," did get a spot, though. Going into the season, observers griped that there were slim pickings for the best actress category. It has, instead, turned into a fascinating selection, with both the youngest nominee, 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, and the oldest, Emmanuelle Riva, who will be celebrating her 86th birthday on the day of the telecast. Jennifer Lawrence, who at 22 is nominated for her second Oscar in three years, and Jessica Chastain, moving up from her best supporting actress nomination last year, may be vying for frontrunner status. But Ms. Riva's performance, which many critics have called brilliant - and her place in film history, as a founding star of the French new wave - may give her a creeping edge. Playing an unrepentant baddie with rotting teeth, Leonardo DiCaprio did not make the cut for best supporting actor, a crowded field in which other contenders from his film, "Django Unchained," may have pushed him out. His co-star Christoph Waltz made the grade. Look for the Weinstein Company to make a case for Robert De Niro, a nominee for its "Silver Linings Playbook," that's similar to the campaign it undertook for Meryl Streep last year: a cinematic leading light who actually hasn't won a statuette in a long time. The best supporting actress category turned out mostly as expected, with the surprise addition of Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook." That film, directed by David O. Russell, had nominations in all performance categories, a feat that has not happened in 31 years. Mr. Russell, who has quickly gained a reputation as an actor's director, was moving toward this with his last best picture contender, "The Fighter," which earned three of its actors nominations, and won two statuettes.