The Academy Awards are a lively, high-spirited event, but many of the films nominated Thursday morning feature grim topics. From the waterboarding of "Zero Dark Thirty" to the desperation and revolution of "Les Miserables," movies this time around were rewarded for tackling dark subject matter with skill. Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" led all comers with 12 nominations, with Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" next with 11.

Slideshow: Oscar nominees

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Up to 10 films can be nominated in the best picture category, and this year, nine were chosen. "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Amour" were three of the lesser-known titles making the cut. "Zero Dark Thirty," "Lincoln," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Django Unchained" and "Argo" were among the other films in the best picture category.

The best actress category offers a chance for history, as it features both the oldest (Emmanuelle Riva, 85, for "Amour") and youngest (Quvenzhane Wallis, now 9, for "Beasts of the Southern Wild") nominees ever in that category. (Tatum O'Neal, 10, won the best supporting actress award for "Paper Moon" in 1974 -- and Justin Henry was only 8 when he was nominated for best supporting actor in "Kramer vs. Kramer," but he didn't win.) But Jessica Chastain is likely to be favored in that category for her role as a CIA agent in "Zero Dark Thirty." Also nominated there are Naomi Watts for "The Impossible" and Jennifer Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook."

Many of the names Oscar watchers expected to hear were indeed called. Anne Hathaway was figured early on to be a favorite in the best supporting actress category for her role as Fantine, who sells her body, hair and teeth to save her daughter in the adaptation of the beloved stage musical. She's nominated, as is Sally Field, who plays Mary Todd Lincoln in "Lincoln," another expected name. Others in the category are Jacki Weaver for "Silver Linings Playbook," Helen Hunt for "The Sessions," and Amy Adams for "The Master."

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Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays the title role in "Lincoln," will easily be named the favorite in the best actor category. Also nominated there were Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables," Denzel Washington for "Flight," Bradley Cooper for "Silver Linings Playbook" and Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master." Phoenix was snubbed in the same category by the Screen Actors Guild award nominations.

Cooper called in to TODAY to talk with Al Roker, Willie Geist and Natalie Morales after hearing his name called. 

"The funny thing is how I sort of talked myself into how I wasn't going to get up (for the announcements)," he told the anchors. "But cut to: It's like 4:30 in the morning, and I'm just puttering around the house, and then I got my mom up and my dog, and then we were watching."

Christoph Waltz was nominated for best supporting actor for his role as a dentist turned bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." Waltz won the best supporting actor Oscar in 2010 for his role in another Tarantino film, "Inglourious Basterds." Also nominated in his category: Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master," Robert DeNiro for "Silver Linings Playbook," Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln" and Alan Arkin for "Argo."

Tarantino himself was not named in the best director category, nor was Ben Affleck, whom many expected to see there for his work on "Argo," or Kathryn Bigelow, for "Zero Dark Thirty." Steven Spielberg was nominated for "Lincoln," Ang Lee for "Life of Pi," David O. Russell for "Silver Linings Playbook," Michael Haneke for "Amour" and Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

While the snubs of Affleck, Bigelow and Tarantino bothered some, Bradley Cooper told the TODAY anchors he was thrilled that Russell was nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook."

"I kind of lost it watching," Cooper said of hearing Russell's name called. "His heart is in that movie."

In past years, the best original song category has been shrunk to as few as two nominees, but this year it was filled out with five. "Skyfall," singer Adele's song for the latest James Bond movie, is the best-known of the group. She'll compete against "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice" (a documentary about climate change), "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," "Suddenly" from "Les Miserables" and "Everybody Needs a Best Friend," from "Ted."

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone read the nominations, and MacFarlane, who stars in and directed "Ted," was notably pleased that a song from his film was included. "That's kinda cool," MacFarlane said. "I get to go to the Oscars now."

Animated fim nominees are "Wreck-It Ralph," "Frankenweenie," "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," "Brave" and "Paranorman."

Original screenplay nominees were "Flight," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Django Unchained," "Amour" and "Moonrise Kingdom." Adapted screenplay nominees were "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Lincoln," "Argo," "Life of Pi" and "Silver Linings Playbook."

Foreign film nominees included the French-language "Amour," which also shows up in the best picture category, as well as Chile's "No," Canada's "War Witch," Norway's "Kon-Tiki" and Denmark's "A Royal Affair." 

The Academy Awards ceremony will be held Feb. 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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Chris Pizzello / AP file

"Lincoln" director Steven Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg ("Lincoln"), Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables"), Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty"), Ang Lee ("Life of Pi") and Ben Affleck ("Argo"): There were no surprises in Tuesday's nominations for the 65th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards.

Unless, that is, you're a fan of "Django Unchained," "The Master" or "Silver Linings Playbook," in which case there were unhappy surprises.

Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and David O. Russell were among those who failed to rate in the most critical of Oscar tuneups.

'Silver Linings Playbook' has better luck with Writers Guild

The DGA class of 2013 runs the gamut of past winners to Affleck, who has his first-ever nod from the filmmaking group.

All five nominees and their films have long been counted as safe bets for the Academy Awards. Nominations for the big show of big shows are due out Thursday.

The DGA Awards is unsurpassed as an Oscar predictor: It's been more than a decade since a DGA winner didn't rate the same prize from the Academy.

Just how sad is 'Les Mis'?

The exclusions of Tarantino, Anderson and Russell are notable, but not necessarily surprising, with only Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" considered a top-tier Best Picture candidate.

If the DGA field holds at the Oscars, then the road gets even longer for those on the outside looking in. The last film to win Best Picture without a nominated director was 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy."

The 65th DGA Awards are scheduled to be presented Feb. 2.

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Teen vampire film "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2" continued to take a bite out of the domestic box office, drawing $64 million in ticket sales over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend to finish ahead of James Bond film "Skyfall."

Summit Entertainment

After opening with a massive $141.1 million last weekend, the finale of the "Twilight" franchise brought in a holiday swarm of fans to see teen favorites Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, pushing "Breaking Dawn" to $227 million in total domestic ticket sales.

"Skyfall," starring Daniel Craig in the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, finished second, collecting $51 million in weekend ticket sales in the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates compiled by the box office division of Hollywood.com.

"Lincoln," Steven Spielberg's historical film on the last days of President Abraham Lincoln, grabbed third with $34.1 million over the Wednesday-through-Sunday period.

Making its debut in fourth place with $32.6 million was the animated film "Rise of the Guardians," featuring the voices of Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin as the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and other childhood favorites who save the world.

"Life of Pi," based on Yann Martel's 2001 best-seller about a boy who survives on a raft with a tiger after his ship sinks, collected $30.15 million for a strong fifth-place finish.

"Rise of the Guardians," produced by Dreamworks Animation for roughly $145 million, had been projected by distributor Paramount Pictures to gross $35 million in its first five days, according to Box Office Mojo.

Based on "The Guardians of Childhood" book series by children's author William Joyce, the film will be the last Paramount will release for Dreamworks, whose films will be distributed next year by News Corp's Fox studio.

Anne Globe, Dreamworks' chief marketing officer, pointed to "the great parent reactions we've seen" to the film, and noting it was among the few choices for families through the end of year, said the studio was "hoping for very long legs through the holidays."

The Ang Li film "Life of Pi," on the other hand, performed stronger than expected. "We clearly exceeded our pre-release expectations," said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox.

"We're seeing word of mouth in action, and a remarkably balanced demographic," including strong ticket sales among those under 25, he said, adding "Many felt it was impossible to film, but Ang Li pulled it off."

The remake of the 1984 Cold War film "Red Dawn," finished seventh with $22 million in sales, behind animated feature "Wreck It Ralph"'s $23 million take.

"Red Dawn" arrived at movie theaters four years after it was shot by MGM, but was delayed when the studio filed for bankruptcy in 2010. Last year, MGM decided to digitally alter the villains in the movie, inserting North Koreans instead of Chinese, after Hollywood began courting Chinese companies to help finance its films.

Propelled by the vampires, secret agents, presidents and nursery school favorites, Hollywood ticket sales totaled $290 million for the holiday weekend, beating the holiday weekend high mark of $273 million recorded in 2009. Hollywood studios often release their biggest holiday films on Wednesday to take advantage of school breaks the day before Thanksgiving.

The continued rush of fans to see teen favorites Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner pushed the "Twilight" installment to $227 million in total domestic ticket sales, making it the year's sixth-largest, according to figures compiled by Box Office Mojo.

"Skyfall" with $221.7 million is just behind at number seven, while the year's box office champ remains "Marvel's The Avengers," which has taken in $623 million to date.

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There've been a lot of reports this week about store employees whose Thanksgivings are being cut short so they can work Thanksgiving night. Where's the love for the movie theater employees, though, who will sacrifice turkey-nap time so they can pop the corn, rip the tickets and tell you to "enjoy the show" once more and with feeling? (Except for "John Carter." No one can enjoy that turkey.)

MGM/Sony, 20th Century Fox, Disney

Your Thanksgiving movie menu is varied this year. "Skyfall"? "Life of Pi"? "Wreck-It Ralph"? "Lincoln"?

For some, turkey-trotting over to the cinema on Thanksgiving is an American tradition as great as Grandma's pumpkin pie recipe. But you want to make that theater time count. Here's our movie editor's guide to what to see, and with whom.

TOP PICK
'Skyfall'
For a while, it looks as if super-spy James Bond might have been shaken, stirred and stuck on a shelf. Thanks to MGM's bankruptcy woes, "Skyfall" was trapped in limbo tighter than a Bond girl's cocktail dress. But "Skyfall" finally hit theaters this month, and if you haven't seen it,  you need to. Exotic locations (Turkey, Macau!), thrilling action sequences (includng one on a train!), spy versus spy intrigue, Bond family history, gadgets and more. Former Bond Sir Roger Moore himself told NBC News.com that after he saw the film, he emailed Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and told her she'd saved the franchise for another 50 years.
Review: 'Skyfall' is a spectacular way for Bond to turn 50 

TAKE THE KIDS
Older kids (5 and over): 'Wreck-It Ralph'
Parents whose 1980s memories are sharp enough that they still can mentally move Pac-Man through that maze will love "Wreck-It Ralph," but kids will enjoy it too. Bad-guy Ralph escapes his game in a quest to be a hero. Parents of tiny tots should know there's a foray into a first-person shooter game -- filled with creepy cy-bugs -- which might overwhelm the littlest ones.
REVIEW: Visually dazzling 'Wreck-It Ralph' scores high 

Younger kids: 'Rise of the Guardians'
Sure, Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy fight evil together. Why not? In this enchanting new 3-D film, they enlist young Jack Frost to help them battle Pitch, a giver of bad dreams. Like "Wreck-It Ralph," this one's also PG, as Pitch and his swirling black nightmare horses might deliver a bad dream themselves. But my preschooler was enchanted more than disturbed.
REVIEW: 'Rise of the Guardians' is a charming holiday tale 

FOR HISTORY BUFFS
If you like modern history: 'Argo'
Those 1970s mustaches! The dial phones! It's the late 1970s all right, and the wonderful "Argo" thrusts you right back there as the Iranian Hostage Crisis grips the nation. But instead of focusing on the 52 hostages who were held for 444 days, the film hones in on a lesser-known event, the rescue of six embassy employees using a fascinating cover story claiming they were Canadians scouting locations for a science-fiction movie. The outstanding cast (Ben Affleck, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin) appeals to all generations.
REVIEW: 'Argo' offers tight political thriller with unexpected humor 

If you prefer the older stuff: 'Lincoln'
You should know going in: Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" is not a battle film. But you never feel it lacks for action, as the president and his men work every conceivable angle to lobby enough congressmen to vote to abolish slavery.  Daniel Day-Lewis gives us perhaps the most accurate portrayal possible of the great man himself, mixing leadership with his own patented blend of homespun storytelling. (Don't miss the anecdote about George Washington's picture in a British bathroom.) You'll see Day-Lewis' name come Oscar time.
REVIEW: 'Lincoln' makes backroom politics fascinating 

FOR BOOK LOVERS:
If you prefer modern fiction: 'Life of Pi'
Book clubbers, you remember reading this. Yann Martel's 2001 bestseller-turned-movie tells the fantastical tale of Pi Patel, an Indian boy who finds himself at sea in a lifeboat with some very hungry zoo animals, including a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. If you're the kind of moviegoer who needs everything to feel realistic and explainable, this is perhaps not the film for you. But if you're willing to suspend belief, director Ang Lee has spun a wonderful 3-D fable that doesn't require you to read the book.
REVIEW: 'Life of Pi' a gorgeous rendering of best-selling novel

If you love romantic classics: 'Anna Karenina'
Maybe you read it in a college literature course, or maybe you just know the title in case it's ever a question on "Jeopardy!." There's a reason Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" has been made into a movie a dozen times -- its tale of a 19th century Russian wife and the way she stumbles into doom when she has an affair is riveting. In this version, Keira Knightley spellbinds as Anna, and director Joe Wright's imaginative, stylish take gives an old story a new twist.
REVIEW: 'Anna Karenina' is a bold adaptation of classic novel 

FOR RETRO NUTS:
Stuck in the 1980s: 'Red Dawn'
We're not convinced anyone was really begging for a remake of the 1984 Russian invasion drama "Red Dawn," but here it is. This time, the Russians aren't the enemy, it's the North Koreans, who were hastily painted in when filmmakers decided not to risk offending their first choice, the Chinese. But if you're well into the eggnog, grab those pals who knew you back when you wore leg warmers and shoulder pads, and relive those cheesy old lines you screamed back in the day. WOLVERINES! AVENGE ME!
REVIEW: 'Red Dawn' remake makes silly premise even dumber 

Longing for the 1960s: 'Hitchcock'
No, you can't take the carving knife to your pompous Uncle Henry at Thanksgiving dinner. But you can take him, and any film buffs at your table, to watch that knife famously used in the "Psycho" shower scene in the new biopic "Hitchcock." Anthony Hopkins plays the legendary director as he battles to get the 1960 film made, with Helen Mirren as Alma, his wife and muse. You may have to hunt around for this film, as it's more likely to be found in arthouse theaters than megamall cineplexes.
REVIEW: 'Hitchcock' takes absorbing look at famed director 

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is the movies editor for NBCNews.com and the co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s."

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REVIEW: Technology employed by sensitive hands brings to vivid life a work that would have been inconceivable onscreen until very recently in "Life of Pi." Ang Lee, that great chameleon among contemporary directors, achieves an admirable sense of wonder in this tall tale about a shipwrecked teenager stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, a yarn that has been adapted from the compellingly peculiar best-seller with its beguiling preposterousness intact.

Like the venerable all-purpose entertainments of Hollywood’s classical era, this exceptionally beautiful 3D production should prove accessible to and embraceable by all manner of audiences, signaling substantial commercial possibilities domestically and probably even moreso internationally. 

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Yann Martel’s 2001 novel was one of those out-of-the-blue one-shots, a book with a madly fanciful premise so deftly handled that it won the Man Booker Prize and sold 7 million copies. Part survival story, part youthful fable, part grade-school spiritual rumination and assessment of humanity’s place in the animal kingdom, it’s man versus nature with a quizzically philosophical spin that’s easy to digest even for kids.

It’s not surprising that it took producer Gil Netter a decade to get the film made, as technology would not have permitted it to be realized, at least in anything close to its current form, until the past few years. Shot on location in India as well as in a giant tank in Taiwan where the open-water effects scenes were made, "Life of Pi" is an unusual example of anything-is-possible technology put at the service of a humanistic and intimate story rather than something that smacks of a manufactured product.

VIDEO: New 'Life of Pi' Trailer Features Irrfan Khan and Rafe Spall

The first enchantment is the town of Pondicherry, a former French colony in southern India that looks like paradise on Earth, nowhere moreso than at the zoo run by the father of young Pi. The nimble and faithful script by David Magee ("Finding Neverland") packs a good deal of character and cultural background into the first half-hour, humorously sketching the odd watery and mathematical implications of the protagonist’s name; neatly relating his unconflicted adoption of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam at age 12; portraying the warm family life he enjoys with his parents and older brother; and topped off with a taste of budding first love.

But hard times prompt his father to announce a move to Canada, where he will sell all the animals. A full hour is set at sea, beginning with a nocturnal storm and horrible shipwreck. When the air clears, the only survivors sharing space on a 27-foot lifeboat are Pi, an injured zebra, a maniacal hyena, a dour orangutan, a rat and -- hidden from sight for a spell under a tarp -- a large tiger.

Hunger and the law of the jungle assure that the population onboard is shortly reduced to two. To nonreaders of the novel, incredulity over Pi’s ability to co-exist with the tiger -- which goes by the name of Richard Parker -- is carefully addressed, and it’s essential that Pi proves adept at fashioning a makeshift raft that connects to the tiger’s lair by a rope.

Still, 227 days is a very long time to keep fed and maintain your wits on the open sea for both man and beast, and this floating journey is marked by ordeal (this must be the first film to present the spectacle of a seasick tiger) and such startling sights as a sudden flurry of flying fish, luminous jellyfish setting the nighttime sea aglow, a breaching whale and another enormous storm that looks to spell the end for Pi and Richard Parker.

But the final half-hour offers an other-worldly pit stop before coming to roost in a framing story in which the adult Pi tells his tall tale to a wide-eyed writer in a literary conceit that, at the very end, spells things out rather too explicitly.

VIDEO: Life of Pi' Trailer Wows With a Mighty Storm and 3D Adventure

Meticulous care is evident in every aspect of the film. All three actors playing Pi are outstanding. The lion’s (or tiger’s) share of the burden falls on 17-year-old Suraj Sharma, the only human on view for half the time, obliged to act in a vacuum and convincingly represent all the physical demands. Lee looked at 3,000 candidates for the role (deliberately avoiding Bollywood talent) and found an unknown whose emotional facility is quite impressive. Ayush Tandon is captivating as the sponge that is young Pi, but absolutely imperative to the film’s success are the heart, lucidity and gravityIrrfan Khan provides as the grown-up Pi looking back at his experience.

Gerard Depardieu is in briefly to embody hulking menace as a nasty French cook aboard the ill-fated cargo ship.

STORY: Tobey Maguire Cut From Oscar Contender 'Life of Pi'

Creating a plausible, ever-changing physical world was the first and over-arching technical challenge met by the effects team. The extra step here was rendering a tiger that would be believable in every way, from its violent movements and threatening stares to its desperate moments when, soaked through and starving, it attempts to claw its way back on board the small boat. With one passing exception -- a long shot of the tiger making its way through a sea of meerkats that’s a bit off -- the representation of Richard Parker is extraordinarily lifelike.

The leap of faith required for Lee to believe this could be put up onscreen in a credible way was necessarily considerable. His fingerprints are at once invisible and yet all over the film in the tact, intelligence, curiosity and confidence that characterizes the undertaking. At all times, the film, shot byClaudio Miranda and with production design by David Gropman, is ravishing to look at, and the 3D work is discreetly powerful. Mychael Danna composed the emotionally fluent score.

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It hasn't been a great year for movies. ("John Carter" or "That's My Boy," anyone?) But start popping the popcorn, because it's time to escape to the movie theater again. November may just be the best month for movies so far this year, with James Bond returning, the "Twilight" vampires gathering for the final fight, and famous faces from books and history moving on to the big screen.

Francois Duhamel / MGM/Columbia Pictures

Daniel Craig in "Skyfall."

Here's a look at some of the bigger films coming to a cineplex near you:

NOV. 9
'Skyfall'
Bond is back, and it's about time. It's been four years since "Quantum of Solace" came out, and thanks to MGM's financial troubles, it seemed for a while as if the super spy wasn't going to make it back. But now that he has, previews look positive. It features a nice juicy role for Judi Dench's M, and who doesn't love her in that role? James Adams at Toronto's Globe and Mail has high praise for the film, writing, "Skyfall is one of the best Bonds in the 50-year history of moviedom's most successful franchise."

'Lincoln'
Steven Spielberg never picks tiny topics. The filmmaker's latest is "Lincoln," with Daniel Day-Lewis playing the beloved president, Sally Field as his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as their son, Robert Todd Lincoln. The film focuses on the last months of Lincoln's life, including the Union victory in the Civil War and the ending of slavery.

NOV. 16
'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2'
"Twilight" fans need to see their vampire saga wind up in a big way, especially after "Breaking Dawn Part 1," with its interminable Bella pregnancy and bloody birth scene. It's time for some good old-fashioned vampire butt-kicking, and since Bella is now just as much a vampire as husband Edward, the film should get right to the good stuff. And yes, for some folks, the only "good stuff" here is that the franchise is finally over. Unless Stephenie Meyer has another dream ...  

NOV. 23
'Life of Pi'
If you were in a book club in 2001 or 2002, you probably read "Life of Pi." It's a complex and beautiful fable that's hard to explain, but suffice to say a young man finds himself out at sea in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Ang Lee of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" fame directed the film version, of which Film.com raves, "There isn't a dull moment in the film, and there are about 300 worthy of a wow.'"

'Red Dawn'
"WOLVERINES!" "AVENGE ME!" The 1984 version of "Red Dawn" is so wonderfully campy, yet it's hard to meet anyone who was in high school or college in the 1980s who didn't see it. You know the plot: America is invaded and it's up to a wily group of high schoolers to fight for freedom. In this month's remake, the enemy's the Chinese, not the Russians, and Tom Cruise's son, Connor, is one of the young stars. We're not saying this is Oscar quality, we just like saying "WOLVERINES!"

NOV. 23
'Hitchcock'
Good eeeeeevening. Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock's recognizable voice and rotund shape, along with his classic films, make him a pop-culture favorite. But you don't have to know anything about the man himself to have an interest in "Hitchcock," the biopic about the director's work on his horror classic, "Psycho," and his relationship with his wife, Alma.  Anthony Hopkins looks fabulous in trailers, and Helen Mirren matches him step-for-step as Alma.

Which movie are you most looking forward to? Tell us on Facebook.

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