'Power of the Dog' powers its way to 12 Oscar nominations

"The Power of the Dog" proved the power of writer/director Jane Campion at this year's Academy Awards, leading the field with 12 nominations Tuesday.

Campion was nominated for directing the drama, becoming the first woman nominated twice for that category. Her previous nomination was for directing "The Piano"; she lost but won for writing that film's screenplay. She's also nominated for adapting the "Dog" screenplay, and could follow "Nomadland's" Chloe Zhao as the second consecutive woman to win Oscars for directing an indie film that deconstructs the myths of the American West.

"Dog" also earned nominations for virtually its entire cast — Benedict Cumberbatch for best actor, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee for supporting actor and Kirsten Dunst for supporting actress.

"Being the Ricardos," too, cleaned up in the acting races, with three of its four leads nominated. All three already are Oscar winners: Nicole Kidman ("The Hours"), playing Lucille Ball, for actress, Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men") for actor and J.K. Simmons ("Whiplash") for supporting actor.

The momentum of South Korean 2020 best picture winner "Parasite" may have helped this year's contender, "Drive My Car." The Japanese film is nominated for international feature and also director, adapted screenplay and picture. "Drive My Car" is not the only foreign film to sneak into other categories; Norwegian "The Worst Person in the World" is nominated for original screenplay as well as international feature.

Where "Dog" is independent-minded and made outside of Hollywood (it's set in Montana but was filmed in New Zealand), its chief rival, "Dune," is a big-budget, big-studio (Warner Bros.) epic. "Dune" earned 10 nominations, cleaning up in technical categories such as sound and visual effects. However, it did not earn any acting nods, marking it a long shot to triumph over the nine other best picture candidates, including Steven Spielberg's acclaimed "West Side Story" and Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical "Belfast."

Here are a few story lines to keep an eye on as we await the Oscar ceremony March 27:

It's two steps forward, three steps back for Oscar diversity. On the one hand, Campion is contending for the directing trophy, which has been won by just two women. On the other, Rebecca Hall's "Passing," a contender for major awards, was totally shut out and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who won pre-Oscar trophies for directing "The Lost Daughter," settled for a screenwriting nod. Conspicuously, of the best picture contenders that did not receive directing nominations, those overlooked include women (Sian Heder, "CODA") and people of color (Reinaldo Marcus Green, "King Richard," Guillermo del Toro, "Nightmare Alley").

Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man nominated for an acting prize (2021 nominee Paul Raci performed "The Sound of Metal" in American Sign Language but is not deaf). Kotsur's "CODA" co-star, Marlee Matlin, was the first deaf actor to win, for "Children of a Lesser God."

An offer she couldn't refuse

Ariana DeBose could join an exclusive club whose members are Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix. The first pair won for playing the same person, Vito Corleone, in separate movies, "The Godfather" and "The Godfather, Part II," and the second pair won for playing the Joker in "The Dark Night" and "The Joker." DeBose is nominated for playing Anita in "West Side Story," a part that won Rita Moreno an Oscar six decades ago. If DeBose wins, she'll do it with her own voice (some of Moreno's singing, to her chagrin, was dubbed by Betty Wand).

Lots of time to die

Sorry, Mankato

Jimmy Chin, who grew up in Mankato and won a 2019 Oscar for co-directing the documentary "Free Solo," was considered a likely nominee for "The Rescue." The nonfiction feature about the Tham Luang cave rescue made the doc shortlist but didn't earn a nomination. Chin and wife/collaborator Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi may have other chances, though; they're currently working on the fictionalized story of distance swimmer Diana "Nyad," starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.

Since St. Louis Park native Joel Coen wasn't nominated for "The Tragedy of Macbeth," that leaves "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" as a tenuous Minnesota connection. Its subject, Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, was born in International Falls. "Tammy Faye" earned nominations for star Jessica Chastain and its copious makeup.

Couples night

In the unlikely event that real-life couple Bardem and Penelope Cruz ("Parallel Mothers") win the lead acting categories and real-life (and on-screen) couple Plemons and Dunst win the supporting categories, all four acting Oscars would be divided between two households.

Lin-Manuel Miranda could get the fourth jewel in his Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony crown with his "Encanto" song, "Dos Oruguitas," although he has tough competition in Eilish and Beyonce Knowles-Carter ("Be Alive" from "King Richard"). Although "Encanto" boasts the No. 1 song in the country right now, the surprise hit "We Don't Talk About Bruno" was not submitted for Oscar consideration.

West Side stories

Steven Spielberg's re-imagining of the classic musical didn't earn as many Oscar nominations as its 1961 predecessor — the score is 7 to 11 — but it will contend in many of the same categories, including picture, director, supporting actress and cinematography.

Wait. What?