Kodi Smit-McPhee, left, and Benedict Cumberbatch co-star in “The Power of the Dog.” It was a day that really demonstrated “The Power of the Dog” — and proved that, in Hollywood awards races, sure things almost never are. The nominations for the 94th Academy Awards (to be given out on March 27) were announced Feb. 8, and Jane Campion’s neo-Western led the pack, notching 12 nominations, among them Best Picture and Best Director. It also picked up four performance nods, with a Best Actor one for Benedict Cumberbatch, a Best Supporting Actress one for Point Pleasant’s Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-…