Wednesday, February 26, 2014

86th Annual Academy Awards: PREDICTIONS


Seeing how we are only a few days away from the 86th Annual Academy Awards, which will be held on March 2nd and hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, it’s that time again to do some predictions over who might be going home with an Oscar this upcoming Sunday. Now, I won’t be covering all 24 of the Oscar categories and that will mostly be for one of two reasons; A.) I may not be that familiar with the topic, such as sound mixing, sound editing, and makeup or B.) I haven’t seen most of the films in that category. In the case of the latter, I’m mainly referring to the Short Films (both live-action and animated), documentaries (feature and short-subject), and the foreign films. Also, in some categories, I’ll be listing some snubs that I feel occurred when these nominations were announced because there were a few noteworthy ones this year (as is technically every year). With that said, let’s get started…

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
*GRAVITY
*THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
*IRON MAN 3
*THE LONE RANGER
*STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Possible Snubs: I’m kind of surprised that ‘The Lone Ranger’ got a nomination in this category (it also got one for Best Makeup) seeing how, you know, most people hated it. I didn’t, but for all of the reasons why I did like it, none of them were really for the effects. In its place, I would’ve given the nomination to a film like ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’, ‘Man of Steel’, or ‘Pacific Rim’. But even if one of these films did get that nomination, it’s kind of unlikely that they would win because…

My Pick: GRAVITY


Yeah, it’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s almost certain that ‘Gravity’ is going to win this award because its effects were one of the most praised elements of the film. There’s really no competition here. I mean, out of these other four, the only other one that I feel could come away with an upset is ‘The Hobbit’ because of the excellent effects for the dragon Smaug. But at the end of the day, this one’s pretty much in the bag.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
*AMERICAN HUSTLE
*GRAVITY
*THE GREAT GATSBY
*HER
*12 YEARS A SLAVE

My Pick: THE GREAT GATSBY


A bit of a wild card pick here, because I know that not everyone was as big of a fan of this film as I was (if you recall, this was my fifth favorite film of 2013). But if ‘The Great Gatsby’ were to win one of these awards, I have a feeling it would be in either one of the two categories it’s nominated in; this or Best Costume Design (maybe both) because both the Costume and Production Designs for the film were truly great. I have a feeling ‘American Hustle’ might take this one (and for the record, the film did have an excellent production design) but for this category, I give my vote to the one and only… Gatsby!

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
*HAPPY (‘DESPICABLE ME 2’)
*LET IT GO (‘FROZEN’)
*THE MOON SONG (‘HER’)
*ORDINARY LOVE (‘MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM’)

Possible Snub: While this is not exactly a snub, I do kind of have to talk about what was previously the fifth song in this category, ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’ from the film of the same name. Never heard of it? Don’t worry because when this nomination was first announced, I didn’t know about it either. However, a few weeks ago, the nomination was revoked because one of the writers of the song, Bruce Broughton, had contacted members of the Academy for some support; Broughton being a former governor of the Academy and currently a committee member of the Academy’s music branch. The song itself was actually pretty good (it had a really sweet melody), but there’s nothing that can be done now; it’s no longer nominated. With that said though, why then is the Academy just going to stay with only four songs in this category? Why not just give the open spot to another song, like Lana Del Rey’s ‘Young and Beautiful’ from ‘The Great Gatsby’ or ‘Oblivion’ from M83 and the film of the same name. Heck, I would be fine if they gave it to ‘A Little Party Never Killed Nobody’, also from ‘Gatsby’. Anyway…

My Pick: LET IT GO (‘FROZEN’)


‘Ordinary Love’ won this year’s Golden Globe for Best Song, but I’ll admit that I’m not that big of a fan of it. I mean, I get the whole thing about U2 and their connection with Nelson Mandela but at the same time I don’t think it’s the ‘Best Song’ of the year (from a film perspective, of course). That honor, I feel, should go to Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez for the standout single from Disney’s ‘Frozen’, ‘Let it Go’. It truly is one of the best songs from any Disney film in recent years; in fact I’d say it’s the best since the last Disney film song to earn an Oscar, ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’ from ‘Tarzan’. As for the other nominated songs, my runner-up pick would be ‘Happy’ from ‘Despicable Me 2’. I have not seen the film, but boy does that song have a catchy beat.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
*THE BOOK THIEF
*GRAVITY
*HER
*PHILOMENA
*SAVING MR. BANKS

Possible Snubs: Um, where Hans Zimmer for ‘12 Years a Slave’? Now that was one of the best scores of the year. It was a simple score, but one that had so much powerful emotions in it at the same time. Also, while I haven’t seen the film, how about Alex Ebert for ‘All is Lost’? You know, the score that won this exact same award at the Golden Globes. Ah well…

My Pick: GRAVITY


This was actually a rather hard category to predict because I was torn between not two, but three of the scores that were nominated (the only three whose films I actually had seen). There’s Thomas Newman’s score for ‘Saving Mr. Banks’, which had some really beautiful melodies in it that, to quote my friend Matt, will make you want to watch ‘Mary Poppins’ again. There’s also the score from ‘Her’ by Arcade Fire which was really poignant and moving. But in the end, my vote will go to Steven Price’s score for ‘Gravity’, a score that goes along quite well with the intensity of the situations that occur within the film. I especially love the final selection from the score, which shares the name of the film, primarily for the epic choral performance at the end of it. For the record, I would be fine if any of the three scores I just mentioned win this award but if I had to pick just one, this would be that one.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
*THE CROODS
*DESPICABLE ME 2
*ERNEST AND CELESTINE
*FROZEN
*THE WIND RISES

Possible Snubs: No nominations for a Pixar film this year? I say that especially when considering that ‘Monsters University’ was a really good film. Sure, it wasn’t Pixar’s best film, or even the Best Animated Film of the year for that matter, but it was far better than the previous Pixar film, ‘Brave’, which for the record wasn’t bad but at the same time I wasn’t a fan of it winning this award last year because it wasn’t the best Animated Film of 2012.

My Pick: FROZEN


I’ve heard many reports that predicted that the Academy is likely going to give this award to ‘The Wind Rises’, seeing how it’s to be Hayao Miyazaki’s last film (I think; it hasn’t really been clarified if this is true yet). Now, I’m sure that ‘The Wind Rises’ is an excellent movie, as is the rest of Miyazaki’s work. However… I haven’t seen it. So, in its place, I’ll go with my pick for the Best Animated Film of 2013, ‘Frozen’. This one has really grown on me in the weeks since I first saw it in theaters. It truly is one of the best Disney films to come out in recent years and I feel that it will stand toe to toe with some of the most revered films in the Disney lineup. I’m really happy to see that it’s become the biggest hit for Disney Animation since ‘The Lion King’, as it has grossed over $980 million at the time I’m writing this and I have a feeling it will join that fabled billion dollar club in the next few days. But to all of you ‘Frozen’ fans out there, I ask that you please be prepared in case ‘The Wind Rises’ wins this award because there is a chance that it might win it. Don’t worry though, as these two films are the definite front-runners, so we’ll just have to wait and see who takes it on March 2nd.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
*BEFORE MIDNIGHT
*CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
*PHILOMENA
*12 YEARS A SLAVE
*THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

My Pick: TIE (12 Years/Wolf)


I couldn’t pick just one in this category. I would be fine if it went to either John Ridley for ‘Twelve Years a Slave’ or Terrence Winter for ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. Both featured excellent screenplays for their own unique reasons. With Ridley, it was for not skimping on any of the horrors and struggles that slaves faced during that time. With Winter, it was for writing a screenplay full of witty and hilarious dialogue. Both of these films earn my vote.


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
*AMERICAN HUSTLE
*BLUE JASMINE
*DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
*HER
*NEBRASKA

My Pick: HER


Spike Jonze had a lot to work with in regards to ‘Her’. I mean after all, this is a story about a man who falls in love with the female voice of his computer’s operating system. Even with that strange premise, Jonze managed to make the characters feel real and yes that even includes the A.I. Samantha. He won this award at the Golden Globes, so I’m rooting for him to win it at the Oscars this year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
*SALLY HAWKINS (‘BLUE JASMINE’)
*JENNIFER LAWRENCE (‘AMERICAN HUSTLE’)
*LUPITA NYONG’O (‘12 YEARS A SLAVE’)
*JULIA ROBERTS (‘AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY’)
*JUNE SQUIBB (‘NEBRASKA’)

Possible Snubs: I haven’t seen ‘August: Osage County’ and I’m sure that Julia Roberts was excellent in it, but in her place I would have given the nomination to Margot Robbie for ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, as she made quite an impression for what was most definitely her breakout role.

My Pick: LUPITA NYONG’O


One thing about this year’s acting nominees is that there are pretty much direct front-runners in every single category (both lead and supporting). In the case of Supporting Actress, the front-runner seems to be Jennifer Lawrence for ‘Hustle’. Now, I love Jennifer Lawrence; she’s a great actress, she’s one of the most likable actresses working today, and she was great in ‘American Hustle’. But for this year, my vote goes to Lupita Nyong’o for her role in ‘12 Years a Slave’. She makes one hell of an impression in what was only her film debut with a very powerful and emotional performance. I’m fine if J-Law wins for ‘Hustle’, but I feel that this award should go to Nyong’o instead.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
*BARKHAD ABDI (‘CAPTAIN PHILLIPS’)
*BRADLEY COOPER (‘AMERICAN HUSTLE’)
*MICHAEL FASSBENDER (‘12 YEARS A SLAVE’)
*JONAH HILL (‘THE WOLF OF WALL STREET’)
*JARED LETO (‘DALLAS BUYERS CLUB’)

My Pick: MICHAEL FASSBENDER


Thankfully, Fassbender was not robbed of an Oscar nom like Leonardo DiCaprio was for ‘Django Unchained’ last year, both of whom portraying vicious slave owners in their respective films. Jared Leto is being tapped as the frontrunner for this award, but I haven’t seen ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ so I have to base this on the films I have seen and of the other four nominees in this category, my vote is for Fassbender. He really got into this role and even if he doesn’t win here, I have a feeling that this will not be the last time Fassbender gets a nomination.

BEST ACTRESS
*AMY ADAMS (‘AMERICAN HUSTLE’)
*CATE BLANCHETT (‘BLUE JASMINE’)
*SANDRA BULLOCK (‘GRAVITY’)
*JUDI DENCH (‘PHILOMENA’)
*MERYL STREEP (‘AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY’)

DEFINITE Snub: This category has the biggest snub of this year’s Oscars in my opinion; Emma Thompson for ‘Saving Mr. Banks’. Her performance carries the whole film and was easily the highlight of the film. Who would I switch out to have Thompson put in this category? Meryl Streep; it’s nothing against her (like with Roberts, I can’t say anything about her performance because I haven’t seen the film) but this is her EIGHTEENTH (!!) Oscar nomination. It’s kind of getting old seeing her get nominated almost EVERY year. She won this award for ‘The Iron Lady’ two years ago, beating out more deserving nominees like Michelle Williams for ‘My Week with Marilyn’ and Rooney Mara for ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’. But as for this year’s nominees…

My Pick: AMY ADAMS


I’ve given ‘American Hustle’ quite a bit of flak, calling it one of the most overrated films of 2013. I still stand by that even though I’ve warmed up to the movie a bit more after a second viewing. But out of all of the members of Hustle’s cast who are nominated for an Oscar, Adams is the most deserving. It was her who stood out the most in the entire movie, more so than Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner (by the way, you have to feel bad for Renner because he’s the only one of these five who hasn’t gotten a single nomination for his own work in the film (not counting the ‘best ensemble awards’). The front runner in this category is Cate Blanchett for ‘Blue Jasmine’ but like with Jared Leto (and his lead co-star; more on that in a second) for ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, I haven’t seen ‘Blue Jasmine’ so based on the films I have seen, Adams earns my vote. For the record, I’ll be fine if any of the cast members from ‘Hustle’ win an Oscar, but I feel that she is the most deserving out of all of them.

BEST ACTOR
*CHRISTIAN BALE (‘AMERICAN HUSTLE’)
*BRUCE DERN (‘NEBRASKA’)
*LEONARDO DICAPRIO (‘THE WOLF OF WALL STREET’)
*CHIWETEL EJIOFOR (‘12 YEARS A SLAVE’)
*MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY (‘DALLAS BUYERS CLUB’)

My Pick: CHIWETEL EJIOFOR


This category’s front-runner seems to be McConaughey for ‘Dallas Buyers Club’. While I haven’t seen the film, I won’t be complaining if he wins because it will help signify the successful career resurrection that he has had. So… based off of the performances I have seen, my vote is for Ejiofor. Like his co-star Lupita Nyong’o, his performance was very powerful and emotional and he got all of this across saying very little in the entire film. My runner-up pick would be DiCaprio; not only because he brought his usual A-game to the role of Jordan Belfort, but the poor guy has been long overdue for an Oscar.

BEST DIRECTOR
*DAVID O. RUSSELL (‘AMERICAN HUSTLE’)
*ALFONSO CUARON (‘GRAVITY’)
*ALEXANDER PAYNE (‘NEBRASKA’)
*STEVE MCQUEEN (‘12 YEARS A SLAVE’)
*MARTIN SCORCESE (‘THE WOLF OF WALL STREET’)

My Pick: ALFONSO CUARON


I’m just going to come out and say this; Gravity is not my pick for Best Picture but at the same time, I’m more than happy to give my vote for Cuaron in regards to the Best Director Oscar. It was a project that he spent four years on and considering how it turned out, he is very well-deserving of this award. Besides, not every film will win Best Picture and Best Director at the same event (just look at last year’s Oscars; Ang Lee won the Directing Oscar, but ‘Argo’ took home Best Picture). Even if I don’t think ‘Gravity’ is the best film of 2013, Cuaron definitely was the standout when it came to directing.

BEST PICTURE
*AMERICAN HUSTLE
*CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
*DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
*GRAVITY
*HER
*NEBRASKA
*PHILOMENA
*12 YEARS A SLAVE
*THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

My Pick: 12 YEARS A SLAVE



Quite simply, it would be a travesty if this didn’t win Best Picture. It truly was the best film of 2013; a hard film to watch, but that’s what you’d expect for a film like this; one that doesn’t skimp on any of the horrifying aspects of its subject matter. My runner-up pick is ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, but I’m rooting for this film to win it because it’s the most deserving.

No comments:

Post a Comment