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.
