Best Visual Effects
1. Gravity
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
3. IronMan 3
4. The Lone Ranger
5. Star Trek: Into Darkness
- First category and already I have a huge issue. Not a good sign. Chances are you did not see The Lone Ranger, and for a good reason. The movie sucked. I know this is an award for visual effects, but the sheer awfulness of the movie should make it exempt from even being mentioned for an Oscar. The visuals were not bad, but no where near as good as say Pacific Rim or Man of Steel. Or even Thor: The Dark World. I would put all three of those in before even considering The Lone Ranger. I'm not too irritated as I think it has no shot at winning, but it still bothers me never the less. This race will come down to either The Hobbit or Gravity and I would be happy with either of those.
Best Adapted Screenplay
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Before Midnight
3. Captain Phillips
4. The Wolf of Wall Street
5. Philomena
- I will admit that I have not seen Philomena or Before Midnight, and I do not plan on seeing them at all frankly. I am sure they are wonderful films, but they do not spark my interest and I don't think they have a chance at winning any awards this year. But hey there is no shame there, as this year is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory. With that said this race comes down to 12 Years and Wolf of Wall Street. Both are expertly written and are great movies in their own right. However the winner will be selected based on which film the majority of voters happened to connect with more, which is difficult to predict as both films are polar opposites. Will be very interesting.
Best Director
1. David O Russell, American Hustle
2. Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity Martin Scorsese
3. Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
- Who would have thought that on a list of 5, the great Martin Scorsese would not have even been in the top 3? Not me. Until today. I actually thought that Scorsese was not going to make the cut, but the Academy opted for him instead of Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips. I will not call this a snub though because you simply just cant say you were snubbed when the Academy left you off in favor of Martin Scorsese. You just can't. The rest are all very deserving though, and in my mind it comes down to three guys. Russel, Cuaron, and McQueen are the frontrunners and I will guarantee you one of them wins. Cuaron did some real unprecedented work with Gravity and it will be difficult for any other director to make a case against him. However it is worth noting that David O Russell has had back to back movies that had an actor from his movie nominated in every acting category that year. He did it last year with Silver Linings Playbook (Cooper, Lawrence, DeNiro,Weaver) and this year with American Hustle (Bale, Adams, Cooper, and Lawrence). Before Silver Linings Playbook no director had accomplished that in over 30 years! Russell has done it twice in two years! Wow. I am sorry but that is damn impressive and deserves high praise. With that said, I still do not think he wins. He has a small shot, but it will be a clear upset if he ends up with the Oscar.
Best Animated Feature Film
1. The Croods
2. Despicable Me 2
3. Frozen
4. Ernest and Celestine
5. The Wind Rises
- When I look at this list: I see the clear winner and a clear snub. I won't disclose the winner until later, but the snub I was referring to was Monsters University. Now MU was no where near as good as Monsters Inc, but it was still really good and usually just having the Pixar label slapped on it is good enough to get a nomination at least. So I was pretty surprised to see that name missing, but as for the rest of the nominees; they're solid I guess. Personally I liked Despicable Me 2 more than Frozen and that will be the race to watch when it comes down to it. I need to see Frozen again because I must have missed something. Everyone praises it so high, but I just did not see what the big deal was. Oh well thats the beautiful thing about film and art in general; how 10 people can see the same movie and feel 10 different ways about it. Beautiful.
Actress in a Supporting Role
1. Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
2. Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
3. June Squibb, Nebraska
4. Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
5. Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
- One thing that has already been seen throughout the young award season is that Jennifer Lawrence may be the most popular and most liked woman on the planet right now. Everyone (me included) sings the gospel about her, and it has shown as she has won just about everything she has been nominated for in the last two years. Now she was absolutely marvelous in Silver Linings Playbook last year where she won her first Oscar, and she deserved that trophy. However looking back, the field was not as strong as it is in this category this year. Lawrence is still the favorite in my mind, but beware Nyong'o as she was so awesome and emotional in 12 Years a Slave that it does make things interesting. I think it comes down to those two, and anyone who knows me knows that I will be rooting for J-Law come Oscar night. Love her.
Actor in a Supporting Role
1. Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
2. Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
3. Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
4. Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
5. Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
- Back in 2007 or so, a little movie called Superbad came out. It was about two high school kids trying to get laid by throwing a party, and the story revolves around them trying to acquire alcohol for this party. I absolutely adore this movie and is one of my top 10 favorite comedies ever. But.......if you would have told me back then that one of the actors in that movie would be a two time academy award nominee within the next seven years I most likely would have said...............is it Michael Cera? Wow would I have been wrong. Jonah Hill has transformed himself into a legitimate Hollywood actor, and is being rewarded handsomely for it. As for this list though, he comes in last. Two of my five favorite actors (Cooper, Fassbender) are nominated and I will be rooting for them, but they will have their work cut out for them as the early word is that Jared Leto was fantastic in Dallas Buyers Club. A lot can change between now and the Oscars, but for now its a two person race between Fassbender and Leto.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
1. Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
2. Amy Adams, American Hustle
3. Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
4. Judy Dench, Philomena
5. Sandra Bullock, Gravity
- I am going to preface what I am about to say with, " I love Sandra Bullock and think she is a terrific actress". With that said, she better not win this award. I don't think Gravity should win Best Actress and certainly not best picture because it lacked so many aspects of great movie making. Poor characters, poor script, bad story. It was beautifully shot and directed which is why I think it stands a good chance for best visuals and best director, but lets face it; we all liked Gravity not because of Sandra Bullock. Did you walk out of Gravity and begin to praise the superb acting performances? Probably not. You most likely were in awe of the visuals and sounds. Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep and could easily take home the award every year, but I think it comes down to Blanchett and Adams this year. Blanchett is one of the greatest actresses of the last decade, and Adams could be the best of the next decade. I really enjoyed Adams in American Hustle, but saying that Blanchett is some stiff competition is putting it lightly. Stay tuned.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
1. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
2. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Christian Bale, American Hustle
4. Bruce Dern, Nebraska
5. Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
- I really should not be commenting on this until I see Dallas Buyers Club, but I am seeing it on Saturday and i am so pumped! The biggest surprise of last weeks Golden Globes had to be McConaughey's win in Best actor over my prediction Chiwetel Ejiofor. In my defense, I had not seen Dallas Buyers Club and to that point Ejiofor was the best in my mind. That all could change come saturday, and I hope it does. McConaughey has always been under rated as an actor, and if he were to win it would solidify him as part of the elite. However even though Ejiofor lost at the Globes, that does not automatically exclude him from winning this award. Last year Ben Affleck was not nominated for best director for Argo. Which is absolutely blasphemous by the way. However you all know despite that snub, Argo won best picture anyways. I have read a lot about this category, and the consensus is still that Ejiofor is the favorite with McConaughey a close second. Never underestimate Leo though. It would be funny if this was the year Leo wins his Oscar; in a year where no one expects him to win. Hahaha I love irony. Bale was pretty good in American Hustle, but that movie was great not because of one singular performance, but rather the performances of the entire ensemble. Bruce Dern.........Sorry you have no chance. Also consider the snubs for crying out loud. No Tom Hanks , Robert Redford, Oscar Isaac, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael B. Jordan, etc.... WOW. Any other year, those five actors could have been the entire category itself. However the Academy got it right. Who do you take off? The answer is no one. You cannot legitimately say that any of the five nominees do not deserve to be there. Its a bad year to be in a good movie I guess. By the way, where is the love for James Franco in Spring Breakers? Blasphemous.
Best Picture
1. American Hustle
2. Captain Phillips
3. Philomena
4. Her
5. 12 Years a Slave
6. Dallas Buyers Club
7. Gravity
8. Nebraska
9. The Wolf of Wall Street
- This is the one. The mac daddy. The whole enchilada (if you are of hispanic heritage). Best Picture is the equivalent of a super bowl ring for studios. It signifies that you made the best movie the entire year, and the prestige that that brings is unparalleled in Hollywood. This year is absoultely stacked with fantastic films, that it is a shame there can be only one winner. I'll just go down the line I guess. American Hustle is a legit contender due to the great acting performances given and that is the only reason why. I contend that if you swap out the all star cast with some lesser known and less talented actors: then the movie becomes complete trash. However David O Russell is able to get great performances out of his cast, and was rewarded with a whopping 10 nominations. Captain Phillips has 6 nominations and will not win any of them. Sorry but its going home with a fat goose egg. This year is just filled with better movies and performances that Captain Phillips just does not stand a chance. Philomena I have not seen: no comment. Her is a film that is a Dark Horse for sure, and has been gaining steam ever since its wide release. Perhaps the social commentary about where we are heading as a culture will stick with voters more than we all originally anticipated. 12 Years a Slave is the most talked about drama nowadays and it at the height of its popularity. No surprise it was nominated, and if its momentum sticks until March then it could find some great success. Dallas Buyers Club has shot onto the radars of film fans everywhere ever since the Golden Globes and will go as far as the acting performances by McConaughey and Leto take it; and if thats the case then it could be a very good night for the people behind Dallas Buyers Club. Gravity scares me. I am well on the record for saying that it should not win Best Picture. A nomination is fine, but please movie god do not let it win. I'll say it again. It lacks too many of the key aspects of what make a movie great to be considered for best picture. Stay in the visual/effects categories and leave best picture to the other films. Still, Gravity was so immensely popular and different that it could ultimately score the nights biggest prize. Nebraska I have not seen yet: no further comments. That brings us to the Wolf of Wall Street. My personal favorite film of the year was such a fun time that I would be ecstatic if it were to win best picture. The sheer excess and lavishness portrayed in this film was so beautifully put together that I hope the Academy doesn't get too butt hurt about the drugs, sex, etc, and give it a fair chance. Overall it is a stacked field with 4 or 5 films that could easily win the Oscar come awards night. It will be interesting to see now that the nominations are out; how each studio markets their film to the public. This is where you see how thirsty those movie studios truly are. It really is interesting.
Well thats it for my reaction to todays news. I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you did please let me know as I love to hear viewer feedback. As far as movies go that I need to see, it would be Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, Blue Jasmine, August: Osage County, and maybe Philomena. We'll see. Anyways let me know if you think anyone got snubbed or overlooked or if you agree with the Academy. With that said, I hope you have a splendid rest of your day.
- Big D
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