This Sunday March 2, 2014 will be the return of an event that I look forward to each year for the dedication to cinema and the pageantry and tradition of what the event has meant since 1927. This year marks the 86th installment of this event and it should be an interesting night. What I will do is post the main awards nominees: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director-these are the six I feel are the important ones, though I am always interested in Best Costuming, Best Score/Original Song, Best Visual Effects and Best Make-Up, they aren't necessarily the most important ones-just ones that interest me. I will post the ones I THINK/FEEL will win in bold. I will post the ones I WANT to win in italics. Keep in mind in one or more of these categories they may be one and the same for think and want. Then I will provide some commentary on my thoughts on the nominees involved.
BEST PICTURE:
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years A Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
I think the Best Picture Oscar is always stacked with an interesting mix of movies. The last two years I liked more of the movies on the list, but the 86th Academy Awards still brings an intriguing list to the table. I honestly believe the movie that has the best chance of winning is 12 Years A Slave, and I think it more than deserves it. It was a very well done movie exploring a free black man (from New York) being sold into slavery. The cast was excellent, and it was a really intense look at a dark time in American history. I think it deserves the win if it does get it because everybody that worked on this movie, including director Steve McQueen put everything they had into it. It's one of those movies like Schindler's List where its a really good movie, but you're haunted by it and don't want to watch it again. My blog buddy Jacqui probably would agree with me on that. I didn't review 12 Years A Slave, because I thought Jacqui did a great job with it and you really couldn't add any more to it, much like she said about my review for The Help. Besides the plot, the cast was just phenomenal all around. Other than 12 Years A Slave, the only other two movies I could see possibly winning this is Gravity & American Hustle. Personally, I don't get the love for Gravity. In terms of visuals, cinematography, directing etc. it's great, but I still feel there's no story to it. It's really just screaming and floating in space to me. I mean I see how they were trying to spin some sort of story with Sandra Bullock's Ryan Stone character, but it fell flat to me, and was overshadowed by the visuals which is really what the movie was intending all along. In terms of being a gritty, intense, have you on the edge of your seat nail-biting thriller, it accomplishes that. I just don't think it warrants a Best Picture nomination-I know I may be alone on this-sorry I offended anyone that liked this. American Hustle was a pretty good movie I felt. I thought the story was definitely a pick and choose from other movies of the genre, and the decade has been done to death, but I still enjoyed it. This was the best ensemble cast of the Best Picture nominations and I thought it flowed pretty well overall. The other movies on the list I enjoyed were The Wolf of Wall Street and Dallas Buyers Club. Besides 12 Years A Slave, its the movie I liked the most of the nominations. I thought it was the most exciting movie of the nominations as well. I liked the over the top shenanigans and the performances were excellent in my opinion. I gave a very positive review of the movie when I initially saw it. I know its not Martin Scorsese's best work, but I really had a good time watching this. Dallas Buyers Club was also a movie I gave a positive review for after initially seeing it. It's a controversial subject (AIDS & the search for true medication), but I think the cast did an excellent job with it and I think it deserves to be on the list. The performances were well done and really helped to tackle this controversial time frame. Captain Phillips had great performances, but as a movie I kept dozing off so that's not a good thing. Her is quite possibly the most boring movie ever. I really like Joaquin Phoenix, but between this and The Master he hasn't had the best projects in recent years. Nebraska was actually okay, but Alexander Payne movies are extremely depressing. Sideways is a personal favorite of mine, but I didn't like The Descendants (that was just TOO depressing). About Schmidt was great for Jack Nicholson's performance, and it was interesting seeing Will Forte in a dramatic role here (and succeeding), but I feel its just kind of there in the nominations. Overall, it's a very interesting mix, but I think and I hope 12 Years a Slave picks up the win here.
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
Every year, there is at least one category that has a strong race, and I think this years category for that is Best Actor. This year I see three possible winners for this: Leonardo DiCaprio, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Matthew McConaughey. All three of these men have won a major award for their performances as either Jordan Belfort, Solomon Northrup, or Ron Woodruff. Christian Bale & Bruce Dern both gave incredible performances in their movies as well. I loved Bale's Irving Rosenfeld role. He always reinvents his look for new projects and this was no exception. He probably was the best part of the movie overall, even though critics would say somebody else was, but we'll get to that in another category. Bruce Dern looked like Doc Brown on a bender in Nebraska, but he really did a great job. Though the movie can be slow at times, the acting is top notch. Alexander Payne has well written characters for the most part in his movies. Personally, I would love to see my favorite actor of all time Leonardo DiCaprio pick up the Oscar. The Academy has constantly ignored him for his incredible performances for years. I think the time is now to award this gifted actor with the award showing that the Academy accepts him as a true juggernaut of cinema. I'm definitely biased rooting for DiCaprio. I haven't been this biased for an award since Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler, but we know Rourke didn't win that award as Sean Penn picked up the win for portraying Harvey Milk (which is a good performance-not taking anything away from that at all). Now even though I am rooting for DiCaprio, the other two performances in the running are actors I like as well and would be fine with them winning. Chiwetel Ejiofor deserves to be in the A-list. He has done amazing things as a character actor and I think this performance as Solomon Northrup is one of the finest male performances in years in cinema. I was very impressed with his work in this movie, and I think he actually will pull out the win in this. I could be wrong with my prediction, but that's what makes these Oscar pieces fun. You could have a surprise winner that throws off the predictions and give you an anything can happen mentality-that's what makes these awards shows fun. While there may be instances of predictable outcomes, there is always the slight chance of unpredictability. Ejiofor deserves the award if he wins, and as I pointed out I think it will be him that does it. The other contender is Matthew McConaughey, who despite what people say, is actually a gifted actor. Yes, we've seen Sahara (in my opinion, the worst movie of all time), Failure to Launch, etc., but he has shown in movies like The Lincoln Lawyer, Two For The Money, and Mud that he knows how to act. I've always been a fan of his because he's a very easy going person. I would be perfectly fine seeing McConaughey pick up the win. He works hard making these performances work, and he does a good job of it. It's anybody's ball game with these three. I picked Ejiofor, but DiCaprio (I would love for this to happen) or McConaughey (*in Dazed & Confused tone-Alright, Alright, Alright) can pick up this win. DiCaprio & McCoanaughey won Golden Globes. Ejiofor won the BAFTA. Now let's see who walks out with the Oscar. The only thing that bothers me is I would have included Oscar Isaac on this list for Inside Llewyn Davis. That was an excellent performance. Isaac is a very talented actor, and he did so well with that down on his luck folk singer story. Overall, that category is very stacked with three potential winners. It will be interesting to see who ends up winning.
BEST ACTRESS:
Amy Adams-American Hustle
Cate Blanchett-Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock-Gravity
Judi Dench-Philomena
Meryl Streep-August: Osage County
The Best Actress category is always the list I look forward to the most. As somebody that cares more about female characters than male characters overall, I always want to see who the Academy lists as nominations. This year, I am 100% in favor of Cate Blanchett winning for Blue Jasmine. I think Blanchett has the best chance of winning as well. Nobody else in this category gave as good of a performance as she did in Blue Jasmine. If you haven't seen her performance in this, it is one of the absolute best female performances I think I've ever seen. She did so well showing her fragile mental state and her larger than life personality throughout this movie. I also think Cate Blanchett is one of the best actresses of all time, and she constantly amazes me with her work. The first thing I ever saw of hers was Elizabeth which is apropos as Elizabeth I is my favorite leader in World History. Since then, I've enjoyed watching her movies as her performances blow so many actresses away. She becomes her roles which is always fun to watch. It makes the performance more believable, and her performance in Blue Jasmine was a great example of this. I cannot say enough good things about this. I really liked the movie as a whole overall as well. I saw it with two of my best friends Noelle & Lisa and we all were very impressed with her work in this. If somebody else wins this category, it will be a huge upset, but the only other person that could potentially have a chance is possibly Sandra Bullock, and that would bother me so much if she does. As I noted, I don't get the love for Gravity. I didn't understand why she won for the Blind Side either as I was rooting for Carey Mulligan in An Education for that category. Amy Adams looked amazing in American Hustle (beautiful red head), and I definitely loved her work in that movie, but I don't see her winning. I didn't see Philomena so I can't comment on Judi Dench's performance, but Dench is a good actress. I haven't heard many good things about the overall movie, but I'm sure Dench held her own. I just don't think it could measure up to how good Blanchett was. Of course, what would the Oscars be like without a Meryl Streep nomination? I'm actually kind of disgusted that August: Osage County is on the list when Georgia Rule had a similar premise. Critics are praising this, but Georgia Rule, which had a somewhat similar plot in terms of family dynamics was bashed. Streep might have the record for nominations, but I think at this point they just put her on the list as an annual thing instead of the actual performance. I truly mean that. Cate Blanchett most likely and hopefully wins the Best Actress Oscar this year. Blue Jasmine is an excellent movie, and this performance is the best out of all the nominations for any of the categories actor or actress this year in my opinion.
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
Best Supporting Actor has a very impressive list overall. Each of these performances was really well done. I was most impressed with Jared Leto as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club. I am rooting for him 100% as well. I think his transformation in this movie was incredible, and his performance was very good. I've always liked Leto-in fact I don't think I've ever disliked a movie with Leto in it. One thing about this year's Oscars is seeing people I like getting recognition from the Academy in terms of nominations at least from Leonardo DiCaprio to Cate Blanchett to Matthew McConaughey to Jared Leto, they are getting the opportunity to at least have a chance to win an Oscar. If there was somebody else other than Leto winning this, it probably would be Barkhad Abdi. The media loves his story, and he was definitely the most impressive part of Captain Philips. He had an intensity to him that gave him a great villainous presence. He is the only other person I could see winning this award. I firmly believe Leto has this in the bag. The bias in me is also hoping to see Leto win, because not only was he the best of the performances on this list, he is an actor I've wanted to see win an Oscar for years. Bradley Cooper gave an excellent performance in American Hustle. He was one of the stronger parts of the movie. His look in the movie was different than what we are used to as well which added to the performance. Cooper is a good dramatic actor. His best role was Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook, but I think he'll continue to have great roles if he keeps to the dramatic side of things. His chemistry with Amy Adams & Christian Bale throughout this movie was natural and made his character more believable. Michael Fassbender has always been able to tap into a villainous persona. His terrifying portrayal of Epps in 12 Years A Slave was really good. He has said that it was tough to leave the character's mindset behind because of how terrifying it was. Jonah Hill deserves the praise he is getting for Wolf of Wall Street. While Hill is not one of my favorite actors, he definitely held his own on screen providing good dramatic scenes, while also maintaining a level of comedy that the movie needed at intervals. As I said, this is a pretty solid category, and I think all the actors should be commended for how well they did. I think Leto pulls this win out, and I would be very happy to see this occur.
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
This year's Best Supporting Actress nominees list has a definite winner. I definitely see Jennifer Lawrence winning for American Hustle. Unfortunately, I disliked this performance immensely. I didn't think Lawrence did well at all in this role. When critics were comparing her to Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas, I thought it was insulting to Bracco. Lawrence was way too animated in this movie, and she really didn't do anything. I rolled my eyes when she sang Let It Be. While I like Lawrence, I just didn't like this. I also don't understand how she can be on the list since her screen time isn't that long, but Anthony Hopkins was only on screen for about 17 minutes in Silence of the Lambs overall, so I don't know haha. Of course, I expect to get tons of hate mail for disliking this performance, but it was just awful. I am really hoping to see Sally Hawkins win for her role as Ginger in Blue Jasmine. I talked about how excellent Blanchett was, but Hawkins did such a phenomenal job in this as well. Her on screen chemistry with Bobby Canavale (who should also be on Best Supporting Actor) were so realistic-compelling & heartbreaking. You really see the polar opposites in terms of personality when Blanchett and Hawkins are on the screen. I love Ginger's free-spirited attitude. She is easy to like I felt, and I think Hawkins was able to shape Woody Allen's character to connect with audiences. It was a truly incredible performance that I hope wins, but unfortunately it most likely will not. Lupita Nyong'o had great chemistry with Chiwetel Ejiofor, and I think that chemistry is what landed her on this list. I was impressed with her and would be fine with her winning. Actually, I'm rooting for anybody except Jennifer Lawrence, because I just disliked that performance so much. I've never been a big Julia Roberts fan, and quite frankly I liked Felicity Huffman's similar role in Georgia Rule better than this performance in August: Osage County. June Squibb's Kate role was well written and she worked well with what Alexander Payne wanted. I do think his movies are far too depressing at times, and this was no exception, but she still did great. I'm really pulling for a Sally Hawkins win here, but I think this is a category where Jennifer Lawrence will steamroll the competition, undeservedly so, at least for this performance. She deserved the win for her role as Tiffany Silver Linings Playbook, though that character tended to get a little too animated at times as well. it still worked better there and didn't feel random like her role in American Hustle.
BEST DIRECTOR:
David O' Russell-American Hustle
Alfonso Cuaron-Gravity
Alexander Payne-Nebraska
Steve McQueen-12 Years A Slave
Martin Scorsese-The Wolf of Wall Street
Everybody in the Best Director category has a good chance of winning (of course some only have slim chances), but I definitely think Alfonso Cuaron is winning. While I disliked Gravity, the idea of the movie was to bring audiences into it with nail-biting suspense, and Cuaron delivered on this. That is the only thing positive I can say about Gravity. Cuaron winning wouldn't bother me as he definitely did what he was supposed to with the movie, but I just don't like this movie. Steve McQueen should win this because of his ability to also capture raw emotion from the characters and bringing the audience in. McQueen did so well capturing the soul of these characters. As a member of the audience, I appreciated the realism he brought to the movie. It was tough to watch, but it's what happened and McQueen did well with it. I like Martin Scorsese's style-most of my favorite movies are Scoresese movies-actually, my favorite movie is Gangs of New York, but even though he has a chance, I don't think he will win over Cuaron or McQueen. Alexander Payne & David O. Russell are respected directors and created good movies this year, but it's going to be between Cuaron and McQueen. I think Cuaron is going to win simply because of the way he was able to bring the audience right into the movie with Ryan as she was figuring out how to survive the abyss. The theater disappeared and you were in space with her. That's what he did and that's what will get him the win. I just like McQueen's work better for this category.
Now that I have covered the six major categories I hope the readers of this blog will enjoy this look into the 86th Academy Awards. The only other thing I'd like to add is I hope to see Frozen win Best Animated Feature as well as Let It Go for Best Original Song. I am so picky on animated movies, but Frozen was just so amazing. I love the Elsa character so much. I enjoyed writing this Oscars piece and hope you enjoy reading it. There are some really competitive categories, and it should be interesting to see what Ellen DeGeneres does as the host.
