The Oscars: Who SHOULD Win and Who WILL Win
Well, Oscar night is finally upon us. After weeks of complaining about who got snubbed, in a few short hours we’ll finally get to start complaining about who should have one. Basically the Oscars are just a big excuse for us all to yell about our opinions and get angry when others don’t agree. Anyway, here are my opinions and predictions for what will go down in Hollywood tonight.
Best Visual Effects
Nominees: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Life of Pi, Marvel’s The Avengers, Prometheus, Snow White & the Huntsman
Who SHOULD win: Life of Pi
Who WILL win: Life of Pi
Taking place almost entirely in the middle of the ocean and featuring a Bengal Tiger as one of its main characters, Life of Pi relies heavily on visual effects to maintain a sense of reality. They wind up being a big part of what makes the film so immersive and blur the line between reality and digital effects, making it nearly impossible to distinguish the difference between the two. The Academy is definitely going to recognize this. And I mean, come on... Just look at that tiger.
Best Film Editing
Nominees: Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty
Who SHOULD win: Zero Dark Thirty
Who WILL win: Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty successfully fits an 8-year journey into a film running just over 2 ½ hours, keeping it engaging and suspenseful the entire way through. But I think the Academy will go with Lincoln on this one, which does a great job of cutting together scenes of gravitas and humor, and featuring a large cast.
Best Costume Design
Nominees: Anna Karenina, Les Misérables, Lincoln, Mirror Mirror, Snow White & the Huntsman
Who SHOULD win: Anna Karenina
Who WILL win: Anna Karenina
I’m usually not one to look into costumes too much, but Anna Karenina really surprised me. Not only were the costumes lavish and impressive to look at, but they actually were a part of the characters. Color schemes and styles became a way to distinguish a character’s demeanor and temper, and changed throughout the film as the characters did.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Nominees: Hitchcock, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables
Who SHOULD win: Les Misérables
Who WILL win: Les Misérables
I almost want to say that The Hobbit deserves this award but seeing the film in the new 48fps high frame rate made things look a bit too realistic, resulting in making what would otherwise be extremely impressive hair and makeup look too obviously fake. Because of that I have to go with Les Misérables equally impressive effort, which I think the Academy will go with anyway.
Best Cinematography
Nominees: Anna Karenina, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall
Who SHOULD win: Skyfall
Who WILL win: Life of Pi
While Life of Pi is undeniably beautiful to look at and very emotionally engaging because of the way it was shot, I just cannot get over how good Skyfall looks. When I was watching it I didn’t even want to blink because I just wanted to soak in every shot. The fact that it’s an action movie only makes its unlikely beauty more impressive to me. But ultimately I think the Academy will go with the more technically impressive achievements of Life of Pi, which I can hardly blame them for.
Best Production Design
Nominees: Anna Karenina, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln
Who SHOULD win: Anna Karenina
Who WILL win: Les Misérables
I’m not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to art design, but I feel like Anna Karenina’s sets were incredibly well put together. The way the different scenes were built into the fact that the film is set in a theatre was incredible, even though it wasn’t consistently used throughout the film. I feel like the art direction of Les Misérables will just get more favor with the Academy, which in my eyes was good, but not quite as impressive or innovative.
Best Sound Mixing
Nominees: Argo, Les Miserablés, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall
Who SHOULD win: Les Misérables
Who WILL win: Les Misérables
Les Mis might have been a bit hard to look at because of all those darn close-ups that Tom Hooper used, but it sounded absolutely amazing. From the singing to the sound effects, everything was spot on. I think the Academy will go that way as well.
Best Sound Editing
Nominees: Argo, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty
Who SHOULD win: Django Unchained
Who WILL win: Django Unchained
Tarantino films always make use of a wide variety of unique sounds and Django is no exception. I think the sound team for the Django Unchained will take this one.
Best Original Song
Nominees: “Before My Time” by J. Ralph from Chasing Ice; “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” by Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane from Ted; “Pi’s Lullaby” by Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri from Life of Pi; “Skyfall” by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth from Skyfall; “Suddenly” by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer, and Alain Boublil from Les Misérables
Who SHOULD win: “Skyfall” by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth from Skyfall
Who WILL win: “Skyfall” by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth from Skyfall
“Skyfall.” No question. Next?
Best Original Score
Nominees: Anna Karenina, Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall
Who SHOULD win: Lincoln
Who WILL win: Lincoln
I feel like this category isn’t quite as strong as it usually is. Argo and Lincoln are the only films in which the music really stood out to me. I think the Academy will give the gold to John Williams for his surprisingly eclectic score for Lincoln. Jaunty and upbeat, dignified and presidential, heavy and brooding, the music was everything it needed to be for the wide ranging tones of the movie.
Best Animated Short Film
Nominees: Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head over Heels, The Longest Daycare, Paperman
Who SHOULD win: Paperman
Who WILL win: Paperman
Sweet, funny, emotionally uplifting, and visually striking, Paperman has got everything you’d expect from a Disney short film, and it’s all executed beautifully. And although I feel like it absolutely deserves the win, I think Minkyu Lee’s Adam and Dog needs mentioning for its absolutely beautiful animation.
Best Live Action Short Film
Nominees: Asad, Buzkashi Boys, Curfew, Death of a Shadow, Henry
Who SHOULD win: Curfew
Who WILL win: Henry
I loved everything about Curfew. It was a darkly funny, heartfelt story of a suicidal deadbeat drug addict who has to babysit his estranged sister’s daughter when she’s left with no other option. However, I think the story of an old man struggling with the hardships of old age in Henry is more the the Academy’s speed.
Best Documentary - Short Subject
Nominees: Inocente, Kings Point, Mondays at Racine, Open Heart, Redemption
Who SHOULD win: Kings Point
Who WILL win: Open Heart
I’m not going to lie, I haven’t seen any of this year’s nominees for this category. So after simply reading descriptions of the films I’m going to say that I think Kings Point should win because its look into elderly residents of a retirement home dealing with the loss of their spouses and wanting human connection seems the most genuinely interesting. But I think Open Heart’s story of Rwandan children with heart diseases going to Sudan to undergo surgery seems like the heartfelt story that would win an Academy Award.
Best Documentary - Feature
Nominees: 5 Broken Cameras, The Gatekeepers, How to Survive a Plague, The Invisible War, Searching for Sugar Man
Who SHOULD win: The Gatekeepers
Who WILL win: How to Survive a Plague
Another category in which I haven’t seen any of the nominees, which is a darn shame because I really wanted to see most of these and still plan to at some point. Based on how interesting I find the subject matter, I’ll say that my vote would most likely go to The Gatekeepers, which interviews former heads of the Israeli security service. But the frontrunner in this category definitely seems to be How to Survive a Plague, which I’m guessing will get the win.
Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees: Amour, Kon-Tiki, No, A Royal Affair, War Witch
Who SHOULD win: Amour
Who WILL win: Amour
Amour is the only nominee that I’ve seen but it was a damn good film. And from what it looks like it’s going to run away with this award. I don’t doubt that it’s the best of the nominees.
Best Animated Feature
Nominees: Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, Pirates! Band of Misfits, Wreck-It Ralph
Who SHOULD win: Wreck-It Ralph
Who WILL win: Wreck-It Ralph
Wreck-It Ralph is everything an animated kids’ film should be. It teaches a valuable lesson, has memorable and lovable characters, and is accessible to both children and adults. It’s definitely my pick and since it already won the Annie Award I think it will be the Academy’s pick as well.
Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay
Nominees: Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook
Who SHOULD win: Lincoln
Who WILL win: Lincoln
One of the best historical films I’ve seen. There screenplay adequately covers all of the players involved (with the exception of Lincoln’s oldest son’s storyline) and successfully balances a lot of the political play at work during one of our nation’s most trying times.
Best Writing - Original Screenplay
Nominees: Amour, Django Unchained, Flight, Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty
Who SHOULD win: Zero Dark Thirty
Who WILL win: Zero Dark Thirty
For the same reason it’s my pick in editing, Zero Dark Thirty crams eight years of pulse-pounding drama into one film. And that is all possible because of the brilliant screenplay from Mark Boal. From the major events we all saw on the news to the political and bureaucratic struggles behind the scenes, it’s all there and it’s all great. He’ll take home the award for this one, and he deserves it.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Amy Adams in The Master, Sally Field in Lincoln, Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables, Helen Hunt in The Sessions, Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook
Who SHOULD win: Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Who WILL win: Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Despite the fact that I have an undying love for Amy Adams and would like nothing more than to see her finally get an Oscar, I have to admit that Anne Hathaway blows her (and the other three nominees) out of the water. Her incredible performance deserves it. Hands down.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Alan Arkin in Argo, Robert DeNiro in Silver Linings Playbook, Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master, Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln, Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained
Who SHOULD win: Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Who WILL win: Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln
Tommy Lee Jones is great in Lincoln, and he would certainly be my pick for Best Supporting Actor had Philip Seymour Hoffman not completely dominated in The Master. Hoffman basically shows what acting is all about in that film, and I think he gave possibly the best performance of his career, but I still think Jones will get the Oscar.
Best Actress
Nominees: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty, Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook, Emmanuelle Riva in Amour, Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild, Naomi Watts in The Impossible
Who SHOULD win: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Who WILL win: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
In my opinion this is the strongest category in this year’s Oscars. All of the performances from these women were incredible. My pick would be Naomi Watts because of how demanding her role was, but she’s really more part of an ensemble. So I have to go with Jessica Chastain, who carries the whole of Zero Dark Thirty on her shoulders with her performance. I think the Academy will agree with me, but I honestly wouldn’t mind if they didn’t. I’d be happy with seeing any of these women win.
Best Actor
Nominees: Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook, Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables, Joaquin Phoenix in The Master, Denzel Washington in Flight
Who SHOULD win: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Who WILL win: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Joaquin Phoenix gives the performance of a lifetime in The Master. The fact that he plays with Philip Seymour Hoffman only elevates him to a whole new level. But just as Hoffman will get beaten out by Lincoln’s Jones, Phoenix will of course be bested by Daniel Day-Lewis. Granted, his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln was incredible, as is every one of his performances. Any other year, I’d be glad to see him take home the award, but I feel like Phoenix truly deserves it this time.
Best Director
Nominees: Michael Haneke for Amour, Ang Lee for Life of Pi, David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook, Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Who SHOULD win: Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Who WILL win: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Life of Pi was long considered a film that would be impossible to make. However, Ang Lee made an “unfilmable” movie into a great one. Getting an excellent performance out of a first-time actor and using the 3D technology in a way that was not only beautiful to see, but also enhance the emotion of the film, Lee deserves to win, but I ultimately think that Spielberg will steal it out from under him.
Best Picture
Nominees: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty
Who SHOULD win: Zero Dark Thirty
Who WILL win: Argo
Had you asked me when the nominations first came out I would have still said that Zero Dark Thirty deserved the prize, but I would have said that Lincoln would be the one that would take it. Now, given it’s streak of wins at other awards it seems that Argo is most likely to take the Best Picture win.
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