2016 Oscar Predictions
Great year for film. My own picks for the 6th Annual Edgy Awards will commence later this week. Meanwhile, here are my predictions for that other awards show.
I’ve never understood not waiting until the last minute. I soak up every final thought. Last year, I really went all out with the notion of using my heart instead of my head. I crashed and burned, pulling in one of my worst percentages in a decade. This year, I’m all business. Happy Oscars…
__________
BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR
WILL WIN: “The Revenant”
MIGHT WIN: “Spotlight”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Inside Out”
BEST DIRECTOR
WILL WIN: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – “The Revenant”
MIGHT WIN: George Miller – “Mad Max: Fury Road”
SHOULD BE HERE: Denis Villneuve – “Sicario”
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Revenant”
MIGHT WIN: Bryan Cranston – “Trumbo”
SHOULD BE HERE: Johnny Depp – “Black Mass”
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Brie Larson – “Room”
MIGHT WIN: Saoirse Ronan – “Brooklyn”
SHOULD BE HERE: Carey Mulligan – “Suffragette”
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: Sylvester Stallone – “Creed”
MIGHT WIN: Mark Ruffalo – “Spotlight”
SHOULD BE HERE: Benicio Del Toro – “Sicario”
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: Alicia Vikander – “The Danish Girl“
MIGHT WIN: Rooney Mara – “Carol”
SHOULD BE HERE: Mya Taylor – “Tangerine”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “Spotlight”
MIGHT WIN: “Inside Out”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Sicario”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “The Big Short”
MIGHT WIN: “Room”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Steve Jobs”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
WILL WIN: “Son of Saul”
MIGHT WIN: “Mustang”
SHOULD BE HERE: “N/A”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WILL WIN: “Amy”
MIGHT WIN: “Cartel Land”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WILL WIN: “Inside Out”
MIGHT WIN: “Anomalisa”
SHOULD BE HERE: N/A
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WILL WIN: “The Revenant”
MIGHT WIN: “Sicario”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Son of Saul”
BEST EDITING
WILL WIN: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
MIGHT WIN: “The Big Short”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Amy”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WILL WIN: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
MIGHT WIN: “The Revenant”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Crimson Peak”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WILL WIN: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
MIGHT WIN: “The Danish Girl”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Brooklyn”
BEST SOUND MIXING
WILL WIN: “”Mad Max: Fury Road”
MIGHT WIN: “The Revenant”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Love & Mercy”
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
WILL WIN: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
MIGHT WIN: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Inside Out”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WILL WIN: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
MIGHT WIN: “The Revenant”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Jurassic World”
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
WILL WIN: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
MIGHT WIN: “The Revenant”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Black Mass”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
WILL WIN: “The Hateful Eight”
MIGHT WIN: “Carol”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
WILL WIN: “Till It Happens to You” from “The Hunting Ground”
MIGHT WIN: “Simple Song 3” from “Youth”
SHOULD BE HERE: “One Kind of Love” from “Love and Mercy”
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Ave Maria”
MIGHT WIN: “Stutterer”
SHOULD BE HERE: N/A
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Sanjay’s Super Team”
MIGHT WIN: “Bear Story”
SHOULD BE HERE: N/A
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
WILL WIN: “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah”
MIGHT WIN: “Body Team 12”
SHOULD BE HERE: N/A
The 5th Annual Edgy Awards Winners
Let’s get this show on the road. Below are my picks for the best in each category from the 2014 movie season. I threw in a slew of fun categories at the end, for shits and giggles. Feel free to enjoy and comment if you like. Soon, I’ll be moving on to the current year at hand.
And the winners of the 5th Annual Edgy Awards are:
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Lost Stars” featured in “Begin Again”
Music and Lyrics by Gregg Alexander (1st win) and Danielle Brisebois (1st win)
Runner-Up: “Glory” featured in “Selma”
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“Foxcatcher”
Rob Simonsen (1st win)
Runner-Up: “Interstellar”
__________
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
Eizabeth Yianni-Georgiou (1st win) and David White (1st win)
Runner-Up: “Foxcatcher”
__________
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Interstellar”
Scott Fisher (1st win), Paul J. Franklin (2nd Win), Ian Hunter (1st win) and Andrew Lockley (2nd win)
Runner-Up: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
“Godzilla”
Erik Aadahl (2nd win) and Ethan Van der Ryn (3rd win)
Runner-Up: “Edge of Tomorrow”
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS MIXING
“Interstellar”
Greg Landaker (4th win), Gary Rizzo (2nd win) and Mark Weingarten (2nd Win)
Runner-Up: “Whiplash”
__________
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Milena Canonero (3rd win)
Runner-Up: “Inherent Vice”
__________
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
George DeTitta Jr. (1st win) and Kevin Thompson (1st win)
Runner-Up: “Snowpiercer”
__________
BEST EDITING
“Boyhood”
Sandra Adair (1st win)
Runner-Up: “Edge of Tomorrow”
__________
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
Emmanuel Lubezki (3rd win)
Runner-Up: “A Most Violent Year”
__________
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“The Overnighters”
Amanda McBaine (1st win) and Jesse Moss (1st win)
Runner-Up: “Virunga”
__________
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Inherent Vice”
Paul Thomas Anderson (2nd win)
Runner-Up: “Gone Girl”
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Boyhood”
Richard Linklater (1st win)
Runner-Up: “Interstellar”
__________
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE
“Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Merritt Wever
Runner-Up: “Pride”
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Patricia Arquette – “Boyhood”
1st Win
Runner-Up: Carrie Coon – “Gone Girl”
__________
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash”
1st win
Runner-Up: Edward Norton – “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl”
1st win
Runner-Up: Julianne Moore – “Still Alice”
__________
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Michael Keaton – “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
1st Win
Runner-Up: Jake Gyllenhaal – “Nightcrawler”
__________
BEST DIRECTOR
Bennett Miller – “Foxcatcher”
2nd Win
Runner-Up: Richard Linklater – “Boyhood”
__________
BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR
“Boyhood”
Runner-Up: “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
__________
Some say that this movie is all hype; a cinematic stunt that’s quality doesn’t measure up to the bar set by it’s premise. This could not be further from reality. The truth is that there has never been anything quite like this film and likely will not be again. Beyond the 12 year hook, which in and of itself is something to marvel at, “Boyhood” is a phenomenal collaboration between Richard Linklater’s extraordinary vision and the dedicated performers bringing it to life. The film takes what someone might consider insignificant moments in the life of an adolescent boy, and proves them to not only be the moments that matter, but a window into the soul. This may be the most impacting and influential film of the decade. Bravo.
As mentioned, here’s a collection of victors whose feats can’t really be honored in traditional categories. Therefore, the only way to give due props is to make up all new ones. I’ll then close it out with my ranked top ten list, which closes out 2014 and moves us on to what’s currently playing at a theater near you.
__________
FUNNIEST FILM
“The Lego Movie”
MOST EXCITING FILM
“Edge of Tomorrow”
MOST EMOTIONALLY MOVING FILM
“Boyhood”
MOST SURPRISING FILM
“Pride”
MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM
“American Sniper”
MOST UNDERRATED FILM
“A Most Violent Year”
MOST OVERRATED FILM
“The Theory of Everything”
BEST PROTAGONIST
Alan Turing – “The Imitation Game”
BEST ANTAGONIST
Amy Dunne – “Gone Girl”
BEST ANTI-HERO
Louis Bloom – “Nightcrawler”
BEST ROMANCE
John and Alice Howland – “Still Alice”
BEST RIVALRY
Mark Schultz, David Schultz and John du Pont – “Foxcatcher”
BEST OPENING
“Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
BEST ENDING
“Whiplash”
BEST SCENE
Bread and Roses – “Pride”
BEST LINE OF DIALOGUE
Terence Fletcher: “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job’.”
FILM I REALLY WANTED TO SEE BUT NEVER GOT AROUND TO
“Mr. Turner”
MY TOP TEN FILMS OF 2014
1. “Boyhood”
2. “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
3. “Interstellar”
4. “Foxcatcher”
5. “A Most Violent Year”
6. “Gone Girl”
7. “Whiplash”
8. “The Overnighters”
9. “Pride”
10. “Inherent Vice”
Stay tuned….
The 5th Annual Edgy Award Nominations
Not much to get into here. I’m once again a year late on this. Obviously, I’m presently hip deep sorting through everything 2015 had to offer and scrambling to see as much as possible before putting it all together in superlative form. Hopefully this year, I’ll be able to get my shit together in a reasonable amount of time. If what I did made any sense, you’d be reading that list right now.
Alas, you can’t have a 6th Annual Edgy Awards without the 5th. To refresh, while there may only be five rounds of these available online, the Edgies are cataloged by yours truly going all the way back to 1940. The recipients’ nomination and win counts are grouped according to each category, with the exception of the two music categories and the four acting categories being linked.
Here are the nominees:
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Everything is Awesome“
featured in “The Lego Movie”
Music and Lyrics by Shawn Patterson (1st nom)
“Glory“
featured in “Selma”
Music and Lyrics by Common (1st nom) and John Legend (1st nom)
“Like a Fool“
featured in “Begin Again”
Music and Lyrics by John Carney (1st nom)
“Lost Stars“
featured in “Begin Again”
Music and Lyrics by Gregg Alexander (1st nom) and Danielle Brisebois (1st nom)
“Not About Angels“
featured in “The Fault in Our Stars”
Music and Birdy (1st nom)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“Foxcatcher”
Rob Simonsen (1st nom)
“Gone Girl“
Trent Reznor (2nd nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”) and Atticus Ross (2nd nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”)
“The Imitation Game“
Alexander Desplat (4th nom)
“Interstellar“
Hans Zimmer (9th nom, 4 wins – “12 Years a Slave,” “Gladiator,” “The Thin Red Line” and “Rain Man”)
“Under the Skin”
Mica Levi (1st nom)
__________
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
“Blue Ruin“
Shelley Illmensee (1st nom)
“Foxcatcher“
Bill Corso (1st nom) and Dennis Linniard (1st nom)
“The Grand Budapest Hotel“
Mark Coullier (3rd nom, 1 win – “The Iron Lady”) and Frances Hannon (1st nom)
“Guardians of the Galaxy“
Eizabeth Yianni-Georgiou (1st nom) and David White (1st nom)
“Snowpiercer“
Paul Price (1st nom) and Jeremy Woodhead (1st nom)
__________
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Daniel Barrett (2nd nom, 1 win – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), Dan Lemmon (2nd nom, 1 win – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), Joe Letteri (8th nom, 5 wins – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar,” “LOTR: The Return of the King,” and “LOTR: The Two Towers”) and Erik Winquist (1st nom)
“Edge of Tomorrow”
Nick Davis (4th nom), Jonathan Fawkner (1st nom) Christian Kaestner (1st nom) and Matt Middleton (1st nom)
“Godzilla“
Jeff Capogreco (1st nom), Katherine Rodtsbrooks (1st nom), Jim Rygiel (4th nom, 2 wins – “LOTR: The Return of the King” and “LOTR: The Two Towers”) Ged Wright (1st nom)
“Interstellar“
Scott Fisher (1st nom), Paul J. Franklin (5th nom, 1 win – “Inception”), Ian Hunter (3rd nom) and Andrew Lockley (3rd nom, 1 win – “Inception”)
“X-Men: Days of Future’s Past“
Tim Crosbie (1st nom), Lou Pecora (1st nom), Richard Stammers (2nd nom) and Cameron Waldbauer (1st nom)
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
“Edge of Tomorrow“
James Boyle (1st nom) and Dominic Gibbs (1st nom)
“Fury“
Paul N.J. Ottosson (3rd nom)
“Godzilla“
Erik Aadahl (2nd nom, 1 win – “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”) and Ethan Van der Ryn (8th nom, 2 wins – “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and LOTR: The Two Towers”)
“Interstellar“
Richard King (7th nom, 4 wins – “Inception,” “The Dark Knight,” “War of the Worlds” and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”)
“The Lego Movie”
Wayne Pashley (1st nom)
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS MIXING
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)“
Frank A. Montano (2nd nom), Jon Taylor (1st nom) and Thomas Varga (1st nom)
“Edge of Tomorrow“
Chris Burdon (4th nom) and Mark Taylor (2nd nom)
“Godzilla“
Rick Kline (6th nom), Greg Landaker (7th nom, 3 wins – “Twister,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) and Tim LeBlanc (2nd nom)
“Interstellar“
Greg Landaker (7th nom, 3 wins – “Twister,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”), Gary Rizzo (5th nom, 1 win – “Inception”) and Mark Weingarten (3rd nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”)
“Whiplash“
Thomas Curley (1st nom), Craig Mann (1st nom) and Ben Wilkins (1st nom)
__________
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Grand Budapest Hotel“
Milena Canonero (7th nom, 2 wins – “Dick Tracy” and “Barry Lyndon”)
“The Homesman“
Lahly Poore (1st nom)
“Inherent Vice“
Mark Bridges (4th nom, 1 win – “The Artist”)
“A Most Violent Year”
Kasia Walicka-Maimone (2nd nom)
“Snowpiercer”
Catherine George (1st nom)
__________
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)“
George DeTitta Jr. (1st nom) and Kevin Thompson (1st nom)
“The Grand Budapest Hotel“
Anna Pinnock (2nd nom) and Adam Stockhausen (2nd nom)
“Inherent Vice“
David Crank (2nd nom) and Amy Wells (2nd nom)
“Interstellar“
Nathan Crowley (3rd nom) and Gary Fettis (1st nom)
“Snowpiercer“
Beatrice Brentnerova (1st nom) and Ondrej Nekvasil (1st nom)
__________
BEST EDITING
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)“
Douglas Crise (2nd nom) and Stephen Mirrione (4th nom, 1 win – “Traffic”)
“Boyhood“
Sandra Adair (1st nom)
“Edge of Tomorrow”
James Herbert (1st nom) and Laura Jennings (1st nom)
“Gone Girl“
Kirk Baxter (2nd nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”)
“Interstellar“
Lee Smith (5th nom, 1 win – “The Dark Knight”)
__________
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)“
Emmanuel Lubezki (5th nom, 2 wins – “The Tree of Life” and “Children of Men”)
“Foxcatcher“
Greig Fraser (2nd nom)
“Inherent Vice“
Robert Elswit (5th nom)
“Interstellar“
Hoyte Van Hoytema (1st nom)
“A Most Violent Year”
Bradford Young (1st nom)
__________
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Finding Vivien Maier“
John Maloof (1st nom) and Charlie Siskel (1st nom)
“Last Days in Vietnam”
Rory Kennedy (1st nom) and Keven McAlester (1st nom)
“Life Itself“
Steve James (3rd nom, 2 wins – “The Interrupters” and “Hoop Dreams”)
“The Overnighters“
Amanda McBaine (1st nom) and Jesse Moss (1st nom)
“Virunga“
Joanna Natasegara (1st nom) and Orlando von Einsiedel (1st nom)
__________
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Edge of Tomorrow”
Jez Butterworth (1st nom) John-Henry Butterworth (1st nom) and Christopher McQuarrie (2nd nom, 1 win – “The Usual Suspects”)
“Gone Girl“
“Gillian Flynn (1st nom)
“The Imitation Game”
Graham Moore (1st nom)
“Inherent Vice“
Paul Thomas Anderson (5th nom, 1 win – “Boogie Nights”)
“Whiplash“
Damien Chazelle (1st nom)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
Armando Bo (1st nom), Alexander Dinelaris (1st nom), Nicolas Giacobone (1st nom) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (2nd nom)
“Boyhood”
Richard Linklater (5th nom)
“The Grand Budapest Hotel“
Wes Anderson (3rd nom) and Hugo Guinness (1st nom)
“Interstellar“
Christopher Nolan (4th nom) and Jonothan Nolan (2nd nom)
“A Most Violent Year“
J.C. Chandor (2nd nom, 1 win – “Margin Call”)
__________
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE
“Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Merritt Wever
“Boyhood”
Patricia Arquette, Sam Dillon, Ellar Coltrane, Zoe Graham, Ethan Hawke, Brad Hawkins, Lorelei Linklater, Marco Perella, Richard Robichaux, Charlie Sexton, Jenni Tooley, Libby Villari
“Inherent Vice”
Josh Brolin, Hong Chau, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon
“Interstellar”
Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, Mackenzie Foy, Topher Grace, David Gyasi, Anne Hathaway, Bill Irwin, John Lithgow, Matthew McConaughey, David Oyelowo, Josh Stewart,
“Pride”
Monica Dolan, Matthew Flynn, Freddie Fox, George MacKay, Bill Nighy, Lisa Palfrey, Ben Schnetzer, Andrew Scott, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Patricia Arquette – “Boyhood”
1st nom
Carrie Coon – “Gone Girl”
1st nom
Agata Kulezsa – “Ida”
1st nom
Imelda Staunton – “Pride”
2nd nom, 1 win – “Vera Drake”
Tilda Swinton – “Snowpiercer”
3rd nom
__________
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin – “Inherent Vice”
2nd nom
Ethan Hawke – “Boyhood”
Edward Norton – “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
5th nom, 1 win – “American History X”
Mark Ruffalo – “Foxcatcher”
1st nom
“J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash”
1st nom
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Essie Davis – “The Babadook”
1st nom
Keira Knightley – “Begin Again”
2nd nom
Julianne Moore – “Still Alice”
5th nom, 2 wins – “Far From Heaven” and “Boogie Nights”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl”
1st nom
Reese Witherspoon – “Wild”
3rd nom
__________
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Steve Carell – “Foxcatcher”
1st nom
Jake Gyllenhaal – “Nightcrawler”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Brokeback Mountain”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “A Most Wanted Man”
7 noms, 1 win – “Capote”
Michael Keaton – “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
1st nom
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything”
2nd nom
__________
BEST DIRECTOR
J.C. Chandor – “A Most Violent Year”
2nd nom
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
2nd nom
Richard Linklater – “Boyhood”
1st nom
Bennett Miller – “Foxcatcher”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Moneyball”
Christopher Nolan – “Interstellar”
4th nom, 1 win – “The Dark Knight”
__________
BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR
“Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (3rd nom), John Lesher (1st nom) and James W. Skotchdople (1st nom)
“Boyhood”
Richard Linklater (2nd nom) and Cathleen Sutherland (1st nom)
“Foxcatcher”
Anthony Bregman (2nd nom), Megan Ellison (4th nom), Jon Kilik (5th nom) and Bennett Miller (1st nom)
“Gone Girl”
Cean Chaffin (4th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”) and Arnon Milchan (2nd nom)
“Inherent Vice”
Paul Thomas Anderson (5th nom, 1 win – “There Will Be Blood”), Daniel Lupi (3rd nom, 1 win – “There Will Be Blood) and JoAnne Sellar (5th nom, 1 win – “There Will Be Blood”)
“Interstellar”
Christopher Nolan (3rd nom, 1 win – “The Dark Knight”), Lynda Obst (1st nom) and Emma Thomas (3rd nom, 1 win – “The Dark Knight)
“A Most Violent Year”
J.C. Chandor (1st nom), Neal Dodson (2nd nom) and Anna Gerb (1st nom)
“The Overnighters”
Amanda McBaine (1st nom) and Jesse Moss (1st nom)
“Pride”
David Livingstone (1st nom)
“Whiplash”
Jason Blum (1st nom), Helen Estabrook (1st nom) and David Lancaster (1st nom)
__________
NOMINATION TALLY
Interstellar – 11
Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance – 10
Boyhood – 7
Foxcatcher – 7
Inherent Vice – 7
Gone Girl – 6
Edge of Tomorrow – 5
A Most Violent Year – 5
The Grand Budapest Hotel – 4
Snowpiercer – 4
Whiplash – 4
Begin Again – 3
Godzilla – 3
Pride – 3
The Imitation Game – 2
The Lego Movie – 2
The Overnighters – 2
2015 Oscar Predix or The Inevitable End of the Precedent
The Oscars are down to minutes away and I was unbearably close to not even posting my predictions, and not just because I expect to do terrible in my guesses. There’s a number of reasons that predicting this year’s big night just seems a mute point and it has been a growing fundamental for the last couple of years. That precedent is, well, the end of all precedents.
Outside of gut instinct and sticking a wet finger up to feel which way the wind is blowing, the strongest aid in predicting the Oscars is looking back at what history as taught us. And no matter which way you roll the dice, this year, history goes right out the window.
For example, it’s clear that the two frontrunners in this year’s Best Picture race are “Birdman” and “Boyhood,” the attack of the killer Bs. Both are stellar films finding themselves at the tip-top of my favorites list, however, both films have a lot stacked against them, at this point in the race. “Birdman” has racked up wins with the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild. The last time a film won that trifecta and lost the big prize was 19 years ago when “Apollo 13” lost to “Braveheart” in 1996. Meanwhile, “Boyhood” recently won the British Academy Award for Best Picture, an award that has lined up with Oscar for 6 years straight.
Perhaps the biggest precedent of them all is the one that Oscar prognosticators like myself can always fall back on for comfort, and that is the editors. As of this year, no film has won Best Picture without a nomination for Best Editing in 34 YEARS. “Birdman” would be the first since “Ordinary People” took down “Raging Bull” in 1981. Some might consider this a technicality with the whole “one shot” concept and that the editors simply didn’t understand or notice the intricacy and complexity of making such seamless cuts, but I think the editors are smarter than that.
Meanwhile, if the frontrunners manage to split and either “Selma,” or “The Grand Budapest Hotel” manages to upset, than one has to ask what they hell we’re all even doing here, from a predictions standpoint.
Anyway, I rail all this out, but we all know I’ll still be here trying my luck for years and years to come. But first things first, see below for my predicted winners, my runner-up guesses and my picks for if I had a vote. These favorites, of course, come just from the nominees. I’ll be doing my overall picks at the 5th Annual Edgy Awards over the next few weeks.
Here’s to the night and the history:
__________
BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR
WILL WIN: “Boyhood”
MIGHT WIN: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
SHOULD WIN: “Boyhood”
BEST DIRECTOR
WILL WIN: Richard Linklater – “Boyhood”
MIGHT WIN: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
SHOULD WIN: Bennett Miller – “Foxcatcher”
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything”
MIGHT WIN: Michael Keaton – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
SHOULD WIN: Michael Keaton – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Julianne Moore – “Still Alice”
MIGHT WIN: NOPE
SHOULD WIN: Julianne Moore – “Still Alice”
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: J.K. Simmons – “Boyhood”
MIGHT WIN: Edward Norton – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
SHOULD WIN: Edward Norton – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: Patricia Arquette – “Boyhood”
MIGHT WIN: Emma Stone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
SHOULD WIN: Patricia Arquette – “Boyhood”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
MIGHT WIN: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
SHOULD WIN: “Boyhood”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “The Imitation Game”
MIGHT WIN: “Whiplash”
SHOULD WIN: “Inherent Vice”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
WILL WIN: “Wild Tales”
MIGHT WIN: “Ida”
SHOULD WIN: “Ida”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WILL WIN: “Citizenfour”
MIGHT WIN: “Virunga”
SHOULD WIN: “Virunga”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WILL WIN: “How to Train Your Dragon 2”
MIGHT WIN: “Big Hero 6”
SHOULD WIN: N/A
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WILL WIN: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
MIGHT WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
SHOULD WIN: “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”
BEST EDITING
WILL WIN: “Boyhood”
MIGHT WIN: “Whiplash”
SHOULD WIN: “Boyhood”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WILL WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
MIGHT WIN: “Into the Woods”
SHOULD WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WILL WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
MIGHT WIN: “Mr. Turner”
SHOULD WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
BEST SOUND MIXING
WILL WIN: “Whiplash”
MIGHT WIN: “American Sniper”
SHOULD WIN: “Interstellar”
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
WILL WIN: “American Sniper”
MIGHT WIN: “Interstellar”
SHOULD WIN: “Interstellar”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WILL WIN: “Interstellar”
MIGHT WIN: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
SHOULD WIN: Either of the Above
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
WILL WIN: “Guardians of the Galaxy”
MIGHT WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
SHOULD WIN: “Guardians of the Galaxy”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
WILL WIN: “The Theory of Everything”
MIGHT WIN: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
SHOULD WIN: “Interstellar”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
WILL WIN: “Glory” from “Selma”
MIGHT WIN: “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
SHOULD WIN: “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Aya”
MIGHT WIN: “The Phone Call”
SHOULD WIN: N/A
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Feast”
MIGHT WIN: “The Bigger Picture”
SHOULD WIN: N/A
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
WILL WIN: “Joanna”
MIGHT WIN: “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
SHOULD WIN: N/A
4th Annual Edgy Award Winners
I didn’t commit to writing up my Top Ten List for last year. Under normal circumstances, one would think such circumstances would provide an element of suspense going through these awards. Any other year, that might be true, but unfortunately there was a heavyweight that didn’t have much trouble cleaning up the lion’s share of the categories. In fact, not since “The Return of the King,” and before that “Schindler’s List.” has a single film taken out the competition as extensively as, well…you’ll find out soon enough.
I’ve tried to provide as many video clips as possible, to help to justify my decisions here. No winner would also be complete without a runner-up because my labor of indecision is insurmountable. Finally, once you’ve seen what’s been crowned the top honors, keep scrolling for some fun extra awards that will tie up any loose ends of 2014.
Without further adieu, here are the winners of the 4th Annual Edgy Awards:
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Young and Beautiful” featured in “The Great Gatsby”
Music and Lyrics by Lana Del Ray
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1aF54DO60]
Runner-Up: “The Moon Song” featured in “Her”
__________
The 4th Annual Edgy Award Nominations
That’s right, I’ve returned again from the ashes to shower all of you with my cinematic opinions. For what reason? I suppose that’s ultimately up for you all to decide. For me, the cinematic process exists on three levels: people make films, people watch films and, finally, people discuss films. I’m here to plant my flag in the discussion, for that’s the only way that a film lives beyond the first two steps.
With the announcement of this year’s Academy Award nominations, I am compelled to throw my hat in the ring and let you all know of where they went wrong and, occasionally, strike gold. But most of all, I can’t help but get a metaphysical high from this; taking all of my cinematic conquests that I’ve spent my hard-earned money seeing, and lining them up in neat, organized columns. Maybe as a child, I spent too much time organizing my action figures and baseball cards, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And given that I made my first “Top 100 Films” list when I was 11, I don’t think it could have turned out differently.
Now, as much as I can’t wait to dig into 2014, and all of its brightest points, I’ve still got a lot to see in the next 4 weeks. Meanwhile, due to a few too many unfortunate stints by my wife’s side in the hospital last winter (she’s fine, now, don’t worry), the 4th Annual Edgy Awards never had a chance to come to pass. Since you can’t have a 5th without the 4th, I’ll spend a bit more time covering my bases for this year and will offer a up a little blast from the past. We’ll get back to 2014 by the time the Oscars roll through, but for now, the year that was lost can now be found.
To remind everyone, while these are the “4th” Edgy Awards, I keep records going back to the 1940s. So while nominees’ records might not be published, they exist, nonetheless. Meanwhile, their nomination and win counts are restricted to the category they are nominated in (with the exception of all acting and music awards).
Here are the 2013 Nominations for the 4th Annual Edgy Awards:
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Amen“
featured in “All is Lost”
Music and Lyrics by Alex Ebert (1st nom)
“The Moon Song“
featured in “Her”
Music and Lyrics by Karen O (1st nom)
“Please Please Mr. Kennedy“
featured in “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Music and Lyrics by T Bone Burnett (3rd nom, 1 win – “The Weary Kind” in “Crazy Heart”), George Cromarty (1st nom), Ed Rush (1st nom) and Justin Timberlake (1st nom)
“Silhouettes“
featured in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Music and Lyrics by Of Monsters and Men (1st nom)
“Young and Beautiful“
featured in “The Great Gatsby”
Music and Lana Del Ray (1st nom)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“12 Years a Slave“
Hans Zimmer (8th nom, 3 wins – “Gladiator,” “The Thin Red Line” and “Rain Man”)
“Gravity”
Steven Price (1st nom)
“Her“
Arcade Fire (2nd nom)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Mike Patton (1st nom)
“Stoker“
Clint Mansell (3rd nom, 1 win – “Moon)
__________
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
“12 Years a Slave“
Nikki I. Brown (2nd nom) and Nick London (1st nom)
“American Hustle“
Lori McCoy-Bell (1st nom) and Evelyn Noraz (1st nom)
“Dallas Buyers Club“
Melanie Deforrest (1st nom) and Robin Mathews (2nd nom)
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire“
Ve Neill (10th nom, 3 wins – “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Batman Returns” and “Beetlejuice”)
“Prisoners“
Donald Mowat (1st nom)
__________
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“All is Lost“
Colin Davies (1st nom) and Bob Munroe (2nd nom)
“Gravity“
Neil Corbould (5th nom, 1 win – “Inception”), Chris Lawrence (1st nom) David Shirk (1st nom) and Timothy Webber (4th nom)
“Oblivion“
Eric Barba (4th nom, 1 win – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Bjorn Mayer (1st nom)
“Pacific Rim“
Lindy DeQuattro (1st nom), Hal T. Hickell (4th nom, 1 win – “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), John Knoll (8th nom, 2 wins – “Avatar” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”)
“Star Trek: Into Darkness“
Burt Dalton (4th nom, 1 win – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), Ben Grossman (3rd nom), Robert Guyett (6th nom), Paul Tubach (1st nom)
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
“Captain Phillips”
Oliver Tarney (2nd nom, 1 win – “United 93”)
“Gravity”
Glenn Freemantle (1st nom)
“Oblivion“
Al Nelson (1st nom)
“Star Trek: Into Darkness”
Ben Burtt (11th nom, 6 wins – “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars: A New Hope”) and Matthew Wood (6th nom)
“World War Z“
Nigel Stone (1st nom) and Ethan van der Ryn (7th nom, 2 wins – “LOTR: The Two Towers” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”)
__________
BEST SOUND MIXING
“Captain Phillips“
Chris Burdon (3rd nom), Chris Munro (5th nom, 1 win – “Black Hawk Down”), Mike Prestwood Smith (3rd nom) and Mark Taylor (1st nom)
“Gravity“
Niv Adiri (1st nom), Christopher Benstead (1st nom), Skip Lievsay (3rd nom) and Chris Munro (5th nom, 1 win – “Black Hawk Down”)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Peter F. Kurland (3rd nom), Skip Lievsay (3rd nom) Greg Orloff (3rd nom)
“Star Trek: Into Darkness”
Peter J. Devlin (5th nom), Will Files (3rd nom, 1 win – “Cloverfield”) and Andy Nelson (22nd nom, 5 wins – “Les Miserables,” “Cloverfield,” “Munich,” “Saving Private Ryan” and L.A. Confidential”)
“Stoker”
James Bolt (1st nom), Chuck Michael (1st nom) and John Morris (1st nom)
__________
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“12 Years a Slave“
Patricia Norris (6th nom, 3 wins – “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “The Elephant Man” and “Days of Heaven”)
“42”
Caroline Harris (1st nom)
“American Hustle”
Michael Wilkinson (1st nom)
“The Great Gatsby”
Catherine Martin (2nd nom, 1 win – “Moulin Rouge”)
“Oz: The Great and Powerful“
Gary Jones (2nd nom)
__________
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“12 Years a Slave”
Alice Baker (1st nom) and Adam Stockhausen (2nd nom)
“The Conjuring”
Julie Berghoff (1st nom) and Sophie Neudorfer (1st nom)
“Gravity“
Andy Nicholson (1st nom), Rosie Goodwin (2nd nom) and Joanne Woollard (2nd nom)
“The Great Gatsby“
Catherine Martin (3rd nom, 2 wins – “Moulin Rouge” and “Romeo and Juliet”) and Beverley Dunn (1st nom)
“Her”
K.K. Barrett (2nd Nom) and Gene Serdana (1st nom)
__________
BEST EDITING
“12 Years a Slave“
Joe Walker (2nd nom)
“Captain Phillips”
Christopher Rouse (3rd nom, 1 win – “United 93”)
“Gravity”
Alfonso Cuaron (2nd nom) and Mark Sanger (1st nom)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Joel and Ethan Coen (3rd nom, 1 win – “Fargo”)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Jim Helton (1st nom) and Ron Patane (1st nom)
__________
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“12 Years a Slave“
Sean Bobbitt (3rd nom)
“Gravity”
Emmanuel Lubezki (4th nom, 2 wins – “The Tree of Life” and “Children of Men”)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Bruno Delbonnel (4th nom, 1 win – “A Very Long Engagement”)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Sean Bobbitt (3rd nom)
“Prisoners“
Roger Deakins (13th nom, 4 wins – “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “Fargo,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Barton Fink”)
___________
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“20 Feet from Stardom“
Gil Friesen (1st nom), Morgan Neville (1st nom), Caitrin Rogers (1st nom)
“The Act of Killing”
Joshua Oppenheimer (1st nom)
“Blackfish“
Gabriela Cowperthwaite (1st nom)
“Room 237“
Rodney Ascher (1st nom)
“Stories We Tell“
Sarah Polley (1st nom)
__________
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“12 Years a Slave“
John Ridley (2nd nom)
“Before Midnight“
Julie Delpy (1st nom), Ethan Hawke (1st nom) and Richard Linklater (4th nom)
“Captain Phillips”
Billy Ray (1st nom)
“Philomena“
Steve Coogan (1st nom) and Jeff Pope (1st nom)
“The Wolf of Wall Street“
Terrence Winter (1st nom)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Her”
Spike Jonze (1st nom)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Joel and Ethan Coen (8th nom, 3 wins – “No Country for Old Men,” “Fargo” and “Barton Fink”)
“Mud“
Jeff Nichols (1st nom)
“The Place Beyond the Pines“
Derek Cianfrance (2nd nom) Ben Coccio (1st nom) and Darius Marder (1st nom)
“Short Term 12“
Destin Daniel Cretton (1st nom)
__________
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
“12 Years a Slave”
Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Garret Dillahunt, Chiwetel Ejiofer, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong’o, Adepero Oduye, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard
“American Hustle”
Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Louis C.K., Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Alessandro Nivola, Michael Pena, Jeremy Renner, Said Taghmaoui, Shea Whigham
“August: Osage County“
Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Margo Martindale, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholoson, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard, Meryl Streep, Misty Upham
“The Place Beyond the Pines“
Rose Byrne, Emory Cohen, Bradley Cooper, Dane DeHaan, Ryan Gosling, Bruce Greenwood, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelsohn, Eva Mendes,
“Prisoners”
Maria Bello, Paul Dano, David Dastmalchian, Viola Davis, Wayne Duvall, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Melissa Leo, Dylan Minette
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine”
(2nd nom, 1 win – “Happy-Go-Lucky”)
Jennifer Lawrence – “American Hustle”
(3rd nom)
Lupita Nyong’0 – “12 Years a Slave”
(1st nom)
Julia Roberts – “August: Osage County”
(3rd nom)
June Squibb – “Nebraska”
(1st nom)
__________
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
(1st nom)
Bradley Cooper – “American Hustle”
(1st nom)
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave”
(2nd nom)
James Franco – “Spring Breakers”
(2nd nom)
Jared Leto – “Dallas Buyers Club”
(1st nom)
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine”
(5th nom, 2 win – “I’m Not There” and “Elizabeth”)
Sandra Bullock – “Gravity”
(1st nom)
Julie Delpy – “Before Midnight”
(3rd nom)
Brie Larson – “Short Term 12”
(1st nom)
Meryl Streep – “August: Osage County”
(14th nom – 6 wins – “Adaptation,” “A Cry in the Dark,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “The Deer Hunter”)
__________
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Wolf of Wall Street”
(7th nom, 1 win – “The Aviator”)
Chiwetel Ejiofer – “12 Years a Slave”
(1st nom)
Tom Hanks – “Captain Phillips”
(8th nom – 1 win – “Cast Away”)
Oscar Isaac – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
(1st nom)
Michael Shannon – “The Iceman”
(3rd nom)
__________
BEST DIRECTOR
Joel and Ethan Coen – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
(6th nom, 1 win – “Fargo”)
Alfonso Cuaron – “Gravity”
(3rd nom)
Paul Greengrass – “Captain Phillips”
(3rd nom, 1 win – “United 93”)
Steve McQueen – “12 Years a Slave”
(2nd nom)
Denis Villeneuve – “Prisoners”
(1st nom)
__________
BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
“12 Years a Slave”
Dede Gardner (2nd nomination), Jeremy Kleiner (1st nom), Steve McQueen (1st nom) and Brad Pitt (4th nom, 1 win – “Moneyball”)
“The Act of Killing”
Jeremy Oppenheimer (1st nom) and Signe Byrne Sorenson (1st nom)
“Captain Phillips”
Dana Brunetti (2nd nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”), Michael De Luca (3rd nom, 2nd win – “Moneyball” and “The Social Network”) and Scott Rudin (11th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”)
“Gravity“
Alfonso Cuaron (3rd nom) and David Heyman (2nd nom)
“Her“
Megan Ellison (3rd nom), Spike Jonze (1st nom) and Vincent Landay (2nd nom, 1 win – “Adaptation”)
“Inside Llewyn Davis“
Joel and Ethan Coen (3rd nom) and Scott Rudin (11th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”)
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
Lynette Howell (3rd nom), Sidney Kimmel (1st nom), Alex Orlovsky (3rd nom) and James Patricof (3rd nom)
“Prisoners“
Kira Davis (1st nom), Broderick Johnson (1st nom) and Andrew Kosove (1st nom)
“Short Term 12“
Joshua Astrachan (1st nom), Ron Najor (1st nom) and Maren Olson (1st nom)
“The Wolf of Wall Street“
Leonardo DiCaprio (1st nom), Emma Tillinger Koskoff (1st nom), Joey McFarland (1st nom) and Martin Scorsese (1st nom)
__________
NOMINATION LEADERS
“12 Years a Slave” – 13 nominations
“Gravity” – 10 nominations
“Captain Phillips” – 8 nominations
“Inside Llewyn Davis” – 8 nominations
“The Place Beyond the Pines” – 6 nominations
“American Hustle” – 5 nominations
“Her” – 5 nominations
“Prisoners” – 5 nominations
“August: Osage County” – 3 nominations
“The Great Gatsby” – 3 nominations
“Short Term 12” – 3 nominations
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” – 3 nominations
“The Wolf of Wall Street” – 3 nominations
Predictions for the 86th Annual Academy Awards
Despite all of the detriments and shenanigans that have occupied (and in some instances, plagued) my life over the last few months, including those that have almost precluded me from even getting to watch the Oscars this year, I’d never miss the chance to offer up my official predictions. Check out what I think will take home the gold, as well as the cliched (but effective) spiel of what could possibly win, what I think should win and what wasn’t even nominated but definitely should have.
_________________
BEST PICTURE
WILL WIN: “12 Years a Slave”
COULD WIN: “Gravity”
SHOULD WIN: “12 Years a Slave”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Inside Llewyn Davis” AND “Short Term 12”
BEST DIRECTOR
WILL WIN: Alfonso Cuaron – “Gravity”
COULD WIN: Steve McQueen – “12 Years a Slave”
SHOULD WIN: Steve McQueen – “12 Years a Slave”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: Paul Greengrass – “Captain Phillips”
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Matthew McConaughey – “Dallas Buyers Club”
COULD WIN: Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Wolf of Wall Street”
SHOULD WIN: Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Wolf of Wall Street”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: Tom Hanks – “Captain Phillips” AND Oscar Isaac – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine”
COULD WIN: Judi Dench – “Philomena”
SHOULD WIN: Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: Brie Larson – “Short Term 12”
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: Jared Leto – “Dallas Buyers Club”
COULD WIN: Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
SHOULD WIN: Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: James Franco – “Spring Breakers”
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: Lupita Nyong’o – “12 Years a Slave”
COULD WIN: Jennifer Lawrence – “American Hustle”
SHOULD WIN: Lupita Nyong’o – “12 Years a Slave”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE – N/A (Again, I think this category is fantastic)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “Her”
COULD WIN: “American Hustle”
SHOULD WIN: “Her”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Inside Llewyn Davis”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “12 Years a Slave”
COULD WIN: “Philomena”
SHOULD WIN: “12 Years a Slave”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: N/A (I full agree with these nominations)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WILL WIN: “Frozen”
COULD WIN: “The Wind Rises”
SHOULD WIN: “The Wind Rises”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: N/A (Unfortunately, I just don’t care too much about this category. No offense, animators)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WILL WIN: “20 Feet From Stardom”
COULD WIN: “The Act of Killing”
SHOULD WIN: “The Act of Killing”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Blackfish”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
WILL WIN: “The Hunt”
COULD WIN: “The Great Beauty”
SHOULD WIN: “The Hunt”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: N/A (just haven’t paid enough attention to this category, this year)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WILL WIN: “Gravity”
COULD WIN: “Inside Llewyn Davis”
SHOULD WIN: “Inside Llewyn Davis”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “12 Years a Slave”
BEST EDITING
WILL WIN: “Captain Phillips”
COULD WIN: “Gravity”
SHOULD WIN: “Captain Phillips”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “The Place Beyond the Pines”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WILL WIN: “The Great Gatsby”
COULD WIN: “12 Years a Slave”
SHOULD WIN: “Her”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Inside Llewyn Davis”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WILL WIN: “The Great Gatsby”
COULD WIN: “American Hustle”
SHOULD WIN: “American Hustle”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “42”
BEST SOUND MIXING
WILL WIN: “Gravity”
COULD WIN: “Captain Phillips”
SHOULD WIN: “Inside Llewyn Davis”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Stoker”
BEST SOUND EDITING
WILL WIN: “Gravity”
COULD WIN: “All is Lost”
SHOULD WIN: “Gravity”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Star Trek: Into Darkness”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WILL WIN: “Gravity”
COULD WIN: N/A
SHOULD WIN: “Gravity”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Oblivion”
BEST MAKE-UP EFFECTS
WILL WIN: “Dallas Buyers Club”
COULD WIN: “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa”
SHOULD WIN: “Dallas Buyers Club”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “12 Years a Slave”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
WILL WIN: “Let It Go” from “Frozen”
COULD WIN: “Happy” from “Despicable Me”
SHOULD WIN: “The Moon Song” from “Her”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “Young and Beautiful” from “The Great Gatsby”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
WILL WIN: “Gravity”
COULD WIN: “Philomena”
SHOULD WIN: “Her”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “12 Years a Slave”
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Get a Horse”
COULD WIN: “Feral”
SHOULD WIN: “N/A”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “N/A”
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Helium”
COULD WIN: “The Voorman Problem”
SHOULD WIN: “N/A”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “N/A”
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life”
COULD WIN: “Facing Fear”
SHOULD WIN: “N/A”
SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE: “N/A”
Happy Oscar Day, everyone!
The 3rd Annual Edgy Award Winners
These are undoubtedly a little late, but better late than never. After some deliberation, here are the winners of this year’s Edgy Awards, along with the runners-up in each category. If you missed the nomination announcement, you can check all of them out here.
Enjoy:
____________
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Skyfall” featured in “Skyfall”
Music and Lyrics by Adele
Runner-Up: “Song of the Lonely Mountain” featured in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
____________
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“The Master”
Jonny Greenwood
Runner-Up: “Life of Pi”
____________
BEST MAKEUP EFFECTS
“Les Miserables”
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Runner-Up: “Lincoln”
____________
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
David Clayton, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and R. Christopher White
Runner-Up: “Life of Pi”
____________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
“Looper”
Jeremy Peirson and Thomas Jones
Runner-Up: “The Dark Knight Rises”
____________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS MIXING
“Les Miserables”
Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson and Mark Paterson
Runner-Up: “The Dark Knight Rises”
____________
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Mirror Mirror”
Eiko Ishioka
Runner-Up: “Les Miserables”
____________
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Lincoln”
Rick Carter and Jim Erickson
Runner-Up: “Les Miserables”
____________
BEST EDITING
“Zero Dark Thirty”
William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor
Runner-Up: “Argo”
____________
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Master”
Mihai Malaimare Jr.
Runner-Up: “Skyfall”
____________
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“The Imposter”
Bart Layton
Runner-Up: “The Invisible War”
____________
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Lincoln”
Tony Kushner
Runner-Up: “Silver-Linings Playbook”
____________
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Looper”
Rian Johnson
Runner-Up: “The Master”
____________
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE
“Lincoln”
Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Earle Haley, John Hawkes, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce McGill, Tim Blake Nelson, Gloria Reuben, James Spader, David Strathairn, Michael Stuhlberg
Runner-Up: “Silver Linings Playbook”
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BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”
Runner-Up: Sally Field – “Lincoln”
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BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
Runner-Up: Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
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BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Runner-Up: Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”
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BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”
Runner-Up: Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
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BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Runner-Up: Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”
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BEST PICTURE
“Lincoln”
Runner-Up: “Zero Dark Thirty”
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Well, that’s all for 2012, folks. I felt as though I could not focus on the the current year without first putting the finishing touches on the year before. We’ll see what comes of it. Stay tuned…
Final 2013 Oscar Predictions with Analysis
Only a couple hours left to go. Below, you can see my predictions for this year’s Oscar winners, finally set in stone. I’ve included a bit of insight and reasoning for each category.
Make sure to also check back for live updates as the awards are announced.
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Will Win: “Argo”
Could Win: “Lincoln”
Analysis: This year’s Best Picture race is, without a doubt, the most upside down it’s been in recent memory. All logic (and good judgment) would point to “Lincoln,” as not only the year’s best film, but also the most nominated and a genuine perfect storm of concept and execution. However, the combination of a sweep of all four guilds, the BAFTA, the BFCA and the Globes, along with (and perhaps the cause of the former) the sympathy vote for Affleck and his lack of a Director nomination, one would have to be a fool not to predict it for the final showdown. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for an upset, but not my predictions.
The 3rd Annual Edgy Award Nominations
I feel like there’s not much need to preface this. The format is pretty much the same as last year. These are the Edge of the Frame’s equivalent to the Academy Awards and represent what I believe to be the best achievements of the year in my own selection of categories.
It’s important to remember that while these are the third published set of awards, I have a record of my nominations and winners going back to the forties. Therefore, their total count of former nominations is accurate based on the films that I’ve seen. Also, aside from the performance and music categories, individuals former nominations and victories are listed only for the category that they are currently nominated in.
I don’t mind saying that I’m particularly fond of these choices, but if you disagree, join the conversation in the comments and let me know.
Here are the nominees for the 3rd Annual Edgy Awards:
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BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Ancora Qui“
featured in “Django Unchained”
Music and Lyrics by Ennio Morricone (5th nom, 4 wins – “The Mission,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Days of Heaven,” and “The Good, the Bad and Ugly”) and Elisa (1st nom)
“Breath of Life“
featured in “Snow White and the Huntsman”
Music and Lyrics by Florence and the Machine (1st nom)
“Skyfall“
featured in “Skyfall”
Music and Lyrics by Adele (1st nom)
“Song of the Lonely Mountain“
featured in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Music and Lyrics by Neil Finn (1st nom), David Donaldson (1st nom), David Long (1st nom) and Janet Roddick (1st nom)
“Suddenly“
featured in “Les Miserables”
Music and Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer (1st nom), Claude-Michel Schonberg (1st nom) and Alain Boublil (1st nom)
