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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.
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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!
2012 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Well, we’ve officially had our first shake-up of the season. While many of the main contenders remain at the top of the field without having to take a mention, several have confirmed their frontrunner status through victory. Moreover, one film that has largely been a mystery this awards season has instantly positioned itself as possibly the film to beat.
I am, of course, speaking of Karthryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty.” The highly anticipated expose on the search for Osama Bin Laden had a big night at the first official critics awards of the year. With the first reviews coming in from early screenings (a not-too-shabby Metacritic score of 97 after 8 reviews), this may end up being not so much of a surprise. Whether this will turn out becoming the year’s proverbial critical darling is yet to be seen. Personally, I’m hoping for a bit more diversity in opinion coming from this year’s critics awards rather than the usual polarization. Yet, if Bigelow’s film is a as good as it appears, you can’t argue with who knows best.
Here’s the full list of winners:
BEST PICTURE: “Zero Dark Thirty”
BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day Lewis – “Lincoln”
BEST ACTRESS: Rachel Weisz – “The Deep Blue Sea”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Matthew McConaughey – “Magic Mike” and “Bernie”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Sally Field – “Lincoln”
BEST SCREENPLAY: Tony Kushner – “Lincoln”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Greg Fraser – “Zero Dark Thirty”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Michael Hanecke – “Amour”
BEST FIRST FILM: David France – “How to Survive a Plague”
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon – “Central Park Five”
BEST ANIMATED FILM: “Frankenweenie”
Now to cite “Zero Dark Thirty” as the only big winner yesterday would be a mistake. Steven Spielberg’s epic biopic “Lincoln” also snagged three awards, including two for acting, confirming the idea, shared by myself, that it truly has one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory. Meanwhile, Rachel Weisz has skyrocketed herself back into contention for a film that has been largely forgotten about. And while some people may still refuse to accept it, Matthew McConaughey has now become a legitimate candidate for an Oscar nomination. Who would have thought, though credit must be paid to the stellar year his career has had.
Village Voice critic J. Hoberman gave some insight as to how some of the voting went down. Apparently, the female acting awards were incredibly tight. The decided winners barely beat out frontrunners Jennifer Lawrence from “Silver Linings Playbook” and Anne Hathaway from “Les Miserables” in their respective categories. Tommy Lee Jones’ performance in “Lincoln” came in a very close second for Supporting Actor. Though, as one would expect, Daniel Day Lewis met little resistance in his victory.
Without a doubt, the film that had the worst night was Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest work of genius, “The Master.” With very little box office support and a topic that’s not much of a crowd-pleaser, this film is definitely dependent on its critical success to attempt to revive itself. Despite showing up in late ballots for Picture, Director, Actor (Phoenix) and Cinematography, its failure to claim a single honor is not a good sign. It still has a chance for redemption with the Los Angeles Critics or NYFCO this weekend, but it’s chances of winning any major awards are fading fast.
Some pundits are already claiming the race down to “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Lincoln,” but I am nowhere near sold. Tomorrow brings about the National Board of Review which might just change the landscape all over again. Plus, the potential success that “Argo” and “Les Miserables” will find once guild nominations start rolling out may make all the difference in the world. No doubt about it, though, things are certainly getting interesting.
The Edge of the Frame 