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Predictions for the 89th Academy Awards
Every year I seem to cut it closer and closer to game time. Lots to deliberate on, but really it just comes down to how many Oscars will “La La Land” NOT win. We’ll find out. See my predix below, as well as my picks if I had a ballot:
__________
BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR
WILL WIN: “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: “Moonlight”
MY VOTE: “Arrival”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Jackie”
BEST DIRECTOR
WILL WIN: Damien Chazelle – “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: Barry Jenkins – “Moonlight”
MY VOTE: Denis Villeneuve – “Arrival”
SHOULD BE HERE: Robert Eggers – “The Witch”
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Casey Affleck – “Manchester by the Sea”
MIGHT WIN: Denzel Washington – “Fences”
MY VOTE: Casey Affleck – “Manchester by the Sea”
SHOULD BE HERE: Joel Edgerton – “Loving”
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
WILL WIN: Emma Stone – “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: Isabelle Huppert – “Elle”
MY VOTE: Natalie Portman – “Jackie”
SHOULD BE HERE: Amy Adams – “Arrival”
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: Mahershala Ali – “Moonlight”
MIGHT WIN: Dev Patel – “Lion”
MY VOTE: Mahershala Ali – “Moonlight”
SHOULD BE HERE: Ralph Fiennes – “A Bigger Splash”
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WILL WIN: Viola Davis – “Fences”
MIGHT WIN: Umm…
MY VOTE: Viola Davis – “Fences”
SHOULD BE HERE: Greta Gerwig – “20th Century Women”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “Manchester by the Sea”
MIGHT WIN: “La La Land”
MY VOTE: “Manchester by the Sea”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Jackie”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN: “Moonlight”
MIGHT WIN: “Arrival”
MY VOTE: “Arrival”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Loving”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
WILL WIN: “The Salesman”
MIGHT WIN: “Toni Erdmann”
MY VOTE: “N/A”
SHOULD BE HERE: “N/A”
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WILL WIN: “O.J. Made in America”
MIGHT WIN: “13th”
MY VOTE: “13th”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Tower”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WILL WIN: “Zootopia”
MIGHT WIN: “Kubo and the Two Strings”
MY VOTE: “Zootopia”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Sausage Party”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WILL WIN: “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: “Lion”
MY VOTE: “Moonlight”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Jackie”
BEST EDITING
WILL WIN: “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: “Arrival”
MY VOTE: “Arrival”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Midnight Special”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WILL WIN: “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: “Hail, Caesar!”
MY VOTE: “Hail, Caesar!”
SHOULD BE HERE: “The Witch”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WILL WIN: “Jackie”
MIGHT WIN: “La La Land”
MY VOTE: “Jackie”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Silence”
BEST SOUND MIXING
WILL WIN: “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: “Arrival”
MY VOTE: “Arrival”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Blair Witch”
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
WILL WIN: “Arrival”
MIGHT WIN: “Hacksaw Ridge”
MY VOTE: “Arrival”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Midnight Special”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WILL WIN: “Jungle Book”
MIGHT WIN: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
MY VOTE: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Arrival”
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
WILL WIN: “Suicide Squad”
MIGHT WIN: “Star Trek: Beyond”
MY VOTE: “Suicide Squad”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Hacksaw Ridge”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
WILL WIN: “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: “Moonlight”
MY VOTE: “Moonlight”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Arrival”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
WILL WIN: “City of Stars” from “La La Land”
MIGHT WIN: “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana”
MY VOTE: “City of Stars” from “La La Land”
SHOULD BE HERE: “Heathens” from “Suicide Squad”
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Sing”
MIGHT WIN: “Ennemis Interieurs”
MY VOTE: N/A
SHOULD BE HERE: N/A
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WILL WIN: “Piper”
MIGHT WIN: “Borrowed Time”
MY VOTE: N/A
SHOULD BE HERE: N/A
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
WILL WIN: “The White Helmets”
MIGHT WIN: “Joe’s Violin”
MY VOTE: N/A
SHOULD BE HERE: N/A
The 7th Annual Edgy Award Nominations
Alas, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Time to take stock of what’s been seen and shower you all with my opinions. On schedule for once.
To remind everyone, while there may only be 6 previous editions of the Edgies available online, the awards 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. So while Martin Scorsese may be getting only his 3rd nomination for producing, that certainly does not include the wealth of nominations he’s accumulated for directing.
Without further ado, here are my nominations for the best craftsmanship and talent on display in 2016:
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Audition“
featured in “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz (2nd nom), Lyrics by Benj Pasik (2nd nom) and Justin Paul (2nd nom)
“City of Stars“
featured in “La La Land”
Music by Justin Hurwitz (2nd nom), Lyrics by Benj Pasik (2nd nom) and Justin Paul (2nd nom)
“Drive It Like You Stole It”
featured in “Sing Street”
Music and Lyrics by Gary Clark (1st nom)
“Heathens“
featured in “Suicide Squad”
Music and Lyrics by Tyler Joseph (1st nom)
“Letter to the Free“
featured in “13th”
Music and Lyrics by Common (2nd nom)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“Arrival“
Johann Johannsson (2nd nom, 1 win – “Sicaro”)
“Jackie“
Mica Levi (2nd nom)
“Midnight Special“
David Wingo (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
Nicholas Britell (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Mark Korven (1st nom)
__________
BEST MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
“Green Room“
Nancy J. Hvasta Leonardi (1st nom) and Stephen Prouty (1st nom)
“Hacksaw Ridge“
Shane Thomas (1st nom)
“The Light Between Oceans“
Michael Marino (4th nom)
“Suicide Squad“
Alessandro Bertolazzi (1st nom) and Christopher Allen Nelson (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Francois Deganais (1st nom) and Michael J. Walsh (1st nom)
__________
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Arrival“
Alexander Lafortune (1st nom) and Louis Morin (1st nom)
“The BFG“
Mark Gee (1st nom), Joe Letteri (9th 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”), Kevin McGaugh (1st nom) and Kevin Andrew Smith (1st nom)
“The Jungle Book“
Andrew R. Jones (3rd nom, 1 win – “Avatar”), Robert Legato (5th nom), Dan Lemmon (3rd nom, 1 win – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) and Adam Valdez (1st nom)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story“
Neil Corbould (4th nom, 2 wins – “Gravity” and “Gladiator”), John Knoll (6th nom, 1 win – “POTC: Dead Man’s Chest”), Hal T. Hickel (4th nom, 1 win – “POTC: Dead Man’s Chest”) and Mohen Leo (1st nom)
“The Shallows“
Scott E Anderson (4th nom, 2 wins – “Starship Troopers” and “Babe”), Nathan McGuinness (2nd nom) and David Nelson (1st nom)
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
“Arrival“
Sylvain Bellemare (1st nom)
“Hacksaw Ridge“
Robert MacKenzie (1st nom) and Andy Wright (1st nom)
“Midnight Special“
Jeremy Bowker (1st nom) and Will Files (2nd nom)
“A Monster Calls“
Oriol Tarrago (1st nom)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story“
David Acord (2nd nom, 1 win – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Matthew Wood (8th nom, 1 win – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”)
__________
BEST SOUND EFFECTS MIXING
“Arrival“
Bernard Gariepy Strobl (1st nom) and Claude La Haye (1st nom)
“Blair Witch“
Andy Hay (1st nom) and Greg Townsend (1st nom)
“Green Room“
Bob Chefalas (2nd nom, 1 win – “Apollo 13”) and Roland Vajs (1st nom)
“Midnight Special“
Will Files (2nd nom) and Brandon Proctor (1st nom)
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story“
David Parker (7th nom, 1 win – “The Social Network”), Christopher Scarabosio (4th nom) and Stuart Wilson (3rd nom)
__________
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Allied“
Joanna Johnston (3rd nom)
“Florence Foster Jenkins“
Consolata Boyle (1st nom)
“Jackie“
Madeline Fontaine (1st nom)
“Silence“
Dante Ferretti (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Linda Muir (1st nom)
__________
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Arrival“
Paul Hotte (1st nom) and Patrice Vermette (1st nom)
“Hail, Caesar!“
Jess Gonchor (1st nom) and Nancy Haigh (8th nom)
“Jackie“
Veronique Melery (3rd nom, 1 win – “A Very Long Engagement”) and Jean Rabasse (1st nom)
“La La Land“
Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (2nd nom) and David Wasco (2nd nom)
“The Witch“
Mark Kirkland (1st nom) and Craig Lathrop (1st nom)
__________
BEST EDITING
“American Honey“
Joe Bini (1st nom)
“Arrival“
Joe Walker (4th nom)
“Hell or High Water“
Jake Roberts (1st nom)
“Midnight Special“
Julie Monroe (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
Joi McMillon (1st nom) and Nat Sanders (1st nom)
__________
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Arrival“
Bradford Young (2nd nom)
“Jackie“
Stephane Fontaine (1st nom)
“La La Land“
Linus Sandgren (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
James Laxton (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Jarin Blaschke (1st nom)
__________
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“13th“
Spencer Averick (1st nom), Howard Barish (1st nom) and Ava DuVernay (1st nom)
“Cameraperson“
Kirsten Johnson (1st nom) and Marilyn Ness (1st nom)
“Gleason“
Seth Gordon (2nd nom, 1 win – “King of Kong: A Fistful of Dollars”), Mary Rohlich (1st nom) and Clay Tweel (1st nom)
“Newtown“
Maria Cuomo Cole (1st nom) and Kim A. Snyder (1st nom)
“Tower“
Megan Gilbride (1st nom), Keith Maitland (1st nom) and Susan P. Thomson (1st nom)
__________
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Arrival“
Eric Heisserer (1st nom)
“Loving“
Jeff Nichols (2nd nom)
“Moonlight“
Barry Jenkins (1st nom) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (1st nom)
“Nocturnal Animals“
Tom Ford (1st nom)
“Silence“
Jay Cocks (2nd nom) and Martin Scorsese (3rd nom, 1 win – “Goodfellas”)
__________
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Everybody Wants Some“
Richard Linklater (6th nom, 1 win – “Boyhood”)
“Hell or High Water“
Taylor Sheridan (2nd nom)
“Jackie“
Noah Oppenheim (1st nom)
“Manchester by the Sea“
Kenneth Lonergan (2nd nom)
“Paterson“
Jim Jarmusch (1st nom)
__________
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
“American Honey“
Chad Cox, Raymond Coalson, Veronica Ezell, Arielle Holmes, Gary Howell, Crystal Ice, Sasha Lane, Shia LaBoeuf, McCaul Lombardi, Shawna Ray Moseley, Will Patton, Johnny Pierce II, Isaiah Stone, Kenneth Kory Tucker, Christopher David Wright
“Everybody Wants Some“
Temple Baker, Will Brittain, Zoey Deutsch, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, J. Quinton Johnson, Glen Powell, Wyatt Russell, Juston Street
“Manchester by the Sea“
Casey Affleck, Anna Baryshnikov, Matthew Broderick, Kyle Chandler, Tate Donovan, Kara Hayward, Stephen Henderson, Gretchen Mol, Ben O’Brien, Michelle Williams, C.J. Wilson
“Moonlight“
Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex R. Hibbert, Andre Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monae, Jaden Piner, Trevonte Rhodes, Ashton Sanders
“The Witch“
Kate Dickie, Lucas Dawson, Bathsheba Garnett, Ellie Grainger, Ralph Ineson, Harvey Scrimshaw, Anya Taylor-Joy
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Viola Davis – “Fences”
3rd nom
Greta Gerwig – “20th Century Women”
1st nom
Naomie Harris – “Moonlight”
1st nom
Riley Keough – “American Honey”
1st nom
Michelle Williams – “Manchester by the Sea”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Brokeback Mountain”
__________
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali – “Moonlight”
1st nom
Tadanobu Asano – “Silence”
1st nom
Ralph Fiennes – “A Bigger Splash”
3rd nom, 1 win – “Schindler’s List”
Shia LaBeouf – “American Honey”
1st nom
Michael Shannon – “Nocturnal Animals”
4th nom
__________
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Amy Adams – “Arrival”
6th nom
Annette Bening – “20th Century Women”
4th nom, 1 win – “American Beauty”
Rebecca Hall – “Christine”
1st nom
Ruth Negga – “Loving”
1st nom
Natalie Portman – “Jackie”
(4th nom, 2 wins – “Black Swan” and “Closer”)
__________
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck – “Manchester by the Sea”
2nd nom
Joel Edgerton – “Loving”
1st nom
Andrew Garfield – “Silence”
2nd nom
Jake Gyllenhaal – “Nocturnal Animals”
4th nom, 1 win – “Brokeback Mountain”
Viggo Mortensen – “Captain Fantastic”
1st nom
__________
BEST DIRECTOR
Andrea Arnold – “American Honey”
1st nom
Robert Eggers – “The Witch”
1st nom
Barry Jenkins – “Moonlight”
1st nom
Pablo Larrain – “Jackie”
1st nom
Denis Villeneuve – “Arrival”
3rd nom
__________
BEST MOTION PICTURE of the YEAR
“13th“
Spencer Averick (1st nom), Howard Barish (1st nom) and Ava DuVernay (1st nom)
“American Honey“
Lars Knudsen (2nd nom), Pouya Shahbazian (1st nom) and Jay Van Hoy (2nd nom)
“Arrival“
Shawn Levy (1st nom), Dan Levine (1st nom), David Linde (1st nom) and Aaron Ryder (1st nom)
“Jackie“
Darren Aronofsky (2nd nom), Paul Franklin (2nd nom), Ari Handel (1st nom) and Mickey Liddell (1st nom)
“Manchester by the Sea“
Matt Damon (1st nom), Chris Moore (1st nom) and Kevin J. Walsh (1st nom)
“Moonlight“
Dede Gardner (2nd nom, 1 win – “12 Years a Slave”), Jeremy Kleiner (2nd nom, 1 win – “12 Years a Slave”) and Adele Romanski (1st nom)
“Paterson“
Joshua Astrachan (2nd nom) and Carter Logan (1st nom)
“Silence“
Barbara De Fina (2nd nom), Randall Emmett (1st nom), Martin Scorsese (3rd nom) and Irwin Winkler (6th nom, 2 wins – “Goodfellas” and “Raging Bull”)
“Tower“
Megan Gilbride (1st nom), Keith Maitland (1st nom) and Susan P. Thomson (1st nom)
“The Witch“
Daniel Bekerman (1st nom), Lars Knudsen (2nd nom), Rodrigo Teixeira (1st nom) and Jan Van Hoy (2nd nom)
__________
NOMINATION TALLY
Films with more than 2 nominations a piece:
Arrival – 11
Moonlight – 9
Jackie – 8
The Witch – 8
American Honey – 6
Manchester by the Sea – 5
Silence – 5
La La Land – 4
Midnight Special – 4
13th – 3
Loving – 3
Nocturnal Animals – 3
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – 3
20th Century Women – 2
Everybody Wants Some! – 2
Green Room – 2
Hell or High Water – 2
Paterson – 2
Suicide Squad – 2
Tower – 2
The 84th Oscars: Aftermath and Postgame Coverage
As I watched the telecast of Sunday’s awards, going over the mixture of predictably safe choices, three words kept circling through my head, like scrolling text on the side of a blimp: BUSINESS AS USUAL. It’s been known for a while that the French silent film “The Artist” was scheduled to take home many of the top awards including Best Picture and Best Director. However, what was not expected was that the sweep would be split between it and Martin Scorsese’s family film (I feel like my hatred towards it spawns mostly from having to join those four words together), “Hugo,” which matched “The Artist’s” total of five wins. In simplest terms, I’d describe these wins as safe, mundane and boring, but honestly, what else is new? Read more…
My FINAL 2012 Oscar Predictions
It’s time, folks. The time is come. No more second-guessing. No more procrastinating. This is it. I think I’ve provided enough commentary over the last few months (and I’ve got to start helping my girlfriend get our place ready for our Oscar party), so I’ll just let my predictions speak for themselves.
Here goes nothing:
BEST PICTURE
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST DIRECTOR
WINNER: Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist
(runner-up: “Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”)
BEST ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
WINNER: George Clooney – “The Descendants”
(runner-up: Jean Dujardin – “The Artist”)
BEST ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
WINNER: Viola Davis – “The Help”
(runner-up: Meryl Streep – “The Iron Lady”)
BEST ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WINNER: Christopher Plummer – “Beginners”
(runner-up: Max von Sydow – “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”)
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
WINNER: Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
(runner-up: Berenice Bejo – “The Artist”)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: “The Descendants”
(runner-up: “Moneyball”)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WINNER: “Midnight in Paris”
(runner-up: “The Artist”)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WINNER: “Rango”
(runner-up: “Puss in Boots”)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WINNER: “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
(runner-up: “Undefeated”)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
WINNER: “A Separation”
(runner-up: “In Darkness”)
BEST ART DIRECTION
WINNER: “Hugo”
(runner-up: “The Artist”)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: “The Tree of Life”
(runner-up: “The Artist”)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST EDITING
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST SOUND MIXING
WINNER: “Hugo”
(runner-up: “War Horse”)
BEST SOUND EDITING
WINNER: “War Horse”
runner-up: “Hugo”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST MAKEUP
WINNER: “The Iron Lady”
(runner-up: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2”)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
WINNER: “The Artist”
(runner-up: “Hugo”)
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
WINNER: “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
(runner-up: “Real in Rio” from “Rio”)
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
WINNER: “Tuba Atlantic”
(runner-up: “The Shore”)
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WINNER: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
(runner-up: “A Morning Stroll”)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
WINNER: “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”
(runner-up: “Saving Face”)
Well there you have it. I’m gonna go make some dip. I’ll try not to get my hair in it, since pulling it out will be all I do for the next two hours.
Have fun everyone, and remember that there will be live updates on The Edge of the Frame for each win. Also, follow me on Twitter (@edgeoftheframe) for some good old snarkyness.
The 2nd Annual Edgy Award Nominations
One of the primary focuses of this site is to analyze and report on each year’s film awards race, and many of you know this to be my true passion in life. However, if there’s one thing I enjoy more than following the Oscars, it’s making my own. Therefore, it has become a tradition of mine to gather up all my favorite aspects of the year’s filmmaking, break them down into nominations and then award what I believe to be the best of the year. And while I’ve been doing this for a long time, The Edge of the Frame gave me a chance to name them. Therefore, I present to you fine readers the 2nd Annual Edgy Award Nominations.
This year has certainly delivered a mixed bag of finalists. A total of 39 films received nominations, although 19 of those only garnered a single nomination apiece. While some categories may have some resemblance to the Academy’s choices (sometimes, they do actually make wise decisions), there are some striking differences. Thank goodness for that, for as a film critic, if my picks matched up with the Oscars, I wouldn’t be able to respect myself in the morning. Many of you have already seen my choices for Best Picture, what with my Top Ten List being released earlier in the week, and you’ll have noticed that only three films also find themselves in Oscar’s top nine ballot. Also, for the first time in my long history of doing this, not a single one of my Best Director nominees overlaps with the Academy’s.
A few notes to cover before we get started. I’ve used a similar format as last year’s nominations, listing out each nominee by name, instead of just the films themselves. Now, some of you will be bound to wonder how, if these are only the 2ND Annual Edgy Nominations, some individuals will have more than 2 mentions under their belts. The answer is because I have a slate of personal awards for each year going back over seven decades. I’ve got endless spreadsheets cataloging my choices for film winners from long before I was even born, I just don’t have the means (yet) to make those available to the public. The annotations refer to the amount of past nominations each individual has had in their respective category, except for performers who’s mentions overlap with all the other acting categories.
Now, for any readers who need more info, don’t understand or just think I’m full of it, I’ve provided a link to a separate document which holds a complete list of every single one of this year’s nominees, coupled with a complete record of their Edgy nominations and wins. Have I gone overboard with these things? Absolutely, but I have an anal retentive need to be comprehensive, not to mention that I have a devotion to all things statistical. Hope at least one person gives it a look.
One other thing to point out is that, this year, I have refrained from creating categories for both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Animated Film. To be honest, I just haven’t seen enough foreign fare to make up an accurate barometer of the year’s best. As far as animation goes, I honestly just avoided this year, practically, all together. Just a weak field that I didn’t bother focusing my income towards. I did, however, add a full category for Best Ensemble Cast. I do believe that when a film pulls off an effective ensemble performance, it’s worth taking note of because it help’s define the film and its quality. If only the Oscars shared this opinion.
So, without further ado, here are the 2011 nominations:
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“The Living Proof”
featured in “The Help”
Music and Lyrics by Mary J. Blige (2nd Nom)
“Marcy’s Song”
featured in “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Music and Lyrics by Jackson C. Frank (1st nom)
“Never Be Daunted”
featured in “Happythankyoumoreplease”
Music and Lyrics by Jaymay (1st nom)
“Shelter”
featured in “Take Shelter”
Music and Lyrics by Ben Nichols (1 nom)
“Think You Can Wait”
featured in “Win Win”
Music and Lyrics by The National (1st nom)
2012 Academy Awards Luncheon
The annual Oscar nominees luncheon is a longstanding tradition. The awards body extends an invitation to every single recipient of a nomination of this year’s event and awards them…well, there is no award. It’s kind of a pat on the back, honor to be nominated type of thing with some free food and a photo-op. All in all, this event really serves no purpose other than placating tradition.
However, as meaningless as this luncheon is, I always get a kick out of this annual photograph. There’s something kind of nostalgic and eye-catching about seeing all of the nominees lined up, middle school yearbook-style. It also gives you the chance to brush up on your “who’s who?” of Hollywood power, including the ones that you don’t regularly see on the screen. There also exists little moments in these things that make me smile. There’s old friends Marty and Spielberg standing side-by-side on the top right. Seventeen-time legend Meryl Streep alongside the up-and-comer Rooney Mara (apparently she doesn’t smile when someone says cheese, and I love her for it) at the top left. Nick Nolte looking like a sunburned Santa Clause and that the guy doing the Gollum impression in the second row.
Enjoy this year’s edition of the “Where’s Waldo?” Oscar spread.
Click the image to resize:
2012 Oscars Winner Predictions – Round One
Well, there’s no turning back now. There’s no more debating to be done on the Academy Award nominees. No more discussion of who’s too young or too old, too white or too black, too new or two powerful, and no more weighing out each person’s clout within their particular groups of peers. The nominations are in, and it’s a whole new ballgame. Some frontrunners have fallen and others still sit at the top. Yet, I fully believe that barely a single category is the same as it was three days ago.
Instead of just highlighting a few select categories and offering my thoughts, I’m going to go through each award, one by one, and discuss how things have shaped up.
See the full list after the jump:
BEST PICTURE
Despite a couple shifts in the power balance a few days ago, this is an award whose frontrunner hasn’t shifted at all. “Hugo” may have beat it out by one to become the nomination leader (and thus the only competition for the award), but “The Artist” has a massive lead. It will take a whole lot to knock it from the top of the ladder. “The Help,” once considered a possible underdog upset, showed up little support, including a lack of the crucial Best Editing nomination. Meanwhile, “The Descendants” has lost this battle in the guilds. “Hugo” is the only film that really holds any kind of chance, but only in theory.
MY PREDICTION: “The Artist”
SPOILER: “Hugo” Read more…
