Oscar Watch: My Picks
It's the eve of Oscar Sunday, and for the first time in my personal Oscar viewing history, I've seen the vast majority of nominees. Actually, the only ones I have not seen are the short films, foreign film, and the documentaries. And I only heard two of the songs, without seeing the films. And a lot of this was due to the fact that many movies were nominated multple times (especially Silver Linings Playbook for making it to every acting category). But not even that; a lot of the films chosen this year were just plain good. I saw a bunch before nominations even came out, just because I wanted to: Flight, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Argo, The Avengers, Prometheus, Brave, Wreck-It Ralph and The Hobbit number among the films I saw prior to nominations. Leaving me time usually spent on catching up with the best pics to round out nearly every other category. And with that, here's my educated opinion on my picks, and who I think will win (only an opinion!), at the 85th annual Academy Awards this year:
BEST PICTURE
My pick: It's a bias, but I choose Les Miserables. It takes skill to adapt a beloved musical for the big screen. They could have gone all big and showy like Chicago, but instead they used the film medium to bring a spotlight on the characters, focus on the emotion behind the music, and let the strength of the story carry the film. It's a beautifully made film, and would be my pick. A close second would be Lincoln, for capturing, almost as if in a photograph, the time period of Lincoln's last days. It loses a few points for a lackluster last few scenes, however.
My prediction: Argo. It's sweeping all the smaller awards this year. And, as many have said, if AMPAS doesn't choose it, it'll seem out of touch. Does it deserve the top prize? No. But will it get it? I think it's likely.
BEST ACTOR
My pick: It's a tie between Hugh Jackman and Daniel Day-Lewis. If I had to pick one, I'd have to side with Day-Lewis. Jackman portrayed Jean Valjean with such emotional weight, both just the acting and the songs. But I need to put my bias aside to give credit to Day-Lewis, who embodied Lincoln so well, I feel like I know the man. I don't think any president before has been so skillfully and thoroughly portrayed on screen. It's top class acting.
My prediction: Day-Lewis for the third time, I think.
BEST ACTRESS
My pick: This is such a wide open category. I think Naomi Watts did a stellar job in The Impossible, and I'd give my pick to her. Lawrence was very good in Silver Linings Playbook, but the emotion, the pain, and suffering Watts portrayed was so well done. Riva and Chastain were also very good, though, and Wallis.... well, she was very good in what I felt was a poor film.
My prediction: I honestly don't know, but if I had to choose, I think Lawrence has the most support.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
My pick: Tommy Lee Jones. I loved his performance in Lincoln, the true abolitionist. Mixing a good amount of empathy and humor, Jones's portrayal of Stevens was a joy to watch. Arkin was good, but the role itself wasn't too meaty. Waltz was fantastic as usual, and also rather nuanced as well, but Jones still won out for me. De Niro was good as well, but again, not as memorable to me. And Hoffman was, like Wallis, a good performance in what I felt was a bad film.
My prediction: I feel Argo bandwagon may be handing the award to Arkin.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
My pick: Field, Hunt, and Weaver were very good in their roles. I didn't think Adams was given much to work with in her film, in terms of range and depth. But none of these roles compare to Hathaway in Les Miserables. Her performance of I Dreamed a Dream alone was enough to warrant this award, I think. There's such regret and sadness and desperation in that performance, it's rather incredible. Beautiful, beautiful performance.
My prediction: Hathaway will take this easy, I think.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
My pick: This one's a bit tough for me. I love Pixar, but Brave wasn't their best, despite some fantastic moments and characters. Wreck-It Ralph was so nostalgic and a joy to watch, but it felt a bit like the Toy Story train of storytelling, and thus not completely original. I wasn't a huge fan of Paranorman or Frankenweenie. I was thoroughly surprised by the creativity and heart of The Pirates: Band of Misfits, and that's my pick.
My prediction: The popularity of Wreck-It Ralph makes me think it'll get the award.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
My pick: This is a tough one. All the nominated films had such beautiful cinematography, and were quite scenic films. Except Lincoln, but the lighting and camerawork there displayed the dark times of Lincoln's days, the crowded hectic nature of politics and Congress, and more. Django had some beautiful scenes, and Anna Karenina's style was unique. Life of Pi was just uniquely filmed as well. And Skyfall, well I'm biased, but the contrast between the crazy action scenes and the quieter, more reflective ones was so nice. I'm going to go with my bias and choose Skyfall.
My prediction: A tough one, but given that Skyfall one the ASC award, let's hope it gets the Oscar as well.
COSTUME DESIGN
My pick: I loved Les Miserables costumes, how they fit the times. Likewise for Lincoln. Not much to comment on the snow white films, I wasn't overly impressed. But my pick would be Anna Karenina, because the beauty of the dresses in that time really lended itself to the style of filming, and stuck out in my mind as being one of the most vibrant parts of the film.
My prediction: I feel that, if AMPAS chooses to give Argo the top prize, they'll leave some smaller ones for Lincoln. So, let's go with Lincoln.
DIRECTING
My pick: Lincoln, hands down. You can feel the effort, the passion, that went into this film. Russell, Lee, and Haneke were suitably nominated, as they all tacked films dealing with some tough material: depression, faith, and loss, respectively. Let's not talk about Zeitlin, because I thought Beasts was just so subpar. But Lincoln felt like such a strongly directed film, with such care.
My prediction: If it may not nab the top prize, I think Spielberg will be awarded for Lincoln.
FILM EDITING
My pick: I find this a tough category to judge. Part of knowing the best editing is seeing what was left out, what other takes were available, and so on. That being said, I think Argo was the most tightly edited of the bunch. A few of the others, namely Zero Dark Thirty, felt a bit slow-paced at points. Argo, however, kept me invested the entire time from what I recall, and the scenes where they finally escape were harrowing despite knowing the outcome; I think the editor likely had a large role to play in that.
My prediction: I think it'll go to Argo or Zero Dark Thirty. Let's just go with Zero Dark.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
My pick: Les Miserables. If nothing else, the subtle aging for Jean Valjean was so well done. The others were simply decent. I wasn't impressed by The Hobbit, and Hitchcock probably got nominated for Hopkins's transformation.
My prediction: Les Miserables, I think it'll nab a few lower awards if Lincoln isn't nominated.
MUSIC: ORIGINAL SCORE
My pick: The most memorable scores were Anna Karenina and Skyfall to me. As a Bond fan, I'd love to see Skyfall nab both categories, so that's my prediction.
My prediction: I feel like AMPAS may want to reward Williams one more time for Lincoln.
MUSIC: ORIGINAL SONG
My pick: Skyfall! What a fantastic Bond song, subtle homage, catchy, classic.
My prediction: Skyfall! It's the strong favorite from what I gather.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
My pick: Anna Karenina. The staging of the story as a lavish stage production, breaking the fourth barrier almost, was just so unique and so beautiful. I think it completely deserves the award.
My prediction: I feel like it'll go to a more popular film this year, like Les Miserables. Not wholly unwarranted, the film looked beautiful.
SOUND EDITING
My pick: Tough, but Zero Dark Thirty's raid scene wins me over. The sound and the silence just worked so well. It's a winner in my book.
My prediction: I'm not sure if it'll be the Argo bandwagon, but I'll go with that.
SOUND MIXING
My pick: Les Miserables mixed the music and sounds well, especially things like the rain with On My Own. I'll play bias and go with that.
My prediction: Hard to judge. I feel like it'll be Argo.
VISUAL EFFECTS
My pick: The Avengers, of course. That last battle scene. Enough said.
My prediction: I think they'll reward Life of Pi for its gorgeous visuals. Fair enough, I think Avengers was such a stellar visual feat, but I loved the almost poetic visual nature of Life of Pi.
WRITING: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
My pick: Life of Pi was adapted so well to the big screen. An excellent book became an excellent film. And it's a tough book to adapt, I'd imagine.
My prediction: I think AMPAS will reward Lincoln.
WRITING: ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
My pick: Tarantino's dialogue and characters win me over for Django. As usual, he shows his skill in dialogue and crafting such unique, memorable characters. Flight was also stellar, showcasing the pitfalls of alcoholism.
My prediction: This is a tough one. I'm not sure, so I'll venture a blind pick: Zero Dark Thirty, for tackling a tough subject.
BEST PICTURE
My pick: It's a bias, but I choose Les Miserables. It takes skill to adapt a beloved musical for the big screen. They could have gone all big and showy like Chicago, but instead they used the film medium to bring a spotlight on the characters, focus on the emotion behind the music, and let the strength of the story carry the film. It's a beautifully made film, and would be my pick. A close second would be Lincoln, for capturing, almost as if in a photograph, the time period of Lincoln's last days. It loses a few points for a lackluster last few scenes, however.
My prediction: Argo. It's sweeping all the smaller awards this year. And, as many have said, if AMPAS doesn't choose it, it'll seem out of touch. Does it deserve the top prize? No. But will it get it? I think it's likely.
BEST ACTOR
My pick: It's a tie between Hugh Jackman and Daniel Day-Lewis. If I had to pick one, I'd have to side with Day-Lewis. Jackman portrayed Jean Valjean with such emotional weight, both just the acting and the songs. But I need to put my bias aside to give credit to Day-Lewis, who embodied Lincoln so well, I feel like I know the man. I don't think any president before has been so skillfully and thoroughly portrayed on screen. It's top class acting.
My prediction: Day-Lewis for the third time, I think.
BEST ACTRESS
My pick: This is such a wide open category. I think Naomi Watts did a stellar job in The Impossible, and I'd give my pick to her. Lawrence was very good in Silver Linings Playbook, but the emotion, the pain, and suffering Watts portrayed was so well done. Riva and Chastain were also very good, though, and Wallis.... well, she was very good in what I felt was a poor film.
My prediction: I honestly don't know, but if I had to choose, I think Lawrence has the most support.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
My pick: Tommy Lee Jones. I loved his performance in Lincoln, the true abolitionist. Mixing a good amount of empathy and humor, Jones's portrayal of Stevens was a joy to watch. Arkin was good, but the role itself wasn't too meaty. Waltz was fantastic as usual, and also rather nuanced as well, but Jones still won out for me. De Niro was good as well, but again, not as memorable to me. And Hoffman was, like Wallis, a good performance in what I felt was a bad film.
My prediction: I feel Argo bandwagon may be handing the award to Arkin.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
My pick: Field, Hunt, and Weaver were very good in their roles. I didn't think Adams was given much to work with in her film, in terms of range and depth. But none of these roles compare to Hathaway in Les Miserables. Her performance of I Dreamed a Dream alone was enough to warrant this award, I think. There's such regret and sadness and desperation in that performance, it's rather incredible. Beautiful, beautiful performance.
My prediction: Hathaway will take this easy, I think.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
My pick: This one's a bit tough for me. I love Pixar, but Brave wasn't their best, despite some fantastic moments and characters. Wreck-It Ralph was so nostalgic and a joy to watch, but it felt a bit like the Toy Story train of storytelling, and thus not completely original. I wasn't a huge fan of Paranorman or Frankenweenie. I was thoroughly surprised by the creativity and heart of The Pirates: Band of Misfits, and that's my pick.
My prediction: The popularity of Wreck-It Ralph makes me think it'll get the award.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
My pick: This is a tough one. All the nominated films had such beautiful cinematography, and were quite scenic films. Except Lincoln, but the lighting and camerawork there displayed the dark times of Lincoln's days, the crowded hectic nature of politics and Congress, and more. Django had some beautiful scenes, and Anna Karenina's style was unique. Life of Pi was just uniquely filmed as well. And Skyfall, well I'm biased, but the contrast between the crazy action scenes and the quieter, more reflective ones was so nice. I'm going to go with my bias and choose Skyfall.
My prediction: A tough one, but given that Skyfall one the ASC award, let's hope it gets the Oscar as well.
COSTUME DESIGN
My pick: I loved Les Miserables costumes, how they fit the times. Likewise for Lincoln. Not much to comment on the snow white films, I wasn't overly impressed. But my pick would be Anna Karenina, because the beauty of the dresses in that time really lended itself to the style of filming, and stuck out in my mind as being one of the most vibrant parts of the film.
My prediction: I feel that, if AMPAS chooses to give Argo the top prize, they'll leave some smaller ones for Lincoln. So, let's go with Lincoln.
DIRECTING
My pick: Lincoln, hands down. You can feel the effort, the passion, that went into this film. Russell, Lee, and Haneke were suitably nominated, as they all tacked films dealing with some tough material: depression, faith, and loss, respectively. Let's not talk about Zeitlin, because I thought Beasts was just so subpar. But Lincoln felt like such a strongly directed film, with such care.
My prediction: If it may not nab the top prize, I think Spielberg will be awarded for Lincoln.
FILM EDITING
My pick: I find this a tough category to judge. Part of knowing the best editing is seeing what was left out, what other takes were available, and so on. That being said, I think Argo was the most tightly edited of the bunch. A few of the others, namely Zero Dark Thirty, felt a bit slow-paced at points. Argo, however, kept me invested the entire time from what I recall, and the scenes where they finally escape were harrowing despite knowing the outcome; I think the editor likely had a large role to play in that.
My prediction: I think it'll go to Argo or Zero Dark Thirty. Let's just go with Zero Dark.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
My pick: Les Miserables. If nothing else, the subtle aging for Jean Valjean was so well done. The others were simply decent. I wasn't impressed by The Hobbit, and Hitchcock probably got nominated for Hopkins's transformation.
My prediction: Les Miserables, I think it'll nab a few lower awards if Lincoln isn't nominated.
MUSIC: ORIGINAL SCORE
My pick: The most memorable scores were Anna Karenina and Skyfall to me. As a Bond fan, I'd love to see Skyfall nab both categories, so that's my prediction.
My prediction: I feel like AMPAS may want to reward Williams one more time for Lincoln.
MUSIC: ORIGINAL SONG
My pick: Skyfall! What a fantastic Bond song, subtle homage, catchy, classic.
My prediction: Skyfall! It's the strong favorite from what I gather.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
My pick: Anna Karenina. The staging of the story as a lavish stage production, breaking the fourth barrier almost, was just so unique and so beautiful. I think it completely deserves the award.
My prediction: I feel like it'll go to a more popular film this year, like Les Miserables. Not wholly unwarranted, the film looked beautiful.
SOUND EDITING
My pick: Tough, but Zero Dark Thirty's raid scene wins me over. The sound and the silence just worked so well. It's a winner in my book.
My prediction: I'm not sure if it'll be the Argo bandwagon, but I'll go with that.
SOUND MIXING
My pick: Les Miserables mixed the music and sounds well, especially things like the rain with On My Own. I'll play bias and go with that.
My prediction: Hard to judge. I feel like it'll be Argo.
VISUAL EFFECTS
My pick: The Avengers, of course. That last battle scene. Enough said.
My prediction: I think they'll reward Life of Pi for its gorgeous visuals. Fair enough, I think Avengers was such a stellar visual feat, but I loved the almost poetic visual nature of Life of Pi.
WRITING: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
My pick: Life of Pi was adapted so well to the big screen. An excellent book became an excellent film. And it's a tough book to adapt, I'd imagine.
My prediction: I think AMPAS will reward Lincoln.
WRITING: ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
My pick: Tarantino's dialogue and characters win me over for Django. As usual, he shows his skill in dialogue and crafting such unique, memorable characters. Flight was also stellar, showcasing the pitfalls of alcoholism.
My prediction: This is a tough one. I'm not sure, so I'll venture a blind pick: Zero Dark Thirty, for tackling a tough subject.
posted by DarthDooku at
9:12 PM
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