As Oscar time rolls in, it’s time (and again, only in the interest of maintaining my own personal score sheet) to break down what’s going to win, what should win, and what was ignored unfairly.
First and foremost the Top Ten list of 2013: Solid year again full of summer garbage and big explosions, back loaded with all the heavy Oscar hopefuls. Hollywood should really consider spreading it all out more…those who come out early seem to be at a disadvantage…Fruitvale Station anyone?...what’s that you thought about it back in the summer but decided to see Iron Man 3 again…hmm, maybe you should rethink some of your life choices!
THE TOP TEN! (as seen through the eyes of Nick, who again really doesn’t know anything about…well anything)
1. Philomena
2. Fruitvale Station
3. Dallas Buyers Club
4. The Way Way Back
5. 12 Years A Slave
6. Lone Survivor
7. Kings of Summer
8. Secret Life of Walter Mitty
9. Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Warm Bodies
Runners up: Drinking Buddies, Nebraska, Star Trek: Into Darkness, American Hustle, Mud, Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, Don Jon, Out of the Furnace, All is Lost, Gravity, Man of Steel, The Great Gatsby, Blue Jasmine, Oblivion, Rush, Pacific Rim, Anchorman 2, The World’s End, World War Z, and White House Down.
Disappointments (had some good moments but just not executed well enough overall): Iron Man 3, Elysium, The Butler, The Wolf of Wall Street, Oz The Great and Powerful, Olympus Has Fallen, and August Osage County.
Best Picture: What will win: 12 Years a Slave (pretty sure on this, it is full of great performances and enough powerful moments that it should prevail). What Should win: Philomena (just a wonderfully constructed screenplay, a compelling story, and perfectly acted). Ignored: Well as usual indie movies get no credit with the Academy, 2 perfect coming of age tales in Kings of Summer and The Way Way Back could’ve at least been chatted about, maybe a shout out to a smart and honest little film called Drinking Buddies, and both The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Inside Llewyn Davis were executed better than American Hustle (and I love David O’Russell), but the real victim here is Fruitvale Station…everybody in the Academy should go back and watch that one more time.
Best Actress/Actor: Actress-Who will win: Cate Blanchett (seems to be written in stone), Who should win: Probably Blanchett (cause after seeing Blue Jasmine I actually think she may be that crazy in real life and that means she did a fine job), that said Judi Dench warmed my heart in Philomena…it should at least be a race and it doesn’t seem to be. Ignored: Hollywood doesn’t write women all that well these days but I can live with this top 5 list although Streep chewed up August Osage County so much that my TV still has bite marks…settle down Meryl you’re not auditioning you got the part!. I might’ve put Scarlett Johansson in there as she made HER pretty much watchable, that movie could’ve been great but falls short because Phoenix’s character is such a sensitive sack that he reminded me of the Brendan Frasier's character in Bedazzled (2000), you know the sensitive guy who couldn’t stop crying, I just wanted Johnansson to reach out of the phone and smack him once!. It would’ve never happened because not one person in the Academy even bothered to watch Drinking Buddies but both Anna Kendrick and Olivia Wilde had two of the most personally real performances of the year.
Actor-Who will win: Alright Alright Alright…Wooderson…wait not a Dazed and Confused fan?…let’s try this again…Who will win: Rust Cohle the psycho introspected detective that has built up a tolerance to crack like no human ever has…wait not a True Detective fan?...jeez ok then it’s the guy from all those silly rom-coms, you know How to lose a ghost girlfriend who has fool’s gold in her pocket while failing to launch…the one and only Mathew McConaughhey, what a year this guy had (see Mud if you haven’t yet!). Who should win: Yea no question its Matty McConaughey, if your gonna give one to Nic Cage for being Nic Cage (and doing it well mind you), and your gonna nominate Leo for being Leo over and over again (and yea again doing it well), then not only do you nominate this guy, you give him the award which btw is a statue of a shirtless dude, perfect! Ignored: He wouldn’t win but how does Robert Redford not get nominated here? All is Lost may not be an easy watch but it is very good, and Reford is terrific in it. Shout Out to Chiwetel Ejiofer (chewy-tell, you-g-a-four, your welcome) and Bruce Dern…no hard feelings men, you went out there, you played hard, but you got beat.
Supporting Actor/Actress: Actor-Who will win: Jerod Leto. Who should win: Leto (no question here) but Fassbender is so disturbingly good in 12 Years a Slave. Ignored: Jonah Hill could have been crossed off this list and you could’ve added John Goodman who was great in Inside Llewyn Davis, or maybe Will Forte from Nebraska, I would also cross off Bradley Cooper for Ben Foster (from Lone Survivor), but I think I’m alone on that one.
Actress-Who will win: Lupita Nyong’o (she has all the momentum now). Who should win:I have a soft spot here for Julia Roberts who did a fine job in August Osage County (a bad film, but not because of the acting), but in the end though it’s close, I wanna give it to June Squibb of Nebraska…she really steals every scene she is in, that said Nyong’o is very good and deserves it as well, so I am happy with her.
The Rest:
Best Director: Will win: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity), Should win: Steve McQueen (12 Years)
Original Screenplay: Will win: American Hustle, Should win: Dallas Buyers Club
Adapted Screenplay: Will win:12 Years a Slave, Should win: Philomena
Enjoy the Oscars 2013!!!
Nick (hey come find me if you wanna do my Oscar pool)
