Well another year has passed and we are once again on the eve of one of the Gay High Holy Days - the Academy Awards. Here are my thoughts about how the 2013 statues will go, in no particular order (but I suspect anyone reading this will want to know my thoughts about the "big ones" first).
BEST PICTURE
Amour
Argo
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
I love it when a feel-good movie wins the top prize, so I tend to favor the fun movies. Of course I'm a fan of the theater, so "Les Miserables" was my early favorite. I never got up the nerve to deal with a Tarantino blood show, so I can't comment on "Django." And I may make some enemies with this, but I thought "Silver Linings Playbook" was a whole lot of over-hyped boring erratic mess (was that the intended effect of a movie about two people living with mental health challenges, and if so can't we expect and do better?). "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Beasts" and "Amour" were all great dramas but since the Oscars are as much about marketing as they are about quality, I think the field gets narrowed a bit by calculated forces, and should really settle on another Spielberg historic opus (that I thought was very good and moving, but clunky at times) or Affleck's work that shows he has fully emerged as a better director than he ever was as an actor or co-writer.
WILL WIN: Argo (to compensate for the snub of director, Ben Affleck; and a win here will certainly make waves because it's rare for a Best Picture to not at least carry a nomination for its director as well)
SHOULD WIN: Argo or Lincoln
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables)
Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Denzel Washington (Flight)
"Flight" was overwrought, overhyped, and overly formulaic. Hugh Jackman showed movie audiences what he does so well in live theater: he fully performs a song, he doesn't just sing or dance a song. Did anyone see Joaquin? And Bradley Cooper didn't show much range in a big Hollywood movie that was masquerading as a smart indie. The win will make history for showing us history in a way we never could have known.
WILL WIN: Daniel Day-Lewis (he will be the first man to win three Best (Lead) Actor awards)
SHOULD WIN: Daniel Day-Lewis
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin (Argo)
Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Interestingly, this is the toughest category for me to call this year. Previous awards this season have recognized this whole complement and publicity campaigns seem strong for at least Arkin, De Niro, and Jones.
WILL WIN: Robert De Niro (I think the sentimental favorite will take the award, if only because we got to see him cry as a wounded man and not as his usual tough guy)
SHOULD WIN: Tommy Lee Jones (he really helped carry the emotion and drama of "Lincoln") or Alan Arkin (who brought a very human and comic edge to "Argo")
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
This is once again an incredibly strong field. Quevenzhané should be getting far more press than she is: as a child, she demonstrated more force of will and emotional depth than any other young nominee (she commanded "Beasts" more than Anna Paquin or Tatum O'Neal ever handled their movies). Riva and Watts were amazing, but their characters relied a lot on brilliant writing. Jennifer Lawrence is riding a tide of acclaim and accolades, and I resent that. But then again, my bias prevents me from loving any woman who gets praised for playing histrionic damaged goods. I prefer strong powerful female characters with complex personalities that go beyond illness or obvious. Sadly, I may be swimming against the tide on this one.
WILL WIN: Jennifer Lawrence (who deserved it more for "A Winter's Bone" so maybe this is her consolation prize...and if this is what happens on Sunday, my reaction will be a mix of: fine, whatever, boo, yawn)
SHOULD WIN: Jessica Chastain (who brilliantly demonstrated emotional range in a character's growth and undying strength and brought to life a true story that has been heretofore neglected by the usual sexism of many industries in favor of singling out the machismo of military action that killed Osama bin Laden and not the stalwart intelligence that orchestrated the attack) or Emmanuelle Riva (who was simply stunning and riveting, and could pull a truly sentimental upset)
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams (The Master)
Sally Field (Lincoln)
Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)
Raise your hand if you like Amy Adams and saw her in "The Master." Anyone, anyone? Sally Field was as good as Tommy Lee Jones to support "Lincoln" and Helen Hunt and Jacki Weaver were both solid, but not necessarily inspiring. Anne Hathaway used the full range of her performance skills for more than hosting duties and her single, unbroken take of "I Dreamed A Dream" sealed the deal. (And Samantha Barks's Eponine in "Les Miserables" was overlooked.)
WILL WIN: Anne Hathaway
SHOULD WIN: Anne Hathaway
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
Paranorman
The Pirates! Band Of Misfits
Wreck-it Ralph
A Pixar movie is nominated? Yes. Do you need to know anything else? Perhaps. I mean, despite all the attention that a Disney Pixar movie finally stars a female character, "Brave" had an otherwise unremarkable plot. Sure, it looked great, but it was predictable to follow and not incredibly moving (oh please: a literal tear that has to be mended?). Moving on...the other nominees had great creative energy and were at least as much fun, if not more so. As a self-identified feminist, I am hoping for the slight upset.
WILL WIN: Wreck-It Ralph (over Brave)
SHOULD WIN: Wreck-It Ralph (original story that gave cameos to Q*Bert, Dig Dug, Pac Man, and Frogger - this former Atari-owning child of the 80s says: yes, please!)
Alan Arkin (Argo)
Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Interestingly, this is the toughest category for me to call this year. Previous awards this season have recognized this whole complement and publicity campaigns seem strong for at least Arkin, De Niro, and Jones.
WILL WIN: Robert De Niro (I think the sentimental favorite will take the award, if only because we got to see him cry as a wounded man and not as his usual tough guy)
SHOULD WIN: Tommy Lee Jones (he really helped carry the emotion and drama of "Lincoln") or Alan Arkin (who brought a very human and comic edge to "Argo")
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
This is once again an incredibly strong field. Quevenzhané should be getting far more press than she is: as a child, she demonstrated more force of will and emotional depth than any other young nominee (she commanded "Beasts" more than Anna Paquin or Tatum O'Neal ever handled their movies). Riva and Watts were amazing, but their characters relied a lot on brilliant writing. Jennifer Lawrence is riding a tide of acclaim and accolades, and I resent that. But then again, my bias prevents me from loving any woman who gets praised for playing histrionic damaged goods. I prefer strong powerful female characters with complex personalities that go beyond illness or obvious. Sadly, I may be swimming against the tide on this one.
WILL WIN: Jennifer Lawrence (who deserved it more for "A Winter's Bone" so maybe this is her consolation prize...and if this is what happens on Sunday, my reaction will be a mix of: fine, whatever, boo, yawn)
SHOULD WIN: Jessica Chastain (who brilliantly demonstrated emotional range in a character's growth and undying strength and brought to life a true story that has been heretofore neglected by the usual sexism of many industries in favor of singling out the machismo of military action that killed Osama bin Laden and not the stalwart intelligence that orchestrated the attack) or Emmanuelle Riva (who was simply stunning and riveting, and could pull a truly sentimental upset)
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams (The Master)
Sally Field (Lincoln)
Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)
Raise your hand if you like Amy Adams and saw her in "The Master." Anyone, anyone? Sally Field was as good as Tommy Lee Jones to support "Lincoln" and Helen Hunt and Jacki Weaver were both solid, but not necessarily inspiring. Anne Hathaway used the full range of her performance skills for more than hosting duties and her single, unbroken take of "I Dreamed A Dream" sealed the deal. (And Samantha Barks's Eponine in "Les Miserables" was overlooked.)
WILL WIN: Anne Hathaway
SHOULD WIN: Anne Hathaway
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
Paranorman
The Pirates! Band Of Misfits
Wreck-it Ralph
A Pixar movie is nominated? Yes. Do you need to know anything else? Perhaps. I mean, despite all the attention that a Disney Pixar movie finally stars a female character, "Brave" had an otherwise unremarkable plot. Sure, it looked great, but it was predictable to follow and not incredibly moving (oh please: a literal tear that has to be mended?). Moving on...the other nominees had great creative energy and were at least as much fun, if not more so. As a self-identified feminist, I am hoping for the slight upset.
WILL WIN: Wreck-It Ralph (over Brave)
SHOULD WIN: Wreck-It Ralph (original story that gave cameos to Q*Bert, Dig Dug, Pac Man, and Frogger - this former Atari-owning child of the 80s says: yes, please!)
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Every year, voters get confused that this award goes to camera work: the work of directing the capture of the moving images. Most people end up awarding this category to the movie with the most beautiful imagery (like purple mountain majesties or amber waves of grain). Cinematography is more than angles, zooms, dissolves, and dollies. And my pick is for the movie that showed intelligent and intentional camera work that also resulted in gorgeous moments that fully captivated. Overlooked: "Beasts Of The Southern Wild."
WILL WIN: Life Of Pi
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi (although Roger Deakins has been nominated an unbelievable 10 times in this category and his win for "Skyfall" might be like an industry's lifetime achievement acknowledgement for him)
COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White And The Huntsman
This is another of the perennial technically throw-away categories because the winners tend to follow certain rules. Were a lot of people dressed in costumes? Were period costumes required? Were costumes made from unusual non-fabric materials? Did any costumes age, morph, get damaged or repaired (on screen)? Were there a lot of ruffles and sequins involved? Did any costumes require technical parameters (e.g., must permit tap dance or ballet moves, must look matte underwater)? Are the costumes pretty (i.e., vivid colors, original patterns, memorable textiles)? Could any of the costumes walk a fashion show runway today and win praise from "Nina Garcia, Fashion Director for Marie Claire" (spoken in my best Heidi Klum impersonation)?
WILL WIN: Anna Karenina
SHOULD WIN: Snow White And the Hunstman (for a Gothic period feeling with costumes that were truly fantastic and that perfectly matched set design, like necklaces made out of skulls) or Les Misérables for wardrobe range and sheer quantity
DIRECTING
Amour (Michael Haneke)
Beasts Of The Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin)
Life Of Pi (Ang Lee)
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Every year, voters get confused that this award goes to camera work: the work of directing the capture of the moving images. Most people end up awarding this category to the movie with the most beautiful imagery (like purple mountain majesties or amber waves of grain). Cinematography is more than angles, zooms, dissolves, and dollies. And my pick is for the movie that showed intelligent and intentional camera work that also resulted in gorgeous moments that fully captivated. Overlooked: "Beasts Of The Southern Wild."
WILL WIN: Life Of Pi
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi (although Roger Deakins has been nominated an unbelievable 10 times in this category and his win for "Skyfall" might be like an industry's lifetime achievement acknowledgement for him)
COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White And The Huntsman
This is another of the perennial technically throw-away categories because the winners tend to follow certain rules. Were a lot of people dressed in costumes? Were period costumes required? Were costumes made from unusual non-fabric materials? Did any costumes age, morph, get damaged or repaired (on screen)? Were there a lot of ruffles and sequins involved? Did any costumes require technical parameters (e.g., must permit tap dance or ballet moves, must look matte underwater)? Are the costumes pretty (i.e., vivid colors, original patterns, memorable textiles)? Could any of the costumes walk a fashion show runway today and win praise from "Nina Garcia, Fashion Director for Marie Claire" (spoken in my best Heidi Klum impersonation)?
WILL WIN: Anna Karenina
SHOULD WIN: Snow White And the Hunstman (for a Gothic period feeling with costumes that were truly fantastic and that perfectly matched set design, like necklaces made out of skulls) or Les Misérables for wardrobe range and sheer quantity
DIRECTING
Amour (Michael Haneke)
Beasts Of The Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin)
Life Of Pi (Ang Lee)
Lincoln (Steven Spielberg)
Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell)
Here we go. I was okay with Tom Hooper not being nominated for "Les Miserables," even if that strongly suggested that the movie had no hope of winning the "Best Picture" award. His Clint Eastwood School of Direction (use extreme close-ups to convey any and all emotions) may have worked for a smaller chamber-piece of a movie like "The King's Speech" but his strange camera angles and staging choices made the epic scale of "Les Miserables" feel confined in some parts and disconnected in others. Yes, Ben Affleck was seriously overlooked for managing a lot of technical details to achieve a degree of 1970s authenticity in "Argo." But Kathryn Bigelow was even more inexplicably overlooked for doing the same thing and producing a movie that had me feeling more drama than the finale of "Top Chef: Seattle" (even when I knew how the movie would end). Bigelow's directorial choices in the very final scene of "Zero Dark Thirty" alone should have secured a nomination and made my heart skip a beat with an audible gasp. Also ignored: Christopher Nolan for "The Dark Knight Rises" - he should have at least received a Peter-Jackson-esque nomination for a trilogy of Batman movies that were each solid as their own parts. Ang Lee brought the novel "Life Of Pi" to the big screen which was a huge challenge but he made it intimate and affective and beautifully grand all at once, and demonstrated brilliant understanding and use of 3D filmmaking. Unfortunately, he may be edged out by Steven Spielberg's history lesson that has more nominated actors and creative talent represented in the total ballot, even though I thought there were sporadic problems in staging, lighting, and pacing that Ang Lee's realized vision surpassed in consistent quality.
WILL WIN: Steven Spielberg
SHOULD WIN: I think Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg, and Benh Zeitlin (in his feature film debut) all showed incredibly deft command of the storytelling craft, and it their best, that is what directors do. So I would be happiest if this was a three-way tie.
Still reading? Please turn in your Gay High Holy Day punchcard to receive 25 bonus points. Or you are a serious player in a real betting pool that includes all the categories. In either case, good for you!
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How To Survive A Plague
The Invisible War
Searching For Sugar Man
I've only seen one of these and only know the subject matters of the others. Disclosure: my lifelong fascination with epidemiology and my own research interest in HIV/AIDS predisposes my choice. Ignored and Important: "Chasing Ice." Tragically overlooked and lost in insane and misguided controversies over MPAA ratings, age-appropriate content, and distribution is the movie that everyone must see: "Bully." Rent it, stream it, find any way possible to get a hold of this movie and demand that schools and public libraries get copies for immediate use. Forget the debates about guns and mental illness that get covered in the rhetoric of colored ribbons; "Bully" deserves the attention that comes with awards and certainly deserves yours. (This now concludes my blog's public service announcement.)
WILL WIN: Searching For Sugar Man (this movie has huge critical acclaim, already won at Sundance and BAFTA, and maintains only a few detractors for minor discrepancies in what is otherwise described almost universally as an amazing feel-good movie about looking for the truth in tragic mysteries)
SHOULD WIN: How To Survive A Plague (this movie about AIDS activism in the 1980s moved me to tears but its emotional impact and galvanizing force of will may be lost on most audiences, even though its messages of self-advocacy and coalition-building couldn't be more timelessly relevant, and certainly stands as a reminder that the issues behind those Academy Award red ribbons is still very much a real concern)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays At Racine
Open Heart
Redemption
I liked "Kings Point" and "Redemption" but I think the heartstrings of Academy voters may get appropriately pulled in favor of the story of a homeless teenage artist.
WILL WIN: Inocente
SHOULD WIN: Inocente
FILM EDITING
Argo
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
I think "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty" had the best edits that helped piece together multiples sources and parallel timelines in a way that amped up the intrigue and drama of a war-themed movie.
WILL WIN: Argo (again, making up for the directorial snub, and for a nice blend of spy thriller drama deftly complemented with moments of light humor)
SHOULD WIN: Zero Dark Thirty (I just thought this was the more gripping of the two war movies)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
Kon-Tiki
No
A Royal Affair
War Witch
Yes, you may still think it's crazy to have nine nominees for the Best Picture award. I understand: a wide field. But scroll to the top of this post and review those nine. Only one title repeats here, and it fully deserves multiple nominations and at least the win in this category.
WILL WIN: Amour
SHOULD WIN: Amour
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
As with the costume category, this award tends to follow certain parameters. Did a character age on screen? Was a ridiculously gorgeous actor made to look sickly or ugly? Were any non-human creatures on screen? Did the movie take place in a fantasy world or on another planet? Are any characters covered in hair or fur or feathers or scales? Do any characters change genders or ethnicities? Are any prosthetic body parts used?
WILL WIN: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (for transforming all those actors, including Richard Armitage - seriously, Google his image in real life, and then in this movie)
SHOULD WIN: Probably The Hobbit, but certainly applause is due to the team at Les Misérables for making Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman look awful for at least parts of that spectacle (I mean, that takes some serious creative effort and skill!)
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Anna Karenina (Dario Marianelli)
Argo (Alexandre Desplat)
Life Of Pi (Mychael Danna)
Lincoln (John Williams)
Skyfall (Thomas Newman)
This category is a real who's who of motion picture composers and I genuinely enjoy and applaud the works of all of them. But I think Mychael Danna demonstrated the best range and most complex score that drew from truly globally diverse sources to completely match the emotional tones of the movie.
WILL WIN: Life Of Pi
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell)
Here we go. I was okay with Tom Hooper not being nominated for "Les Miserables," even if that strongly suggested that the movie had no hope of winning the "Best Picture" award. His Clint Eastwood School of Direction (use extreme close-ups to convey any and all emotions) may have worked for a smaller chamber-piece of a movie like "The King's Speech" but his strange camera angles and staging choices made the epic scale of "Les Miserables" feel confined in some parts and disconnected in others. Yes, Ben Affleck was seriously overlooked for managing a lot of technical details to achieve a degree of 1970s authenticity in "Argo." But Kathryn Bigelow was even more inexplicably overlooked for doing the same thing and producing a movie that had me feeling more drama than the finale of "Top Chef: Seattle" (even when I knew how the movie would end). Bigelow's directorial choices in the very final scene of "Zero Dark Thirty" alone should have secured a nomination and made my heart skip a beat with an audible gasp. Also ignored: Christopher Nolan for "The Dark Knight Rises" - he should have at least received a Peter-Jackson-esque nomination for a trilogy of Batman movies that were each solid as their own parts. Ang Lee brought the novel "Life Of Pi" to the big screen which was a huge challenge but he made it intimate and affective and beautifully grand all at once, and demonstrated brilliant understanding and use of 3D filmmaking. Unfortunately, he may be edged out by Steven Spielberg's history lesson that has more nominated actors and creative talent represented in the total ballot, even though I thought there were sporadic problems in staging, lighting, and pacing that Ang Lee's realized vision surpassed in consistent quality.
WILL WIN: Steven Spielberg
SHOULD WIN: I think Ang Lee, Steven Spielberg, and Benh Zeitlin (in his feature film debut) all showed incredibly deft command of the storytelling craft, and it their best, that is what directors do. So I would be happiest if this was a three-way tie.
Still reading? Please turn in your Gay High Holy Day punchcard to receive 25 bonus points. Or you are a serious player in a real betting pool that includes all the categories. In either case, good for you!
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How To Survive A Plague
The Invisible War
Searching For Sugar Man
I've only seen one of these and only know the subject matters of the others. Disclosure: my lifelong fascination with epidemiology and my own research interest in HIV/AIDS predisposes my choice. Ignored and Important: "Chasing Ice." Tragically overlooked and lost in insane and misguided controversies over MPAA ratings, age-appropriate content, and distribution is the movie that everyone must see: "Bully." Rent it, stream it, find any way possible to get a hold of this movie and demand that schools and public libraries get copies for immediate use. Forget the debates about guns and mental illness that get covered in the rhetoric of colored ribbons; "Bully" deserves the attention that comes with awards and certainly deserves yours. (This now concludes my blog's public service announcement.)
WILL WIN: Searching For Sugar Man (this movie has huge critical acclaim, already won at Sundance and BAFTA, and maintains only a few detractors for minor discrepancies in what is otherwise described almost universally as an amazing feel-good movie about looking for the truth in tragic mysteries)
SHOULD WIN: How To Survive A Plague (this movie about AIDS activism in the 1980s moved me to tears but its emotional impact and galvanizing force of will may be lost on most audiences, even though its messages of self-advocacy and coalition-building couldn't be more timelessly relevant, and certainly stands as a reminder that the issues behind those Academy Award red ribbons is still very much a real concern)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays At Racine
Open Heart
Redemption
I liked "Kings Point" and "Redemption" but I think the heartstrings of Academy voters may get appropriately pulled in favor of the story of a homeless teenage artist.
WILL WIN: Inocente
SHOULD WIN: Inocente
FILM EDITING
Argo
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
I think "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty" had the best edits that helped piece together multiples sources and parallel timelines in a way that amped up the intrigue and drama of a war-themed movie.
WILL WIN: Argo (again, making up for the directorial snub, and for a nice blend of spy thriller drama deftly complemented with moments of light humor)
SHOULD WIN: Zero Dark Thirty (I just thought this was the more gripping of the two war movies)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
Kon-Tiki
No
A Royal Affair
War Witch
Yes, you may still think it's crazy to have nine nominees for the Best Picture award. I understand: a wide field. But scroll to the top of this post and review those nine. Only one title repeats here, and it fully deserves multiple nominations and at least the win in this category.
WILL WIN: Amour
SHOULD WIN: Amour
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
As with the costume category, this award tends to follow certain parameters. Did a character age on screen? Was a ridiculously gorgeous actor made to look sickly or ugly? Were any non-human creatures on screen? Did the movie take place in a fantasy world or on another planet? Are any characters covered in hair or fur or feathers or scales? Do any characters change genders or ethnicities? Are any prosthetic body parts used?
WILL WIN: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (for transforming all those actors, including Richard Armitage - seriously, Google his image in real life, and then in this movie)
SHOULD WIN: Probably The Hobbit, but certainly applause is due to the team at Les Misérables for making Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman look awful for at least parts of that spectacle (I mean, that takes some serious creative effort and skill!)
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Anna Karenina (Dario Marianelli)
Argo (Alexandre Desplat)
Life Of Pi (Mychael Danna)
Lincoln (John Williams)
Skyfall (Thomas Newman)
This category is a real who's who of motion picture composers and I genuinely enjoy and applaud the works of all of them. But I think Mychael Danna demonstrated the best range and most complex score that drew from truly globally diverse sources to completely match the emotional tones of the movie.
WILL WIN: Life Of Pi
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
"Before My Time," CHASING ICE, Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend," TED, Music by Walter Murphy, Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
"Pi’s Lullaby," LIFE OF PI, Music by Mychael Danna, Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
"Skyfall," SKYFALL, Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
"Suddenly," LES MISÉRABLES, Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boubil
I would love "Chasing Ice" to come away from the night with at least one win just so the DVD can later be marketed as an Academy Award-winning film. Plus, the song was performed by Scarlett Johanssen and Joshua Bell (um...yes, and yes).
WILL WIN: "Skyfall" (because basically Adele wins everything, and I am all good with that!)
SHOULD WIN: "Suddenly" (because basically Adele's song is great but is still limited to being an opening titles track, whereas "Suddenly" is not only a showcase for Huge, I mean Hugh Jackman, but it actually seamlessly fits into the film adaptation of a theatrical musical that moves the story along as if it had been there all along)
"Before My Time," CHASING ICE, Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend," TED, Music by Walter Murphy, Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
"Pi’s Lullaby," LIFE OF PI, Music by Mychael Danna, Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
"Skyfall," SKYFALL, Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
"Suddenly," LES MISÉRABLES, Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boubil
I would love "Chasing Ice" to come away from the night with at least one win just so the DVD can later be marketed as an Academy Award-winning film. Plus, the song was performed by Scarlett Johanssen and Joshua Bell (um...yes, and yes).
WILL WIN: "Skyfall" (because basically Adele wins everything, and I am all good with that!)
SHOULD WIN: "Suddenly" (because basically Adele's song is great but is still limited to being an opening titles track, whereas "Suddenly" is not only a showcase for Huge, I mean Hugh Jackman, but it actually seamlessly fits into the film adaptation of a theatrical musical that moves the story along as if it had been there all along)
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
This one is another challenging prediction: all the nominees seemed to do very good work creating an overall feel in sets, costumes, hair, make-up, etc. to achieve the right "look" and "feel" for their settings. I think "The Hobbit" will win after its third part, as long as voters don't feel super-saturated with what they think they have already experienced in Peter Jackson's other Tolkien works.
WILL WIN: Lincoln (for creating era-appropriate ensembles that emphasized a divided country in mostly a black-and-white world)
SHOULD WIN: Les Misérables (for a more vibrant and memorable palette)
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Adam And Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head Over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Paperman
In recent years, I have become a fan of all the short film categories because they are all refreshingly creative and this animated category never disappoints. I'm hoping for the one that I just loved, despite how the votes may go.
WILL WIN: Paperman (please, please, please...)
SHOULD WIN: Paperman
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death Of A Shadow (Dood Van Een Schaduw)
Henry
"Buzkashi Boys" and "Asad" may have the best Olympic human interest sidebar stories and "Henry" was an amazingly sweet confection of storytelling. Another tough call, so I'm making a hopeful guess.
WILL WIN: Death Of A Shadow (Dood Van Een Schaduw)
SHOULD WIN: Henry
SOUND EDITING
Argo
Django Unchained
Life Of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty
Annual lesson #1 in discriminating between what most people outside of "the industry" find to be two obscure categories: Sound Editing is the creation of sounds (from samples, from recordings, from disparate sources) to design sounds that may or may not exist in our world in order to support the story being told in the motion picture world.
WILL WIN: Skyfall
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
This one is another challenging prediction: all the nominees seemed to do very good work creating an overall feel in sets, costumes, hair, make-up, etc. to achieve the right "look" and "feel" for their settings. I think "The Hobbit" will win after its third part, as long as voters don't feel super-saturated with what they think they have already experienced in Peter Jackson's other Tolkien works.
WILL WIN: Lincoln (for creating era-appropriate ensembles that emphasized a divided country in mostly a black-and-white world)
SHOULD WIN: Les Misérables (for a more vibrant and memorable palette)
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Adam And Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head Over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Paperman
In recent years, I have become a fan of all the short film categories because they are all refreshingly creative and this animated category never disappoints. I'm hoping for the one that I just loved, despite how the votes may go.
WILL WIN: Paperman (please, please, please...)
SHOULD WIN: Paperman
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death Of A Shadow (Dood Van Een Schaduw)
Henry
"Buzkashi Boys" and "Asad" may have the best Olympic human interest sidebar stories and "Henry" was an amazingly sweet confection of storytelling. Another tough call, so I'm making a hopeful guess.
WILL WIN: Death Of A Shadow (Dood Van Een Schaduw)
SHOULD WIN: Henry
SOUND EDITING
Argo
Django Unchained
Life Of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty
Annual lesson #1 in discriminating between what most people outside of "the industry" find to be two obscure categories: Sound Editing is the creation of sounds (from samples, from recordings, from disparate sources) to design sounds that may or may not exist in our world in order to support the story being told in the motion picture world.
WILL WIN: Skyfall
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi
SOUND MIXING
Argo
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Annual lesson #2 in discriminating between what most people outside of "the industry" find to be two obscure categories: Sound Mixing takes all the sound elements (the real or invented sounds that were designed in the "Sound Editing" category, plus the vocals, musical score, songs, recorded dialogue, etc.) and blends them to create the single unified "soundtrack" of the entire motion picture.
WILL WIN: Les Misérables
SHOULD WIN: Les Misérables (the combination of live-sung performances of individuals acting in solo, duets, trios, quartets, and full ensembles, with full orchestral music backing them could not have been easy to seamlessly edit in post-production)
VISUAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life Of Pi
Marvel’s The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White And The Huntsman
Maybe this award should just be called the Peter Jackson award? Wouldn't that just be a handy shortcut to guessing the winner?
WILL WIN: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi (Peter Jackson can win it again at the conclusion of his Hobbit trilogy)
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Argo
Les Misérables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Annual lesson #2 in discriminating between what most people outside of "the industry" find to be two obscure categories: Sound Mixing takes all the sound elements (the real or invented sounds that were designed in the "Sound Editing" category, plus the vocals, musical score, songs, recorded dialogue, etc.) and blends them to create the single unified "soundtrack" of the entire motion picture.
WILL WIN: Les Misérables
SHOULD WIN: Les Misérables (the combination of live-sung performances of individuals acting in solo, duets, trios, quartets, and full ensembles, with full orchestral music backing them could not have been easy to seamlessly edit in post-production)
VISUAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life Of Pi
Marvel’s The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White And The Huntsman
Maybe this award should just be called the Peter Jackson award? Wouldn't that just be a handy shortcut to guessing the winner?
WILL WIN: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
SHOULD WIN: Life Of Pi (Peter Jackson can win it again at the conclusion of his Hobbit trilogy)
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio
Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Life Of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee
Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell
"Argo" and "Pi" were each crafted beautifully as coherent and almost lyrical stories that just moved well on screen. "Playbook" was a big ol' predictable yawn-fest pastiche of characters that I felt like I had seen in other movies. "Beasts" was a really smart and inventive upgrade of what is otherwise a rather inaccessible one-act avant-garde stage play.
WILL WIN: Tony Kushner (because his intelligence and research really elevated a work of non-fiction (Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team Of Rivals") to dramatic heights that sometimes felt woefully unmatched by the finished movie product)
SHOULD WIN: Tony Kushner (but Chris Terrio's astute work could sneak in for a win)
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Amour, Written by Michael Haneke
Django Unchained, Written by Quentin Tarantino
Flight, Written by John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Bola
"Amour" is a gorgeous love story, true to its name. "Django" felt derivative of "Inglorious Basterds" mixed with the revenge of "Kill Bill" but set to the context of American slavery. "Flight" was a bit of an overblown ponderous mess. "Moonrise Kingdom" was whimsical and original but awkwardly paced. Kathryn Bigelow was given an amazing piece of writing to tell a story on the big screen, and unfortunately it has fallen under sharp criticisms for either boldly being truthful or not-so-accurate about the use of torture in American intelligence.
WILL WIN: Mark Bola (pieced together from good or bad sources, this was still a riveting tale)
SHOULD WIN: Michael Haneke (every once in a while, can't the weepy love story win over everything else or is that just my post-solo-Valentine wish?)
So there you have it. Ballots complete? Then, off with you now! Let me know how you do with your predictions with a comment below. (All I ask is that if I help you win your betting pool, you give me some credit or share the winnings.) This Sunday, I'll be the one on the couch with the DVR and the frozen Junior Mints. Have fun!
Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Life Of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee
Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell
"Argo" and "Pi" were each crafted beautifully as coherent and almost lyrical stories that just moved well on screen. "Playbook" was a big ol' predictable yawn-fest pastiche of characters that I felt like I had seen in other movies. "Beasts" was a really smart and inventive upgrade of what is otherwise a rather inaccessible one-act avant-garde stage play.
WILL WIN: Tony Kushner (because his intelligence and research really elevated a work of non-fiction (Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team Of Rivals") to dramatic heights that sometimes felt woefully unmatched by the finished movie product)
SHOULD WIN: Tony Kushner (but Chris Terrio's astute work could sneak in for a win)
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Amour, Written by Michael Haneke
Django Unchained, Written by Quentin Tarantino
Flight, Written by John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Bola
"Amour" is a gorgeous love story, true to its name. "Django" felt derivative of "Inglorious Basterds" mixed with the revenge of "Kill Bill" but set to the context of American slavery. "Flight" was a bit of an overblown ponderous mess. "Moonrise Kingdom" was whimsical and original but awkwardly paced. Kathryn Bigelow was given an amazing piece of writing to tell a story on the big screen, and unfortunately it has fallen under sharp criticisms for either boldly being truthful or not-so-accurate about the use of torture in American intelligence.
WILL WIN: Mark Bola (pieced together from good or bad sources, this was still a riveting tale)
SHOULD WIN: Michael Haneke (every once in a while, can't the weepy love story win over everything else or is that just my post-solo-Valentine wish?)
So there you have it. Ballots complete? Then, off with you now! Let me know how you do with your predictions with a comment below. (All I ask is that if I help you win your betting pool, you give me some credit or share the winnings.) This Sunday, I'll be the one on the couch with the DVR and the frozen Junior Mints. Have fun!
