It's Oscar Time!

You may recall that I made predictions two years ago for the Academy Awards with the plan of doing it every year. For whatever reason, I did not make any predictions last year. So I am back and I plan to make this an annual occurrence.

Once again I have not seen all of the nominated films or performances. I managed to see four of the eight of the films nominated in the Best Picture category. And while I have my personal favorites I will not share them here, although some may be obvious from prior posts. This is going to be who I think the winners will be, not necessarily who I would like to see win.

So let's get to it! I'll check back in next week to see how I did!


Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

My prediction: Boyhood

Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

My prediction: Michael Keaton, Birdman

Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

My prediction: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Actress in a Leading Role

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

My prediction: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into The Woods

My prediction: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Directing

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

My prediction: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman

--Post by Tracy

It's almost time for the Oscars!

Once again, it's that time of year: awards season in Hollywood. This coming Sunday, February 24th, is the cumulation of the season -- when the 85th Academy Awards will be presented.

As seen in a previous blog, I'm a fan of films. I like most kind of movies, although I won't go and see just anything. Even if a film has been nominated for an Oscar, it doesn't mean I will rush out and see it. In fact, in this year's crop, I've only seen three of the nine films nominated for Best Picture.

Having said that, in honor of the Oscars, I'm going to take a chance on making my predictions as to who will win in the major categories. This is not something I normally do. Actually, I have two friends who have a friendly bet every year over who can predict the most winners -- which I do not participate in, because they are far more knowledgeable about movies than I am. Still, I thought it might be fun to take a chance this year and try it for myself.

So, here goes!

Best Picture

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

My Prediction: This is a tough one because they all have their merits. But I think that, in the end, Argo is going to win. The Academy likes "true" stories, which Argo qualifies for. Lincoln is also a "true" story, but I think that Argo will win because it is a good film -- and to make up for the fact that Ben Affleck was not nominated for Best Director.

Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

My Prediction: This award is going to Daniel Day-Lewis, and if anyone else wins I would be shocked. If it wasn't for Day-Lewis's becoming Abraham Lincoln, Bradley Cooper or Denzel Washington would have been duking it out for the award.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin, Argo
Rober De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

My Prediction: This is a toss-up between Arkin and De Niro, with Jones as an outside chance. But I'm going to go with Robert De Niro. I have seen both performances, and De Niro stands a bit more. This is one of the best roles he's had in quite a long time.

Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

My Prediction: The competition seems to be between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence, but I think in the end, Lawrence will win this category, for her role as a young widow trying to get her life back on track. If you only know Lawrence from The Hunger Games, you will be very surprised by her performance.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams, The Master
Salle Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

My Prediction: Early on, Helen Hunt was getting a lot of buzz for this category. But that has changed. The buzz now belongs to Anne Hathaway, who is my pick.

Directing

Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

My Prediction: If Argo or Zero Dark Thirty win Best Picture, it will only be the 4th time that the director of the Best Picture did not also win. Of course, there is no way for Affleck or Kathryn Bigelow to win, since they neither were nominated. That being the case, Spielberg will most likely win for Lincoln.

I will check back in on Monday to see how I did. If I did well, I may have to rethink not betting with my friends!

-- Post by Tracy

Staff Recommendation #8: The Artist

When I first started hearing about The Artist, I couldn't really imagine what it would be like. A Frenchman making a silent film (in black and white) about Hollywood in the late 20s? But the more I heard about it, the more I wanted to see it. Unfortunately, I never got to see it on the big screen. Life conspired against me and I just never made it to my local multiplex to see it. So I made sure I had my name on the list to get the DVD as soon as it was available through the library. The film did not disappoint.

The Artist (available on DVD or Blu-Ray) is an homage to Hollywood of the Silent Era. The story opens, in 1927, with George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) at the height of his stardom and the height of the silent film industry. While posing for photographers on the red carpet, he meets a fan, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). Peppy takes full advantage of the encounter and ends up on the front page of Variety with George. The next thing we know, Peppy is cast as an extra in George's next film. There is some flirting between the two, but since George is married, albeit unhappily, they go their separate ways. Years pass and we see Peppy becoming a bigger and bigger movie star, while George's star is fading due to the introduction of talking pictures. 

There are so many things going for this film, it's hard to know where to start. What got me right away was the look of the film. If I wouldn't have known better, I would have thought I was watching a film made in the 20s. The attention to detail is amazing. The five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Actor in a Leading Role, Costume Design, and Original Score) that the film won were well deserved.

Director Michel Hazanavicius has created a beautiful and touching story about love and friendship showcased in this tribute to Silent Films. Although there are many familiar American actors in this film (John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller), it's the French trio of Hazanavicius, Dujardin, and Bejo that make this film come alive. Unless you are a fan of French films, you most likely have never heard of them. I know I hadn't. But I don't know if there could have been two more charming leading actors to play these parts than Dujardin and Bejo. 


While you are waiting your turn to see The Artist, you might want to check out some of the all-time great Silent Films:

The General (1926)

When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single handedly and straight through enemy lines. (107 mins.)

Metropolis (1927)

In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences. (153 mins.)

City Lights (1931)

The Tramp struggles to help a blind flower girl he has fallen in love with. (87 mins.)

Nosferatu (1922)

Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence - and real estate agent Hutter's wife. Silent classic based on the story "Dracula." (94 mins.)

Birth of a Nation (1915)

The Civil War divides friends and destroys families, but that's nothing compared to the anarchy in the black-ruled South after the war. (165 mins.)

-- Post by Tracy