Its time for the biggest night in movies, the Academy Awards. Here I'll run through the categories, and give you my prediction along with any potential upsets to look for.
Best Short Film (Live Action):
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)
Helium
Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
The Voorman Problem
Short films are always tough to judge, but I'm going with "Just Before Losing Everything". Its a tense film on a woman fleeing with her two children from an abusive husband. One to watch for though is "The Voorman Problem", about a doctor who examines a prison inmate who claims to be a God.
Best Short Film (animated):
Feral
Get a Horse!
Mr. Hublot
Possessions
Room on the Broom
I'm taking the safe road here and going with the Disney short film "Get a Horse!". It truly is a unique animated film though. It starts off with an old-school feel, but then as you will see, breaks dimensions by going into "the future". A clever piece of work.
Now a preview of a best picture nominee (these will be scattered throughout this post)
American Hustle:
A conman and his mistress are forced to work with a wild FBI agent as he looks to catch politicians, but that isn't enough for him, as the mission grows and gets out of control. This is American Hustle
Best Visual Effects:
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness
This is a near lock, as the effects in Gravity were unprecedented. This should be an easy win.
Best Sound Mixing:
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor
This should be another fairly easy win for Gravity. If there is an upset though, look for Captain Phillips to get some recognition.
Best Sound Editing:
All is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor
Look for Gravity to keep on taking the technical awards right here
Captain Phillips:
The true story about Captain Phillips and his ordeal as his ship is hijacked by Somali pirates. He would later be taken hostage by them, and a stand off then begins. This is Captain Phillips
Best Cinematography:
The Grandmaster
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Prisoners
The technical awards keep pouring in for Gravity. If there is any upset here, watch for Nebraska, with its unique black and white camera work.
Best Film Editing:
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
12 Years a Slave
This could be the first test to see how the rest of the night is going to go in terms of best picture. However, I see Gravity continuing its award haul here. But watch for the other best picture contenders (American Hustle and 12 Years a Slave).
Best Production Design:
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her
12 Years a Slave
It may not have been the greatest adaption of a book, but its hard to argue that "The Great Gatsby" did look stunning with its design. Therefore I see it getting the win here. Watch for Gravity here, as it could be a big night if it pulls off a win here.
Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
Dallas Buyers Club
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger
Could we see Jackass get an Oscar? Who knows, but the safer bet is "Dallas Buyers Club", the transformation that Matthew McConaughey went through was incredible, but Jared Leto's may be even more spectacular.
Dallas Buyers Club:
Electrician and hustler, Ron Woodroof's world gets turned upside down with an HIV/AIDS diagnosis. His views on homosexuality evolve, as he looks to work around the FDA to help other AIDS patients. This is Dallas Buyers Club.
Best Documentary (Short):
CaveDigger
Facing Fear
Karama Has No Walls
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
An uplifting story about the world's oldest pianist and Holocaust survivor, "The Lady in Number 6" is a sure winner here.
Best Documentary:
The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
The Square
20 Feet From Stardom
This is a pretty open field for best documentary. I'm going to go with the one that seems to have the most buzz at the moment, "20 Feet From Stardom", a fascinating look at the world of backup singers and what they go through.
Gravity:
A rookie and a veteran struggle to survive during catastrophe in space, this is Gravity
Best Original Score:
John Williams, "The Book Thief"
Steven Price, "Gravity"
William Butler and Owen Pallett, "Her"
Alexandre Desplat, "Philomena"
Thomas Newman, "Saving Mr. Banks"
The music in "Gravity" was just tremendous. It blended in and became one with the film. Steven Price is a newcomer, with his first composition being listed as 2011, but he had worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the music department, and it shows here. If there's an upset, look for "Her".
Best Original Song:
"Happy" from Despicable Me 2
"Let It Go" from Frozen
"The Moon Song" from Her
"Ordinary Love" from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
This seemed like a shoe-in at the Golden Globes, before "Ordinary Love" pulled off the upset, but I think "Let It Go" will take the Oscar here. In the pantheon of great Disney songs, "Let It Go" rises close to the top.
Her:
A lonely, recently divorced writer develops a relationship with a new Operating System. This is Her.
Best Costume Design:
American Hustle
The Grandmaster
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
12 Years a Slave
As with Production Design, look for "The Great Gatsby" to get recognized here for its style with Costume Design.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
This is an important win for "12 Years a Slave" to stay on pace for Best Picture. In a fairly weak field when compared to Original Screenplay, "12 Years a Slave" should get recognized here for its brilliant writing.
Nebraska:
An aging father and his son looks to make a trip from Montana to Nebraska to claim his "winning sweepstakes prize", and his son learns a lot about his father's past along the way, this is Nebraska.
Best Original Screenplay:
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska
Unlike Adapted Screenplay, Original Screenplay is a really crowded field, with 3 to 4 contenders to take the Oscar. I'm going with American Hustle, as the writing allowed its great ensemble to shine. However, watch for Her, which has been taking a lot of Screenplay awards this awards season.
Best Foreign Film:
The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium
The Great Beauty, Italy
The Hunt, Denmark
The Missing Picture, Cambodia
Omar, Palestine
A tough category to predict, especially with France not releasing "Blue is the Warmest Color" in time for this year's Oscars. With that being said, I'm going with Italy's "The Great Beauty", about a man who seduces his way through the Italian nightlife until he gets a shock from his past.
Philomena:
A political journalist picks up a story about a woman looking for her son who was taken away by a convent. This is Philomena
Best Animated Feature Film:
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises
This seems like a near-lock for Frozen, as its been regarded as one of the top Disney animated films, which is a great feat in itself. If there is an upset, look for Hayao Miyazaki's "The Wind Rises", his rumored final film.
Best Supporting Actress:
Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"
Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"
June Squibb, "Nebraska"
All awards season this has been a race between Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong'o, but I think Lupita Nyong'o takes this. Her work in "12 Years a Slave" was both tremendous and haunting.
12 Years a Slave:
Solomon Northrup, a free man from New York, is kidnapped and forced into slavery. There, he looks to survive. This is 12 Years a Slave
Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"
Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"
Jared Leto has been surging during the awards season, and look for that to continue here. His work in "Dallas Buyers Club" was just incredible, as he transformed into his character "Rayon". For an upset here, watch for Michael Fassbender and Barkhad Abdi.
Best Actress:
Amy Adams, "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"
Cate Blanchett seems like the heavy favorite here for her work in "Blue Jasmine". The question is, will there be Woody Allen backlash here from the Academy? Personally, I don't think Cate Blanchett should be punished for the horrible things Allen has done, but if its the case, then watch for Sandra Bullock.
The Wolf of Wall Street:
A story of a real life stockbroker's rise to the high life, to his fall involving crime and corruption, this is The Wolf of Wall Street.
Best Actor:
Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"
Who would have ever thought that Matthew McConaughey would be a favorite for Best Actor? Well that is indeed the case as his career as sky rocketed over the last couple of years. He's been favorite ever since his Golden Globe win, and look for it to continue here for his mesmerizing role in "Dallas Buyers Club".
Best Director:
David O. Russell, "American Hustle"
Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"
Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"
Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Throughout the awards season, its been Alfonso Cuaron taking home the awards for his wonderful direction in "Gravity", and look for that to continue here. His direction truly made "Gravity" more than just special effects, he brought a theme of life and survival into it with his imagery.
Best Picture:
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Even as I write this, I'm still going back and forth on best picture. Leading up to the awards, the top contenders have been "American Hustle", "Gravity" and "12 Years a Slave". Since its Golden Globes and SAGs awards, "American Hustle" has been fading a bit, but "12 Years a Slave" has stayed consistent in the awards season. However, "Gravity" has been rapidly rising, coming off a tie in the Producer's Guild Awards with "12 Years a Slave". I've been going back and forth between those 2. Each brings a different experience. One gives you unparalleled effects with a great story, while the other shows you the harsh realities of slavery. In the end, I think it'll be close........but I'm going with
Its been gaining steam at the right time, and I think the Academy will award how its changed what's possible with effect, after Avatar, Hugo and Life of Pi. Both "Gravity" and "12 Years a Slave" are worthy of best picture.
And there you have it. Now sit back, and enjoy the Oscars.
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