Review My 2013 Oscar Picks| poetslandscape

IMDb list

Since beginning this blog and a half of years in the past, I've found myself pretty ambivalent on the subject of the Oscars.

On one hand, it's become clear as day to me that there are many excellent though generally smaller films being made both in the United States and across the world that aren't going to find recognition at places like the Oscars.  In part for this reason two years ago, I created my own "Denny Awards" list to offer some recognition to films and performances that I felt deserved such attention.

On the other hand, one can not but feel for both the actors/actresses and film-makers in general for whom the Oscars are, well "The Oscars" [TM].  So one would have to be a pretty hard-hearted person to not feel empathy with those who for the first time and/or after much struggle/sacrifice find themselves up there on stage tearfully beginning their acceptance speeches with: "I'd like to thank ..."

Finally as another über-movielover at my parish put it, the Oscars this year are about as competitive as they've been in recent memory.  Just about every major category contains several nominees that both deserve and have the clout to win.

So here then is my annual "week before the event" Oscars list:

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

WILL WIN - Alan Arkin (Argo) or Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook)

SHOULD WIN - Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wall Flower) or Alan Arkin (Argo)

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wall Flower), Michael Peña (End of Watch), Matthew McConaughey and/or John Cusack (The Paperboy), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (for A Late Quartet instead of The Master)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

WILL WIN - Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

SHOULD WIN - Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) or Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - Scarlett Johansson (Hitchcock), Judy Dench (Skyfall) and Anna Kendrick (End of Watch)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

WILL WIN - Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln) or Denzel Washington (Flight)

SHOULD WIN - TOSS-UP among the three given above along with Christopher Walken (A Late Quartet)

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - Christopher Walken (A Late Quartet) possiblyLogan Lehrman (The Perks of Being a Wall Flower), Bradley Cooper (for The Words instead of Silver Linings Playbook)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

WILL WIN - Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) or Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

SHOULD WIN - Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) or Blake Lively (Savages), Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy)

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - Blake Lively (Savages), Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy), Barbara Straisand (The Guilt Trip), Chloe Grace Moretz (Hick), Greta Gerwig (Lola Versus), Leila Hatami (Meeting Leila)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREEN PLAY

WILL WIN - Toss-up between Amour, Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained

SHOULD WIN - Any of those three plus Flight (nominated) or A Late Quartet (not nominated)

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - A Late Quartet, End of Watch, Lola Versus, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila), Have You Seen Lupita? (orig. ¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?)

BEST ADAPTED SCREEN PLAY

WILL WIN - Argo, Life of Pi or Silver Linings Playbook (TOSS-UP)

SHOULD WIN - Lincoln

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - Cloud Atlas, Hick, Savages, The Perks of Being a Wall Flower, Cosmopolis

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

WILL WIN -Life of Pi or Lincoln

SHOULD WIN - Samsara, Cosmopolis, Cloud Atlas, Anna Karenina

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - Samsara, Cosmopolis, Cloud Atlas, End of Watch

BEST DIRECTOR

WILL WIN - Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), Ang Lee (Life of Pi) or David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

SHOULD WIN - Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), Kathryn Bigalow (Zero Dark Thirty), David Ayer (End of Watch), Ron Fricke / Mark Madigson (Samsara) or Oliver Stone (Savages)

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - Kathryn Bigalow (Zero Dark Thirty), Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), David Ayer (End of Watch), Ron Fricke / Mark Madigson (Samsara), Oliver Stone (Savages), Adel Yaraghi (Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

WILL WIN - Brave or Wreck-it Ralph

SHOULD WIN - Brave, Wreck-it Ralph

BEST PICTURE

WILL WIN - Silver Linings Playbook, Argo, Lincoln, or Zero Dark Thirty

SHOULD WIN - Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, Cosmopolis

DESERVED CONSIDERATION - A Late Quartet, End of Watch, The Paperboy, Savages, Cosmopolis, The Perks of Being a Wall Flower, Hick, Anna Karenina

<< NOTE - Do you like what you've been reading here?  If you do then consider giving a small donation to this Blog (sugg. $6 _non-recurring_) _every so often_ to continue/further its operation.  To donate just CLICK HERE.  Thank you! :-) >>