Oscars: And the winner is?
The Oscars are lining up to be one of the best with enigmatic host Ellen DeGeneres returning, top-notch performances by U2, Idina Menzel, Pharrell, Karen O., Pink, and Bette Midler, and more than a few categories that have remained unpredictable.
But as we move into crunch time, both I and fellow entertainment Post-Examiner Mark McCarver are doing our best to pick out the winning ballot, as well as note a few movies of 2013 that were overlooked. I’m not putting money down, but I do have a few theories behind my choices:
Best Picture
Though I don’t fully recommend either of the films, 12 Years a Slave and Gravity are neck and neck in this race and one of them is pretty much guaranteed to win the top honor of the night. While many, including Mark, are placing their bets on the latter, I think the fact that it lacks a complete story will give Slave the boost it needs to pull ahead. But what about Dallas Buyers Club? If ever there was a dark horse, that would be it.
Who will win: 12 Years a Slave
Who should win: Dallas Buyers Club
Who should’ve been nominated: Lone Survivor
Best Leading Actor
It’s been pretty clear from the start that the Best Actor trophy belongs to the much deserved McConaughey but leaving Tom Hanks out of the category, a legitimate contender, was a terrible misstep.
Who will win: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who should win: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who should’ve been nominated: Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
Best Leading Actress
Although both her film and director have met scrutiny as of late, Cate Blanchet will walk away with her second Academy Award come Sunday night.
Who will win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Who should win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Who should’ve been nominated: Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks), Naomi Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha), Julie Delpy (Before Midnight)
Best Supporting Actor
To be honest, I was completely pulling for Barkhad Abdi in this category until I saw Dallas Buyers Club and was swayed by Jared Leto’s powerful performance. I would agree with Mark that Abdi gives a tremendous performance, but the first-time actor just can’t quite measure up with all of his contenders.
Who will win: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who should win: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who should’ve been nominated: Daniel Brühl (Rush), Kevin Kline (Last Vegas)
Best Supporting Actress
Leading up to the Oscars, Lupita Nyong’o has won all the awards that “matter,” but co-nominee Jennifer Lawrence carries with her both a great performance and a near indomitable fan base. I agree with Mark that out of the two, Lawrence deserves to win however, the subject matter Nyong’o, a first time actor, deals with, will give her the edge. It’s June Squibb’s unexpected and hilarious performance that I’d ultimately like to see honored.
Who will win: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)
Who should win: June Squibb (Nebraska)
Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón did pull some good strings together to create Gravity and he’ll likely be the winner, but the plot of his movie suffers too much at the hands of technical genius. David O. Russell doesn’t direct a flawless picture, either, but it’s new and attention grabbing and it’s obvious he put a lot of thought into the storyline.
Who will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Who should win: David O. Russell (American Hustle)
Who should’ve been nominated: Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips), Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club), Peter Berg (Lone Survivor)
Best Original Screenplay
I like to think of ‘”original” as meaning the screenplay is both inventive and plausible as a feature-length film. Though Mark and many others completely fell in love with Her, it’s a bit too absurd and stretched out to be a great movie. Bob Nelson’s screenplay for Nebraska both reinvents the road trip story and moves along without missing a beat until it’s final ride into the sunset.
Who will win: Her
Who should win: Nebraska
Best Adapted Screenplay
12 Years a Slave has been labeled the contender but its screenplay, along with The Wolf of Wall Street’s, is sloppy and neither succeed at being a well-balanced movie.
Who will win: 12 Years a Slave
Who should win: Captain Phillips
Who should’ve been nominated: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Lone Survivor
Best Animated Feature
The competition is frozen out. There. I said it.
Who will win: Frozen
Who should win: Frozen
Who should’ve been nominated: Monsters University
Best Foreign Language Film
Who will win: The Great Beauty
Who should win: The Great Beauty
Who should’ve been nominated: The Past
Best Documentary Feature
The Act of Killing is the favorite in the category but it’s 20 Feet From Stardom that’s the truly insightful and entertaining documentary of the bunch.
Who Will win: The Act of Killing
Who Should win: 20 Feet from Stardom
Best Production Design
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: American Hustle
Who should’ve been nominated: Lone Survivor, Saving Mr. Banks, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Best Cinematography
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Nebraska
Who should’ve been nominated: Dallas Buyers Club
Best Costume Design
Who will win: The Great Gatsby
Who should win: American Hustle
Best Film Editing
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Dallas Buyers Club
Who should’ve been nominated: Lone Survivor, Saving Mr. Banks, Philomena, Before MIdnight
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
And when the nominees are announced, we’ll all die a little seeing in print that Jackass now has ties with the Academy.
Who will win: Dallas Buyers Club
Who should win: Dallas Buyers Club
Who should’ve been nominated: American Hustle, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Best Original Score
The score of Saving Mr. Banks is cheery and nostalgic- but like Mark, the greater percentage of Academy voters probably smiled more at the lack of sound then “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Saving Mr. Banks
Who should’ve been nominated: Captain Phillips
Best Original Song
I have to confess that I found myself humming the catchy “Let it Go” while writing this and made a last minute switch but “Ordinary Love” is a powerful song and I think, in the end, the star power behind it (U2) and its ties to the late, great Nelson Mandela will see it pull ahead.
Who will win: “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Who should win: “Let It Go” from Frozen
Best Sound Editing
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Lone Survivor
Best Sound Mixing
The sound mixing of Lone Survivor made the extended combat sequence of the film truly remarkable and realistic but alas, Gravity seems to be an unstoppable force.
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Lone Survivor
Who should’ve been nominated: Saving Mr. Banks
Best Visual Effects
Will win: Gravity
Should win: Gravity
Best Animated Short
The mouse house rules, Mark.
Who will win: Get a Horse!
Who should win: Get a Horse!
Best Live Action Short
Who will win: That Wasn’t Me
Who should win: Just Before Losing Everything
Best Documentary Short
Seriously, nothing can top Number 6’s 39 minutes of pure inspiration.
Who will win: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Who should win: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Eric Miller is a marketing professional with experience in creative writing,
journalism and corporate communications. He has been writing in some way,
shape, or form for nearly all his life with plans to eventually publish a novel or
screenplay. He is also an entertainment enthusiast with the latest news on
movies, pop-culture, and events. A born and bred resident of the Baltimore Metropolitan area, he enjoys visiting the Inner Harbor as well as traveling the country, watching movies, and experimenting with mixed drinks. He is currently a member of the Sundance Institute, American Film Institute, and Maryland Film Festival.