Oscars 2013: Best Picture, Best Actor,Best Actress, Best Director Nominations

It’s that time of year again, where the best films of the year are judged, legends are made and tragic hosts take to the stage. Yes the Oscars! With 2013’s nominations JUST being announced, let’s get into the top 4 categories of the night, starting with Best Picture…

Best Picture

Amour

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

‘Amour’, is rare in that a foreign language film barely ever makes this list of the top films of the year, so props must go to that. Another I must see, is ‘Argo’, the tale of American hostages in Iran, and based on the judgement of those I trust, it deserves its place here. Next, ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’, a film with three nods in the top four categories, and it earned them! Filmed for just over £1million, and with a cast of unknowns, it’s an incredible film, from visuals to its score, and should be seen by all.

The new Tarantino flick, ‘Django Unchained’, is next, and a film I have been eagerly anticipating for months on end. Tarantino. Foxx. Waltz. Di Caprio. Slavery-Spaghetti Western.. ‘Les Miserables’, a film almost entirely made up of songs, is Tom Hooper’s follow up to ‘The King’s Speech’, don’t rule this one out just yet. ‘Life of Pi’, is technically a great piece of work, Ang Lee creating a visual delight, it’s a shame for me that the film didn’t build on its earlier promise, but deserves its place here.

Clear favourite’, ‘Lincoln’ is next. I’ve got a strong feeling it’ll win, buoyed on by star Daniel Day-Lewis and director Steven Spielberg’s nominations, it’s the film America has been waiting for, for years, and don’t be surprised to see it take a batch of awards from it’s 12 nominations. ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, sees David O. Russell delight the Academy again after ‘The Fighter’, a few years back. And finally, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, which were it not for a series of allegations about where the film got classified information from, would probably be right up in the running for this award.

My Prediction: Lincoln

Best Director

Michael Haneke, Amour

Ang Lee, Life of Pi

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

A curious mix of old (Spielberg, Lee) and new (Zeitlin), the Academy has picked some good choices. Whilst I haven’t seen it, ‘Amour’s presence in the top categories, alongside it’s stunning reviews, shows it’s a well made film, with credit going to the director for that. Ang Lee managed to anchor ‘Life of Pi’, spectacularly well, given the ‘unfilmable book’ tag that haunted it for years, David O. Russell tackled the challenging concepts of mental illness brilliantly, with Messrs Cooper and Lawrence also reaping the benefits from it.

Spielberg just HAS to be there for his epic about America’s mast famous president and Benh Zeitlin, the first-time director of stunner, ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’, a raw, fierce film, that owed much to his sharp, almost docu-drama style. One surprising admission, would be Ben Affleck for his third picture, ‘Argo’, it seemed a certainty Affleck would be included somewhere, but bar a ‘Best Picture’ nod, he’s been excluded from this category and ‘Best Actor’.

My Prediction: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Denzel Washington, Flight

Were it not for the presence of one of the names on this list, it could arguably be claimed that anyone of these fine actors could be in with a chance of grabbing the coveted golden statuette. As it is, one name jumps out from this last as the sewn-up winner. That name: Daniel Day-Lewis. It’s hard to see anyone else grabbing it from Day-Lewis, he of two gongs already in this category, for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln has been critically acclaimed by those who’ve seen it. I haven’t yet, so should refrain from judging yet, but he looks to be the clear winner. Bradley Cooper probably just about deserves to be on this list, his performance as a mentally unstable man with a troubled past is interesting, the chemistry between himself and Jennifer Lawrence being the main draw. I don’t really plan on seeing ‘Les Miz’, but it’s nice to see Hugh Jackman proving his more than a man with claws.

If ‘Lincoln’, wasn’t about, then Joaquin Phoenix would be my winner. He made ‘The Master’, bearable, as the unpredictable Freddie Quell, with twitches and speech impediments galore. This last nomination is expected, but interesting to me. Reading an article the other day, got me interested in Denzel Washington and this film, the Robert Zemeckis-helmed, ‘Flight’. Washington put on the pounds for the role, and is a vulnerable pilot, who relies on addiction to keep him going, but pulls off a massive feat in the process. Probably deserved nom for one of the few black actors working in Hollywood today.

My Prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

The most open category of the ceremony, for me anyway, is this one, Best Actress. Anyone of these fine actresses could take home the gold, for various reasons. Jessica Chastain, a nominee for ‘The Help’, might see the stars align for her, with a starring role in Osama Bin-Laden-hunt-em-down, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, which looks amazing and featured on many American top 10 lists of 2012. Jennifer Lawrence had a stellar 2012, barring ‘The House at the End of the Street’, with ‘The Hunger Games’, shooting her to stardom, and another Oscar nom, although I don’t think it’s her ‘time’, as of yet. Emmanuelle Riva is the oldest nominee in this category in the history of the Oscars, at the age of 85, which is great for the Academy to be giving recognition to these non-English speaking actors, aswell as her old age.

Then the polar opposite, 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis becomes the youngest nominee! She sparkles with energy in ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’, at times encompassing her youth, and at others exceeding it with maturity far beyond her years. Naomi Watts could battle with Wallis, for the award, for her harrowing performance in Tsunami-drama, ‘The Impossible’, sure she may be bed-ridden for the majority of the film, but in the water with her son, the desperation is clear to see, and even when injured, she is emotive in every sense of the word.

My Prediction: Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

So, those were the main nominations, but what about the rest? The two behemoths of 2012, ‘The Avengers’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, didn’t make the cut at all, surprising for the latter given it’s the last of the Nolan trilogy, and fellow big-hitters, ‘Skyfall’ and ‘The Hobbit’, reduced to only minor nominations, for editing and sound, although Adele’s title song for 007 did get a ‘Best Song’ nod. All in all, it was a bad time for British veteran actors/actresses, with the ‘Hitchcock’ pairing of Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren not getting a look-in, nor Judi Dench, for ‘Skyfall’.

Ideally, I would’ve liked more recognition for Wes Anderson’s beautiful ‘Moonrise Kingdom’. Hilariously, Oscars host, Seth MacFarlane might actually win an award, going against Adele and ‘Skyfall’, with his title song for his debut motion picture, the hilarious, ‘Ted’. His banter with Emma Stone, who helped him out presenting the nominations, was great and a little hint of what the full-length awards show could be like, a little bit daring and risky.

With only 44 days to go, let the predictions begin!

Top 10 Films of 2012 (Part 1)

Films of 2012

2012 has been a vintage year for film, for both blockbusters and indie flicks, so here are my top 10!

10. The Master

The film I was most unsure about, and, in truth, if I’d seen a couple of films (‘Argo’ and ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ I think), this probably wouldn’t feature in my top 10. However, the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman are not to be underestimated, the pair shining as patient and the titular ‘Master’. Phoenix is a big nervous man, unsure of the world after returning home from war, not fitting in anywhere, until he meets Hoffman, a leader of a Scientology-eque (is that a word?!) cult. The story is long, drawn out and at times, boring, something director Paul Thomas Anderson needs to brush up on a bit, but the cinematography, attention to detail and score mark this up. The motorcycle scene, managing to track the main pair as they blast along a desert, is breath-taking. Not a cinematic masterpiece by any stretch, but an interesting mess? Yes, sounds about right.

9. 21 Jump Street

Whoever would’ve thought Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill would be 2012’s most hilarious double act?! Not me that’s for sure, but the two had audiences in stitches with great roles in cop-comedy ‘21 Jump Street’. It’s self-aware, sweary,but most of all, just really funny! Hill and Tatum, freshly-qualified as a couple of cops are drafted into a programme that sees them go covertly undercover in high-school, with the aim of busting a drugs ring that is killing kids. The story rarely allows it to be come dark and grim though, with one of the 4 stages of the drug known as ‘Tripping Major Ballsack’, as bigger indication as any of the type of humour. It did, unexpectedly, make my family laugh though, so the appeal is there. In any other year, ’21 Jump Street’, would be my top comedy of 2012, however this year has been a good one for the genre…

8. Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson has always been a Marmite filmmaker for many, myself included, his works often derided for their lack of personality, emotions and general plot. Infact, I used to defend his own ‘The Life Aquatic’, until a recent watch proved it to be shallow and just plain old boring. However, the stop animation style of ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, showed a different side to Anderson, and I loved it. So, going into ‘Moonrise Kingdom’, starring his favoured alumni, Murray, Schwartzmann, Balaban, with a few extras in the shape of Bruce Willis and Tilda Swinton, I was filled with trepidation, hoping not to be desperately disappointed. And I wasn’t.

For, ‘Moonrise Kingdom’, is a great piece of work, tackling love with its two lead young newcomers, whose characters are complicated and wise, despite their youthful appearances, whilst the glittering cast of adults are merely reduced to acting like kids. It’s a smart twist, as they instigate a search party for the pair of child runaways, but find themselves to be complicated too, Willis has an affair with the girl’s mother, Murray is an closed-off father, and Ed Norton is a fantastic scout leader, who genuinely cares for his troop, but can be reduced to tears within seconds by a superior scout leader! Everyone has issues, as is the case with many Wes Anderson films, but it all amounts to a happy, beautiful-to-look-at film, worthy of tonnes of praise. Let’s hope Anderson can continue his recent hot streak, and not get caught up in his own hype.

7. Looper

I wouldn’t have expected ‘Looper’ to have charted this high when I first saw the trailer, sure it looked good, but good at the most, I mean when has their ever been a good time-travelling film?! However, it blew me away, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, again?!, lighting up the screen with their joint-portrayal of ‘looper’ Joe. It manages to incorporate a time-travel plot line successfully, with an opening monologue explaining the concept in a couple of minutes, but the plot moves about, so you genuinely don’t know where it’s going next, a good thing in this! Supporting turns by Emily Blunt and the best child-actor I’ve ever seen in a film, add to the concoction, with a genuinely surprising ending, that is daring, something many modern-day films wouldn’t have done, and all credit must go to director Rian Johnson, a man who must be on the shortlists for many of the big studios next big pictures, as a result.

6. Prometheus

Whilst many were let down by Ridley Scott’s long-awaited, is it a prequel or a sequel, to ‘Alien’, I enjoyed it immensely! Sure it wasn’t anything like its predecessor, but I think you’d have been a bit silly to have expected a carbon copy of such an iconic film. What we got added to the mythology in spades, with a lot of mystery and action throughout, complimenting each other well. The beginning is slightly stodgy, taking a while to kick in, especially on repeat viewings, but when we get going, we definitely get going! There’s a lot I don’t want to spoil just in case, but s**t goes happen to the crew of the ‘Prometheus’ crew, as they are sabotaged from within, and from dormant beasts. A couple of scenes in particular, one involving a caesarian of an alien creature and the ever-present android, David, played by the magnificent Michael Fassbender, as he causes such events, are brilliant.

Fassbender is the best here, but is complimented by a wealth of talent, both male and female. Idris Elba, the ship’s captain, and a man given the role of leading a blockbuster all by himself in next summer’s ‘Pacific Rim’, original ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, Noomi Rapace, who aside from a dodgy English accent, does the job. Charlize Theron, the second of her big roles of the year, as an is she or isn’t she robot, along with Guy Pearce as a stationary old man, the man who sent them on their journey to the deep reaches of space. ‘Prometheus’, is almost as epic as it gets, and, again, isn’t a complete masterpiece, but I enjoyed it very much!

Part 2 of 2012 is coming soon!