“Oscar and I have something
in common. Oscar first came to Hollywood scene in 1928. So did I. We're both a
little weather-beaten, but we're still here and plan to be around for a whole
lot longer.”
--John Wayne, 1979
Lest readers accuse Bay State Brahmin of
being all work and no fun, today we’ll indulge in some OSCAR speculation two days before the Academy Awards are presented at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. What
follows are my best guesses at who will win awards and what film/individual
would have received my vote in each category, with some musings here and there.
Note that I am only submitting picks where I’ve seen the films and I am
excluding categories that are incomprehensible. So dim the laptop screen and
grab the popcorn…
Best Picture
The Pick: 12 Years a Slave
My Vote: 12 Years a Slave
This year’s field is incredibly
strong (Her and Dallas Buyers Club would be solid favorites in another year).
However, 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Battle of
Gettysburg, America finally has the seminal telling of the nation’s Original
Sin—a magnificently executed portrayal of the depravity of slavery and the
unimaginable resilience of the human soul. Every American should see 12 Years a Slave and it should be a core part of curricula in American classrooms for generations to come.
Best Actor
The Pick: Matthew McConaughey
My Vote: Chiwetel Ejiofor
You can’t blame the Academy for going with
McConaughey, who was unforgivably snubbed last year after his epic portrayal of
a man on the run in rural Arkansas in the underrated Mud. But my vote goes to Chiwetel Ejiofor for a role than spanned
the entire range of human emotionality and then some. If you are sensing a
pattern with my affection for 12 Years,
you’d be right…
Best Actress
The Pick: Cate Blanchett
My Vote: Cate Blanchett
One of the great actresses of
her generation, Blanchett, whose tremendous work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button went unnoticed by the Academy,
gets her first OSCAR as an Actress in a lead role in a field full of big names,
but no other standout performances.
Best Supporting
Actor
The Pick: Jared Leto
My Vote: Michael Fassbender
The most difficult actor
category to select from—Leto and Fassbender are both deeply deserving. Leto’s
role is OSCAR-bait, but Fassbender’s portrayal of a Southern slave
owner deserves the nod.
Best Supporting Actress
The Pick: Lupita Nyong’o
My Vote: Lupita Nyong’o
Jennifer Lawrence is getting
lots of chatter for American Hustle,
despite the fact that her character was one of the least demanding of her
career (certainly when compared to her incredibly round portrayal of a West Virginia
teenager in Winter’s Bone). However,
once again the artist from 12 Years is
more deserving of the golden trophy.
Best Director
The Pick: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
My Vote: Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Gravity was a
audio-visual sensation and it will be rightly awarded for that feat on Sunday
night. But for all its technical brilliance, Gravity lacked the homey, down-to-earth (ZING) realism of Nebraska.
Shot in black and white and filled with homages to classic American Westerns, Nebraska gets Alexander Payne back on
the OSCAR stage for the first time since Sideways.
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Pick: 12 Years a Slave
My Vote: 12 Years a Slave
Please see 12 Years a Slave.
Best Original Screenplay
The Pick: Her
My Vote: Her
With the exception of American Hustle (a fun, if poorly edited
action movie), the Academy can’t go wrong in this category. Her takes the prize because it is a
phenomenal period piece—one that resists a damning portrayal of the effect of
modern technology and embraces the shades of gray that accompany our digital
lives.
Best Documentary
The Pick: The Act of Killing
My Vote: The Act of Killing
What’s more amazing—the ability
of man to murder and maim his fellow man, or our mind’s ability to rationalize
evil in order to survive? After seeing The
Act of Killing (streaming on Netflix), I’m not sure…
Best Cinematography
The Pick: Gravity
My Vote: Nebraska
Don’t worry Gravity fans, I’ll vote for your film later. However, Payne’s
ability to train a lens on the American heartland is reminiscent of the
brilliance of No County for Old Men and
Brokeback Mountain.
Best Costume Design
The Pick: American Hustle
My Vote: The Great Gatsby
The 1970s-era costumes of Hustle were worn and worn well by a
star-studded cast. Call me old fashioned…I’ll take the Roaring 20s flappers.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Pick: Dallas Buyers Club
My Vote: Dallas Buyers Club
Yes, this is a vote
for Jared Leto, but it is also a recognition of the remarkable physical toll absorbed by McConaughey and accentuated by his team.
Best Original Score
The Pick: Gravity
My Vote: Gravity
Best Original Song
The Pick: “Let it Go,” from Frozen
My Vote: “The Moon Song,” from Her
An underwhelming field this
year.
Best Animated Short Film
The Pick: Feral
My Vote: Possessions
A Japanese legend about thanking
our tools for their noble service gets my vote. The Academy will be drawn to
the darkness of Feral. Bottom line:
there is no Paperman
in this year’s field.
Film Editing
The Pick: Gravity
My vote: 12 Years a Slave
Best Sound Editing/Best Sound Mixing
The Pick: Gravity
My Vote: Gravity
With all due respect to Inside Llewyn Davis, whose soundtrack
made up for what was, in many respects, a disappointing film, Gravity’s audio was historically great
and it deserves a couple of statutes.
Visual effects
The Pick: Gravity
My Vote: Gravity
Ditto the above.
Enjoy the show.
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