Adam: It’s that
time of year again. Mysterious people band together to decide what movies are
the best of the year and film lovers curse the Academy for overlooking their
lesser-known darlings. That’s right, it’s Oscar season.
Since this post is already going to be a million miles long,
I’ll just cut to the chase. Below we have listed each Oscar category (excluding
some of the more “minor” ones to save space), the nominees, and what both Riley
and myself think should win/what we want to win, as well as our predictions of
what we think will win.
I would also like to mention that even though we think some
should win over others, a lot of these are not clear-cut and multiple nominees
deserve to win (hence why they got nominated). So if some of these win/don’t
win, Riley and I won’t be sitting at home breaking stuff; try to keep your
minds and conversations open, and try to look at why what wins did win. Most of
the time, it’s just a change of perspective that shows why something wins an
award over something else. I’ll certainly be keeping an open mind as well
(despite my utter fanboy attitude for Silver
Linings).
Feel free to comment below, and don’t forget to debate
amongst your friends and complete strangers over what you think should take
those little golden statues and a permanent place in film history. Enjoy!
--
Adam and Riley’s 85th
Academy Award Predictions
Best Picture:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern
Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings
Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Adam:
Want to Win: Silver
Linings Playbook
What a brilliant and beautiful snapshot of the world as it
is now: we are all crazy, but still deserving of love. This truly redefines the
romantic comedy. It is the best picture of the year, without a doubt in my
mind.
Prediction of What Will Win: Lincoln
Silver Linings may
be the underdog, but history has shown that the Academy wets themselves over a
good historical piece, and Lincoln is
about as good as historical pieces can ever get. My biggest fear is that Les Miserables will come out of nowhere
and take it…but I have more faith in the Academy than that (for some reason).
Riley:
Want to Win: Silver Linings Playbook
Prediction of What Will Win: Argo
Given the remorse the Academy must feel at this point for
snubbing Affleck a Best Director nomination, and given how many various wins Argo’s been receiving at other film
award ceremonies, I have a sneaking suspicion it might take home the Gold.
--
Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper, Silver
Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les
Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The
Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Adam:
Want to Win: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
As someone who is directly related to two people with
bipolar disorder, and seeing the way it affects their lives, I can say with
confidence that Bradley Cooper played a man suffering from said disorder with
absolute accuracy and passion. He wasn’t comical or over the top with it, nor
did he use it to get pity from the audience. He simply played a heartbroken man
who just so happened to have bipolar disorder, and instead of imitating a
president, he became a fictional, but all too real at the same time, person.
Prediction of Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
My explanation is the same as everyone else’s—it’s Daniel
Day-Lewis.
Riley:
Want to Win: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
The other nominees were very good this year, but no one came
out of left field like Cooper did. As an actor who established a career as playing
cocky hotshots in crude fratboy comedies (and who was once intimately fucked by
Michael Ian Black in Wet Hot American
Summer), it was truly a joy to watch him disappear into a heartbreaking,
funny, hopeful, frustrating role as Pat in David O. Russell’s modern romantic
masterpiece.
Prediction of Who Will Win: 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
Adam:
Want to Win: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
There is no competition in my mind. Riva broke my heart.
(Plus the Oscars are on her 86th birthday…give the gal something to
celebrate! She deserves it!)
Prediction of Who Will Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
She played a two-dimensional embodiment of revenge—oh sorry,
I mean a “strong female character”—in a “relevant” political movie…that’s gotta
be enough to get the Academy’s blood a-pumpin’.
Riley:
Want to Win: Because I haven’t seen Amour yet, I will pick Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook). She was good. I am proud of her.
Prediction of Who Will Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Her characters in The
Tree of Life and Mama had more
life than…well…what Adam said.
--
Best Supporting
Actor:
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver
Linings Playbook
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The
Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django
Unchained
Adam:
Want to Win: Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Prediction of Who Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Riley:
Want to Win:
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings
Playbook
Prediction of Who Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
My two selections are interchangeable. I think both of them
are the frontrunners in this category, and I think both of them were fantastic
and moving and well-rounded characters in their respected films.
--
Best Supporting
Actress:
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les
Miserables
Helen Hunt, The
Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver
Linings Playbook
Adam:
Want to Win: Amy Adams, The
Master
Prediction of Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Riley:
Want to Win: Having only seen Lincoln and Silver Linings
Playbook, I think I want Amy Adams to win.
Prediction of Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
--
Best Animated Feature
Film:
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of
Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
Adam:
Want to Win: Brave
Prediction of What Will Win: Brave
Riley:
Want to Win: Brave
Prediction of What Will Win: Brave
--
Best Foreign Language
Film:
Adam: I won’t be
listing all of the nominees for this category because I only saw Amour in that list (and Riley didn’t see
any of them), but I simply have to mention the effect that this film had on me
(and the fact that I’m pretty sure it has the Oscar in the bag). It was
devastating. I have never been more aware of my mortality than when I was
watching this film, which has never happened to me before, and that reason
alone is enough that it should win in my book.
--
Best Animated Short
Film: “Paperman”
Adam: Again,
here’s another category from which I only saw one nominee, but I simply must
mention it. “Paperman” is one of the most beautiful pieces of animation I’ve
ever seen. It reduced me to tears every single time I saw it, and to me, there
is no competition for this award.
--
Best Director:
Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts
of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver
Linings Playbook
Adam:
Want to Win: Michael Haneke, Amour or David O. Russell, Silver
Linings Playbook
Prediction of Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Riley:
Want to Win: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Prediction of Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
I think this race is between Spielberg and Ang Lee, but
David O. Russell’s cinematography and altogether knack for storytelling has
just been so full of character and life lately. I love my Spielberg, oh yes I
do, but O. Russell injected some undeniably creative breath into Silver Linings Playbook that the dry Lincoln lacked.
--
Best Original
Screenplay:
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty
Adam:
Want to Win: Moonrise
Kingdom
Prediction of What Will Win: Django Unchained
Riley:
Want to Win: Django
Unchained
Prediction of What Will Win: Django Unchained
--
Best Adapted
Screenplay:
Argo
Beasts of the Southern
Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings
Playbook
Adam:
Want to Win: Silver
Linings Playbook
The fact that Perks of
Being a Wallflower isn’t nominated for this is a crime, plain and simple.
It is one of the best book-to-film adaptations ever made. There, I said my
piece.
Prediction of What Will Win: Lincoln
Riley:
Want to Win: The Perks
of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Oh wait, Chbosky wasn’t nominated. Bullshit of the highest
degree. An iconic book translated beautifully into a poignant, critically and
commercially successful film by the original author, and not even a little
recognition. I suppose my other choice would be Silver Linings Playbook.
Prediction of What Will Win: Lincoln
--
Best Original Score:
Dario Marianelli, Anna
Karenina
Alexadre Desplat, Argo
Mychael Danna, Life of
Pi
John Williams, Lincoln
Thomas Newman, Skyfall
Adam:
Want to Win: Thomas Newman, Skyfall
I have reservations about choosing this score because it
uses so much of the classic James Bond theme, but I’d rather see it win than
the other choices. I’m just bitter Howard Shore was ignored for his fantastic The Hobbit score.
Prediction of Who Will Win: John Williams, Lincoln
Riley:
Want to Win: Thomas Newman, Skyfall
Prediction of Who Will Win: Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
--
Best Original Song:
“Before My Time” from Chasing
Ice
“Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from Ted
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life
of Pi
“Skyfall” from Skyfall
“Suddenly” from Les
Miserables
Adam:
Want to Win: “Suddenly” from Les Miserables
Prediction of What Will Win: “Skyfall” from Skyfall
I agree with what Riley says about “Big Machine” and
“Skyfall” below.
Riley:
Want to Win: “Big Machine” by Ryan Miller and Mark Duplass,
from Safety Not Guaranteed
Oh wait, another snub. A beautifully written pop song
performed live in the film on a ZITHER (instrument) by the actor who co-wrote it….I don’t even…I guess
I’d like to see Adele win for “Skyfall.” Bond themes are a piece of history, and her addition was pretty damn classy.
Prediction of What Will Win: “Suddenly” from Les Miserables
--
Best Cinematography:
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Adam:
Want to Win: Django
Unchained
Prediction of What Will Win: Life of Pi
Riley:
Want to Win: Skyfall
Prediction of What Will Win: Life of Pi
--
Best Film Editing:
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings
Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Adam:
Want to Win: Silver
Linings Playbook
Prediction of What Will Win: Argo
Riley:
Want to Win: Silver
Linings Playbook
Prediction of What Will Win: Argo
--
Best Visual Effects:
The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the
Huntsman
Adam:
Want to Win: Life of
Pi
Prediction of What Will Win: Life of Pi
The things this film did with 3D are nothing short of game
changing. I almost picked The Hobbit,
but since I didn’t get around to seeing the 48fps, I didn’t feel right about
choosing it.
Riley:
Want to Win: Prometheus
Prediction of What Will Win: Life of Pi
--
I hope you enjoyed reading our predictions, and I hope you
were forming your own opinions as you went. Don’t forget to tune into the 85th
Academy Awards on February 24th, 2013 at 7pm!
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