It’s Oscar night… Oscar, Oscar!!! Yes, I have to admit it: I love watching the Academy Awards. And this year we have many good contenders, which always makes it better. I am no film expert but a movie lover (and former Film Studies student) and will make my predictions here.
Best Actress & Best Actor
Best Actress seems to be a done deal. Cate Blanchett has won almost every single award out there for her outstanding performance in Blue Jasmin. She is my favorite and I remember watching the movie and thinking she would actually win it. Amy Adams was very good in American Hustle (one of the only good things in the movie, actually) and Meryl should have here own category at the Oscars.
Matthew McCounaghey also seems like a sure bet and he really did deliver a great performance. He’s been on a very successful path, chosing the right roles and letting go of his rom-com facade. I would still very much like to see Chiwetel Ejiofor win for his work in 12 Years a Slave, but do think McCounaghey deserves the golden statue. Leonardo DiCaprio should also win an Oscar; I just don’t think this would be the right role to win. He’s a brilliant actor and his time will come. Christian Bale was very good in American Hustle, as he always is.
supporting actress & supporting actor
Lupita! Lupita! I may be biased here but I think Lupita Nyong’o was superb in 12 Years a Slave and I would hate to see Jennifer Lawrence take a second, undeserving, Oscar home. Sally Hawking was pretty good in Blue Jasmine but I don’t think she stands a chance.
Another sure win in Jared Leto for his role as a transgender woman with AIDS. I must say I wasn’t that impressed, but I did have very high expectations… I’ve always liked him, especially in Requiem for a Dream. I would like to see Michael Fassbender win but he plays such a vile character in 12 Years a Slave that I don’t believe he’ll go home with an Oscar.
best movie, director and screenplay
It is said that usually a movie wins as Best Film and Director, but this year this will probably not be the case. Alfonso Cuarón will probably go home as Best Director and take home most of the technical prizes with him. I would love to see Steven McQueen win but I think his movie, 12 Years a Slave will be named Best Movie 2014. American Hustle might take home Original Screenplay just so they won’t go home empty-handed, while I’m betting on Her. Adapted Screenplay will probably go to 12 Years a Slave.
Nominees and my predictions (in bold)
Best Motion Picture of the Year
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale for American Hustle
Bruce Dern for Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Amy Adams for American Hustle
Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock for Gravity
Judi Dench for Philomena
Meryl Streep for August: Osage County
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper for American Hustle
Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street
Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave
Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine
Julia Roberts for August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave
Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle
June Squibb for Nebraska
Best Achievement in Directing
Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell for American Hustle
Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street
Alexander Payne for Nebraska
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Her
Nebraska
Dallas Buyers Club
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Philomena
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest et Célestine
Frozen
Kaze tachinu
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
L’image manquante (Cambodia)
Jagten (Denmark)
La grande bellezza (Italy)
Omar (Palestine)
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Prisoners
Yi dai zong shi
Best Achievement in Editing
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Gravity
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Best Achievement in Production Design
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her
Best Achievement in Costume Design
American Hustle
The Great Gatsby
12 Years a Slave
Yi dai zong shi
The Invisible Woman
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
Dallas Buyers Club
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
The Book Thief
Gravity
Her
Saving Mr. Banks
Philomena
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Despicable Me 2: “Happy”
Frozen: “Let It Go”
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom: “Ordinary Love”
Her: “The Moon Song”
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Captain Phillips
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man Three
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness
Best Documentary, Feature
The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
Al midan
Twenty Feet from Stardom
Best Documentary, Short Subject
Cavedigger
Facing Fear
Karama Has No Walls
The Lady In Number 6
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Best Short Film, Animated
Feral
Get a Horse!
Mr Hublot
Tsukumo
Room on the Broom
Best Short Film, Live Action
Aquel no era yo
Avant que de tout perdre
Helium
Pitääkö mun kaikki hoitaa?
The Voorman Problem
And the oscar goes to…
I’d like to see 12 Years a Slave win everything. I really don’t want American Hustle to win anything and I certainly don’t want JLAW to win as supporting actress. Have fun watching tonight!
