Oscars

Academy Awards - The Oscars

OK, here we are again celebrating another year of film going. Some strong films this year, films that broke box office records, and films that failed. Here are my choices for the following awards and some thoughts around some of them.

  • Best Actor - Nominees are:  Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martin), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl). This is not as strong a field as it was last year. The obvious missing actors are Tom Hanks (Bridge of Spies) maybe because he made it look so easy, and Steve Carell who was so quirky and interesting you just wanted to see what he was going to do next. Both of these were strong performances, yet not in my top two of this listing. Although Cranston's  performance was good, I didn't like the character nor the interpretation. Fassbender was very good, however this role had been done too many times in the last two years. I did not see The Danish Girl therefore I don't have an opinion. However, Damon and DiCapiro's performances were fantastic - beyond amazing. I loved each of them. My guess is that DiCaprio will win the Oscar.
  • Best Actress  - Nominees are:  Cate Blanchett (Carol), Brie Larson (Room), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), and Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn). This is a strong category although I didn't see 45 Years, the others were great. I also see a missing person from this list and that would be Rooney Mara in Carol as well. Between Cate and Rooney I would have picked Mara because I felt as though her evolution through the film was a more powerful statement. However, she is in the Supporting Actress listing. Out of the nominated list, it comes down to two outstanding performances: Ronan and Blanchett. Lawrence's performance was really good and I was fully engaged with her character, however it did not have the power of Ronan or Blanchett's. Larson was also very strong, however so much of her performance is linked to Jacob Tremblay the young boy that it took away from her own performance. For me I'd like Ronan to get this Oscar in an amazing performance in a  wonderful film.
  • Best Supporting Actress  - Nominees are:  Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), and Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs). As I mentioned earlier I think Mara's performance belongs in the Best Actress category. I didn't see The Danish Girl so I'm making my pick without full knowledge of the selections. However, without Mara I think the most interesting and performance is Leigh's. It was so hidden and yet over the top that I was mesmerized each time she opened her mouth and/or the camera focused on her. These are the top two and in my view either probably deserves the Oscar.
  • Best Supporting Actor  - Nominees are:  Christian Bale (The Big Short), Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), and Sylvester Stallone (Creed). The missing performance is Jacob Tremblay's in Room. He was phenomenal. But this is probably one of the strongest fields in years, so someone had to be left off the list. They were all great and my favorites out of this list are Rylance and Stallone. Rylance had such a small role yet it was so much impact on the film that it was unforgettable. However Stallone will get it for both this performance and his body of work as Rocky Balboa.
  • Best Cinematography  - Nominees are:  Ed Lachman (Carol), Robert Richardson (The Hateful Eight), John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road), Emmaual Lubezki (The Revenant), and Roger Deakins (Sicario). Although Mad Max: Fury Road was big it did not grab me because I thought the film was more on the mindless side. Carol was elegantly shot and fully deserves the nomination. However, The Hateful Eight and The Revenant are over the top amazingly beautiful and powerful. The Hateful Eight deserves a lot of credit for doing so much in one room, while The Revenant wins this award for how shots were made and the perspective by which they were made. The winner - pick.
  • Best Adapted Screenplay  - Nominees are:  Charles Randolph and Adam McKay (The Big Short), Nick Hornby (Brooklyn), Phyllis Nagy (Carol), Drew Goddard (The Martian), and Emma Donoghue (Room). Wow, what a list. All great picks. Any one of these could win in any given year. However, my final two would be Randolf and McKay for The Big Short and Hornby for Brooklyn. In the end I'm picking Nick Hornby for Brooklyn because it was a great screenplay and a wonderful film to watch.   
  • Best Original Screenplay  - Nominees are:  Matt Charman and Ethan & Joel Coen (Bridge of Spies), Alex Garland (Ex Machina), Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley (Inside Out), Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), and Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton). Another strong set of contenders. All very different films. In the end I think I like Ex Machina and Spotlight as powerful screen plays for very different reasons. One reflects a horrible set of acts by Catholic Priests and the other about the obsessiveness and controlling nature of technology. In the end I select Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy for Spotlight.
  • Best Director  - Nominees are:  Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), and Tom McCarthy (Spotlight). Missing are:  Ridley Scott (The Martian), J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Todd Haynes (Carol), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight) and John Crowley (Brooklyn). To me this is the most messed up nominee listing. How is Max: Fury Road better directed than all my exceptions? It isn't and doesn't hold a candle to them. Also given my exceptions, I think Abrahamson's delivery is not quite there. Anyway, from the nominee list, I would say it is between McKay, Inarritu, and McCarthy. In the end I'd select McKay (with McCarthy a very close second) because he did the most to keep the film on track. Inarritu had too many long wistful shots. However this listing of nominees is really flawed.
  • Best Picture  - Nominees are:   The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, and Spotlight. Missing here is Carol and The Hateful Eight. Mad Max: Fury Road is nowhere in the league as these other nominees and, in my opinion, doesn't deserve to be listed. I simply was board stiff by the one long chase film filled with foolish philosophy. It is hard for me to pick as I loved "Brooklyn" as being a wonderfully executed nostalgic story. I thought "The Big Short" told a compelling story of how our economy tanked. "The Martian" was beautifully delivered and Damon made it happen. "Bridge of Spies" and "Spotlight" are both amazing stories about something that really happened. I was totally engaged and felt they delivered in all ways; education and story. The only thing I didn't like about "The Revenant" was that there were too many long scenic only shots which took away from the story.  In the end, of the listed I'd like to see "The Martian" win but can also see the others winning except Mad Max.

Some other thoughts about films this year:

  • "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was amazingly edited.
  • "Ex Machina's" visual effects were very strong and so were scenes in "The Revenant".
  • "Anomalisa" and "Inside Out" were both amazing Animated Feature films.
  • "Carol" had perfectly detailed costumes and overall set design.
  • "Writings on the Wall" the song for "Spectre" was dreadful.

Note: I'll be England sitting in silence for 30 days starting late next week. I may be able to see one more film before I go, but otherwise I won't be seeing any films or posting any reviews until the first week of March.

Thank you for viewing my site.

Academy Awards - The Oscars

Each year I share my predictions and provide a few thoughts about the selections and choices. This year is no different so here are my thoughts:

  • Best Actor – Nominees are: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Benedict Cumberbatch (Imitation Game), Michael Keaton (Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything). Another very strong year for best actor nominees. In fact this is probably the strongest in the last 5 – 10 years. All the roles were wonderfully deep and complex and each actor had to have range in their roles. My vote would be for Michael Keaton because he always seemed on the edge of reality and or ignorance. However, Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch were almost as strong. But anyone who is selected here is worthy of the award.
  • Best Actress – Nominees are: Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Felicity Jones (Theory of Everthing), Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), and Reese Witherspoon (Wild). This group is not as strong as the Actor’s list. However there were two performances that stood out to me: Julianne Moore who is my 1st choice because I fully believed her – she was that person. Rosamund Pike is my 2nd choice playing an unlikeable character but was so clearly strong that it is amazing. Given those choices, my 3rd choice would be Felicity Jones because of the subtle strength she brought to the character.
  • Best Supporting Actress – Nominees are: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Laura Dern (Wild), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game), Emma Stone (Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), and Meryl Streep (Into the Woods). The top three here for me are Keira Knightly, Emma Stone, and Patricia Arquette. I think Stone did an amazing job of making the character real, strong and with possibility. Knightley was exceptional as the attractive girl genius and friend. Arquette’s transformation over 12 years was amazing.
  • Best Supporting Actor – Nominees are: Robert Duvall (The Judge), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Edward Norton (Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Marke Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash). Another very strong group, but here I have to select J.K. Simmons because he was mesmerizing each moment he was on the screen. One never knew what would happen or how he would react. However, both Norton and Hawke were very strong as well. What I liked about Hawke was how he became a good father. Any of these three can win.
  • Best Cinematography – Nominees are: Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance (Emmanuel Lubezki), The Grand Budapest Hotel (Robert Yeoman), Ida (Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski), Mr. Turner (Dick Pope), and Unbroken (Roger Deakins). There is no question in my mind that the mind-blowing cinematography of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is the winner. I was enraptured with the camera movement throughout the entire time.
  • Best Adapted Screenplay – Nominees are: American Sniper (Jason Hall), The Imitation Game (Graham Moore), Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson), The Theory of Everything (Anthony McCarten), and Whiplash (Damien Chazelle). This category is difficult. These are very strong and divergent screenplays and I loved them all. To me it is a toss-up as there are extraordinary moments of dialogue in each of them.
  • Best Original Screenplay – Nominees are: Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance (Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacabone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo), Boyhood (Richard Linklater), Foxcatcher (E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman), The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson), and Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy). First off although I thought the screenplay for Nightcrawler was brilliant, I don’t think it will win. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and Boyhood are probably the best bets and I’d pick Birdman.
  • Best Director – Nominees are: Alejandro Inarritu (Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game). Strong candidates – all. However for me it is a toss-up between Inarritu and Linklater. Although very different films, both did an amazing job of presenting their amazing stories.
  • Best Picture – Nominees are: American Sniper, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash. Each of these films, except Selma had very strong acting by principal characters. Selma was an overall very good film but without an exceptionally strong lead I don’t see it winning. I think it will come down to the same contest as identified in the Best Director category. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is my choice, although I would not be unhappy if the winner is Boyhood.

Academy Awards - Oscars

Academy Awards: Next Week - Sunday the Oscars will be televised. A few weeks ago I published the below information. My picks are in bold although I've noted other nominees that are excellent.

  • Best Actor – Nominees are: Christian Bale (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Leonard DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), and Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club). Of this group, my selection would be McConaughey by a narrow margin over Bruce Dern. That Robert Redford was not nominated for "All Is Lost" and Forest Whitaker for "The Butler" were hard to swallow. However, I’m not sure whom they would replace. Also that Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) wasn’t nominated shows how strong this category is.

  • Best Actress – Nominees are: Amy Adams (American Hustle), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), and Meryl Streep (August: Osage County). Of this group I’d be happy with either Blanchett or Bullock. However, that Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color) wasn’t nominated is sickening. Her performance was heads above Streep’s.

  • Best Picture – Nominees are: "American Hustle", "Captain Phillips", "Dallas Buyers Club", "Gravity", "Her", "Nebraska", "Philomena", "12 Years a Slave", and "The Wolf of Wall Street". The only one missing is Blue is the Warmest Color. For me the top films are: American Hustle, Gravity, and Dallas Buyers Club. However, all these films are very strong with great subjects.

  • Best Supporting Actress – Nominees are: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), and June Squibb (Nebraska). This is a horse race between Lawrence and Nyong’o. Both performances were extremely strong as was Squibb’s.

  • Best Supporting Actor – Nominees are: Barkhad Adbi (Captain Phillips), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street), and Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club). I think Hill’s nomination is poor in comparison to Daniel Bruhl’s performance in Rush. This is a close contest – and either Leto or Adbi will take the award.

  • Best Cinematography – Nominees are: The Grandmaster (Phillip Le Sourd), Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki), Inside Llewyn Davis (Bruno Delbonnel), Nebraska (Phedon Papamichael) and Prisoners (Roger A. Deakins). Got to love Gravity and Nebraska. Two totally different views of our world and both very effective.

  • Best Director – Nominees are: David O. Russell (American Hustle), Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity), Alexander Payne (Nebraska), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), and Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street). My choices, in order are: Alfonso Cuaron, David O. Russell, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, and lastly Scorsese’s Wolf - which is a little bloated.

  • Best Adapted Screenplay – Nominees are: Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke), Captain Phillips (Billy Ray), Philomena (Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope), 12 Years a Slave (John Ridley) and The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter). My choice would be "Philomena" followed closely by "Before Midnight".

  • Best Original Screenplay – Nominees are: American Hustle (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell), Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen), Dallas Buyers Club (Craig Borton and Melisa Wallack), Her (Spike Jonz), and Nebraska (Bob Nelson). Here I like "Her" to receive the honor as I thought it the most original and very well done.

 

Oscars / SAG / Golden Globes

It’s time to discuss the Academy Award (Oscar) Nominations, the SAG Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. Because I only review films, I won’t provide any comments about television program awards. I’ll only discuss the major categories here. During my Oscar Blog in a few weeks I’ll talk in more detail. Golden Globe Awards: First I don’t particularly like the separating of Drama from Comedy or Musical so I won’t separate them here.

  • Best Actor: Although Leonardo DiCaprio was good and a favorite by many, the choice of Matthew McConaughey was a wise choice. For me, I think Bruce Dern in Nebraska ranks higher than DiCaprio. What I missed seeing in the nominees was Forest Whitaker in The Butler. I thought he deserved a nod – there was a lot more that went into being this role than meets the eye.

  • Best Actress: I think Sandra Bullock, Amy Adams and winner Cate Blanchett were the top runners. However, I’m severely disappointed that Adele Exarchopoulos from Blue is the Warmest Color was not even nominated for what I would say could have been the best performance by an actress all year. She fully became the character.

  • Best Picture: Selecting “12 Years a Slave” in Drama and “American Hustle” in Musical or Comedy shows the struggle the press had with what to pick. Granted both films were well done and deserve a nomination. Putting American Hustle in Musical or Comedy category shows why the Golden Globes needs to review what they do. For me the top three pictures having the most impact on me were: Gravity, American Hustle, and 12 Years a Slave. This was closely followed by Philomena and Nebraska. Blue is the Warmest Color would have fit in here as well.

  • Best Supporting Actress: Winner Jennifer Lawrence was superb as was Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave and June Squibb in Nebraska. And for me it was a toss-up between Lawrence and Nyong’o with Squibb nudged up next to them.

  • Best Supporting Actor: Winner Jared Leto is my personal choice in this category. He was beyond amazing. However, Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips was right there as well.

  • Best Screenplay: Spike Jonze for Her was a solid choice. The idea was original and modern and the execution, driving by this great script, was very engaging.

SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards:

  • Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey won again here and it was an outstanding performance. Glad to see that SAG recognized Forest Whitaker in his role in The Butler.

  • Best Actress: The selection of winner Cate Blanchett mirrored the Golden Globes and is an outstanding choice – she was fabulous. However, Sandra Bullock’s performance in Gravity was probably more amazing in that her acting was not prompted by dialogue of another person but her ever-changing situation. Adele Exarchopoulos was not eligible and therefore not considered.

  • Best Picture: American Hustle was a good choice because all performances were truly wonderful and amazing.

  • Best Supporting Actress: In one of the strongest categories – this one is difficult because Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong’o and June Squibb all gave such outstanding performances it is a difficult selection. SAG gave this award to Lupita Nyong’o.

  • Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto received this award just as he did at the Golden Globes.

Academy Awards:

  • Best Actor – Nominees are: Christian Bale (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Leonard DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), and Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club). Of this group, my selection would be McConaughey by a narrow margin over Bruce Dern. That Robert Redford was not nominated for "All Is Lost" and Forest Whitaker for "The Butler" were hard to swallow. However, I’m not sure whom they would replace. Also that Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips) wasn’t nominated shows how strong this category is.

  • Best Actress – Nominees are: Amy Adams (American Hustle), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), and Meryl Streep (August: Osage County). Of this group I’d be happy with either Blanchett or Bullock. However, that Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color) wasn’t nominated is sickening. Her performance was heads above Streep’s.

  • Best Picture – Nominees are: "American Hustle", "Captain Phillips", "Dallas Buyers Club", "Gravity", "Her", "Nebraska", "Philomena", "12 Years a Slave", and "The Wolf of Wall Street". The only one missing is Blue is the Warmest Color. For me the top films are: American Hustle, Gravity, and Dallas Buyers Club. However, all these films are very strong with great subjects.

  • Best Supporting Actress – Nominees are: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), and June Squibb (Nebraska). This is a horse race between Lawrence and Nyong’o. Both performances were extremely strong as was Squibb’s.

  • Best Supporting Actor – Nominees are: Barkhad Adbi (Captain Phillips), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street), and Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club). I think Hill’s nomination is poor in comparison to Daniel Bruhl’s performance in Rush. This is a close contest – and either Leto or Adbi will take the award.

  • Best Cinematography – Nominees are: The Grandmaster (Phillip Le Sourd), Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki), Inside Llewyn Davis (Bruno Delbonnel), Nebraska (Phedon Papamichael) and Prisoners (Roger A. Deakins). Got to love Gravity and Nebraska. Two totally different views of our world and both very effective.

  • Best Director – Nominees are: David O. Russell (American Hustle), Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity), Alexander Payne (Nebraska), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), and Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street). My choices, in order are: Alfonso Cuaron, David O. Russell, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, and lastly Scorsese’s Wolf - which is a little bloated.

  • Best Adapted Screenplay – Nominees are: Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke), Captain Phillips (Billy Ray), Philomena (Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope), 12 Years a Slave (John Ridley) and The Wolf of Wall Street (Terence Winter). My choice would be "Philomena" followed closely by "Before Midnight".

  • Best Original Screenplay – Nominees are: American Hustle (Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell), Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen), Dallas Buyers Club (Craig Borton and Melisa Wallack), Her (Spike Jonze), and Nebraska (Bob Nelson). Here I like "Her" to receive the honor as I thought it the most original and very well done.

Oscar Selections

Below are my selections of who I would like to see win the Oscar, who I think will win, and some other thoughts:

Best Picture:

My Like:  Argo - But I Think:  Lincoln Other Thoughts: Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty were all strong contenders and each of them deserve recognition.

Best Actor:

My Like:  Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) - But I Think:  Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) Other Thoughts:  I really liked Denzel Washington’s performance in Flight.

Best Actress:

My Like:  Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) - But I Think:  Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) Other Thoughts:  I really was entranced by Quvenshane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild). I liked Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) a lot and she has deserved the recognition she’s gotten. Naomi Watts (The Impossible) was very strong as well.

Best Supporting Actor:

My Like:  Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) - But I Think:  Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) Other Thoughts:  Both Waltz and Jones were great and I also enjoyed Alan Arkin in Argo.

Best Supporting Actress:

My Like:  Helen Hunt (Sessions) - But I Think:  Sally Field Other Thoughts: I think the whole field is strong.

Best Director:

My Like:  I wish Ben Affleck (Argo) was nominated but because he isn’t, Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) - But I Think: Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) Other Thoughts:  Incredibly disappointed that Ben Affleck (Argo) and Kathryn Bigelow were not nominated – they both deserved the recognition.

Best Original Screenplay: My Like:  Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained) - But I Think: Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty) Other Thoughts: Both of these are great screenplays but I think Tarantino’s was more out of the box and creative.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

My Like:  Tony Kushner (Lincoln) - But I Think:  Tony Kushner (Lincoln) Other Thoughts:  All the nominees were strong.

Best Cinematography:

My Like:  Life of Pi - But I Think:  Life of Pi Other Thoughts:  Skyfall is very good and deserves recognition.

Film Editing:

My Like:  Argo - But I Think: Other Thoughts:  Zero Dark Thirty is also very strong.

googleaa391b326d7dfe4f.html