It has been an unusually good crop of oscar contenders this year. I think there is a sleeper waiting to storm the awards ceremony. Thanks to the prodding of my friends and availability of strategic windows of opportunity, I was able to watch most of the big ones.
I thought I would tee-up a discussion with my picks on who the champs are.
Best Female Actor:
Should win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Will Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
A wonderful full life performance by Jennifer Lawrence as a woman with issues trying to court a man with issues.
I do think the Oscar snub for Katherine Bigelow and the need to reward the story of how we got the 'man' should propel Jessica Chastain to the trophy.
My confidence: 50%
Note - Shabana Azmi does not like the word actress. She prefers actor. So here is listening to her!
Best Actor:
Should win: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Will Win: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
This is such a runaway success, that it will take an act of wiful spite to take this one down. Daniel Day Lewis IS Lincoln.
The movie should have ended when the 13th amendment was passed and Lincoln was going out of the white house. The rest of the movie was gross editorial misjudgement!
My Confidence: 90%
Best Director:
Should win: David Russel, Silver Linings Playbook
Will win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
While Lincoln got a lot of praise deservedly. I think the movie is carried more by Daniel Day Lewis' acting than Spielberg's directing. I think the voters will see through that.
Silver Linings Playbook on the other hand is triumph of authenticity over formula, but using a screwball comedy recipe. Very worthy effort!
My Confidence: 75%
Best Movie:
Should win: Silver Linings Playbook
Will win: Argo
Ben Affleck got mysteriously shutout like Katherine Bigelow. But he has been gaining real momentum in the awards leading up to the oscars. I think he has the momentum. Silver Linings Playbook is the better movie. But action, patriatosim and the desire to reward Ben Affleck should carry the day for him.
My confidence: 60%
Final thought - I thought Django Unchained and Life of Pi needed to have reversed roles at the Oscars. Life of Pi felt fundamentally a cop out in its story, whereas Django Unchained was surprising in how a western was refreshed - given the times when Westerns actually took place (Civil War era).
I thought I would tee-up a discussion with my picks on who the champs are.
Best Female Actor:
Should win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Will Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
A wonderful full life performance by Jennifer Lawrence as a woman with issues trying to court a man with issues.
I do think the Oscar snub for Katherine Bigelow and the need to reward the story of how we got the 'man' should propel Jessica Chastain to the trophy.
My confidence: 50%
Note - Shabana Azmi does not like the word actress. She prefers actor. So here is listening to her!
Best Actor:
Should win: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Will Win: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
This is such a runaway success, that it will take an act of wiful spite to take this one down. Daniel Day Lewis IS Lincoln.
The movie should have ended when the 13th amendment was passed and Lincoln was going out of the white house. The rest of the movie was gross editorial misjudgement!
My Confidence: 90%
Best Director:
Should win: David Russel, Silver Linings Playbook
Will win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
While Lincoln got a lot of praise deservedly. I think the movie is carried more by Daniel Day Lewis' acting than Spielberg's directing. I think the voters will see through that.
Silver Linings Playbook on the other hand is triumph of authenticity over formula, but using a screwball comedy recipe. Very worthy effort!
My Confidence: 75%
Best Movie:
Should win: Silver Linings Playbook
Will win: Argo
Ben Affleck got mysteriously shutout like Katherine Bigelow. But he has been gaining real momentum in the awards leading up to the oscars. I think he has the momentum. Silver Linings Playbook is the better movie. But action, patriatosim and the desire to reward Ben Affleck should carry the day for him.
My confidence: 60%
Final thought - I thought Django Unchained and Life of Pi needed to have reversed roles at the Oscars. Life of Pi felt fundamentally a cop out in its story, whereas Django Unchained was surprising in how a western was refreshed - given the times when Westerns actually took place (Civil War era).
3 comments:
unfortunately haven't been able to see many movies this year..., but will definitely be interested in what happens with the awards, and hope to check them out on Netflix!
Have only seen Lincoln and loved it. Day-Lewis was superb but a superb performance always has a good director behind it so Spielberg deserves some credit. I want to see Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty, not the others (even though, as you know, my brother Gil produced Life of Pi).
Unfortunately, I have not seen any of these movies( In fact I have not seen any movies recently!). But I do hope 'Lincoln' will win.
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