White Ribbon not winning was terrible, Cache not even being nominated was shameful, and Isabelle Huppert not getting nominated for The Piano Teacher was truly egregious in terms of snubs.
Agreed on all counts. And add Pan's Labyrinth not winning. BOOOO!
I finally saw Zero Dark Thirty this evening. (Shout out to the person that uploaded the awards screener!) I personally thought it was a perfect film. Absolutely controversial, but masterful nonetheless.
At this point, I do not see how Jessica Chastain can lose. She doesn't give a Sally Field-esque performance (angry, angst-ridden, manic,) but she is slow and steady like a train. However, she has just the right amount of oomph when necessary to catch the attention of voters looking for type of acting. Ultimately her performance reminds me of Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs. No BIG money scenes, but her presence is felt in every frame of the film whether she is on screen or not. She is a ballast.
Jennifer Lawrence has had a wonderful career thus far, and she will undoubtedly get her turn in the near future. However, I do not see her prevailing this time at bat. The Academy loves awarding pretty young things, and if she were in Supporting, she would certainly be giving the sure-thing Hathaway a run for her money. But alas, she is not and therefore does not deserve a win this time around.
I also saw The Impossible today, and I liked Naomi Watts quite a bit, but I'm not sure her film has enough support behind it. If her co-stars were receiving there share of buzz as well, I might think differently. Besides, she has her Diana biopic coming next year, which will likely garner her more awards attention.
The nominations come out on Thursday. Are we close enough now where people want to do predictions?
Here are mine:
Best Picture:
Lincoln
Amour
Zero Dark Thirty
Argo
Les Miserables
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook
The Master
Best Director:
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
Ben Affleck - Argo
Paul Thomas Anderson - The Master
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Michael Haneke - Amour
Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Denzel Washington - Flight
Joquin Phoenix - The Master
Best Actress:
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Kiera Knightly - Anna Karenina
Best Supporting Actor:
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Leonardo Di Caprio - Django Unchained
Matthew McConnaughy - Magic Mike
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Sally Field - LIncoln
Amy Adams - The Master
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy
No predictions on who would actually win?
Updated On: 1/6/13 at 12:16 PM
best-I'd take Joaquin Phoenix out and add John Hawkes for The Sessions.
No predictions on winners yet, although I have a good idea in most categories. There's still plenty of time for Academy voters to change their minds, though.
The best actress category is so weak this year. Got all of my screeners now. But the advertising mail onslaught is in full swing and it is a bit of a turn off.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
I'm thinking besty's list is about right. I'm thinking we're going to see LINCOLN get Picture and Director and Actor. I'd like to see Jennifer Lawrence get Best Actress, but I doubt it'll happen.
A pretty flabby year, all round.
I don't think we'll see both DiCaprio and Waltz nominated. Part of me thinks the Academy will pull a wild card and nominate Samuel L. Jackson. I know he's got no award buzz despite very good notices, but still.
I know it is a strong field, but Jacki Weaver in SLP certainly deserves SOME consideration; her performance was every bit as strong as some of the other contenders.
I think Lincoln will take picture, actor, director and supporting actor for Tommy Lee Jones' performance (he deserves it more than Daniel Day-Lewis, in my opinion).
I think Zero Dark Thirty will take actress for Jessica Chastain, and probably some technical awards-I think it's Lincoln's biggest competition for best picture.
Best adapted screenplay is a tight one-Argo and Lincoln are there. I think Argo has a chance here. (I thought Zero Dark Thirty was original-and if it is, I think it will win.)
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
Man oh man, the ongoing adoration of ARGO just mystifies me. An entirely adequate little thriller, nothing more, as disposable as a paperclip.
"Got all of my screeners now."
uh oh, we're still waiting for a few.
I also think Besty's list is pretty close to perfect. The only change I could see happening is Eddie Redmayne in a supporting actor slot, probably instead of Waltz.
Roscoe- I agree about Argo. But what most mystifies me about that is the adoration for Alan Arkin in it. After seeing it, I thought, "THAT's the performance getting award buzz?"
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
I felt that about his performance in Little Miss Sunshine, too. Then again, I felt hat way about the whole movie.
Besty, did you see The Impossible? No mention of Watts nor Holland.
Watts may very well be nominated but I'm doubtful Holland will be.
I didn't see it, but I sense a bit of an "overrated" backlash on it now. I can't weigh in, though.
They like Naomi Watts, though, so she could get a nod.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
Kad, exactly about Arkin -- why the buzz around his work in ARGO? His win in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE was a surprise, though, I remember Eddie Murphy was expected to win for DREAMGIRLS, and certainly should have.
The role is small and Arkin just plays Gruff Old Man through it. If I had to nominate one of the supporting actors (though I don't think any of the roles are award-worthy), it'd be the ever-reliable John Goodman.
"I didn't see it, but I sense a bit of an "overrated" backlash on it now."
Hmm, that could be, but I thought Watts and Holland's performances were better than the film. I guess the Academy only wants to nominate actors who are in the top films.
Argo to me felt like a film that forgot its first 15 minutes. The very well-told prologue of US-Iran relations (although I am not sure if doing it by 'storyboard' fit even if it connected to the fake movie idea) and the taking of the embassy were the best and truest parts of the story. Then it seemed to have Ben Affleck sleepwalk halfway through the film until he meets the embassy staff members and also have the CIA (never really taking any heat for how bad they missed the Iranian revolution) transform into Apollo 13's mission control aka inoffensive '70s stock characters. There was a reason movies about the CIA in the '70s were bleak. Because the CIA in the '70s were bleak, even in the very mild Stansfield Turner era. The red, white, and blue pat on the backs as the film's ending left me cold. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was a much superior film that even if it was based on fiction completely got its era and tone right.
I thought ARGO was sharp, a true crowdpleaser in every way. I loved it and can see it go very far in the race.
I'm hoping Watts gets in, she doesn't have a typical Oscar role, her performance is very subtle and her character doesn't get big "Oscar" scenes. She's only been nominated once actually, so I'm a little worried on that front, but I think she can make it. I'm going to say she gets in over Helen Mirren or Emanuelle Riva, who has unfortunately lost buzz with the SAG and Globe snubs.
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