2013 Oscars

2012 is the first year ever that I was able to see every film nominated for Best Picture. I am usually pretty good at picking the Best Picture when I walk out of the theater but not this year. There was not a film that was just a run away. This year seemed wide open on the surface until the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and the Directors Guild awards played out to show the clear favorites.

These are not necessarily the films I would like to see win but the ones I think will score the gold. So here are my picks for whatever they are worth:

Best Picture: Life of Pi
Sure Argo, which makes Hollywood types look like heroic patriots, isn’t the make up artist from the original Planet of the Apes (1968), played by John Goodman no less, already a national hero?, is a clear favorite with Lincoln second but after figuring Pi wins a fistful of Oscars, Directing, Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay,Editing, etc, I am going with an “upset”. Remember how Bugsy back in 1991 was supposed to sweep? Shameless rationalization.

Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day Lewis
You knew this one was a no brainer BEFORE you saw the film. My call was when I heard it was coming out.

Actress in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence
Emmanuelle Riva (a potential upset) and Quvenzhane Wallis had much better performances but Hollywood wants to regain its #1 spot in Awards Season and get people under 40 to tune in. Giving awards to French speakers (2012’s The Artist) or Britishers (2011 The King’s Speech) has many Americans saying “Who?”, “What movie?”, “The must be Socialists that hate the 2nd Amendment”. Lawrence was in the ca$h cow, The Hunger Games, and she’s going to be making Hollywood plenty of dough the next few years with its sequels.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz
This is an open field. I could see Robert De Niro winning or even Tommy Lee Jones (why? I don’t know)

Actress is a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway
Hollywood likes prostitutes winning this award and pretty women making themselves look as bad as possible. They should have given her a few missing teeth to really get that “Faces of Meth” look going on

Animated Feature: Wreck It Ralph
Brave was the money maker I think so don’t be surprised I am wrong on this one

Cinematography: Life of Pi
I have seen quite a buzz for Skyfall (this year’s theme is 50 Years of James Bond) but, Life of Pi is a visual treat on the same level as 2001:A Space Odyssey, almost

Costume Design: Anna Karenina&lt
A guess….spreading the wealth I suppose. Why should any film go home empty handed?

Directing: Ang Lee
See Cinematography. This was a genuinely original film and some have said that the book could not be made into a movie but damned if he didn’t, Lee pulled it off.

Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man
The reason I make this call is because it has been out since the summer and was in quite a few theaters. I think more people have seen it than The Invisible War which is another film that has been getting a bit of buzz of late. Maybe too late? For you punters, a “pick ’em” in my book

Documentary Short Subject: Open Heart
Yet another guess

Film Editing: Life of Pi
See Cinematography and Directing for my input on this film

Foreign Language Film: Amour
No brainer here

Make up: The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey
Versus Hitchock and Les Miz? Duh

Music, Original Score: Life of Pi
No stand outs here but I wouldn’t rule out Lincoln as Hollywood likes that John Williams tragic yet uplifting stuff (he still deserves to be punished for the overkill in Warhorse)

Music, Original Song: Skyfall
Adele is has written and sings the title theme for a James Bond movie when the theme of the Oscars this year is “50 Years of James Bond”. Once again, Hollywood trying to get more people under 40 interested. No brainer on this one.

Production Design: Life of Pi
Are we noticing a trend on my picks this year?

Short Film, Animated: Paperman
Yet another guess

Short Film, Live Action: Curfew
A suicidal man baby sitting and it’s the only one in Engish

Sound Editing: Life of Pi
I’m am betting ona big night

Sound Mixing: Les Miserables
It’s a musical

Visual Effects: Life of Pi
A 3D film that’s worth the extra admission. Can you say that for 3D films other than Avatar?

Writing, Adapted Screenplay: Life of Pi
Many said it couldn’t be made into a movie.

Writing, Original Screenplay: Zero Dark Thirty
Nobody should go home empty handed but I am rooting for Django Unchained for this award

2013 Films

West of Memphis. Interesting enough documentary about shoddy police work and over zealous prosecutors. Three poor bastards spent 18 years inside for crimes they did not commit.

Les Misérables. Too damned long with its slow tempo (I checked the time TWICE), they should have had it directed by someone that has done a musical before, excessive close ups, and Russell Crowe can’t sing if his life depended on it. On the good side, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway‘s nominations are well deserved and I think Samantha Barks (Eponine) deserved a Supporting nomination as well. As for Jackman, does it really matter? Everyone has their Best Actor money riding on Daniel Day Lewis. At the convent, did you notice the habits of the nus? Daughters of Charity!

Casablanca (1942) Thankfully the NY Historical Society shows films. Of course I have seen this gem oodles of times but not on the big screen; now I can say I have seen it only once. How many great quotes come out of this film?

Beasts of the Southern Wild. I thought it is an excellent, original motion picture and would highly recommend it. Interesting film on loss without losing the sense of joy

Fallen Angel (1945). One can’t go wrong with this classic

Escape from LA. Yes, I went to see this John Carpenter/Kurt Russell tour de force. It was part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center‘s Pam Grier retrospective. “Only in New York kids”

The Sapphires. I thought it was a nice story but of course, it did not have the polish that a Hollywood production like Alan Parker‘s The Commitments (1991) possessed. Watch it on cable or rent it.

The Shining. Once again, the Film Society of Lincoln Center comes through with this Kubrick gem from 1980. Much more of a disturbing film on the big screen than it is on any sized television.

Trance I thoroughly enjoyed this film though they could have edited out about fifteen minutes. I suppose you could read into this caper/psycho-thriller as an allegory for the seven deadly sins if you wanted; i.e. the seven deadly are sins that lead to greater sin and this film is about wrath, greed, pride, avarice, lust, gluttony, pride, and sloth. Okay, so maybe I am pushing it with sloth and gluttony. Of course, everyone in the film doesn’t exactly want to work to make an honest buck (and in this case pound) and they certainly want more. I thought it well done movie with fine performances across the board; one has to love Vincent Cassel speaking even the top of his head has been blown off…..with a .38 revolver at that.

Key Largo Tough to go wrong with Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore,and Lauren Bacall in this classic. The Rubin Museum has quality films on a Friday night and I highly recommend it (it’s even easy to find parking)

The Place Beyond the Pines Interesting enough film about having a father present in one’s life.

At Any Price A halfway decent film that has its moments. Not a particularly memorable picture.

Iron Man 3 After having seen a few classics and some indies, a Hollywood blockbuster was very much welcomed. Good film but a typical sequel. Don’t be a sucker and cough up the extra ca$h for 3D

The Great Gatsby I never read the book until recently and like everyone else I can say “I liked the book better”. They seemed to have missed the mark in the 1974 version with Robert Redford and this new one with Leonardo Di Caprio. In all fairness, I did like both versions. Overall comparison of both films? Equal. Better Gatsby? Di Caprio. Better Daisy? Carey Mulligan (I was hoping Mia Farrow would have been shot in 1974.

42 A fine, enjoyable, baseball picture that tried to do a little too much.

Fast and Furious 6 An fun movie that aspires to entertain you and nothing more. Quality for targeting the international audience–think of the cast and how easily its dialogue can be dubbed.

World War Z An unmemorable zombie picture

The Company You Keep An action movie for old people. Robert Redford has another one coming out too: this one’s a combination of Life of Pi and Castaway but with a septuagenarian.

Doctor Zhivago I got to see it on the big screen at BAM and after that, I’d put it on my all time best movies list.

Man of Steel It’s a Superman picture. Sure you can play with theology and Messianic figure stuff all you want but it’s a superhero movie. Was it better than the 1978 version? I wouldn’t compare them as they’re quite different film. The earlier one is more comical.

RED 2 A lighthearted sequel to a film that doesn’t exactly aspire to be Doctor Zhivago

Blue Jasmine. I thought it a bore. Check my watch once: mediocre. Twice? Cate Blanchett should get an Oscar nomination out of her performance though. Of course, I could care less had Jasmine lived or died.

Elysium Yet another unmemorable movie from 2013.

Gravity The best film out of Hollywood so far this year; love the whole rebirth and renewal business going on with Sandra Bullock’s character. Who would have thought of George Clooney as an astronaut? It worked. Is it worth the few extra bucks for 3D? I still debate that question. Last year, I said Life of Pi was worth so I would say this one is too. Otherwise, save the money. I am expecting Sandra Bullock to get another Best Actress nomination out of her performance in this film. Kudos to her.

Machete Kills This film is high quality trash that aspires to nothing more than entertaining the audience for an hour and forty minutes. Sure it was not as good as the original but so what? It’s not like the Machete (2010) was The Bicycle Thief, Броненосец Потёмкин, or some other cinematic classic.

Did I get my money’s worth? Of course I did considering I was using a free movie score on my Regal Cinemas card. Did the film have Oscar worthy performances? Definitely. The film is Mel Gibson’s best performance in many years, Sofia Vergara’s performance far surpasses both Sandra Bullock’s in Gravity or Cate Blanchett’s in Blue Jasmine (a bore of a film), and the film also gives one of the most realistic portrayals of mental illness in Demián Bichir’s Mendez.