The day of the Oscars is, to me, more exciting than any other holiday (including the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which is saying a lot). I look forward to this 364 days out of the year, so I cannot explain how excited I am that TODAY is the 85th Academy Awards! This event is monumental every year because it isn't just about film, which on its own is very enjoyable. And it doesn't just define fashion (which is also extremely important!). The selection of the awards each years tells so much about the character of the people and what fascinates and impresses millions. The films that are chosen as the Best Picture, along with the actors and actresses and directors who are awarded: these films are history!! Titanic. The Sound of Music. My Fair Lady. Dozens of others! These films tell us so much about our world and ourselves. They are timeless. That is why I am so excited today. Which of the fantastic films that were created this year (and which of the people who created them) will join the ranks of these invaluable others?
Anyway. Let's get on with it. For years now I've tried my best to watch every film that has been nominated for Best Picture (along with notable others), and this year I finally succeeded. I never felt like I could make a valid judgment on which film was truly the best when I hadn't seen them all, and I was always disappointed (in myself!) when one of the films I hadn't seen received an award. But not this year! I am finally able to pick my favourites with full information. As my boyfriend and I were making our way through these (I think it was during Django Unchained), he turned to me and said, 'These are all such good movies!' And it's true. They are all SO GOOD. It's hard to put any of them down.
One more note: there is certainly a difference between the films and people that I personally think deserve their respective Oscars, and those who the Academy will most likely pick. Oh well.
Best Picture: I truly want Beasts of the Southern Wild to win this award. It would make me so happy. All of the other films nominated are unsurprising picks, churned out of the Hollywood machine with the help of millions upon millions of dollars (Amour is the exception). Though I think there are some others that are comprehensively just as good as Beasts of the Southern Wild (in acting, emotion, message, style, scope) - Argo, Lincoln, and Les Miserables are on the same level - BOTSW is phenomenal when its unique circumstances are considered. First time director. First time actors. Independently produced. Extremely low budget. This little film with a huge, huge heart has made it this far and deserves to be rewarded. The big Hollywood films are very good, but this one is just as good, if not better, and has accomplished more to get to here. A film like this deserves the Oscar.
That being said, I unfortunately have the feeling that Argo is going to win. Argo really is fantastic. It's fantastic as a thriller and as a drama, the acting is fantastic, it's vital to politics and society today... Importantly, it portrays Hollywood and actors in a very good light. So I have a good feeling that Argo will get the award. But I'm still rooting for Beasts.
About the others: Les Miserables is a tremendous epic but lacks something that the Academy looks for... I can't name it. Littleness? Individuality? A personal connection? Les Mis is so grand and well-known that I think that will hurt it in the end. Lincoln was also very good (though I won't lie, kinda boring at times) but I feel like it's not different enough for the Academy. It's a well-done but typical historical drama. Sweeping, light-and-dark, emotional stories like Sound of Music and Titanic are more the Academy's style. Zero Dark Thirty may have a chance because the Hurt Locker won (or maybe that will hurt its chances?) and it is very relevant and well done, but I feel like it still can't compare to some of the others in intimacy and emotion. And then Life of Pi, Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook, and Amour aren't even on the same level as those (in my opinion). All truly good films, but not on the same level.
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Hugh Jackman. If Hugh Jackman wins this award, he will be the first man to win Best Actor for a role in a musical in almost fifty years - since My Fair Lady. This needs to happen.
But Daniel Day-Lewis will probably actually win because he wins any category he's put in. It's not fair. But he's stupidly good.
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Quvenzhane Wallis all the way. Are you kidding? This six-year old (as she was when BOTSW was filmed) is better than almost all other Hollywood actors. She's the youngest female to EVER be nominated. Ever! How amazing would it be if she won too? I certainly think she deserves it. It would set a new standard.
Jessica Chastain did a really fantastic job too. There's a good chance she'll win. Jennifer Lawrence was stunning but her role really didn't stretch her as an actress that much. There were certain scenes where her acting really impressed me but not the whole time. And I'm sorry, but Emmanuelle Riva was semi-conscious for the majority of Amour.
Actor in a Supporting Role: I'm going to go with Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained. His character was amazing. He had more of a central role than Django and was so unique, intriguing, and inspiring. Jamie Foxx just acted like a badass and shot stuff.
Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway. If you've seen Les Mis and know what I'm talking about, there is absolutely no question whatsoever. No question.
Animated Feature Film: This one's hard but I think Wreck-It Ralph. Brave was great too so I'm not sure. But I truly enjoyed Wreck-It Ralph: it surprised me in a lot of ways.
Cinematography: I'm going to say Anna Karenina just because it was so unique and has never been done before (at least as far as I've seen). But this is kind of a toss up because all of these films are so beautifully and skillfully - but differently - filmed.
Costume Design: Anna Karenina. Keira's costumes were fantastic. All the gorgeous period Russian costumes - love love love. And so well fitted to the film. Les Mis was very unique and kind of fun. The costume design for Lincoln was pretty much just black dress coats.
Directing: I really want to say Beasts of the Southern Wild again. It is beautifully directed. It has that clarity, focus, and freshness of a first-time independent director. Lincoln gets an honourable mention because it's Steven Damn Spielberg.
Documentary Feature: The Invisible War because it's the only one I saw but also incredibly moving and important to see. It makes you rethink the goodness of an institution as prestigious and esteemed as the US military. And people need to start doing that.
Documentary Short: I didn't have the chance to see any of these, so I can't judge.
Film Editing: Argo. This tremendous story, with overwhelming amounts of information from all sides, was put together so well. It kept me on the edge of my seat - literally shaking - for hours. It covers a lot of ground, a lot of people, very skillfully.
Foreign Language Film: Amour because it's the only one I saw and because it really was good. Disturbing, but good.
Makeup and Hairstyling: I'll say the Hobbit because the work that Peter Jackson has done in creating Middle Earth and its peoples is unparalleled. This is far more true for the Lord of the Rings series but the Hobbit wasn't bad.
Music (Original Score): Anna Karenina. Dario Marianelli has created a number of gorgeous scores (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) that fit these films so well. He did a good job here too. And honestly, none of the other scores stood out to me. HOWEVER, I can't put into words how disappointed I am that Benh Zeitlin and Dan Romer's score for Beasts of the Southern Wild wasn't even nominated. It's maybe my favourite soundtrack of all time. I've lost some of my faith in the Academy forever.
Music (Original Song): 'Suddenly' was the worst song in Les Mis. I can't remember any of the others standing out except 'Skyfall', so we'll go with that. It also won in the Golden Globes, which may be a good indicator.
Production Design: This is difficult! Les Miserables or Lincoln... Les Mis was grand and beautiful but Lincoln was strikingly realistic in every way. I was amazed by the sets.
Short Film (Animated): Again, can't pass judgement. Didn't see any of these either.
Short Film (Live Action): Same here.
Sound Editing: I'm not an expert at this by any means so I'll just pick one. Skyfall.
Soung Mixing: Oh damn. What's the difference between this and sound editing? [Insert quick Google search here] I'll say Argo because I never really paid attention to this during the film...
Visual Effects: Ooh. I didn't see Prometheus but even from the trailers it looked really impressive. Life of Pi might be the winner but, though it was heralded as the next Avatar, I really didn't get that feeling. Oh wait. The tiger wasn't real. Yeah, Life of Pi might get this one.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Probably Argo because it incorporates so much.
Writing (Original Screenplay): I want to say Zero Dark Thirty (for the same reason as Argo) but there were a bunch of lines that seemed very cheesy or out of place, as if they were trying to make the characters more realistic with light-hearted or quickly-spoken lines. We're going to go with Amour instead. This story was truly very realistic and heart-wrenching.
That's it! As I already said, these films are all fantastic and it's so difficult to choose for many of these awards. We'll see what happens tomorrow night!
