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A&E

Columnist gives his Oscar predictions

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By Isaac Mathewson
It has been two weeks since the 2013 Academy Awards were announced and while I think it is a good list (with a few snubs like Tom Hanks for not getting a Best Actor nomination for either Captain Phillips or Saving Mr. Banks) it is difficult to decide who will win. Here are my predictions for this year’s Oscars judging by critical statistics, previous award ceremonies, and my own perspective, but only in the major categories.
Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins- Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence- American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o- 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts- August: Osage County
June Squibb- Nebraska
All of these actresses are fantastic in their roles. How do we narrow down who will win? Although Squibb and Nyong’o are great, they are not household names and their roles are not memorable enough to secure a win. Hawkins is very good in her role as Cate Blanchet’s sister in Blue Jasmine but not much has been said about her performance from other critics. Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lawrence are the highest contenders from this year and the most famous. While Roberts gives one of her best performances in years, the Oscar will probably go to Lawrence judging by her popularity and the acclaim the film and her performance have received.
Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi- Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper- American Hustle
Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill- The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto- Dallas Buyer’s Club
You couldn’t ask for a better list this year. While Abdi has received great acclaim for his performance, the film that was originally considered one of the year’s top Oscar contenders has sort of deteriorated in popularity in the months since it was released. Hill is great, but does not have the acclaim that the other actors have. Fassbender gives a ruthless performance in 12 Years a Slave and Bradley Cooper gives a funny and electric performance in American Hustle. However, the Academy just can’t overlook Leto as the transvestite roommate of Matthew McConaughey.
Best Actress
Amy Adams- American Hustle
Cate Blanchett- Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock- Gravity
Judi Dench- Philomena
Meryl Streep- August: Osage County
All great choices, who will take home the big one? Judi Dench is a fantastic veteran actress and gives a powerful performance in her film, but there is just no love for it. Bullock doesn’t have much of a chance because the Academy never gives Oscars to actors in science fiction movies. Adams had a major chance with her role, but her chances seem slim going up against Streep, one of the greatest actresses in history. However, even she is in steady competition against Blanchett, who gave one of the best performances of her career in her film. While it is a tough choice, it will probably go to Blanchett, because I’m sure by now even the Academy is tired of nominating Streep over and over again.
Best Actor
Christian Bale- American Hustle
Bruce Dern- Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio- The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetal Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey- Dallas Buyers Club
This is perhaps the best selection this year, as well as the hardest. While Dern is a veteran actor, and is fantastic in his role, there is not enough love for the film to secure the win. Ejiofer has no doubt received much acclaim for his performance, but the Academy usually does not give Oscars to foreign actors. DiCaprio is very memorable and so is Bale, but even their performances cannot top that of McConaughey, who just won the Golden Globe in the film in which he plays an AIDS patient, who illegally sells pain relievers to other patients.
Best Original Screenplay
American Hustle- David O’ Russell
Blue Jasmine- Woody Allen
Dallas Buyers Club- Craig Borten
Her– Spike Jonze
Nebraska- Alexander Payne
While all great choices, it’s difficult to narrow them down. Perhaps the two biggest candidates are Her and American Hustle. While Her won the Golden Globe, it should not be a surprise if American Hustle takes home the Oscar for its electric dialogue and story.
Best Adapted Screenplay
12 Years a Slave– John Ridley
Before Midnight- Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke
Captain Phillips– Billy Ray
Philomena– Steve Coogan
The Wolf of Wall Street– Terence Winter
Again, all great choices. While all of them are memorable films and have great dialogue, it will most likely go to 12 Years a Slave because of the buzz it has been getting.
Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron- Gravity
Steve McQueen- 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne- Nebraska
David O. Russell- American Hustle
Martin Scorsese- The Wolf of Wall Street
While every director made a fantastic film, the Oscar this year will probably go to Cuaron, because of how influential his filmmaking is in Gravity.
Best Picture
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyer’s Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street
Most of these films don’t have a chance at winning. The two biggest candidates are 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle. Although the former is very powerful, the big one will go to American Hustle for its powerhouse writing and performances.
The 86th Academy Awards will take place on March 2, 2014. Judging by the nominees, it should be a good show.
A&E

‘Her’ proves to be both funny and heartbreaking

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By Isaac Mathewson

Directed and Written by: Spike Jonze

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, and Rooney Mara

Spike Jonze has had a reputation as being one of Hollywood’s most interesting directors. His films Being John Malkovich and Adaptation have been hailed for being very bizarre while telling compelling stories that balance comedy and drama. However, this is his first screenplay and that is a much bigger stretch for him than just simply being the one who brings this film to life.

Luckily, he proves to be just as capable of writing as he is directing.

Her tells the story of introverted writer Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) in the futuristic (about 10 or 20 years from now) Los Angeles, who after divorcing his wife Catherine (Mara) purchases an artificially intelligent operating system (or OS), which has the unique ability to develop its own personality. The OS, named Samantha (voiced by Johansson), becomes friends with Theodore and their relationship begins to grow from friendship to love. However, things start to get really complicated between the two because she is a computer and not a person. Things get even more complicated when Theodore realizes Samantha’s secrets.

Over the course of the film, there is a subplot involving Theodore’s neighbor Amy (Adams) who is also going through a tough time in her life and is too dating an operating system. She serves as the secondary female protagonist in the film.

One of the most impressive qualities about the film is its depiction of the not-so-distant future and a world that is run by technology. What separates Her from other films of this kind is that it shows us what it would be like if a computer could not only develop a personality, but also feel and possibly love. This would be the equivalent of Siri being able to love.

The film looks really nice. Its cinematography and visuals make it seem like we have been transported to this time period. Apart from the OS’s, there are virtual simulators that people can purchase and they act as games and there are appliances that you can operate without buttons.

The acting in this film is superb. Phoenix has always been one of my favorite actors and he has shown that he is capable of both drama and comedy in the same film. Adams and Mara are also very good and they provide the audience the chance to know other characters and not just technological ones. Johansson is especially good. It is a shame that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does not give Oscar nominations to voice actors because she sure would be a good candidate if they did. She seems to be much more than a simple computer, but her own likable person with a good personality.

One major criticism I have is the ending. Without giving anything away, it is very sudden and there is not a lot of buildup to it. This prevents an otherwise good film from being a masterpiece, but it does not make the film bad, just not perfect.

Despite its flaws, I highly recommend this film. Fans of Jonze and Phoenix, or any of the other actors will probably get something out of it and even if you aren’t, its themes and ideas will probably fascinate you. This film will likely be a big contender for this Oscar season..

Motion Picture Rating: R

Strong language and brief graphic nudity

My rating: A

 

A&E, Christian DiMartino

Columnist previews the final film releases of 2013

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By Christian DiMartino

2013 has had a fair amount of good movies (Side Effects, Disconnect), but an overpopulation of bad movies (Scary Movie V, Getaway). However, there is still hope. The year is wrapping up, and Oscar season is around the corner. Translation: Movies are going to get good again. Here is what to look forward to the rest of 2013. Sure, not all of them are going home with awards, but some of them are kind of a big deal (wink).

5. Gravity (Oct. 4, PG-13): Oscar winner Sandra Bullock is getting rave reviews (the movie is also) for her role as an astronaut stranded in outer space. How can a movie like this work? Not sure. According to early reviews, director Alfonso Cuaron’s film supposedly does work, and very well. Consider it a done deal.

4. American Hustle (Dec. 25, Not Yet Rated): David O’Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter) is on a role, and this just may be the one that sends him home with the gold. The first trailer looks terrific, and plus it brings back O’Russell’s finest alumni (Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and Jennifer Lawrence), so how can it go wrong?

3. Her (Dec. 18, Not Yet Rated): Here is a film that will receive plenty of judgment and controversy, and that alone is exciting. Joaquin Phoenix, after doing an amazing job as a psychotic drifter in The Master, plays a lonely guy who buys a talking computer and… falls in love with it. Strange? Oh yeah. But it is nice to see a daring movie every once in a while. Also, director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) is the king of strange movies, so it must be perfect. This is going to be the strangest movie of the year, possibly even the next 10, but I guarantee it will leave people talking for a while.

2. Anchorman: The Legend Continues (Dec. 20, Not Yet Rated): After many years of trying to get this movie made, Will Ferrell and co. have finally done it. Finally. Anchorman is one of the funniest movies ever, so the sequel better be worth the wait. The plot is unknown, but what is known is that numerous cameos (Tiny Fey, Meryl Streep, Kanye West, and more) are on the lineup. So, be there for Ron Bergundy this holiday season. He is kind of a big deal.

1. The Wolf of Wall Street (Nov. 15, Not Yet Rated): Wall Street movies are boring, but hopefully this one is far from it. Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest directors alive, rarely makes a bad movie. Same goes for Leonardo DiCaprio, who (fingers crossed) may finally get that fourth Oscar nomination. The trailer is fantastic, and it helps that Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead” is blaring throughout. This could either be a Scorsese masterpiece, or a Scorsese letdown. I truly hope it is the first.

There are plenty of other films, including Nebraska, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Carrie, Thor: The Dark World, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, that did not quite make the cut. Hopefully, with these movies mentioned and whatever other Oscar hopefuls are out there, 2013 ends better than it began.