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A&E, Christian DiMartino

Oscar Watch: Columnist provides Oscar predictions and preferences

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By Christian DiMartino

The Academy Awards, which airs Sun. March 2, is drawing near, and the competition is getting tough. Some of the categories are obvious. That said, others, such as Best Picture, are up in the air. Here is what will probably win and what should win on the big night.

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

Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron

Alfonso Cuaron is winning pretty much every directing award for his groundbreaking sci-fi film, Gravity. He is pretty much the one to beat. If anyone can take him down, it is McQueen. But count on Cuaron for this category.

Should Win: Alfonso Cuaron

Watch about ten minutes of Gravity, and it goes without saying. Each of these directors directed great movies, but none of them are quite as devoted as Cuaron. This is the greatest visual achievement since Avatar, and it is even better. This is a film that sounds nearly impossible to make, but yet Cuaron did it. It has been said that him and his crew had to create their own technology to bring the film to life. So, if anyone is truly worthy, it is Cuaron. McQueen is a close second.

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

Will Win: Lupita Nyong’o

Jennifer Lawrence seemed to be the favorite at the start of the race, considering she won a Golden Globe. But now it seems like all of the attention is being directed toward Nyong’o for her performance as the tragic slave Patsy. Nyong’o is taking home the awards, and will probably take home the biggest one. It is not set in stone though. Lawrence could swoop in, because she recently won the BAFTA. This race is a tough one.

Should Win: Julia Roberts

There is no love for August: Osage County, so Roberts doesn’t stand a chance, but I thought this was her best work since Closer (2004). Roberts’ performance is borderline over-the-top, but yet it was one of the most entertaining performances of the year. Watching her fight with practically everyone onscreen helped the film’s entertainment value. This is a tough category, because all of these women, particularly Squibb and Lawrence, steal the show. Roberts is my vote. She probably will not win, but she should.

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi- Captain Philips

Bradley Cooper- American Hustle

Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave

Jonah Hill- The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto- Dallas Buyers Club

Will Win: Jared Leto

It seems as if Jared Leto cannot be stopped. He is winning practically every award for his scene-stealing performance in Dallas Buyers Club. Leto does quite a transformation here, and the academy loves a good transformation.

Should Win: Jared Leto

Part of what makes Dallas Buyers Club special is its acting, and Leto is a huge contribution to that. Leto steals the show as the tragic transgender sidekick Rayon. Rayon is possibly the films best character, and Leto, who has been overlooked for such a long time, is too great to ignore. I am also a fan of Abdi, Cooper, and Fassbender, but Leto is a done deal.

Best Actress

Amy Adams- American Hustle

Cate Blanchett- Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock- Gravity

Judi Dench- Philomena

Meryl Streep- August: Osage County

Note: Sandra Bullock gives the performance of her career in Gravity, not in The Blind Side (the film that won her Best Actress). So I would like to pretend that the Oscar she won for that film was actually for Gravity.

Will Win: Cate Blanchett

Blanchett is practically a sure thing for her performance as the mentally unstable title character in Blue Jasmine. She is being showered with awards. If anyone can take her down, it is Adams, who also won a Golden Globe. But count on Blanchett.

Should Win: Cate Blanchett

Amy Adams is a great actress, and she definitely will win an Oscar someday, but not yet. Bullock’s case has been covered (a very close second). By now, Streep goes without saying. She’s amazing all the time. The same goes for Dench and Blanchett, but Blanchett’s is the best. Blanchett gives the performance of her career in the best performance of the year, and easily deserves her long overdue second Oscar. Jasmine is almost too interesting. She’s a woman so trapped in the past that she cannot come to terms with reality, and watching Blanchett self-destruct is possibly the best work from an actress since Natalie Portman in Black Swan. So, to summarize, yes, she should win.

Best Actor

Christian Bale- American Hustle

Bruce Dern- Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio- The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey- Dallas Buyers Club

Will Win: Matthew McConaughey

Ah, this is where things get tricky. The competition for this category has been hectic from the start. But all signs seem to be pointing towards Matthew McConaughey. He lost a ton of weight, and Dallas Buyers Club is a true story, and the academy loves both of those things. They love transformation (even though Christian Bale wasn’t nominated for The Machinist, the craziest transformation ever, and gained a bunch of weight for American Hustle).Aside from that, he truly is fantastic. He is winning pretty much every award he is nominated for. There is a slight chance that someone else could swoop in, but it is not likely.

Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio

All of these performances are terrific. Actually, it is pretty difficult to rank them. Once upon a time, Matthew McConaughey was a second rate actor. But now it seems like has really proved otherwise. He has become the actor he always should have been. That said, he has only been great for about two years, and does not deserve an Oscar quite yet. Leonardo Dicaprio, however, has been great for over twenty years, and has somehow never won an Oscar. The time is now. The fact that DiCaprio has not won an Oscar is outrageous, considering the fact that he has been so great for so long. DiCaprio gives possibly the performance of his career in this movie. He plays such a despicable human being, but yet DiCaprio makes this terrible person watchable. In fact, you sort of want him to get away with everything. DiCaprio has never done anything quite like this before, and it is definitely a bold performance, considering the content that is put on display. McConaughey will win, but it would be nice if the academy came to their senses and finally gave him the Oscar.

Best Picture

American Hustle                  Nebraska

Captain Philips                   Philomena

Dallas Buyers Club              12 Years a Slave

Gravity                              The Wolf of Wall Street

Her

Will Win: 12 Years a Slave

Ah, this is where things get even trickier. Gravity began this race as the favorite. Then came the arrival of 12 Years a Slave, which then became the favorite, and remained the favorite. Then American Hustle arrived to theaters in December and hustled its way into the race. So now the race is down to these three. Momentum for American Hustle seems to be gaining. With that said, I think we’re all overthinking this. 12 Years a Slave was the favorite for so long, and at the end of the day, there is no way that it can lose.

Should Win: 12 Years a Slave

This category is basically a toss-up between 12 Years a Slave and Gravity, but at the end of the day, there is no denying the power of 12 Years a Slave. Finally, for the first time since The Departed (2006), my favorite movie of the year actually stands a chance. 12 Years a Slave is a devastating, disturbing, raw, and intense look at possibly the ugliest chapter in America’s history. Solomon Northrup’s tale is one that truly needed to be told, and the film’s secret weapon the magnificent Chiwetel Ejiofor. Ejiofor carries this film, and so does the entire cast. If you were not in tears by the end of this movie (something that rarely happens to me during movies), then you must have no soul. This is the best movie of the year.

Well, hopefully this gave a little insight on what to expect on the big night. The race is tough, so don’t expect everyone to leave happy. In closing, there is really only one thing that must be said: TEAM DICAPRIO. Academy voters, please vote well.

A&E, Christian DiMartino

Columnist weighs in on this year’s Oscars

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By Christian DiMartino

For the first time ever, I have seen all of the Best Picture nominees before the big night (The Oscars airs Sunday, Feb. 24), so I consider myself a bit of an Oscar expert. This year, the competition is tough, and only two of the awards seem to be a sure thing. Here is what I think is going to win, and what should win:

Best Director

Michael Haneke – Amour

Ang Lee – Life of Pi

David O’Russell- Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg- Lincoln

Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Will Win: Steven Spielberg

Since both Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow are excluded from the ballot, Spielberg is almost a sure thing. It is been 15 years since he won an Oscar for Saving Private Ryan, and 20 years since Schindler’s List. He is overdue. If anyone is going to stop him, it is Ang Lee, but it will most likely go to Spielberg.

Should Win: Steven Spielberg

Again, he is over-due. I choose Spielberg mainly because the academy snubbed him of awards for movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and Saving Private Ryan (he won best director, but best picture went to Shakespeare in Love for some reason), so I think it is time. Also, he is my favorite director on the list, and Lincoln is my favorite movie nominated [Read: Best Picture]

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams- The Master

Sally Field- Lincoln

Anne Hathaway- Les Miserables

Helen Hunt- The Sessions

Jacki Weaver- Silver Linings Playbook

Will Win: Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway has been sweeping all of the award shows for her performance as the tragic Fantine. I do not think she has lost a single award.

Should Win: Sally Field

Hathaway is great, but she is only in a small amount of a long, long movie. She does not quite deserve it yet because she has been better, such as in Rachel Getting Married and The Dark Knight Rises. My vote goes to two time winner Field, who does such a wonderful job as Honest Abe’s sad, supportive wife.

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin- Argo

Robert De Niro- Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour Hoffman- The Master

Tommy Lee Jones- Lincoln

Christoph Waltz- Django Unchained

Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones

Each actor in this category already has an award. Alan Arkin, Christoph Waltz, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are more recent winners, so it is down to De Niro and Jones. De Niro has not been getting many nominations for this movie, so I think it will be Jones.

Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman

By using the “eanie, meanie, minie, moe” system, my vote is for Hoffman. This is a difficult category because each nominee is so good. Hoffman is not getting any love for this movie, and the movie is not getting any love either, and it is outrageous. It is better than any of the movies nominated. The Master is a bizarre movie, but that is part of its hypnosis. This may not have worked without Hoffman’s suave, sophisticated performance.

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain- Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanuelle Riva- Amour

Quvenzhane Wallis- Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts- The Impossible

Will Win: Emmanuelle Riva

Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain seem to be winning a lot, but Riva is the oldest best actress nominee in Oscar history, it is her first nomination, and her birthday is on the night of the Oscars. I rest my case.

Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence

This is another difficult one, but I have to go with J-Law. She is incredibly sexy in Silver Linings Playbook. She brings so much life to her character, Tiffany. Tiffany is feisty, neurotic, wild, mysterious, bizarre, and I loved watching her. When someone outdoes Robert De Niro, then that proves Oscar worthy.

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper- Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln

Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix – The Master

Denzel Washington – Flight

Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

There is absolutely no competition. Daniel Day Lewis is winning every award under the sun and he is a lock-in for a third Oscar. If anyone has a chance, it is Joaquin Phoenix. But not even his career-best performance can take down Lewis.

Should Win: Daniel Day- Lewis

A part of me wants to choose Phoenix, but I have to choose Lewis. He is the best actor alive. He always sinks deep into his roles, and he is nothing short of magical in Lincoln. If I did not know any better, I would of thought that he was possessed by the ghost of Lincoln himself. He is freaky good. Every performance of his feels so authentic. His performance here makes you feel as if you are in a room with Lincoln, listening to him tell a story. This award has his name written all over it.

Best Picture

Amour                                                            Life of Pi

Argo                                                               Lincoln

Beasts of the Southern Wild                  Silver Linings Playbook

Django Unchained                                   Zero Dark Thirty

Les Miserables

Will Win: Lincoln

Argo seems to be taking home the top prize at a lot of award shows, but Ben Affleck is not nominated for Best Director. Since 2006’s The Departed, every movie that wins Best Picture wins Best Director. They could switch it up a bit, but do not count on it. Argo is out, Lincoln is in. Lincoln has 12 nominations, which is the most this year, and it most likely will not go home empty handed.

Should Win: Lincoln

Lincoln is not my favorite movie of the year, but it is the best of the nominees. It’s a powerful, sharply written biopic that ranks up there Spielberg’s best films and other great biopics. Dryly funny, fascinated, and acted to perfection, this is Spielberg’s best work in some time. The academy loves movies like this, and it could and should win Best Picture.