I won! Well…12 Years A Slave won! But in this household, my ballot was the winner.
Tonight’s the night. I’ve watched all I can. I’ve made my picks. We’ll see if the Academy agrees with me or Jesse…
Clearly, I have a lot more to say than Jesse…
Every year I attempt to watch as many Oscar-nominated films as I can before the telecast…usually I don’t manage to watch even half. But this year…this year…will be different! Maybe. I’m focusing on my own version on the “Big Five“…well, Big Six — Best Picture, Best Director, and the awards for acting (or is it Acting).
Based on the limited viewing options, Her, Nebraska, Dallas Buyers Club, and Philomena are going to be the trickiest to fit in before March 2.
My List:
Gravity
- Best Picture
- Directing — Alfonso Cuarón
- Actress in a Leading Role — Sandra Bullock
01/17/2014 – After seeing this one, I had to know how they made it. Thank goodness the Internet was also curious. It was visually stunning and the 3D was perfect. Despite how quiet the movie was (and unrealistic according to astronauts), I was tense watching it because I had no idea what would happen next.
Captain Phillips
- Best Picture
- Actor in a Supporting Role — Barkhad Abdi
1/26/2014 – I didn’t love this. Tom Hanks was just Tom Hanks with a weird accent that didn’t seem to stick throughout the movie. Barkhad Abdi was definitely an interesting bad guy, but we’ve never seen him in ANYTHING else before. What if it was just chance and he wasn’t acting at all…you know?
Blue Jasmine
- Actress in a Leading Role — Cate Blanchett
- Actress in a Supporting Role — Sally Hawkins
1/27/2014 – The movie was OK, Cate Blanchett was phenomenal. Jasmine French was a woman in the middle of a long-lasting meltdown and Blanchett made her real.
August: Osage County
- Actress in a Leading Role — Meryl Streep
- Actress in a Supporting Role — Julia Roberts
1/28/2014 – Meryl Streep has enough awards. Yes, she’s wonderful, but is she THAT wonderful? As far as actresses that put their crazy on, I’d say Cate Blanchett wins if it’s just between her & Meryl…of course, I haven’t seen American Hustle yet. Julia Roberts was also wonderful here…she’s IN CHARGE. It’s got a dinner scene that puts the one from The Family Stone to shame. Talk about intense family dinners…
American Hustle
- Best Picture
- Directing — David O. Russell
- Actress in a Leading Role — Amy Adams
- Actress in a Supporting Role — Jennifer Lawrence
- Actor in a Leading Role — Christian Bale
- Actor in a Supporting Role — Bradley Cooper
2/1/2014 – I’ll start by saying I think this movie is a lot of fun and my initial reaction was love. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it’s going to require another viewing before I really even understand what I spent two hours with. The costumes were fantastic — everyone wore their character well. However, as of this moment, I don’t feel Amy Adams or Jennifer Lawrence did enough to warrant a win. Of course, I’m not voting, what do I know.
I am curious about the real story this movie inspired because one thing I was confused about by the film was the entire FBI operation. Was there a point to it?
12 Years a Slave
- Best Picture
- Directing — Steve McQueen
- Actor in a Leading Role — Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Actor in a Supporting Role — Michael Fassbender
- Actress in a Supporting Role — Lupita Nyong’o
2/8/2014 – Given the subject matter, it should come as no surprise that this movie is intense. Steve McQueen didn’t hold back nor did any of the actors. Chiwetel Ejiofor is amazing, he completely embodies his character. I read that in the first scene after he’s taken the other actor was hitting him to get that paddle to break — sure, he was wearing something to protect him — but it was real. That happened to someone. It wasn’t pretend for Northup. It’s just brutal. As Steve McQueen has said so many times, this is a period of history that doesn’t make it to the big screen often, but it’s a part of our history that we can’t and shouldn’t overlook.
(Should I read the book, too?)
The Sochi Opening Ceremony was last night and the commentators actually commented about how the Russians were quickly going over the ugly parts of their history. Well…yeah. When the Olympics have been here, has slavery — an institution that was part of this country for 400 years — been a major point in the opening presentation?
Dallas Buyers Club
- Best Picture
- Actor in a Leading Role — Matthew McConaughey
- Actor in a Supporting Role — Jared Leto
2/9/2014 – I loved this movie. Matthew McConaughey was perfect in this role and Jared Leto was stunning. It’s strange how 12 Years a Slave and Dallas Buyers Club compare — both films focus on aspects of our history that everyone would like to ignore. The AIDS crisis was poorly handled…wait, can you even call it handled? It was flat-out ignored for a decade…had it not been ignored for so long, maybe it wouldn’t have been the crisis it was? I digress. While the films are so different, there is something similar.
I will admit, I’m bummed that two of my favorite characters weren’t based on real people…Rayon and Eve aren’t real people. 
The Wolf of Wall Street
- Best Picture
- Directing — Martin Scorsese
- Actor in a Leading Role — Leonardo DiCaprio
- Actor in a Supporting Role — Jonah Hill
02/13/2014 – (I apologize for the language below…but after seeing a film that drops so many f-bombs it’s difficult to avoid similar language when writing about it.) So after watching two amazing movies about incredible people that struggled and made a difference in the world, I see this film about a douchebag that still hasn’t paid his debt to society. Jordan Belfort is an asshat. The fact that he has told his story and WANTS the world to see what an utter dickhead he was (maybe still is) proves what an asshat he is. If I put aside the fact that Jordan Belfort should still be in prison, I’d say that this movie has a few good qualities. The acting’s great. Leonardo DiCaprio was funny — I didn’t know he could do funny. BUT I’m beginning to think that the only reason this movie was nominated is because it’s Martin Scorsese.
I’ve learned that the Academy voters tend to pick a few people out and put them on really high pedestals. These same people could do the same thing in film after film and they will still get nominated even if it’s dreck. The Academy voters also like to nominate newbies — almost so they can say “we saw the potential first” — but then when those people go on to do nothing great ever again, they just brush it off.
At this moment, I’d have to say I’m hoping Chiwetel Ejiofor wins Leading Actor, Jared Leto wins Supporting, and Cate Blanchett for Leading Actress. Other than that, I’m still deciding AND I’ve got a few more movies to track down!
Nebraska
- Best Picture
- Directing — Alexander Payne
- Actor in a Leading Role — Bruce Dern
- Actress in a Supporting Role — June Squibb
2/28/2014 – What a funny, honest, sad movie. I never missed that it wasn’t in color, the black & white worked. The acting was great, though I think Bruce Dern’s nomination makes a bit more sense than June Squibb’s. It seems the nominations for Actress in a Supporting Role were all made due to one scene in a film when the character has a freak-out.
Her
- Best Picture
Philomena
- Best Picture
- Actress in a Leading Role — Judi Dench
