Oscar Time

Having only seen two of the movies nominated for any of the Academy Awards below (Les Miserables and Argo – we just watched it tonight) who better to discuss the Oscars than me?  Here are the nominees that I’ll be rooting for on Sunday.

Best Supporting Actor

And the nominees are . . . .

Alan Arkin, Argo

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

I’ve read that all of these formidable competitors have an Oscar already, so none of them are due.  Hoffman has appeared in several of my favorite movies (The Big Lebowski, Almost Famous, Magnolia), so he’s got that going for him.  And De Niro, well he’s DeNiro.  And Jones did room with Al Gore in college.  I wouldn’t complain if any of them won (and really why would I complain about the Oscars at all?)  Having only seen Arkin’s performance (which was "eh") . . .

And the award goes to . . . . Christoph Waltz.  Yes, he just won three years ago for another Tarantino film, but he’s still my choice.  My alternate choice would be De Niro because I’d like to see his speech.

Best Supporting Actress

And the nominees are . . . .

Amy Adams, The Master  

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables 

Helen Hunt, The Sessions 

Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Hunt will be forever tainted for falling for Jack Nicholson in As Good as It Gets.  I haven’t seen Field in anything since Not Without My Daughter, which may or may not have been her last film.  And Weaver’s out until she finds the “e” to complete her first name. 

Adams has been on a roll ever since her star turning role as a purse seller on The Office.  She’s been nominated four times now for Best Supporting Actress, so she’s always the bridesmaid, never the bride, but . . .

And the award goes to . . . . Anne Hathaway.  And not just because it’s a movie I’ve actually seen or because it’s a foregone conclusion she’ll win.  She was that good and gets bonus points for her portrayal of Catwoman.

Best Actress

And the nominees are . . . .

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Can we all agree that nine year-old Wallis shouldn’t have been nominated?  I haven’t seen the movie, but a kid that young doesn’t even know when the camera is rolling.  Is it really acting at that point?  I’m sure JLaw (are the kids calling her that?) is excellent in her film, but she’s only 22 and she has plenty of time to win.  So even though I hear rumblings that she’s the one to beat . . .

And the award goes to . . . . Emmanuelle Riva.  I mean how can you vote against the 85 year old?  I’ll be rooting for her, but if she doesn’t win my second choice is Chastain, who has been good in several roles I’ve seen.

Best Actor

And the nominees are . . . .

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Denzel Washington, Flight

I really never thought the man that portrayed Zach in Wedding Crashers would one day be up for an Academy Award, but that’s the world we live in.  This might be it for Cooper though because I don’t think his upcoming role in The Hangover Part III will be meaty enough for a nomination.  Day-Lewis and Washington are great actors, but . . .

And the award goes to . . . . Hugh Jackman.  In an upset I’ll root for Jackman (and not just because I’ve seen the film – have I said that before?)  I’m really not a musicals person, but Jackman was impressive.  Daniel Day-Lewis is probably the greatest actor out there and I love most everything he’s done, but he already has two Oscars, so let’s spread the love around.

Best Director

And the nominees are . . . .

Michael Haneke, Amour

Ang Lee, Life of Pi

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Honestly, I couldn’t care less about this category so let’s just get to it . . .

And the award goes to . . . . Ben Affleck . . . oh wait, he was snubbed (just kidding, at no point during Argo did I ever think “wow, this is some good directing”)

So the award goes to . . . Steven Spielberg.  Boring choice, I know, but I’m not giving it to Zeitlin for his first film.  Let’s make him do at least one more before handing him an award.  Although Ang Lee’s strange filmography makes me want to award him.  Look at this – Sense and Sensibility; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Hulk; Brokeback Mountain.  Is there any genre this guy won’t try?

Best Picture

And the nominees are . . . .

Amour

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Les Misérables

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Let’s get this out of the way, I’ll never see Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, or Zero Dark Thirty.  So they’re out.  Down to five for me.  And really, I miss the “old days” when there were only five nominees.  In the “old days” I’d guess the five would have been Argo, Lincoln, Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty, and then . . . . hmmm . . . push comes to shove Silver Linings Playbook (as the little engine that could film).  In the “old days” Amour would have to be happy with its Best Foreign Language Film win.

Besides the two films I’ve seen, I’m also hoping to see Django Unchained (which I will), Lincoln, and Silver Linings Playbook (although Mrs. might boycott it because of the name, which drives her crazy).  So for the final award of the night, I’m rooting for . . .

And the award goes to . . . . Django Unchained.  What else?  Hey, I love Tarantino, and while the film has no chance to actually win, it’s my choice.  In the “old days” it wasn’t one of my nominees, so in that case I’d go with Les Miserables (maybe in this case because I’ve actually seen it) over Argo (really good, but maybe a little too much forced tension) and Lincoln (which I could see being a bit melodramatic).