Countdown to the Oscars: Prediction Time
There’s only one more week until awards night. The countdown has officially begun. How many of the nine nominated films for Best Picture have you seen? I’ve managed to catch five of the nominees!
And now it’s time to cast your ballots, Ladies and Gentlemen! We’re having an Oscar Party here on The Happiness Project!
And you’re invited!
The Schwag: The commenter with the most correct Oscar picks from the below categories wins
- Copies of all the delectable Oscar Party appetizers featured on next week’s blog.
- AFandago Gift Card to be used at the Cinema of your choice!
- A schwag bag fit for the stars filled with extra goodies!
And the Nominees Are:
Best Picture
- Amour
- Argo
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
- Les Miserables
- Life of Pi
- Lincoln – *Who I think the Academy will pick
- Silver Linings Playbook – *Jess’s pick
- Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress
- Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) – *Academy Darling
- Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) – *Jess’s pick
- Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
- Qvenzhane’ Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
- Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Best Actor
- Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) – *Jess’s pick
- Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) – *Who I think the Oscar will go to
- Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)
- Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
-
Denzel Washington (The Flight) – *I’d be totally happy with him winning – impressive flick!
Best Supporting Actress
- Amy Adams (The Master)
- Sally Field (Lincoln)
-
Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) -*Let’s face it, she’s most likely to take home the Oscar.
-
Helen Hunt (The Sessions) – Would be very happy for Helen to win!
- Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) – *Jess’s pick
Best Supporting Actor
- Alan Arkin (Argo) – *Who I think the Academy will choose…maybe. I’m most torn on this category.
- Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
- Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
- Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) – *Jess’s pick
Best Original Writing
- Michael Haneke (Amour)
- Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained) – *Jess’s pick
- John Gatins (Flight) – *And the Oscar goes to…
- Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom)
- Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty)
To see trailers, the full ballot list, and more Oscar buzz, go to ABCnews.com!
It’s totally fine if you haven’t seen the nominated films, just guess! Cast your votes below in the comments section! And just for fun, let’s all gush about what we’d wear to the red carpet!
Joe and I from the 2010 Oscar Party – Nooo, if we actually went to the Academy Awards, he would not be allowed to wear jeans. And I have something even more fabulous planned for this year!
Countdown to the Oscars: Beasts of the Southern Wild
I take back everything I said about this film. Now that I’ve actually seen the film!
I had previously passed aside this film as this year’s artsy nominee that would be visually stunning, but not make much sense. Very similar to last year’s The Tree of Life.
I was wrong.
Available to rent on DVD already, this summer 2012 release is visually stunning but it’s also a very touching tale of survival, strength, and the many different groups we call family.
Introducing: Beasts of the Southern Wild
I owe Quvenzhane’ Wallis an apology. As the star of Beasts of the Southern Wild, and at only 9 years old, I think she is well deserving of her Oscar nomination. And remember, she’s the youngest ever to be nominated! Wallis plays Hushpuppy, a little girl growing up in the bayou whose way of life is threatened both by an increasing ill father and melting snow caps that will flood her swampland home, nicknamed ‘The Bathtub.’
I wasn’t totally wrong about this film. It is artsy. But artsy is an understatement. It’s not facetious in the way where it’s a beautiful film, but no one understands it. It’s just a pure, breathtaking capture of someone’s different world.
I have never lived in the deep south of Louisiana. Though my city is on the Mississippi, I’ve never lost my home due to flooding, or been forced to live in a shelter. I am grateful for this film because it’s been the first picture I could see why the resiliency of these people is something to be proud of. As outsiders, we watch the news and we think, “Oh good, they’ve opened up a shelter for these people to go to. They are being helped!”
What if that’s not what they wanted? I’d never even thought of that! Far away, from my safe midwest homebase, I thought a shelter was a place of comfort. I hadn’t considered that you’re thrown in there with people you don’t know, possibly separated from your family, wearing clothes you’re not used to, eating food you’re not used to, and that you’re not allowed to go home if you choose.
Don’t misunderstand me, this film is by no means a lecture for the privileged, that’s not its intent. I’m only speaking for myself, this film taught me a reality I’d not considered and I’m grateful for that education.
And when something opens your mind, how can it be anything but beautiful?
Having won Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards, it’s up for four Oscars! Wallis, again, the youngest nominee for a Lead Actress role, the film itself is up for Best Picture, Benh Zeitlin is up for Best Directing, and it’s also up for Best Writing, adapted from previously published material.
Zeitlan and Wallis
I was curious about Zeitlin and where he came from as a new name to the Oscar realm. A New York man, born and raised, he was making films from the age of 6! He’s a film school graduate from Weslayan University, whose previous work had been shorts up until this point. Another tremendous accomplishment for one so young!
He had some great quotes out there about the making of this film so I’ll share a few of my faves with you!
There are funny stories about [the making of “Beasts”] how I went knocking on someone’s door and he came out with a shotgun. Even then, that guy showed up at our gas station two days later, and was like, “I’m sorry. I thought you guys were trying to kill me or you’re from Witness Protection or something like that. I didn’t mean to scare you. You want any red fish?” He’d just caught a bunch. You get real hospitality in Louisiana. I think it’d be much harder in another place because the state is extremely open and a more accepting, hospitable place.
I’m even impressed with the liberty he granted Wallis to define her own character!
She was so focused and poised and just was fierce. She wouldn’t do just what I told her to do, she questioned what I was saying. She’d say, ‘I don’t like this word’ and she’d delete it. I allowed her to own the words and understand what they meant.
One fun fact for you is that both of Zeitlan’s parents are urban folklorists and the founders of City Lore in New York. They work with and support all cultures in order to document, preserve, and celebrate traditions and all forms of artistry. Their site is pretty impressive actually. And it’s no wonder that their son has an element of folklore in his film, Beasts of the Southern Wild.
The people in Hushpuppy’s world believe in the legend of aurochs. Now an extinct form of cattle, aurochs are the much larger versions of today’s cattle species: oxen, buffalo, cows. The last known auroch died in 1627. They had immense protruding horns. None of the research I found even notes their discovery in North America, this creature came from Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. Early attempts at domestication started with the auroch, and where Beasts of the Southern Wild comes into play is the auroch’s anger toward humans.
What do you think? Are you interested in seeing this movie? Check out the trailer to learn more!
Are you on your way to the movie rental? What do you think about Wallis’ and Zeitlan’s nominations so new in the business? What have you heard about this film?
Countdown to the Oscars: Will Les Mis Stand Les Chance?
imdb.com
With eight Oscar nominations, Les Miserables stands just behind Lincoln as the popular choice candidate for 2013’s Academy Award winners. Having already done quite well at the Golden Globes, earning Best Picture in the Musical/Comedy genre as well as honoring both Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway with new statues of their own, I’m torn!
Usually, when an actor or film is nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Oscar, this skeptical fan always watches for “The Curse of the Golden Globe!” Sometimes, winning a Golden Globe can just about guarantee that you will NOT win an Oscar.
However, Les Miserables won Film of the Year at the AFI Awards! And, it’s also a well known assumption that musical nominees do very well at the Oscars…
What’s a girl to go by?!
Les Mis, if you haven’t heard about it, is the tumultuous story of Jean Valjean, a paroled prisoner who tries to start over in life with a new identity, righting his wrongs by caring for an orphaned child. Constantly in the crossroads, a military officer by the name of Javert suspects Valjean as the prisoner who got away.
Meanwhile, around the corner, the French Revolution is brewing in the city streets. Les Miserables is a love story, between a parent and child, between a man and a woman; it is an inspiration for a better life, better world, and new beginning.
So where will it win?
I JUST DON’T KNOW!!!
Seriously. As phenomenal as the music is, I can’t honestly give this film my vote for winner in any of the key categories.
I know. I know. Don’t hate me!
You know what I’m going to root for? I do hope that Les Miserables takes the win for Best Achievement in Sound Mixing. Gracious, aren’t I? But it is a very, very well done musical and the performers are talented singers. I think the team that worked on assembling the sound to be spot on deserves beau coup credit!
But as I stated before, I don’t think Les Mis will take home an Oscar for Best Original Song. Added in to the already phenomenal set list, theater and composing royalty joined forces to create the nominated, “Suddenly” – a song written to describe the paternal love Valjean feels after rescuing Cosette the orphan from the shifty innkeepers she’d been living with. Take a sneak peak!
Beautiful song! But will it hold up against Adele’s nominated “Skyfall”? I’m betting on her. But the Academy could go old school on me and prove me wrong.
Now I’d like you to take a little trip to Logic Land with me.
Earlier, I stated how I wasn’t so amped about 9 year old Quvenzhane’ Wallis‘ nomination for Best Actress being that it seemed an affront to say the BEST acting job of any female in the last year was a child, and not perhaps an actress who had trained, researched, and practiced her craft for years. And I guess I’m getting picky again, but Anne Hathaway’s Best Supporting Nomination is tough for me to root for when she dies so early in the film! *Sorry, minor spoiler!*
One can’t deny her rendition of the critically acclaimed “I Dreamed a Dream” is powerful! I read that Hathaway lived on two squares of oatmeal paste before filming in order to lose 25 pounds for her impoverished character, Fantine. That is impressive. And probably very bland.
Despite my frustration for a “worthy” candidate, I fully admit I could end up eating my words come award day. Hathaway and her co-star Hugh Jackman have both been Oscar hosts in the past! This could put them in a very good light by the Academy, especially since they even performed together on the Oscar stage in 2009!
Hugh Jackman
Anne Hathaway and co-host James Franco – Who could forget the Academy’s attempt to Youth-inize the Oscars?
Note: Anne doesn’t come in to the dance number til about 4:00 minutes, so zoom ahead as desired!
*****
What do you think? Are you rooting for Les Miserables? Am I being too picky over the nominees?
Countdown to the Oscars: Most Nominated Film Goes to Lincoln
Some movies are fortunate enough to have their whole ensemble be absolutely stellar. And that is why Lincoln wins with the most Oscar nominations this year.
imdb.com
Check out the full nomination list from IMDB:
| Academy Awards, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Nominated | Oscar | Best Achievement in Cinematography Janusz Kaminski |
| Best Achievement in Costume Design Joanna Johnston |
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| Best Achievement in Directing Steven Spielberg |
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| Best Achievement in Editing Michael Kahn |
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| Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score John Williams |
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| Best Achievement in Production Design Rick Carter Jim Erickson |
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| Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Andy Nelson Gary Rydstrom Ron Judkins |
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| Best Motion Picture of the Year Steven Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy |
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| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Daniel Day-Lewis |
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| Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Tommy Lee Jones |
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| Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Sally Field |
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| Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Tony Kushner |
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I mean, look at it! It’s nominated for all aspects of film-making! It’s no secret that Lincoln is going to be a tough contender to beat at the Academy Awards. Daniel Day-Lewis has already won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and the film won Movie of the Year at the AFI (American Film Institute) Awards. And let’s face it, Day-Lewis has won half the times he’s been nominated! If this were the Kentucky Derby, I’d put my money on the horse named Lincoln!
The prize players are of course, Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role, Sally Field, playing his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, up for Best Supporting Actor!
But there are quite a few in this cast I would call out! For starters, who would have ever thought James Spader had it in him?! Spader plays W.N. Bilbo, a lawyer and lobbyist who fought for the 13th amendment. The last time I saw a movie and was like, “Yah, James Spader!” was Stargate! Kudos to him on his acting in this film!
John Hawkes – CC Wikipedia Commons
Standing beside him is John Hawkes, a particular favorite of my boyfriend and I, who some of you may recognize from the indie flick Me and You and Everyone We Know. Not to mention his performance as Sol Star on HBO’s Deadwood series, and then as Teardrop in the 2011 Oscar nominated Winter’s Bone. If you ask me, he’s one to watch! A second film Hawkes played the lead in is up for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for costar Helen Hunt, called The Sessions. But in Lincoln, Hawkes plays Robert Latham, quite the dignified historical figure. Latham was a lawyer who became well known for winning a land case for the Eastern Cherokee Nation, and then became a U.S. Senator who fought against child labor and also gave us the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 which amounted to our current banking system and tender, the U.S. dollar.
Rounding out the trio of behind-the-scenes vote capturers, was Tim Blake Nelson as Richard Schell. Schell was another Senator, and later served in the House of Representatives. I’ve been a fan of Tim Blake Nelson since he did his own singing in O Brother, Where Art Thou.
And lastly, I had to smile when I saw Hal Holbrook on the screen portraying Preston Blair. He’s an Emmy and Tony Award winning actor, but he captured my heart portraying the older Jacob in 2011’s film version of Water for Elephants, a movie and book I enjoyed so much I smashed my face into a circus wagon to prove it!
The film Lincoln, I’ve heard, does shed the famous president in a very sunny light. I still think it’s incredibly well done and will always be prevalent to us as a society. It depicts the time right before Lincoln passed the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. 147 years ago, the country was torn with the civil war. Death counts rose everyday. A possible peace treaty was in the works, and yet the amendment may not have passed had that treaty come to be first. Everything was about to change.
goodreads.com
Interestingly enough, you can get a different perspective about the president with the release of Jennifer Chiaverini’s historical fiction, Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker. It just published January 15th, and it’s on my To Read Shelf.
I caught the title in the newest issue of BookPage. Chiaverini used the memoir written by Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House, to write her new work. Keckley was a former slave turned dressmaker for society’s elite, eventually becoming the First Lady’s seamstress. While employed by the Lincolns, she witnessed her share of private moments between the tumultuous couple, and apparently the release of her memoir caused quite the scandal resulting in Mrs. Lincoln severing all ties with her after its publication!
I’m intrigued, are you?!!
Your take! Have you seen Lincoln? What did you think? Do you think a film about this period in history is still relevant?
What about Chiaverini’s new book? Don’t you want to know what Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley really thought about the Lincolns?
Countdown to the Oscars: Just how many nominations will The Hobbit get?
Hello fellow movie lovers! The holidays are come and gone, and many of our favorite shows are starting to return to television (Downton Abbey anyone???). But it also marks the countdown to one of my favorite things of the whole year!
The Oscars!
As the Golden Globe nominations have already been made, the internet is abuzz with Oscar predictions too. Many people say that The Oscars is an old schoolers game, and that the Academy will follow suit and stick with their “Hollywood darlings” to win. But I think in the last few years more and more wild cards have made an impact. Just think Melissa McCarthy nominated for Best Supporting Actress last year in Bridesmaids! Or the surprising inclusion of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, where he was nominated for Best Director, and Christoph Waltz took home an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Most of you know that I am an Oscar freak fanatic! I love trying to guess who will be nominated and who’s going to win. I even host an annual Oscar Party at my house! It’s themed each year, full of wine and appetizers to die for! All guests receive a ballot of all the nominees and must mark their winning selection before the ceremonies begin. And then it’s pencil’s down! I collect all writing utensils and replace them with a colored marker. Guests check off and count how many correct selections they made and the top 3 people with the most right all win fabulous Hollywood worthy schwag bag prizes!
So with the slew of big films all releasing now, I thought I’d better get my butt to the movies!
Hollywood Darling and Tolkien Geek Nominee: The Hobbit, 3D
Over the course of its three films, The Lord of the Rings trilogy won 17 Oscars, and was nominated for a total of 30. I’d say that’s pretty good odds. They made almost all the big categories, with director Peter Jackson earning his award for Best Director. So what do we think will happen for this returning director and crew with their recent release of Part 1, The Hobbit?
(amazon.com)
Sadly for Martin Freeman, I don’t think he’ll be nominated for a Lead Actor. Don’t get me wrong, I loved him as Bilbo! He did fabulously! But, I think he’s up against too many Hollywood Heavyhitters like Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, and Hugh Jackman.
I’m actually not so sure there will be any acting nominations, but let’s not rule out Ian McKellen as Gandalf for a Best Supporting Actor just yet! He’s been previously nominated for the role, so it could happen.
Where I think The Hobbit is going to shine is in the special effects categories. Let’s face it, they’re all well deserved! The credits for this movie were intense when you see how many people were involved in the making of the film. They had their own medical staff on hand! And model makers for those Tolkien landscapes. I’m expecting heavy nominations for The Hobbit in all Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Art Direction categories. I think it’s going to also see nominations in the Costume and Make-up Categories.
(goodreads.com)
Who knew Tolkien dwarves could be so sexy?
Another thing Jackson does well is the musical scores and credit song. Annie Lennox took home an Oscar for LOTR: Return of the King’s “Into the West” and Enya was nominated for The Fellowship of the Ring’s “May It Be.” I would be quite happy for Neil Flinn to be nominated for “Song of the Lonely Mountain”.
With that said, I don’t think The Hobbit will take the win for Best Original song, assuming Adele is nominated for Skyfall, but it’s still a strong contender. Good luck, Neil Flinn!
And lastly, Peter Jackson and his film, The Hobbit, will both receive Oscar Nominations. I think Jackson stands a chance for Best Director again, but I don’t think the Academy is going to vote The Hobbit as best film. There’s not many science fiction/fantasy films that have earned that title. If you ask me, it’s going to go to a more acceptable indie flick like Silver Linings Playbook, or something more historic for the times like Argo or Zero Dark Thirty. We shall see…
For more Oscar fun, check out this movie byte for more Academy Award Predictions!
And stay tuned for more of my Countdown to the Oscars! Who do you think will be nominated this year?
Jess Witkins' Happiness Project 