Best Picture
American
HustleDallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Not nominated: Saving Mr. Banks
This is a shame because: It’s a deceptively deep and tender film, and yet has so
many aspects of magic and childhood that it made me want to squee every ten
minutes.
What a great year for movies! So
many different styles and stories, so many great performances. I’ve managed to
see everything bar Nebraska and Philomena, and the pickings are good. Gravity really blew me away as a lesson in how to get beyond the
screen and really connect with the
audience – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. American Hustle was an odd, darkly funny movie, jam-packed with
wonderful performances. Her was,
again, something I’ve never encountered, and which actually changed the way I
think about certain things. Captain
Phillips was enthralling, and The
Wolf of Wall Street was full of things to like, though it did suffer from
Scorsese’s usual tendency to forget to edit. Funnily enough, I found the
favourite, 12 Years a Slave, oddly …
underwhelming? I can’t put my finger on why, exactly, but perhaps it was just
in comparison to the others. Having said all this, the subject matter means a
lot to America, and the film is undeniably impressive, especially given it was
filmed in something like 35 days, so it’s probably going to take out the Big
One.
Who WILL win: 12 Years a Slave
Who SHOULD win: Gravity
Best Actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, NebraskaLeonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Not nominated: Tom Hanks, Captain
Phillips, and Joaquim Phoenix, Her.
This is a shame because: Hanks gave a top-notch performance here, and it’s not
right to overlook him just because he’s always awesome. Also, Phoenix did
something really remarkable and difficult with Her, and deserves acknowledgement.
Let’s talk a bit about Leo. He
is, inarguably, a remarkably talented actor. His first nomination for his
stunning turn in What’s Eating Gilbert
Grape was unfortunately up against Tommy-Lee Jones in The Fugitive. And while Sam Gerard’s “henhouse, outhouse and doghouse”
speech is one of my favourites, one performance is clearly above another. Other
films follow, and Leo is either not nominated or up against a blown-out-of-the-water
favourite. But this year the word I hear most associated with his performance
in the Wolf of Wall Street is “master
class”. And it kind of is; don’t think I’ve ever seen a role given so much
energy and commitment. However, this year everyone seems to love McConaughey to
bits, and it is a very good performance. But I can’t shake the thought that
some of the hard-partying, rednecking, sexing lifestyle portrayed in Dallas Buyers Club is … kind of what
McConaughey gets up to on the weekend anyway. Too harsh? Well, possibly. And he’ll probably do it. But
I’m pulling for Leo. Chiwetel’s BAFTA may have boosted his chances here, also.
Who WILL win: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas
Buyers Club
Who SHOULD win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The
Wolf of Wall Street
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue JasmineSandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Not nominated: Emma Thompson, Saving
Mr. Banks
This is a shame because: her
performance is really something special, and a great deal more complex than
critics have given her credit for.
Meryl Streep, while a
fantastic actress, has the opposite problem to DiCaprio. She is frequently
awesome and always gets recognition, even when she is less awesome than usual.
Despite this, it’s a wonderful year for women on film; strong, complex
characters and strong, complex performances. Bullock was the thing that
anchored us throughout Gravity, and
Adams gave what I think is so far a career-best performance as someone jumping
from façade to façade as she tries to escape herself. Ultimately, however, it
seems this is Blanchett’s award to lose, and it couldn’t really happen to a
more deserving actress. Time to make it up for that whole Gwyneth Paltrow
debacle.
Who WILL win: Cate Blanchett, Blue
Jasmine
Who SHOULD win: Cate Blanchett, Blue
Jasmine
Best Supporting
Actor
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
I know Jared Leto seems to have
this all but sewn up, and he probably does, but I kind of want someone else to
get it. Not Jonah Hill, I’m not crazy. Fassbender was marvellous, as usual, and
Abdi handled a tough, showing-not-telling role really, really well. He also
nabbed the BAFTA, but that’s not usually much of an influence in American
awards. Bradley Cooper continues to make me like him, not the least because his
hairstyle in American Hustle was his
own suggestion. I sort of wanted Tom Hanks in this category for Saving Mr. Banks, because I thought his
performance was much more subtle and layered than he got credit for, but I
understand why all of these people are here (even Jonah Hill). Having said all
this, Leto gave a striking performance, and a win would be deserved.
Who WILL win: Jared Leto, Dallas
Buyers Club
Who SHOULD win: Michael Fassbender, 12
Years a Slave
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American HustleLupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Jennifer Lawrence may not be on
screen for long, but boy does she resonate. You can absolutely see how
Christian Bale’s character would be too dazzled by her zig-zagging logic and
complete confidence in her own rightness. She’s one of the most dangerous
characters in the film, because you just don’t know which way she’s going to
move next. Nyong’o gave a great performance, but for some reason didn’t really
stay with me. I suppose I’d be all right if she won, and it’s quite a feat for
a newcomer, but it’s Lawrence who impresses me most with how utterly she can
slip into a character’s skin.
Who WILL win: Lupita Nyong’o, 12
Years a Slave
Who SHOULD win: Jennifer Lawrence, American
Hustle
Best Director
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alfonso Cuarón, GravityAlexander Payne, Nebraska
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
A very interesting year. While
each of these films was deftly handled, I didn’t come away from any being as
utterly impressed as I did with Gravity’s
direction. Just stunning. There’s something to love about a film whose
direction is so pioneering and bombastic and just flawless. Probably Steve
McQueen is the closest competitor, and apparently everyone loves Alexander Payne, but coming off the DGAs and all the
other awards I think Cuarón really has this one in the bag.
Who WILL win: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Who SHOULD win: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Best Foreign
Language Film
The
Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
The
Great Beauty (Italy)The Hunt (Denmark)
The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
Omar (Palestine)
Ok, I’ve seen none of these. I
have been meaning to watch The Hunt –
does that count? Really I’ll just be going on the buzz, which all seems to
point towards Italy’s candidate.
Who WILL win: The
Great Beauty (Italy)
Who SHOULD win: The Great Beauty
(Italy)
Best Adapted
Screenplay
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy,
Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight
Billy Ray, Captain PhillipsSteve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street
I just don’t know. Despite never
having seen any of the Before Midnight
trilogy (it’s a trilogy, right?) I kind of want it to win. Or Steve Coogan, who
has a lot of supporters in America, and I think Philomena deserves something.
I don’t know what it is about 12 Years
that I find a little … underwhelming, but there it is. Captain Phillips won the WGA, and that says a lot. I’ll be going
back and forth about this.
Who WILL win: John Ridley, 12
Years a Slave
Who SHOULD win: Billy Ray, Captain
Phillips
Best Original
Screenplay
Eric Warren Singer and David O.
Russell, American Hustle
Woody Allen, Blue JasmineCraig Borten and Melisa Wallack, Dallas Buyers Club
Spike Jonze, Her
Bob Nelson, Nebraska
Her was
one of those movies that really blew me away this year. It’s not a new subject
to be tackled by film, but as the possibility of artificial intelligence
becomes more and more believable as a probability it calls on the audience to
really stop and think seriously about what all this technology will mean for
the human race. But quite apart from being about the technology itself, this
film is a character study that is played out in conversation, and the script is
so well handled. Some might call this Spike Jonze’s consolation prize for
missing out on a director nod, but it’s a remarkable achievement all on its own.
Who WILL win: Spike Jonze, for Her
Who SHOULD win: Spike Jonze, for Her
Best Animated
Feature Film
The
Croods
Despicable
Me 2Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises
Oh my god. I had the Ernest & Celestine book when I was
little. It is an enchanting story
about two friends having a picnic. This movie, the trailer tells me, is NOT
about two friends having a picnic, but seems charming anyway. So despite it
being about the least likely to win, I want it to. In real life, it’s a race
between Frozen and The Wind Rises, the latter of which was going to be Hayao
Miyazaki’s last film, but he seems to have rethought matters now. He’s got good
form in this category; better, in any rate, than the Mouse House (when not
combining with Pixar), but I think Frozen’s animation was a bit stunning, and
it really was a nice nod in the direction of Disney’s glory days.
Who WILL win: Frozen
Who SHOULD win: Ernest &
Celestine
Best Production
Design
American
Hustle
GravityThe Great Gatsby
Her
12 Years a Slave
This is the category that Gatsby is most likely to win in, but it might not have what it takes to knock Gravity or 12 Years a Slave out of the water. Catherine Martin is a bit of a pro when it comes to Baz’s big splashy numbers, and if ever there was a movie that called for that flamboyance it was Gatsby. Having said all that, I can’t really say with certainty that any of these has it in the bag.
Who WILL win: 12 Years a Slave
Who SHOULD win: Gravity
Best
Cinematography
Philippe Le Sourd, The Grandmaster
Emmanuel Lubezki, GravityBruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis
Phedon Papamichael, Nebraska
Roger Deakins, Prisoners
Man, Roger Deakins has the worst luck (ok, within certain
parameters). He is the Leonardo DiCaprio of cinematography. This man is an
exquisite cinematographer, yet always seems to be up against something that
much more groundbreaking or zeitgeisty than his own work. And this year, I’m
sorry to say, really and truly does belong to Lubezki and his frankly stunning
work for Gravity. His camera work was
such a big part of the disorientation and dischordance required to tell this
story, and it was technically astonishing. Sorry Roger, better luck next year.
Who WILL win: Gravity,
Emmanuel Lubezki
Who SHOULD win: Gravity,
Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Sound
Mixing
Captain
Phillips
GravityThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor
This award, like much of the
technical awards, will be between the all-encompassing flawlessness of Gravity and the rough-and-ready
perfection of Captain Phillips.
Recent sound awards tilt in the favour of Gravity,
although I think Phillips has an edge
in this particular category.
Who WILL win: Gravity
Who SHOULD win: Captain Phillips
Best Sound
Editing
All Is
Lost
Captain
PhillipsGravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor
Gravity is
mostly effects, and the sound and absence of it is fairly remarkable. I’ll be
happy if it takes out this one.
Who WILL win: Gravity
Who SHOULD win: Gravity
Best Original
Score
John Williams, The Book Thief
Steven Price, GravityWilliam Butler and Owen Pallett, Her
Alexandre Desplat, Philomena
Thomas Newman, Saving Mr. Banks
Oh, Mr Newman, how I love you. You
are the knees of a bee, the pyjamas of a cat, and other such things belonging
to small, fuzzy creatures. And yet from the soaring Shawshank Redemption to the exquisite How to Make an American Quilt (one of my favourite scores ever
composed, but not even nominated), from the dissonance of American Beauty and Lemony
Snickett to the empty spaces of Road
to Perdition, he has been denied an Oscar. Saving Mr. Banks, one of my favourite films of the year, has a
beautiful score, and is well worthy of the award, but I suspect that the
sparse, atmospheric (ha, see what I did there?) score for Gravity might just piss me off and take it. And the voters won’t be
wrong; they just won’t be as right as they could be. Nevertheless, I
will be crossing fingers, toes and anything else I can manage for Mr Newman.
Who WILL win: Steven Price,
Gravity
Who SHOULD win: Thomas Newman, Saving
Mr. BanksBest Original Song
“Happy” from Despicable Me 2 – Pharrell Williams
“Let It Go” from Frozen – Kristen Anderson-Lopez and
Robert Lopez“The Moon Song” from Her – Karen O and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
Not nominated: “I See Fire” from The
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
This is a shame because: it is haunting and film-appropriate and comes exactly at
the right moment.
Rant time. People are going on and
on about Lana Del Ray. Philistines. This snobbery with regard to the Hobbit must cease and desist. Yes, as a
whole the trilogy (ugh) has been somewhat disappointing, and yes, it’s kind of
confusing how disappointing it is seeing
as so many of its components (casting, technical wizardry, etc.) are wonderful.
But I’m going to need the members of the Academy to look me in the eye and
explain why Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” is not on this list. Because it is
freaking beautiful. Yeah! I said it! “Happy” is indeed infectiously
fun, and “Ordinary Love” comes from the formidable mash-up of Mandela and U2,
but whither the Hobbit? WHITHER!? The
only positive is it means I don’t have to feel guilty about voting for “Let It
Go”, which is a perfectly fabulous song. I’m quite looking forward to the live
performances, actually.
Who WILL win: “Let It Go” from Frozen
– Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Who SHOULD win: “I See Fire” from The
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Ed Sheeran (admittedly, not nominated,
but neither was Hal Mohr when he won on the write-in vote for cinematography in
1935. Man, those were the days … bring those
back)
Best Costume
American
Hustle
The
GrandmasterThe Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
12 Years a Slave
The sad thing is, American Hustle, while receiving a
buttload of nominations (yes, that is the collective term), looks like it’s
going to be squeezed out (really regretting the aforementioned term now) of
pretty much everything. But here’s what I like about its chances: each costume
fit its character and its storyline perfectly. The dress Jennifer Lawrence was
wearing in the club? It was supposed to look like she had been poured into it,
and that at any moment she was in danger of busting out – just like her
character. I think it has its best chance here, but 12 Years a Slave looks
like it’s going to take over.
Who WILL win: 12 Years a Slave
Who SHOULD win: American Hustle
Best
Documentary Feature
The Act
of Killing
Cutie
and the BoxerDirty Wars
The Square
20 Feet from Stardom
Weird is not a strong enough word
to describe the plot of The Act of
Killing, which looks like the frontrunner for this category. Here’s what
Imdb says: A documentary which challenges
former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever
cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and
lavish musical numbers. Yeah. Look, 20
Feet from Stardom has a lot of goodwill behind it, but I’m not sure there’s
any way you can beat that for a headline. Or for the balls of those who made
the thing in the first place.
Who WILL win: The Act of Killing
Who SHOULD win: The Act of Killing
Best
Documentary (short subject)
CaveDigger
Facing
FearKarama Has No Walls
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Prison
Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Here we go, down to the part where
I start guessing, eeny-meeny-mo-style. But actually I’ve read some reviews of
this, and while CaveDigger is not,
say, the most exciting of subjects, it appears it’s far and away the best-made
of these documentaries. If we’re going by subject matter (and I suspect that
sometimes this happens at the Academy), then Prison Terminal or The Lady
in Number 6 have the most compelling premises.
Who WILL win: Prison Terminal:
The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Who SHOULD win: CaveDigger
Best Film
Editing
American
HustleDallas Buyers Club
Gravity
12 Years a Slave
It’s a funny thing about David O.
Russell’s movies; he pays a lot of attention to editing. And while it might not
be something you necessarily notice, it has a lot to do with how he tells his
story. Which is why Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook both picked up a
bunch of editing society awards. Captain
Phillips might have an edge due to the more showy nature of its editing,
but who knows? Not me, certainly.
Who WILL win: Captain Phillips
Who SHOULD win: American Hustle
Best Makeup and
Hairstyling
Dallas
Buyers Club
Jackass
Presents: Bad GrandpaThe Lone Ranger
Not nominated: American Hustle.
This is a shame because: The hair in that movie was some of the most hilarious
since No Country for Old Men. I mean,
what was going on with Christian
Bale?
Making the (alleged) sexiest man
alive look absolutely anything but is certainly something to be applauded, but
I’m not sure there aren’t other films more worthy. Having said that, I sure as
heck don’t want to see anything with “Jackass” in the title win an Oscar. I
guess that leaves me The Lone Ranger,
which I have not seen and which is probably the least likely to take out this
award..
Who WILL win: Dallas
Buyers Club
Who SHOULD win: Someone else! Oh,
I don’t know, Dallas Buyers Club, I suppose.
Best Animated
Short Film
Feral
Get a
Horse!Mr. Hublot
Possessions
Room on the Broom
Disney came back in a big way with
this beautiful little short straddling the era of animation. It’s one of those
shorts you just want to give a big hearty slow clap to at the end: “Yes, well played, Mr Disney. Well played.” Plus it gave Mickey a
chance to star in his own little charming short, and everyone loves a comeback
kid.
Who WILL win: Get a Horse!
Who SHOULD win: Get a Horse!
Best Live
Action Short Film
Aquel
No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)
Avant
Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)Helium
Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
The Voorman Problem
Nope, I haven’t seen any of them,
although I do like all the titles. Helium,
for example, sounds a lot funnier than it probably is. I’m quite intrigued by The Voorman Problem, and not just
because Martin Freeman is in it. Ok, mostly
because of that, but nevermind. However, the one I hear the most buzz about is
the reportedly exquisite French offering, Avant
Que De Tout Perdre.
Who WILL win: Avant Que De Tout
Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)
Who SHOULD win: Avant Que De Tout
Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)
Gravity
The
Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugIron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness
It’s not that I don’t think Gravity deserves to win, because I do.
But I also think they did a heck of a job with Smaug, which was really the one
reason this second instalment of the Hobbit was so much better received than
the last. In the event of a tie, I’ll be laughing smugly. Meanwhile, the visual
aspect of Gravity was one of its
main, stunning, achievements.
Who WILL win: Gravity
Who SHOULD win: Gravity/The
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
During the Blitz all (ok, much) effort was put into preserving St Paul's. While the bombs managed to miss this gigantic target, the danger came instead from fires started in its vicinity. There are several memorials, therefore, to the firefighters who risked their lives during the raids to protect the cathedral, which became a symbol of hope to many. 
Just in case you don't believe we made it to the top:
Meanwhile, Mum was somewhat unamused at my attempts to capture the moments:
While Dad posed like a champion:
The squrls in this particular park are so tame they'll come right up to you if they think there's the chance of a snack. Of course, those humans without snacks to pacify said squrls have to back away sharpish in case there's a backlash.
Here are some pelicans...or possibly a giant white flamingo, or some other bird with extraordinarily long legs...
Here's a photo I dare anyone to resist titling "The Royal Wee":
Here comes the obligatory Close-Up-Macro-Shot-Of-Plant-Life:
