I’m shocked that Robert Redford and All Is Lost received so little love from the Academy, but very pleased to see Nebraska being recognized. And A Hijacking deserved some recognition as well.
Really, though, what this list made me realize is that 2013 was a wonderful year for films.
Granted that the win is going to go to either the Hobbit or Gravity (probably Hobbit; Smaug was very impressive), but I was surprised that Pacific Rim didn’t even get nominated for visual effects.
Two movies which should have received some Oscar love:
And I don’t think Captain Phillips is worthy of a nomination. The rest are worth the attention. (At least the ones I’ve seen. Haven’t seen Gravity and Her yet.)
Which is funny as, if I remember right, David Evans legally changed his name to “The Edge” a few years ago.
Inside Llewyn Davisreally sunk to the bottom like a stone after getting a fair amount of love from the satellite noms and awards.
Gravity was a superbly immersive experience. I saw it in IMAX 3D and it was jaw-dropping. Almost nonstop tension. I was a little put out by the way it played fast and loose with basic orbital mechanics but it was a worthy achievement for the nomination.
I loved Her, and I really wish Jonze had received a best director nod. I also thought Joaquin Pheonix and Scarlett Johansen were fabulous. It was a quiet, understated movie that dealt with some really big themes and difficult questions while being, essentially, a touching love story. I’m glad it seems to be peaking now; I’m afraid it would have been lost if it had been released earlier in the year.
FWIW, if any cares, my top 3 favorite movies this year (I can’t decide what order) were Her, Blue Jasmine and American Hustle. But there were plenty of good movies I didn’t see.
Popping in to mention this is the first Oscar nomination for Cambodia. I’ve not seen the film myself though, The Missing Picture.
So winners?
BP: American Hustle
BD: Cuaron
BA: Matthew Maconnaughey
BA: Amy Adams
BSA: Michael Fassbender
BSAt: Jennifer Lawrence
I like your predictions, but I’d guess
BP: 12 Years A Slave
BD: Alfonso Cauron
BA: Matthew McConaughey
BA: Cate Blanchett
BSA: Jared Leto
BSA: Lupita Nyong’o
Not everyone/thing is what I want, it’s just what I think will win.
My votes would go to (nominations too)
BP: Her
BD: Spike Jonze (Alfonso Cauron)
BA: Joaquin Phoenix or Robert Redford (Leonardo DiCaprio)
BA: Brie Larson or Greta Gerwig (Judi Dench)
BSA: James Franco (Jared Leto)
BSA: Lupita Nyong’o
But really, I don’t care. Well, it’s not that I don’t care, not in a negative way, I always care about the Oscars. It’s just that since my favorite movies and actor choices either didn’t get nominated or don’t stand a chance, I’m not emotionally invested. I liked just about everything/body that was nominated, so I’ll be happy for every winner.
Matthew McConaughey’s sweeping up all the lead actor awards this year.
Oprah was really good in a movie that was otherwise “okay,” but pretty disappointing.
What surprised me was that Catching Fire didn’t receive a nomination for Best Costumes. That monarch butterfly dress and hat alone should have clinched the win. Besides, costumes are really important to this film, more than in most cases.
BP: American Hustle
BD: Cuaron
BA: Matthew Maconnaughey
BA: Cate Blanchett
BSA: Jared Leto
BSAt: Jennifer Lawrence
And as seems to happen each year with monotonous regularity, I have seen none of the movies for Best Picture, Best Actor/Actress, Director, Screenplay, or Supporting Actor/Actress. The only movie nominated that I have seen is Despicable Me 2 (which was quite good). And several of the others I have not even heard of.
I need to get out more.
Regards,
Shodan
I haven’t seen it, but somebody in the trailers was wearing a flaming dress that looked really great. Though I’m not sure how much that falls under “costumes” versus “effects”.
I’m with you, almost. I DID see American Hustle, which was very well acted but at least 20 minutes too long.
Exactly. Guilds and Branches can be very picky about achievements that have significant augmentation through visual effects. Makeup is another category where this can be seen.
Of course, these days, “Cinematography” and “Visual Effects” are synonymous–the last 4 films (Avatar, Hugo, Inception, Life of Pi) to win one also won the other, an unprecedented achievement (and Gravity is very likely to follow suit). 4 of those 5 listed were also in 3D, so it appears the general voters are conflating the two more & more, which makes the reticence of the other branches understandable.
I don’t know; if it were up to me, I’d give cinematography to Gravity, and effects to The Hobbit.
If Silver Linings Playbook didn’t win Best Picture, then I find it difficult to believe that American Hustle, a good film but inferior to SLP, will.
Nebraska pretty much had two male leads: Bruce Dern and Will Forte. Their roles were weighted pretty evenly. So, they just as legitimately could have submitted Bruce Dern in the Supporting Actor category- and I think they were fools not to do so.
If Bruce Dern had been submitted in the Supporting Actor category it would have been an almost guaranteed win. Jared Leto would have been his only real competition.