Oscar Predictions: Who Should Win/Who Will Win

A lot of people like to rag on the Oscars. They talk about how pointlessly flashy they are, how they are harmful to the "art" world, and how they don't matter at all. Some of those are valid complaints. Yet, I think the Oscars are very important to the film industry. For example, I think studios would be a lot shakier to
invest in movies like Her if there weren't the Oscars to guarantee them some extra viewers. Do you honestly think producers would invest in more independent projects like Dallas Buyers Club and 12 Years a Slave if they didn't have the Academy Awards as an impetus? No! The Oscars are great in that way. For me at least, the Oscars re-inspire this love of the movies that I feel we often forget about. I love the Oscars. They're fun and entertaining to say the least. I still feel that it's messed up to rank movies like the Oscars do though. Is The Wolf of Wall Street better than 12 Years a Slave? Maybe, but they are two completely different films. If they broke up the awards into genres, that would probably be better. But alas, that will never happen. I'm also mad some films like Prisoners and Inside Llewyn Davis were completely snubbed for the major categories. But why complain? Let's just embrace it all and enjoy the Academy Awards! So below are my choices of who should and who will win. Also keep in mind that I'm only covering the categories in which I know what I'm talking about. That's why I have no thoughts on Best Foreign Film or Best Documentary short film.
Enjoy.
P.S. Let's all hope Her wins everything.

Best Picture
Will Win: Gravity
Should Win: Her
12 Years a Slave seems like the obvious winner. Yet, I think Gravity may be a surprise here. I would actually be okay with this. It's an amazing technical achievement and reminded everyone why exactly we go to the movies. To be swept up and amazed in the wonderful, and sometimes scary, dream world that is the movies. Her should win though. No movie blew me away emotionally like Her did. It was so incredibly written and acted, and its narrative structure is amazing. I put it at my #1 spot of the year, and I stand by that. No movie deserves Best Picture quite like Her. It won't win, but I'd love it if it did.

Best Leading Actor
Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio-The Wolf of Wall Street
Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio-The Wolf of Wall Street

Very tough category. It's been a fantastic year for movies, no doubt. Arguably, a better year for acting. There were some notable snubs here like Joaquin Phoenix for Her and Tom Hanks for Captain Philips. I really think everyone nominated deserved it though. You may think I'm crazy for picking Leo over McConaughey. I think they were both fantastic and deserving of the nomination. But this is DiCaprio's year. I can feel it in my bones. He's been ignored for too long. I think he has a solid chance and really deserves it. He also won at the Golden Globes. I may end up being wrong, but I'm sticking with my gut this year.
Best Leading Actress
Will Win: Cate Blanchett-Blue Jasmine
Should Win: Amy Adams-American Hustle
It's really a shoe in for Cate Blanchett this year. She won at the Golden Globes and numerous other awards shows. Everyone knows she will win. Blanchett was very good but personally, I think Amy Adams should walk away with the award. She gave a fantastic performance in American Hustle. I actually think she was better in Her, but she deserves it for this as well.
Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Jared Leto-Dallas Buyers Club
Should Win: Jared Leto-Dallas Buyers Club
I kind of want to give this one to Jonah Hill, but Leto really did give an astounding performance here. Not only did he lose massive amounts of weight, but his performance was just amazing. Dallas Buyers Club had a lackluster script, but Leto and McConaughey carried it. Jared Leto definitely deserves this win.

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Lupita Nyong'o-12 Years a Slave
Should Win: June Squibb-Nebraska
Even though Jennifer Lawrence won the Golden Globe and was very good in her role, I don't think she'll win. She already got an award last year and it seems like the favor is starting to shift towards Lupita. Personally, I'd like to see June Squibb win for her hilariously good performance in Nebraska. Squibb made me laugh, but she also gave her character a dearth of emotion and depth. I think she should win, but she definitely won't.
Best Director
Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron-Gravity
Should Win: Alfonso Cuaron-Gravity
Part of me wants Scorsese to win, but what Cuaron did with Gravity was much too awe inspiring to ignore. Gravity is the best "space" movie I've seen since 2001: A Space Odyssey. Many people have complained about Gravity's narrative and screenplay. Both of those are actually great, but it's direction is astounding. I was literally on the edge of my seat for all of Gravity. Alfonso Cuaron massively succeeded with what he set out to do here. Gravity is not my favorite movie of the year. But it is the best directed movie. I honestly cannot comprehend the amount of time, talent, and painstaking work it took to make a movie like Gravity. Therefore, Cuaron should, and will, win.
Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: Her
Should Win: Her
I'm not even going to talk about this. Her is the best film out of all the nominees and the undisputed best film of the year. I loved it. I saw it twice in theaters. Spike Jonze deserves it 100%. The screenplay is beautiful and original. Enough said.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: 12 Years a Slave
Should Win: The Wolf of Wall Street
Besides being a very good and harrowing portrayal of life in slavery, 12 Years a Slave is a great movie. But The Wolf of Wall Street has a much better script. 12 Years was good mainly because of the direction and acting. The Wolf of Wall Street was good because of all those things, and the fact that it had a fast paced and terrific screenplay. The dialogue was absolutely great and Terence Winter really improved on the book. I sure hope it wins, although I do doubt it will. The Academy will want to give 12 Years a prize if it doesn't get Best Picture and it seems that it's been picking this up at the other awards shows this year.
Best Animated Film
Will Win: Frozen
Should Win: The Wind Rises
So, I haven't seen any of the animated film nominees besides The Wind Rises. Yet, The Wind Rises was so good that I feel no other film in this category will surpass it. I've heard other people say the same. The Wind Rises had a beautiful and touching story that I think is very pertinent to the movie industry. It's a shame it won't win. This is mostly because it's not as popular as movies like Frozen.
Best Cinematography
Will Win: Gravity
Should Win: Prisoners
Although Gravity's cinematography was really damn good, Roger Deakins' work on Prisoners was incredible. That man should shoot everything. He gave the film a tone that fit with the story perfectly, capitalizing on the depressing and rainy atmosphere of Prisoners. Deakins is one of the best cinematographers working today and he's yet to win an Oscar (although he has 10 nominations). I hope this is his year, but it's very likely Emmanuel Lubezki will scoop this one up for Gravity.
Best Editing 
Will Win: Gravity
Should Win: Captain Philips
Gravity was a technical masterpiece, but Captain Philips was really well edited and deserves at least one prize considering how it was snubbed in other categories. I think it really deserves it though. Philips was fast paced and riveting. Mainly because of the editing. I think Gravity will win this, but I'd like to see Captain Philips win for sure.
Best Original Score
Will Win: Her
Should Win: Her
It was a great film alone, but Her also had a very beautiful score. Go listen to it and you'll see. That's all.
Best Original Song
Will Win: Frozen-"Let It Go"
Should Win: Her-"The Moon Song"
It's a crying shame that Inside Llewyn Davis' "Please Mr. Kennedy" isn't nominated here, and if it was I'd want it to win. But I think "The Moon Song" is a soft and wonderful song that completely deserves the award. Unfortunately, it will not win. Frozen's song is just more popular and crowd pleasing.

Best Documentary
Will Win: The Act of Killing
Should Win: The Act of Killing
The only nominated documentary I saw this year (Blackfish was snubbed!) was the first half of The Act of Killing. Weak, I know. Yet, what I saw was horrifying and very well done. It got it's point across. I've heard about the rest of the film and there is no doubt in my mind that it should win. I plan on finishing it soon to get the full picture. I did see Blackfish however, and it was a great and absorbing documentary that should have gotten a nomination at least. I really do believe The Act of Killing will win. As it should. It's only real opponent is 20 Feet From Stardom but I think The Act of Killing will pull through.

That's all I have for you guys. This is my final list. I hope you find it enjoyable and informative. Above all, I hope you enjoy tonight's awards, regardless of the winners. Happy Viewing folks.
While you're here you can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies! Thanks!

  

If I Ran The Oscars...

We are currently in awards season. The time of year when all the best films vie for a trophy at the Oscars, or the BAFTA's, or the Golden Globes. While many of the movies nominated for stuff this year is good, I feel some movies were snubbed, an other movies won't win what they deserve. So, this year I am doing my own personal list of Oscar nominations complete with the winners. Enjoy.
Edited Version

BEST PICTURE
Her (Winner)
The Wolf of Wall Street
Gravity
The World's End
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Inside Llewyn Davis
Prisoners
Captain Phillips

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Her-Spike Jonze (Winner)
The World's End-Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
Frances Ha-Noah Baubach & Greta Gerwig
American Hustle-David O. Russell
Nebraska-Bob Nelson
The Place Beyond the Pines-Derek Cianfrance & Ben Coccio
The Counselor-Cormac McCarthy

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Wolf of Wall Street-Terence Winter (Winner)
12 Years a Slave-John Ridley
Behind the Candelabra-Richard LaGravenese
Captain Phillips-Billy Ray
Much Ado About Nothing-Joss Whedon

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Amy Adams-American Hustle (Winner)
Eva Mendes-The Place Beyond the Pines
Greta Gerwig -Frances Ha
Sandra Bullock-Gravity
Carey Mulligan-Inside Llewyn Davis

BEST LEADING ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio-The Wolf of Wall Street (Winner)
Matthew McConaughey-Dallas Buyers Club
Oscar Isaac-Inside Llewyn Davis
Christian Bale-American Hustle
Joaquin Phoenix-Her
Simon Pegg-The World's End

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
June Squibb-Nebraska (Winner)
Amy Adams-Her
Jennifer Lawrence-American Hustle
Scarlett Johansson-Her
Lupita Nyong'o-12 Years a Slave

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jared Leto-Dallas Buyers Club (Winner)
Jonah Hill-The Wolf of Wall Street
Micheal Fassbender-12 Years a Slave
Bradley Cooper-American Hustle
Jeremy Renner-American Hustle

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron-Gravity (Winner)
Edgar Wright-The World's End
Paul Greengrass-Captain Phillips
Martin Scorsese-The Wolf of Wall Street
Spike Jonze-Her

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins-Prisoners (Winner)
Bruno Delbonnel-Inside Llewyn Davis
Hoyte Van Hoytema-Her
Dariusz Wolski-The Counselor
Phedon Papamicheal-Nebraksa

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Pretty much every original song on the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack. We all know that's what deserves to win this category.

Well that's it guys. When the actual nominees come out I'll do another list of predictions. Hope you enjoyed this. If I missed something or you guys agree/disagree, feel free to comment with your thoughts. Hey, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies.

My Favorite Films of 2013

As you all probably know, 2013 was an awesome year for movies. I had to expand my list from 10 to 15 films. I almost pushed it to 20! While I tried to see all of the best stuff this year, I did not see everything. While I would've liked to see Dallas Buyers Club, The Wind Rises, and Saving Mr. Banks, I couldn't see them soon enough. But I did see enough to make this list. As I said, 2013 was a fantastic year for film. So good, that not every movie made it on to my list. So I'll start off with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions: Side Effects, Stoker, Pacific Rim, This Is the End, The Way Way Back, Much Ado About Nothing, Star Trek Into Darkness, and The Counselor. (I almost didn't put The Counselor on here, but I did enjoy it and I felt it was really over hated and under seen. Plus the performances were good and the dialog was awesome) All of those films are worth seeing. They just aren't as good as the ones on my Top 15 list. So without much ado, My Top 15 Movies of 2013!

15. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. People love to hate on Peter Jackson's Hobbit films. Sure, the first one was overlong and nothing compared to the LOTR movies, but the second installment was a huge improvement in many ways. The CGI and pacing was a hell of a lot better than the first one. It was also vastly entertaining and a really fun viewing experience, especially in 3D (which I don't usually say). It's not award worthy, but I really enjoyed this Hobbit film.

14. Behind the Candelabra. While Side Effects was quite good, Steven Soderbergh's other film he released this year was a little better.  It chronicled the relationship between Liberace and his much younger lover, Scott Thorson, and did it in a emotionally heavy and tasteful way that I really liked. Soderbergh's direction has never been smoother or more assured. Not to mention the movie boasted two great performances from Matt Damon and Micheal Douglas.

13. Nebraska. Alexander Payne's newest film is one of his best. His story about a sad old man chasing a fantasy with the help of his reluctant son was hilarious and really damn touching. Bruce Dern has never been better and June Squibb gave one of the funniest and best performances of the year. Really a good movie.

12. Mud. Matthew McConaughey has went from mediocre rom-com star to fantastic actor and Oscar contender. Mud is another great example of that. Jeff Nichols crafts a wonderful coming of age story that I haven't seen since Stand By Me. After some promising stuff like Shotgun Stories, Nichols shows he can make really good and meaningful cinema with Mud. The kids acting here are pretty good too, which is definitely rarer then it should be. Mud would be much higher on this list if so much good stuff didn't come out this year.

11. Captain Phillips. Movies don't often have the level of sheer intensity that Captain Phillips has. Paul Greengrass' action movie style direction certainly helped. Tom Hanks already showed he can carry a movie on his back in Cast Away. He just reinforces that here, especially in a powerful last ten minutes. Newcomer Barkhad Abdirahman was fantastic too as a Somali pirate.

10. Frances Ha. Yeah, Frances Ha doesn't tackle big subjects like racism or disease. But it doesn't have to. Noah Baumbach did a great job of showing us a touching snapshot of the life of a struggling artist in New York. Frances Ha has a great performance by Greta Gerwig, a fantastic screenplay, and some very good direction. I highly recommend this film, and it's a shame it's getting snubbed for so many awards.

9. The Place Beyond the Pines. When I saw this in theaters back in April, I was completely blown away. Derek Cianfrance last did the very good Blue Valentine. The Place Beyond the Pines is more ambitious, better acted, and just an extraordinary film in all. Eva Mendes gives a surprisingly great performance along with Bradley Cooper, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ryan Gosling. It weaves together three stories over about a fifteen year period and is exciting, sad, and just very, very good.

8. The World's End. I really love this film. I've seen it twice now and own it on DVD. I'm actually tempted to put it higher on the list. Director Edgar Wright does an amazing job with mixing wild comedy, great filmmaking, surprisingly heartfelt statements about coming home and addiction, and really good performances (specifically Simon Pegg) to make an almost perfect movie. Definitely a satisfying end to The Cornetto Trilogy. I can't recommend this enough.

7. Gravity. Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi thriller is nothing short of mind blowing. People complain that it's short on plot and character, but they're kind of wrong. The simplicity of it is what makes it work so well. While I feel Gravity was quite over hyped, it was still amazing. Especially in 3D, which as I said before, I don't usually say.

6. Prisoners. I walked away from Prisoners with my jaw to the floor and my head filled with thoughts about the film. Not only did it turn the whole mystery genre on it's head, but it was original and intense as hell. Denis Villeneuve nailed it with this. The performances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, and Melissa Leo were terrific. This was actually at my number one spot for a while, you really should see it.

5. Inside Llewyn Davis. The Coen Brothers have quite obviously mastered the craft of filmmaking. Their newest film, Inside Llewyn Davis is a funny, emotional, and interesting look at one struggling musician's life in the 60's New York folk scene. It was hilarious at times and sad at others, and very well done. The cinematography was beautiful. Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan both are great here, along with a nice appearance by John Goodman. Not to mention, it had a killer soundtrack.

4. American Hustle. Christian Bale's performance is one of the best things in a movie filled with great things. American Hustle was one of the more entertaining films of the year and was chock full of great performances. It's 70's setting was spot on and the script was very funny. David O. Russell is definitely doing something right.

3. 12 Years a Slave. Never has a film showed suffering as 12 Years a Slave has. Steve McQueen shows slavery as it was, nothing more and nothing less. And boy is it horrifying. Yet, it is so well made and well acted that you must see it. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives one of the best performances of the year as the tortured Solomon Northup. 12 Years a Slave is a film I won't forget for as long as I am alive.

2. The Wolf of Wall Street. Martin Scorsese is my favorite director, and the case could be made that he is America's greatest director. The Wolf of Wall Street is Scorsese's best film since The Departed, and possibly GoodFellas. It's entertaining as hell, while still showing us the excess and greed personified in 90's Wall Street. Some have criticized the movie for 'condoning' the actions of the people it portrays. This isn't true, and we shouldn't have to be told that these guys are bad. It's the audience's fault if we can't understand that what Jordan Belfort did was bad. The film also houses Leonardo DiCaprio's best performance ever. Give that man an Oscar! I loved The Wolf of Wall Street.

1. Her. I haven't seen a film as astounding as Her probably in a really long time. It makes a relationship between a man and an operating system seem normal, even understandable. Writer/director Spike Jonze also asks and answers so many questions about artificial intelligence and consciousness. Her is beautiful in so many ways. The performances are great. Namely Joaquin Phoenix, but also Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson (even though you never see her). Spike Jonze's screenplay is terrific and his direction is the best it's been since Being John Malkovich, if not better. I can barely express my feelings and love for Her, it's just such a masterpiece. Her is without a doubt, the best movie of the year.
 
 Well thanks for reading! As Always, Happy Viewing! You can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies.

American Hustle review

American Bullshit was the original title for the film. Which is so much better in my opinion.
American Hustle is a movie about cons, tricks, hustles, and lies. The plot itself is about that, and much of the movie has little things that reflect the whole "con" theme. In the beginning of the film, the screen reads the words, 'Some of this actually happened'. It's hard to tell what's real here. The whole movie is one big con. That's what makes it so damn fun. American Hustle is the kind of movie that you want to see again. You want to pick up on all the little things you missed, and also just enjoy it all again. The film is about a con artist named Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) who, through a series of not-so-legal business transactions, gets himself involved in a sting operation led by federal agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) involving the mafia and Camden New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). Swept up with him are his business colleague/lover, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), and his crazy wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). This is directed by David O. Russell. I'm not as familiar with his filmography as I should be, but his last movie, Silver Linings Playbook, was one of my favorite films of last year. He's done it again with American Hustle, because this is one of my favorite movies of this year. It's actually pretty amazing that this guy can make a spectacular film one year and pretty much immediately make another hit. This movie is crazy entertaining with some awesome performances and a really good screenplay. The film takes place in the 70's. Although it was the actual time the ABSCAM operation, it's also an ideal setting for the movie. The 70's was an era of fake hair, which there is a lot of in this film, and fake music. This whole movie is about fakery, cons, and other stuff of that nature. The whole 70's setting works perfectly for the film. The whole movie just works so well. If you haven't heard by now, the acting here is terrific. Christian Bale is the obvious standout playing the head con artist, Irving Rosenfeld. He gained a decent amount of weight for the role, but his performance is much more than aesthetic. He portrays his character perfectly. Everything from his Bronx accent to his 'elaborate' comb over. While his character is funny, it could be easily turned into a thin caricature. Bale, despite all his cons and tricks, makes the character seem completely real. It's amazing how damn versatile he is. Going from a psycho killer, to Batman, to this takes some skill. Christian Bale obviously has skill. The female leads here are also great. Amy Adams gives another knock out performance as Rosenfeld's partner with a fake British accent, Sydney Prosser. Amy Adams has continued to prove that she is a more than capable actress. She was awesome in last year's The Master. She's even better here and I hope she wins an Oscar for this role. I can honestly say she is one of my favorite actresses. Jennifer Lawrence already won an Oscar for David O. Russell's last film. I wouldn't be surprised if she won again. It's incredible how she can give a great performance in a small indie film, then star in The Hunger Games and in the new X-Men movie, then star in two smaller, more acclaimed films. You could say she's the female Christian Bale. Anyway, she's fantastic here. most of the time she plays a very likable character. Here she's playing a crazy and generally annoying character. And she does it very,very well. Bradley Cooper is really good too. Which if two years ago you called Bradley Cooper a very good actor I would have laughed in your face. After Silver Linings Playbook, The Place Beyond The Pines, and this, I have a lot of faith in Mr. Cooper. Jeremy Renner has a smaller role as Mayor Carmine Polito and i know he's going to get zero recognition for his role but I thought he did a great job. Renner is a very underrated actor. Although American Hustle has done very well critically, recently I've heard a lot of complaints about how overrated it is and how it will win Best Picture but won't deserve it. It's not The Wolf of Wall Street but I'd be perfectly happy if this won Best Picture. It's certainly making my Best of the Year list and I would certainly see it again. American Hustle is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen all year and it entertained the hell out of me. It combined comedy and serious filmmaking very expertly. It's soundtrack also worked really, really well. I am going to give American Hustle 4.8 out of 5 stars. Happy Viewing you guys. Remember you can always follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies.