A 13:13 Road to the Oscars (Part 1)

I love movies. To me, film is the highest form of the performing arts. There's nothing like a great movie. In honor of the Oscars this year, I'm doing a three part blog post on the nominees for the Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Leading Actor/Actress, and Best Picture. I haven't seen every movie or performance from this year's nominees, but I will try to cover as much as I can. This won't be exact, but I'm going to try and cover who I think will win, who I think should win (which might be the same as who I think will win), and other notable performances or snubs. So for today I'm starting with Best Supporting Actor/Actress.

Best Supporting Actor:

1. Kenneth Branagh (My Week With Marilyn)
2. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
3. Nick Nolte (Warrior)
4. Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
5. Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

 Who will win the Oscar?
Simple answer? Christopher Plummer. He won both the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and the Golden Globe. Odds are that he will win the Oscar too. I haven't personally seen Beginners, so I can't really comment on Plummer's performance.

Who should win the Oscar?
Since I haven't seen Christopher Plummer's performance, so I'm not exactly saying he doesn't deserve it. I have seen three of the performances by the actors in this category however, and I can say that some of them were pretty impressive. I was most impressed however by Max von Sydow, who is nominated for his role in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. In a year that saw a return to silent film with The Artist, what impressed me was that Max von Sydow gave a silent performance in a film that wasn't silent, and he gave a very compelling performance. Max von Sydow was really one of the best parts of this movie and I'm glad that he's getting recognized for it with an Oscar nomination.

The other nominees and any snubs?
Jonah Hill and Kenneth Branagh are both deserving nominees this year. Hill, gives a surprisingly good dramatic performance for an actor that is known mostly for his comedy work. Branagh gives the kind of polished performance that you would expect from the veteran Shakespearean actor. I can't honestly say that there are any noticeable snubs in this category this year. Great performances by supporting actors were a little limited this year, but I think the Oscars pretty much got it right with this year's nominees.

Best Supporting Actress:

1. Octavia Spencer (The Help)
2. Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
3. Jessica Chastain (The Help)
4. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
5. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)

Who will win the Oscar? 

Unless there is some unforeseen disaster, this award easily belongs to Octavia Spencer. She won both the Golden Globe and the SAG, and all signs point to her winning the Oscar as well. Some critics say however that she could split the vote with Jessica Chastain, who is also from The Help, giving someone else a chance to sneak by and win. It's possible, but I doubt it. 

Who should win?

Octavia Spencer. Like I said, this award easily belongs to her, and rightfully so. Spencer's performance in The Help is the kind of performance that makes a career. What makes this even greater for Spencer is that she came out of nowhere and rose to such a high level of acting. I honestly can't say enough about how great Spencer's performance is in this move. In this one character she reaches both dramatic and comedic excellence. 

The other nominees/snubs?

This is probably my favorite category this year. I mean don't get me wrong the other categories are pretty exciting, but this category just looks great this year. For starters you have Berenice Bejo in the Artist. She's charming, and she really is the grounding element of The Artist which gives it that extra edge as a great movie. Melissa McCarthy, while I really do like her as an actress, is another story. I don't think that she deserves this nomination. Yes, it's good for the women that they could do a female based comedy like Bridemaids, but that being said this movie is no different than any other Judd Apatow movie. Yes, McCarthy is good in the movie but to nominate her for the Oscar seems unwarranted. I can't help but make comparisons to other supporting actresses that have won or been nominated for this award for comedic performances. Namely Marisa Tomei comes to mind for her performance in My Cousin Vinny. To say that McCarthy's performance is even half as good as Tomei's is a joke itself. Flatulence on camera isn't enough to warrant the nomination. One of the true tragedies of this year's Oscars is that Jessica Chastain can't also win an Oscar. Chastain and Spencer both give amazing, and unassuming, performances in The Help, and the best part is that most of their scenes in the movie are done together. If Spencer hadn't given the amazing performance that she did, I honestly believe that Jessica Chastain would be winning an Oscar this year. She's that good. It's also worth noting that at the SAG Awards, The Help won best ensamble cast, and that Jessica Chastain had major roles in two of this years Best Picture Oscar nominated films, The Help and The Tree of Life. I have not seen Albert Nobbs, so I can't really comment on Janet McTeer's performance this year. Snubs? Yes there is one major snub in my opinion. Shaileen Woodley for The Descendants. This is one of my favorite performances of the year. I would put it right behind Spencer and Chastain's performances this year in the supporting actress category. Instead the Oscars decided to nominate Melissa McCarthy, which is extremely unfortunate. Well those are my opinions on this year's supporting categories.