"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

2014 Academy Awards Overview: Best Actor/Actress in a Leading Role

Best Actor and Best Actress are probably the two most notable awards given outside of Best Picture. These two categories are foregone conclusions this year, which is a shame, cause neither category is getting it right this year. This is a look at the races this year.

Best Actor in a Leading Role:
Christian Bale in American Hustle
Bruce Dern in Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave
Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Who Will Win:
Matthew McConaughey in his turn as an AIDS sufferer who works to advance treatment of the illness. McConaughey has taken home the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and SAG awards for his portrayal in Dallas Buyers Club.
Who Should Win:
As much as I respect what McConaughey has done here, this should be Chiwetel Ejiofor's award. McConaughey's role has a lot of depth and he performs it outstandingly, but at the end of the day his character seems a lot like a variation of the Matthew McConaughey we already know. This role is great, but it's not a huge stretch for McConaughey. The beauty of Ejiofor's performance is that he portrays not just a character, but the whole soul of a man. Solomon Northrup is a man who suffers unbearable physical and emotional pain, and yet he fights on for survival. The ache of watching Northrup being stripped of his dignity by his captors is easily the most raw performance of the year. The story of 12 Years A Slave could easily be turned into merely a good lesson put on film, but Ejiofor's performance (and for that matter Nyong'o's) make it a portrait of a man stolen from freedom and family. Christian Bale is great in American Hustle, but it's hard to watch it and not think about how this role doesn't hold a candle to his Oscar winning turn in The Fighter. Bruce Dern is perfect as a quiet old man somewhere on the edge of lucidity in Nebraska, but the role lacks the same level of content as the other nominees in the category.
Snubs:
There were quite a few snubs among the actors this year. Perhaps most slighted this year were black actors. Chadwich Boseman gave a powerful, though critically underrated, performance as Jackie Robinson in 42. Michael B. Jordan was subtle, but impressive as a man trying to turn his life around for his family in the tragic film Fruitvale Station. While The Butler had its problems and critics, Forest Whitaker carries the film with his performance. One of the most notable snubs was Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips. His acting in the last 15 minutes of that film is enough to win most people an Oscar, let alone his impressive performance in the rest of the film.

Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Amy Adams in American Hustle
Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock in Gravity
Judi Dench in Philomena
Meryl Streep in August: Osage County
Who Will Win:
When Blue Jasmine came out last summer, every critic seemed to automatically decide that Cate Blanchett had just won her second Oscar. That was before any of the other four nominees' performances had hit theaters, I might add. Blanchett has won every major award this year, and a strong campaign has taken root to award Blanchett's overall acting career more so than just this one performance. Most of all though, women in Woody Allen films win awards. That's about as close to a sure thing as you can get with the Academy Awards.
Who Should Win:
Bullock or Adams. Let me start this by saying that I admire Cate Blanchett's career and even her performance in Blue Jasmine. That being said, of the women nominated, Blanchett's performance is fourth place at best. While Blanchett is great in this performance, she comes across as a caricature, not a real person. No matter how hard Blanchett acts, I can't imagine this woman ever existing in the real world. Part of that is that Woody Allen's scripts often have an unbelievable quality to them, and part of that is because the screen has seen this role before in the form of Blanche DuBois.  There are three arguments as to why Sandra Bullock should win this award. First is Bullock's ability to bring emotion out of this role. Bullock evokes a range of emotions from the role; terror in her present situation, sorrow in her tragic past and current feelings of helplessness, the peace she finds through outer space's silence, and most of all triumphant joy in her decision to fight to reclaim her life through all of this. Second is Bullock's physical performance. I would venture to say that this is easily the most physically demanding Oscar nominated performance ever. Bullock was often working with experimental equipment and doing so gracefully. Third Bullock carries most of the film by herself. That's not an easy feat to achieve. Most of the other actresses in this category had large supporting casts to lean on in their films. I know Bullock won't win this award, but her nomination is validation of her first win, so that's enough of a win for me. My second choice for a winner would be Amy Adams. First of all, this is her FIFTH nomination without a win. People seriously underestimate how impressive her career is. Not only has she given five great award worthy performances, she also acts in a wider range of films than almost any other actor in the business. In the film, Adams' character is doing a tight rope routine between trying to hide her true self from those around her, and trying to hide her true self from herself. When Adams really shines in the film is when her character lets her guard down and shows brilliant glimpses of honesty. Amy Adams easily gives the most emotionally demanding performance of the women nominated here. Judi Dench is amazing in Philomena as a woman looking for her son who was taken from her by nuns who were selling Irish babies to Americans. Meryl Streep's nomination here is just proof that the Academy will nominate her no matter what. There are genuinely funny and heartbreaking moments from Streep in this film, but mostly her character is so over the top that it undermines any message the film is trying to get across to viewers. Any of the people in my snubs section would have been better nominees.
Snubs:
The notable snub here is Emma Thompson for Saving Mr. Banks. No matter what problems the critics seemed to have with the film (some of them are warranted, others aren't), most of them still recognized Emma Thompson's excellent acting in the film. The way that she studied PL Travers' breathing and speaking patterns from old recordings and matched those in the film is impressive. Another actress who deserved to be nominated was Brie Larson from Short Term 12. Her performance is subtle, but emotionally powerful. That's something the category could have used more of this year.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

2014 Academy Award Overview: Non-Acting Categories

Here is an overview of some of the more prominent Academy Awards categories outside of Best Picture and the acting categories.
Animated Feature Film:
The Croods
Frozen
Despicable Me 2
The Wind Rises
Ernest & Celestine
Who Will Win:
Frozen. It's really no contest this year, especially with Pixar's only film Monsters University not getting nominated. Many critics are hailing Frozen as the greatest Disney animation musical since The Lion King.
Who Should Win:
This is Frozen's year. In what was easily one of the weakest years for animated film in recent history, this film was the clear stand out. I'll be honest, I haven't seen any of the nominated films outside of Frozen and The Croods, and partially that's cause this year is such a given. I'll add the note here that I've heard nothing but good things about The Wind Rises and Ernest & Celestine, I simply haven't seen them because they haven't been playing in theaters near me. It's good to see Disney Animation have an actual shot at winning this year. In the last few years, Disney Animation has arguably started to rival, if not outperform their Pixar counterpart. A list of their recent animated successes include: Bolt, Tangled, Winnie the Pooh, The Princess and the Frog, and Wreck-It Ralph. The last film on that list easily should have won the Oscar last year.
Snubs:
Monsters University wasn't Pixar's brightest moment, but nonetheless it was a better animated film than most this year. Some critics cheered when it didn't get nominated, and I understand the sentiment. Pixar has beaten some better films simply based on name recognition these past few years. That being said, I think the best films should be nominated, and Monsters University was much better than The Croods.
Directing:
David O. Russell for American Hustle
Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity
Alexander Payne for Nebraska
Steve McQueen for 12 Years A Slave
Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street
Who Will Win:
Unless there is some major upset, this award is going to Cuaron.
Who Should Win:
Cuaron. Gravity is a near-perfect realization of Cuaron's vision. This is a very impressive list of directors working on stunning films, but it's hard to argue against Cuaron and Gravity. Not only did Cuaron direct a visually revolutionary film, he also directed a film that brought the best, physically and emotionally, out of lead actress Sandra Bullock. O. Russell and Payne are impressive directors, but their films don't have the same acute sense of vision that Cuaron's does. If Cuaron weren't in the race, the award should go to McQueen who made many strong choices in portraying the cruelty of slavery.
Snubs:
I really respect David O. Russell and Alexander Payne, but in my opinion, Spike Jonze should have been nominated for his work on the Best Picture nominated Her over everyone in this category except Cuaron and McQueen. Another impressive director this year was Destin Cretton, who directed the critically lauded Short Term 12.
Writing-Adapted Screenplay:
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years A Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Who Will Win:
This one's a little bit of a toss up. Captain Phillips won the Writers Guild Award for this category. Critical consensus however seems to be that 12 Years A Slave is the front runner. That film wasn't even nominated for the Writers Guild Award. Another advantage that 12 Years A Slave has in this category, is that it has a much greater chance of winning the Oscar for Best Picture than Captain Phillips does, so that could raise the film's overall profile in other categories such as this one.
Who Should Win:
I haven't read Solomon Northrup's memoir about the 12 years he spent as a slave in the South, but it is next on my reading list. 12 Years A Slave's script is written to be not just a record of events, but a portrait of Solomon Northrup's indomitable spirit. I have no idea why WGA didn't nominate it for their Adapted Screenplay award, but it was a significant error. This film should hands down win this award.
Writing-Original Screenplay:
Dallas Buyers Club
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Her
Nebraska
Who Will Win:
Again, this one is a little up in the air. Critical consensus is that American Hustle will win. The Writers Guild gave the award to Her. American Hustle again has a greater chance of winning Best Picture than Her. On the other hand, Her has gained a lot of recognition this year as arguably the most original story among the Best Picture contenders. I'm going to take a guess and say that the Academy will recognize the originality of Her.
Who Should Win:
Not only is the concept behind Her more original than the concept behind American Hustle, Her features the best writing in any film this year. The key to Her's script is that it is very dialogue heavy, and the dialogue is beautifully honest and poetic. In other hands, the story of a man falling in love with a computer OS could go very wrong. The way it is developed here shows some very heartfelt glimpses into our longings and insecurities as humans.

Monday, February 24, 2014

2014 Academy Awards Overview: Best Supporting Actor/Actress

This is the first of four posts I am doing on the Academy Awards, which airs this Sunday. This post focuses on the supporting acting categories. Unlike last year when these categories were filled with mostly minor performances, the supporting actor and actress categories are teeming with talented performances this year.

Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips
Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street
Bradley Cooper in American Hustle
Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club
Michael Fassbender in 12 Years A Slave
Who Will Win:
Jared Leto. His turn as a transgender AIDS patient struggling with drug addiction is a complete transformation for Leto. If there's one thing the Academy has consistently rewarded, it's actors who transform themselves for roles. If you have any doubts about Leto's chances of winning, he has already taken home awards at the SAG, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice Awards this year.
Who Should Win:
It's hard to argue against Leto winning this award. The transformation he takes on as an actor is very impressive. Beyond that, the role offered Leto a lot of depth, and he takes full advantage of it in his performance. Another testament to Leto's performance here is that it actually brings out the best in his co-stars Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey. That all being said, this is easily one of the most impressive supporting actor categories in years. Barkhad Abdi is haunting as a pirate who slides seamlessly into the role of thief and hostage taker. Bradley Cooper is manic as the FBI agent who loses all sense of reality in his pursuit of glory. Michael Fassbender is visceral as the mentally disturbed slave owner who treats everyone around him like objects to be abused. In any other year one of these three could easily walk away with this award.
Snubs:
This category is so strong this year, there aren't too many strong cases to make for people getting snubbed. I haven't seen Jonah Hill's performance, and I really have no desire to watch The Wolf of Wall Street. I would personally argue that Sam Rockwell should have been nominated from The Way Way Back, but I'm fully aware that The Way Way Back was never taken as seriously as it should have been, and his name was never legitimately in the mix.

Best Supporting Actress:
June Squibb in Nebraska
Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle
Julia Roberts in August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years A Slave
Who Will Win:
Most of the acting categories are pretty much set in stone as to who will win, but if there's any chance of an upset, it's in this category. Lupita Nyong'o has won in this category at the SAG and the Critics Choice Awards. Jennifer Lawrence took home the Golden Globe in this category. Does that suggest that this race is extremely close? Probably not. Lupita Nyong'o seems to have most of the momentum going into this one. There's also the factor of Jennifer Lawrence having just won an Oscar last year. Unless something shifts the momentum before voting ends, Lupita Nyong'o is almost certainly getting this award.
Who Should Win:
I'm a little up in the air on this one. Lawrence and Nyong'o both gave amazing performances. Just like her winning performance last year, Lawrence is a force of nature in American Hustle. Her role isn't the most vital one in the film, but she steals the attention from just about every other actor when she's on the screen. The beauty of Lawrence's performance is how she makes her character larger than life one moment, and the next moment she makes her character seem like a vulnerable child looking for shelter. Her subtle moments are just as impressive as her over the top ones. Lupita Nyong'o's debut performance was the kind that can define a career. There is a deep personal struggle within her character that she portrays with perfection in her acting. The true testament to Nyong'o's acting here is how deeply she makes you feel the pain of her character's existence. At times the pain is emotional, but it is also physically embodied by the tortures that her character suffers at the hand of her slave owner and his jealous wife. For that, I would give the slight edge to Nyong'o. June Squibb is excellent as a blunt foul-mouthed old woman, but her performance lacks the depth of Nyong'o and Lawarence's performances. Julia Roberts gives one of the best performances of her career here, but in reality it's more of a leading role than a supporting role, so her nomination is a stretch. Sally Hawkins' performance was not even close to the same caliber as her fellow nominees, and her nomination makes no sense.
Snubs:
Other awards ceremonies this year gave nominations to Oprah for her role in The Butler. I think that would have been a much better choice than Sally Hawkins. The true snub here though is Amy Adams for Her. It's not the biggest role, but Adams makes it a vital role to the film through her genuine and honest portrayal of the main character's best friend.