Awards Season 2013: Tez's Official Oscar Predictions 2013

Tonight, the great and good of Hollywood will convene to celebrate the best of filmmaking in 2012 at the 85th Annual Academy Awards, hosted for the first time by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane. It has become a tradition for me to predict the nominations and the winners in the main six categories (the four acting categories, Best Director and Best Picture).  I've done this since 2003 with varying degrees of success. So, without further ado, here are my predictions for who will win.

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

I will be shocked if any of the other names are read out for this award. Hathaway's performance as Fantine is probably the best thing about the film and her bravura heartrending rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream' is just sublime. She's been the runaway winner throughout the 2013 awards season and I don't see anyone stopping that at the Oscars.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

This is one of the more open categories and we could well see any one of the five nominees named. For the first time in the Academy Awards' history, the Best Supporting Actor category is completely comprised of previous Oscar winners. There has been no clear runaway winner in this category throughout this awards season, but Waltz's wins at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs puts him ahead. His performance as Dr. King Schultz, a talkative dentist-turned-bounty-hunter, is a warm and effusive one and the film does suffer when he is not present. If not Waltz, then I think Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln.

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

With no disrespect meant to the other nominees, this has been pretty much a two-horse race since awards season began. Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence have been neck-and-neck, claiming major awards apiece. Whilst Chastain's performance in Zero Dark Thirty is undeniably powerful, her character is a blank slate. You never get to know who Maya is behind the job. Whereas Tiffany, Lawrence's character in Silver Linings Playbook, has a full backstory and is a more rounded character. It's an astoundingly mature performance from a young actress- in one scene she more than holds her own opposite Robert de Niro which is no mean feat. I'm gonna say Lawrence for Best Actress but won't be surprised if it's Chastain (or even Emmanuelle Riva for a real left-field suggestion)

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

Day-Lewis' performance as the eponymous President is just amazing. He really disappears into the role (as he always does) and what's left behind is a stoic, determined, dignified performance. As with Anne Hathaway, it's been Day-Lewis' show from the beginning of the awards season and I really don't see any other nominee coming close. If he does win, he will be the first actor to win three Best Leading Actor Oscars (Jack Nicholson also has three but one is for Supporting Actor) and he'll be the first actor to win an Oscar playing an American President. 

Best Director: Ang Lee (Life Of Pi)

This is the one I’m really not sure about. Usually you can count on the winner of the Directors Guild Award to also get the Oscar but this year's winner- Ben Affleck- wasn't nominated for the Oscar, so that theory goes for a burton. Whilst David O Russell and Michael Haneke get great performances from their respective casts, I didn't find the direction inspiring. Benh Zeitlin's direction of Beasts Of The Southern Wild is impressive, especially since he's dealing largely with a cast of non-actors. As you would expect, Spielberg's direction of Lincoln is polished, eliciting great performances across the board. But I think the technical challenges of Life Of Pi as well as a rare impressive use for 3D puts Ang Lee ahead. However, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's Spielberg.

Best Picture: Argo

Argo's blend of Hollywood satire and tense thriller might, on paper, seem like an odd combination- but it works. It ticks all the boxes that previous Oscar winners have- it's about films, it's about a real-life moment in American history, it's a surprisingly well crafted film- so it's kind of the whole package. If it's not that, I would imagine Lincoln would get it.  

Last year, I got 5 out of 6 (stating George Clooney would win Best Actor instead of Jean Dujardin). I have to be honest, I'm not even that confident this year. I'll be happy if I get 3 out of 6.

Check back on the blog on Monday February 25th for my thoughts on the Oscars ceremony and a full list of winners

Tez

Awards Season 2013: WGA, Independent Spirit and Razzies Results

Awards season is nearly over for another year (I hear some sighs and a lot of relief). There's just one more to go- the big one- the 85th Annual Academy Awards which is tonight (February 24th). It can be viewed on a dedicated Sky Movies channel in the UK and on ABC in the US. But before I turn my eyes to the Oscars, here's a round-up of the rest of the awards ceremony that have taken place in the last week. 

WRITERS' GUILD AWARDS

The WGA Awards- which honour both television and film writing, were presented on Sunday February 17th. Here are the film winners.

Original Screenplay: Zero Dark Thirty

Adapted Screenplay: Argo

Documentary Screenplay: Searching For Sugar Man

Both Zero Dark Thirty and Argo are nominated in their respective writing categories for the Oscars, so wins here will bolster their chances for winning at the Academy Awards. There is no category for documentary writing at the Oscars but Searching For Sugar Man has had a lot of recognition at various awards ceremonies so stands a good chance tonight.

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Yesterday- Saturday 23rd February- saw the handing out of the Independent Spirit Awards. These honour films made (partly or wholly) outside the major film studio system. Some of the winners are below.

Best Feature: Silver Linings Playbook

Best Female Lead: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Male Lead: John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Best Supporting Female: Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

Best Supporting Male: Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike)

Best Director: David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Screenplay: Silver Linings Playbook

Best First Screenplay: Safety Not Guaranteed

Best Cinematography: Beasts Of The Southern Wild

Best First Feature: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Best International Film: Amour

Best Documentary: The Invisible War

John Cassavetes Award: Middle Of Nowhere

The John Cassavetes Award is given to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000. As an aside, I like the fact that most of the films mentioned on this list have had widespread cinema release. It's proof that independent film-making is not only alive and well but is breaking out of the niche that it's often put in. The full list of winners can be found here.

THE RAZZIES

As is traditional, last night (the night before the Oscars ceremony) also saw the 33rd Annual Golden Raspberry Awards. Dishonouring the worst in film in 2012, there was one overwhelming 'winner' among the ten categories awarded.

Worst Picture: Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

Worst Actor: Adam Sandler (That's My Boy!)

Worst Actress: Kristen Stewart (Snow White And The Huntsman and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2)

Worst Supporting Actor: Taylor Lautner (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2)

Worst Supporting Actress: Rihanna (Battleship)

Worst Screen Ensemble: The Entire Cast of Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

Worst Director: Bill Condon (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2)

Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

Worst Screen Couple: Mackenzie Foy and Taylor Lautner (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2)

Worst Screenplay: That's My Boy!

So that's pretty much covered the rest of the awards given out. But who will win the Oscars? My predictions for the winners of the Big Six, coming up soon.

Tez

Review: Silver Linings Playbook (UK Cert 15)

Adapted from the 2008 novel by Matthew Quick, David O. Russell's follow-up to The Fighter is a combination of romance, comedy and drama which won the People's Choice Award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and has been a major presence during this year's awards season. Not an easy watch in places, due to subject matter, but it's full of heart and warmth.

After eight months in a Baltimore mental health institution, Pat Solitano Jr (Bradley Cooper) is released to the care of his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) in Philadelphia. Pat's recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder following a violent attack on his wife's lover led to his admission. Now he's out and determined to get better so he can get back with his wife. As he tries to find the silver linings, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a girl with troubles of her own. Soon a pact is made; Tiffany will deliver a letter to Pat's wife if Pat will take part in a dance competition with her.

Silver Linings Playbook is the first film in over thirty years to garner an Oscar nomination in each of the four acting categories and that's certainly no fluke. All four main actors- Cooper, Lawrence, de Niro, and Weaver- give naturalistic performances. It's very easy sometimes, especially when dealing with issues like mental illness, for the performances to be very showy, for the actor to almost play up to the cameras as they emote. I didn't feel like there was any of that here.

Cooper shows that he can do more than be a pretty face as his determination to get his wife back and his burgeoning friendship with Tiffany show some real acting chops. Lawrence's performance is mesmerising as the unapologetic but equally as messed-up Tiffany; bizarrely, there is an age difference of nearly fifteen years between Cooper and Lawrence but such is the maturity of her performance that it is not noticeable. De Niro is great as the Philadelphia Eagles obsessed Pat Sr, full of supersititons and borderline OCD whilst Weaver is a warm and engaging presence as the rock who holds things together.

There are other great performances by John Ortiz as Pat Jr's friend Ronnie, Anupam Kher as Pat Jr's counsellor Dr Patel and- I'm surprised to even write these words- a lovely turn by Chris Tucker as Danny, Pat's friend from Baltimore. Usually, Tucker has me gritting my teeth as soon as he opens his mouth but here he's more than bearable and actually kind of likeable. 

The portrayal of mental illness is sensitively done but unflinching in their power; they're certainly not sugar-coated or sanitised. Pat Jr's manic episodes are played straight down the line; they're not trivialised or played for laughs which is to the film's credit. Some scenes are difficult to watch, most notably when Pat Jr is looking for his wedding video. The script is decent (Russell adapting Quick's novel himself) with moments of humour subtly weaved in. My only bugbear is the occasional lacklustre direction which lets things down.

You don't need to be a fan of American football to enjoy the film, nor do you need any passion for dancing. Ultimately, it's a touching and occasionally funny film about two damaged souls finding a connection and it's well worth two hours of your time.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez