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OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2023
WHEN THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED, I had the choice to be either optimistic or pessimistic. As I looked at the categories, I felt excited that I had seen a good portion of the films nominated. It was certainly more than last year’s nominees. On the other hand, I still am not back to my original place of having seen every nominee in the major categories. It used to be where several movies would premiere on the west and east coasts before new year’s eve, then open everywhere in January or February. If that is still in place I have not seen evidence of it, which I believe is one of the reasons why I have not been able to see every nominated film. The other reason is due to the streaming services. Some of the services’ movies get a nomination and the corporation keeps them exclusive to their streaming platform. If I were to add every major streaming service to my television package, I might have to get a second job; it is getting ridiculous with everyone jumping on the streaming bandwagon when they all used to be free on network TV or cable. And I will forgo for now my pros and cons to seeing movies at a theater compared to one’s home. So unfortunately, again I have not seen every movie in the category which puts me at a disadvantage. For the sake of tradition, I will do my best to pick what I think deserves the Academy Award and what the academy will do. I will also note which group is incomplete for me. Enjoy the telecast and remember whatever you eat during the show does not have any calories. Happy Oscar’s Day!
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
MY CHOICE: Angela Bassett—Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
ACADEMY PICK: Jamie Lee Curtis—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Brendan Fraser—The Whale
ACADEMY PICK: Austin Butler–Elvis
DIRECTING (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Steven Spielberg—The Fabelmans
ACADEMY PICK: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—Everything Everywhere All at Once
CINEMATOGRAPHY (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western
COSTUME DESIGN (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
FILM EDITING:
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
MY CHOICE: The Whale
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western Front
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):
MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
VISUAL EFFECTS:
MY CHOICE: Avatar: The Way of Water
ACADEMY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
BEST PICTURE:
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
There you have it, my picks for this year’s Academy Awards. No matter who gets the Oscar, I hope all of us have can have a fun and enjoyable time watching the telecast. Best of luck to you.
Oscar Predictions 2018
WELL ANOTHER OSCAR SEASON will close with this weekend’s awards show. It has been an interesting past year for movies. There have been a couple of breakout stars and some major flops. Looking at my reviews the past year, there seems to have been fewer outstanding films in my opinion. I believe only 1 or 2 movies received my top 4 star rating. To tell you the truth overall it has been a tough slog to sit through so many pictures that were poorly made. I did however discover 3 new things at the theater. First, I love the one remodeled theater out of 18 at the movie complex near my house. With oversized, soft reclining seats that vibrate to the soundtrack and a dynamite sound system; it made watching a blockbuster film more enjoyable. Second, I discovered a decked out theater with great sound and picture quality along with reclining seats does not make a poorly made film any better. And lastly I discovered I hate, yes hate, sitting in a theater that allows people to order food and have it brought in so they can eat a meal while watching the movie. It is so annoying to sit there and try to pay attention to the picture while a group of people next to you are chomping down on their food. And don’t get me started with the ones that eat with their mouths open!
So let us put all of that aside, get settled into our happy place and enjoy the Academy Awards show. I have all of my favorite snacks ready (to be eaten during the commercials) and have the weekend off from teaching, so I can focus on getting all of my chores done before the telecast. Without further ado let me present to you my choices for what I think should and will win in each category listed.
MY CHOICE TO WIN WHAT WILL WIN
BEST PICTURE
The Shape of Water The Shape of Water
LEAD ACTOR
Gary Oldman Gary Oldman
LEAD ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins Frances McDormand
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney Allison Janney
DIRECTOR
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro
ANIMATED FEATURE
Loving Vincent Coco
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me by Your Name Call Me by Your Name
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Get Out The Shape of Water
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dunkirk Blade Runner 2049
ORIGINAL SONG
This is Me Remember Me
COSTUME DESIGN
Phantom Thread Beauty and the Beast
SOUND MIXING
Baby Driver Star Wars: The Last Jedi
THERE YOU HAVE IT, my picks for the Oscars. May each and every one of you enjoy the show and may each day after be an Oscar worthy day for you. Thank you for your support, comments, likes and suggestions; I appreciate it deeply and also you allowing me to nurture my passion for movies.
Oscar Nomination Picks 2017
THE time has come to put all of your worries aside, forget the chores, make your favorite food dishes and do something special for yourself. It is that time of year, after twelve months of movie watching, where I can relax and stretch myself out on the sofa to experience the blessed event—the Oscars telecast. My menu is set, all I have to do is pick-up the ingredients this weekend. I will be eating dinner early; the reason being it is not healthy to eat something then go lie down. It is bad for one’s digestion. I have declined all invitations to be part of an Oscar party since those attending tend not to devote all their attention to the show compared to me. Talking can only be tolerated during the commercial breaks. If everyone is settled in and there are no questions, let the show begin. I have listed below those nominees I think should win compared to those I think will win. Have a joyous night of fun and laughter everyone. So without further adieu, good luck to everyone and let the show begin.
SHOULD WIN: WILL WIN:
Best Picture:
Hidden Figures La La Land
Best Actress:
Natalie Portman Emma Stone
Best Actor:
Casey Affleck Denzel Washington
Best Supporting Actress:
Viola Davis Viola Davis
Best Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali Jeff Bridges
Best Director:
Barry Jenkins Damien Chazelle
Best Original Screenplay:
Manchester by the Sea La La Land
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Hidden Figures Moonlight
Cinematography:
Silence La La Land
Best Animated Feature:
Kubo and the Two Strings Zootopia
Best Original Song:
How Far I’ll Go City of Stars
Oscar Telecast
The telephone loudly pierced the purposeful silence that descended upon the house. It was less than 5 minutes prior to the Oscars telecast, so it was obvious the caller did not know me. Everyone who knows me knows not to call me on Oscar Sunday. I need the day to take care of life’s chores before settling in to watch the show and see how my predictions will fare. With the controversy over this year’s nominations I commend host Chris Rock tackling the subject head-on, with a mixture of humor and seriousness. I felt he found the perfect balance to carry off the monologue. As the show progressed I would have preferred it if Chris expanded beyond this one subject. Yes, there was the Girl Scout cookie moment but it seems ever since Ellen DeGeneres took that selfie shot in the audience, every telecast now has to have some kind of interaction with the audience. The cookie gag was funny for a moment but was not necessary in my opinion.
Though I just heard on the news that this telecast had the lowest television ratings of the past 8 years, I thought the news ticker running across the bottom of the screen listing the people the winners wanted to thank was a good idea; their speeches certainly seemed shorter to me. As far as I could remember this telecast was the closest to end on time compared to recent past shows. My favorite acceptance speeches were given by Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, though I wished the music was not playing during Alejandro’s speech like it did not for Leonardo. I also enjoyed the quick informational blurbs that appeared next to the presenters, despite them being a bit small to read at times. Since I am a big fan of music, I was looking forward to the singing of the nominated songs. Lady Gaga did not disappoint; I thought her performance was a highlight of the show and was surprised her song did not get an Oscar. The two presenters that stood out for me were Louis C.K. for Documentary Short Subject and Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz Lightyear for Best Animated Film. Oh and I cannot forget the robots from Star Wars and the Minions.
If you know me you probably realize there would have to be something startling inappropriate or poorly thought out for me to dislike an Oscar telecast. There have been hosts that were quickly forgettable, speeches that dragged on forever and presenters that used the opportunity for personal gain; but I do not care, the bottom line for me has always been the celebration of the movies I love. Ever since I was a little boy, sitting on the floor in front of the TV with my bowl of popcorn, the Oscars has been my favorite show to watch. So with that being said, it is time to close the chapter on this year’s Oscar telecast and begin seeking out what will get the nod for next year’s show.
Flash Movie Review: Life Itself
I did not always understand what I was watching but it did not matter to me. As long as I experienced an emotional reaction and was entertained, I was content and satisfied. I remember seeing a flying car in one movie and wondering why my family was stuck with a four door sedan. After seeing a boy fly on screen I could not wait to get that ability, figuring it would be taught to me in school. You see, movies always had a major influence on me. Once the film started I could easily be taken away from the reality around me, transported to the time and place inside the movie screen. Fantasy has always been mightier than reality in my world. Once I became aware of movie critics, the first pages I took out from the newspaper were from the entertainment section. Poring over every article pertaining to movies became an obsession (really? you ask). There was one critic who was different from all the rest; he was someone I soon felt was in synch with me. I never sensed he was talking down to me; it was as if we were sitting together and he was explaining what the movie would offer me. That movie critic was Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times. Every week I had a standing date with him to plan out my weekend of movies. SPANNING the decades of his life, this documentary directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) unapologetically and candidly showed how Roger went from a young boy to newspaper reporter to Pulitzer Prize winning film critic to his battles with cancer. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street, Hugo), this film festival nominee did an outstanding job of blending various sources together such as family film footage, outtakes from Roger’s television show with fellow movie critic Gene Siskel and interviews with a variety of friends and celebrities. I felt this movie was evenly balanced; it did not shy away from tough subjects, nor did it try to sway the viewer by the way things were depicted. There were a few scenes that were hard to watch when Roger was shown struggling with his health issues. When you think about it, there really could be no other way to make this film. Roger approved and it was even shown how he wanted this film to show him as he really was in life. Whether it was his alcoholism or showing how he got nourishment after his surgery; for me, this biographical film was the real thing. It was an incredible life squeezed into the short time frame of this wonderful documentary. I know if Roger would have reviewed this film he would have given it a thumbs up.
4 stars
moviejoltz 