For the first time in my life, I saw every movie that was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy Awards before the ceremony aired on television. That said, I didn’t see all of the movies that were nominated, so I will limit my picks to the categories of which I’ve seen at least the majority of the nominations.
Best Picture:
Silver Linings Playbook – Best movie I’ve seen in a long time. At no point was I bored. I cannot say that for any of the other films that were nominated.
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
Joaquin Phoenix for The Master – Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix in The Master is one of the finest acting pairings in the history of cinema. Period.
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook – Kudos to the Academy for awarding Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar – well deserved.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master – Please refer to my comment in the Best Actor category. I didn’t stutter.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables – Anne Hathaway goes HAM in Les Mis. She couldn’t not win this one.
Best Cinematography:
Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi – Again, a no-brainer. The only possible rival in this category was Beasts of the Southern Wild, which unfortunately took home ZERO awards.
Best Directing:
David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook – Since the director is responsible for all the parts of a film, I personally believe that the director of the Best Picture should win for Best Directing, hence my choice for David O. Russell.
Film Editing:
Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers for Silver Linings Playbook – I could write an entire post about the editing in Silver Linings Playbook. It’s exquisite and a huge part of what makes this particular movie so wonderful.
Best Music (Original Score):
Mychael Danna for Life of Pi – I don’t really have much of an opinion in this category, so I’ll trust the Academy on this one.
Best Music (Original Song):
Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth for Skyfall – Adele kills it on “Skyfall.” But beyond her performance, I just wanted her to win an Oscar.
Production Design:
Alex DiGerlando for Beasts of the Southern Wild – Though it wasn’t nominated in this category, the production design in Beasts of the Southern Wild is a triumph. It’s a pity it wasn’t even nominated.
Sound Editing:
Paul N.J. Ottosson for Zero Dark Thirty – I didn’t like the movie all that much, but director Kathryn Bigelow is known for her terrific use of sound, and Zero Dark Thirty is no exception.
Sound Mixing:
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes for Les Misérables – They recorded the singing live, ya’ll. LIVE!!!!
Visual Effects:
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott for Life of Pi – The only possible contender in this category was Beasts of the Southern Wild, which wasn’t nominated…again.
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
Tony Kushner for Lincoln – I wasn’t a big fan of Lincoln either, but I can appreciate the writing, which is exceptional and true to the time period.
Best Writing (Original Screenplay):
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for Moonrise Kingdom – That Moonrise Kingdom was only nominated for Best Writing is a travesty. The Academy could’ve at least thrown Wes Anderson a bone in this category, considering he’s NEVER won an Oscar. The man has contributed too much to American cinema to be snubbed this much.