Happy Oscar night. Bring out the Red Carpet! For those going to parties to watch the 85th Academy Awards, enjoy! It could be an unpredictable night with awards going to any number of nominees. There seems to be less sure bets this year, which should make it an interesting viewing experience.
2012 brought in a strong slew of films, most of which came out near the end of the year. My top favorites were: “Argo,” “Life of Pi,” “Lincoln,” and “Rust and Bone.” But I also liked “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Impossible” and “Les Miserables.” I haven’t seen the much hailed “Amour” yet, or “The Hobbit,” “Django Unchained,” “Anna Karenina” and one I really want to see “Searching for Sugar Man,” the documentary which so many have liked.
It’s hard to say which film will get the top prize. Will they continue Ben Affleck’s win streak going in and give Best Picture to “Argo”? Or will they bend to Steven Spielberg’s historical drama “Lincoln”?
Another category which I found hard to predict was for Best Director between Spielberg and Ang Lee for “Life of Pi.” Lee did a phenomenal job with the making of “Pi,” which many of the novel’s fans didn’t even think could be made. But perhaps David O. Russell might sneak away with it for “Silver Linings Playbook,” the engaging film that takes a look at mental illness and family.
I found Best Adapted Screenplay another struggle to pick. With such strong stories, it’s hard to say which film will come out on top. I guess two sure bets are supposed to be Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor (he is terrific as Lincoln!) and Anne Hathaway for Supporting Actress in “Les Miz,” but Sally Field is definitely no slouch as Mrs. Lincoln either. And heaven forbid Marion Cotillard wasn’t even nominated for Best Actress for her role in the foreign film “Rust and Bone,” which seems no small travesty.
But these are just some of my Oscar observations. What are your picks and favorites for tonight’s Academy Awards?
Personally, I’d like to see Beasts of the Southern Wild win something, if not for Best Actress then in a surprise move, for Best Picture. It was such a good movie.
Thanks Bryan for letting me know “Beasts” is good — I must admit I don’t know much about it. But will check it out!
I am definitely looking forward to the Oscars tonight specifically because there are no runaway front leaders in almost all of the categories. It should definitely make for an interesting night and hopefully some wonderful surprises. Enjoy!
I agree Michelle: The awards could go to unexpected winners. Should be interesting.
I never predict any of the winners since I usually haven’t seen the films and this year was no exception. I always watch though for the entertainment factor. This year, I really didn’t care for the host. His delivery was okay. His content? Questionable at best.
Yeah I was wrong thinking Lincoln would win pretty big. Argo and Life of Pi delivered! I agree with you that the host’s material seemed pretty weak.
This just showed up in my Reader – a few days late. I participated in an Oscar pool and totally bombed it.
Yeah Kathy I didn’t do well either on my Oscar picks, only 10 of 24 right. But in retrospect, I’m glad Argo and Ang Lee won the big awards.