Golden Globe Predix Predictions Part 2

Part 2 aaaaaaaaand GO!


Best Picture – Drama
Django Unchained
Lincoln
Argo
Zero Dark Thirty
Life of Pi
Who should win: This is an impressive set of nominees, with each one being different from the one before. I’ve only seen Argo and Pi, (gave both 9/10), but the buzz for Argo and Lincoln is very strong. Bottom line, I’m cool with anyone of them taking home the gold.
Who will win: Heck! I have no clue. On a Global HFPA level, 4 out of the 5 are films about American history, which tells us something (what, I’m not quite sure yet). Lincoln has Spielberg going for it, and Argo has Affleck, the journalists also may feel that they did Katherine Bigelow out of a win for both picture and director in 2008 with The Hurt Locker. So its pretty much anyone’s for the taking.

Best Picture – Musical or Comedy
Silver Linings Playbook
Les Miserables
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Moonrise Kingdom
Salomon Fishing in the Yemen
Who should win: The category says it all. Do we go for musical or a comedy? Its down to either SLP or Les Mis. The reviews for the former are much stronger than the latter, but that won’t necessarily translate into a win (if the HFPA could nominate Burlesque two years ago, they could hand a trophy to a more likeable musical). Having seen SLP the other day, I was not as blown away as I thought I would be (perhaps a second viewing will remedy that). Les Mis only comes out in SA on the 18th, so I can’t really say who should win this one.
Who will win: Tough call… Les Mis
*sidenote: Although I didn’t entirely enjoy The Best Exotic, I must say I’m glad to see it in there, along with the surprise Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (which I actually enjoyed more than Best Exotic. It was charming, and it never pushed to be anything that it wasn’t.

Best Actor – Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
John Hawkes – The Sessions
Joaquin Pheonix – The Master
Denzel Washinton – Flight
Richard Gere – Arbitrage
Who should win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Who will win: Daniel Day-Lewis. I haven’t seen any of these films, but his reputation and buzz precede him. Of his previous Oscar wins, he one only for There Will be Blood in 2008. He’s now playing an iconic president for heaven’s sake! I hope they have no problem giving it to him again – the man is brilliant and should definitely take home the globe.

Best Actress – Drama
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea
Marion Cotillard – Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren – Hitchcock
Who should win: Jessica Chastain
Who will win: Even though there is definitely a solid group of women in this category, it almost seems like a done deal for Chastain. She’s won numerous awards since we first found out that she was the lead in ZDT. Her closest competition is probably Watts, but that’s just going on internet buzz.

 Best Actor – Musical or Comedy
Bradley Cooper – Sliver Linings playbook
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Jack Black – Bernie
Ewan McGregor – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray – Hide Park on Hudson
Who should win: Hugh Jackman has been going at it for a few years now, and I feel that maybe this one could be it. The role is meaty and the little that I have seen of the movie captured my attention immediately. Who will win: I feel like its between Cooper and Jackman. Cooper seems to give something new and interesting in his role as Pat, its borderline bad, yet never seems to tip the scale into OTT disaster. Maybe journo’s think he did a better job.

 Best Actress – Musical or Comedy
Judi Dench – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Emily Blunt – Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Maggie Smith – Quartet
Meryl Streep – Hope Springs
Who should win: For the work that she does for the age that she is, Lawrence’s performance as Tiffany is completely engaging for the mere fact that you have no idea what this woman is going to do next (invite you to bed, slap you, kiss you, use your shoulder to cry on, or all of the above).
Who will win: Following her win for Iron Lady last year sort of excludes Streep (although she was once again absolutely brilliant in Hope Springs). Judi Dench is brilliant, as is Maggie Smith, but I can’t help but think that all these women (including the ‘surprise’ nomination for Blunt), were just fillers so that Jennifer Lawrence had competition on paper.

That Said, we'll see which way Oscar swings with its nominations... 17 mins to go!!!

Slap Dash Oscar Predictions

"Slap Dash" not because I haven't given much thought to them, but because these are all written in abbreviated form (hope everyone can understand all of them), it was a mad rush, but I wanted to make sure I had actual predictions in before nominations were actually announced. Categories with an asterix next to them are ones I'm rather winging, alternatives are in parenthesis) Enjoy!

Picture:
Lincoln
Pi
SLP
Les Mis
Django
Argo
Zero Dark Thirty
Beasts of the Southern Wild
(Moonrise Kingdom)

Director:
Spielberg
Bigelow
Affleck
Lee
Tarantino
(Russell)

Actress:
Lawrence
Chastain
Watts
Cotillard
Mirren
(Wallis)

Actor:
Day-Lewis
Phoenix
Cooper
Jackman
Hawkins
(Washington)

Supp. Actor:
Jones
Hoffman
Di Caprio
Waltz
De Niro
(Henry)

Supp. Actress:
Hatheway
Hunt
Dowd
Fields
Adams
(Kidman)

Art Direction:
Lincoln
Cloud Atlas
Argo
Anna Karenina
Django
(Pi)

Score:
Lincoln
Beasts
Pi
The Master
Argo
(Skyfall)

Sound Editing:
Skyfall
The Avengers
TDKR
Zero Dark Thirty
Brave
(Lincoln)

Sound Mixing:
Skyfall
The Avengers
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Argo
(TDKR)

Cinematography:
Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
The Hobbit
The Master
(Beasts)

Vis Effects:
TDKR
The Hobbit
Pi
The Avengers
Snow White and The Huntsman
(Prometheus)

Foreign Language*:
The Intouchables
Amour
Rust and Bone
A Royal Affair
No
(Kon Tiki)

Animated Feature:
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
Wreck-it-Ralph
Rise of the Guardians
(The Painting)

Original Screenplay:
Django
Zero Dark Thirty
The Master
Amour
Moonrise Kingdom
(Middle of Nowhere)

Adapted:
Pi
SLP
Lincoln
Argo
Beasts
(Skyfall)

Documentary*:
Searching for Sugarman
This is not a Film
Bully
The Invisible War
The Gatekeeper
(How to Survive a Plague)

Documentary Short: ---
Animated Short: ---

Best Make Up and Hair Styling:
Lincoln
Les Mis
The Hobbit
(Cloud Atlas)

Best Costume Design:
Lincoln
Les Mis
Argo
Django
Anna Karenina
(Cloud Atlas)

Bes Editing:
ZDT
Lincoln
Argo
Django
Pi
(SLP)

Song:
Skyfall
Learn Me Right
Suddenly
(Song of the Lonely Mountain)

Golden Globes Predix Part 1

So I was browsing online last night and it hit me that next week are the Golden Globes!!! That said, I need to start compiling my list of who should win and who will win [Films I have seen]:

Best Supporting Actor
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Alan Arkin – Argo
Leonardo diCaprio – Django Unchained
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Who should win: DiCaprio took on his first villain role ever, yet he shares this category with four previous Oscar and Golden Globe winners (3 of which won in this category – Hoffman has only won lead, although he has been nominated for his supporting roles too). All of these are phenomenal actors and any one of them should win. I’d like to give it to DiCaprio.
Who will win: Tommy Lee Jones has been receiving a bucket load of attention(and critics awards) for his role as Thaddeus Stevens. In a race that’s very much 20-20-20-20-20 I’m tossing a coin and going to go with him.

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Fields – Lincoln
Anne Hatheway – Les Miserables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Nicole Kidman – The Paperboy
Amy Adams – The Master
Who should win: I’d love to see Hatheway win for her collective work on Les Mis and TDKR. This past year was amazing for her, with two roles that she seems to have slaughtered despite scientism from critics for both (heck, I didn’t think that she could pull off Catwoman, but she did). Give her a globe, give her something to sing about…
Who will win: again we have a category filled with previous winners and nominees, and although I don’t think it’s as close as the men’s race equivalent, its still pretty close. In the end, I think Hatheway takes it.

Best Director
Katherine Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
Ben Affleck – Argo
Quinton Tarantino – Django Unchained
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
Who should win: Wow! What a category, matching up exactly to the Best Picture – Drama nominees. Its tough. Spielberg and Lee have both won twice, Bigelow and Tarantino have been nominated once before. I’m hoping Affleck wins. Argo was completely exhilarating, and the pacing was perfect!
Who will win: it’s really anybody’s game. I feel that Bigelow is slightly ahead (as seen by her critic award wins) but critics are not by any means the deciding vote. I don’t want to bet on anything, but if it was mandatory, I’d go with Affleck.

Best Screenplay
Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty
Tony Kushner – Lincoln
Quinton Tarantino – Django Unchained
Chris Terrio – Argo
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Who should win: All the candidates are adapted screenplays (which I haven’t come across before) which makes it difficult for me to even try to predict. Having only seen two makes it even more tricky. I’m going to go with Argo or Lincoln, although any one of these films could take it and I wouldn’t mind – they’re all winners.
Who will win: Most probably Lincoln or Argo, but be prepared for anything.

Best Original Score
Dario Marianelli – Anna Karenina
Alexanrde Desplat – Argo
John Williams – Lincoln
Mychael Danna – Life of Pi
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil – Cloud Atlas
Who should win: Alexandre Desplat
Who will win: Its hard to say. I’ve seen 3 of them and yet, I can’t really remember any of them with great enthusiasm. I’d go with Desplat, just because he did so many other amazing film scores this year (Rise of the Guardians, Zero Dark Thirty, Moonrise Kingdom and even foreign competitor Rust and Bone!). Come on, not even Spielberg worked that hard!

Best Original Song
“For You” (Keith Urban and Michael McDevitt) – Act of Valour
“Not Running Anymore” (Jon Bon Jovi) – Stand Up Guys
“Safe and Sound” (Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars) – The Hunger Games
“Skyfall” (Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth) – Skyfall
“Suddenly” (Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boubil and Herbert Kretzmer) – Les Miserables
Who should win: We all loved Skyfall even before we saw the film, and it along with the song, became a mega-hit.
Who will win: Last year Madonna won, maybe they’ll honour another legend this year, but maybe that legend turns out to be Taylor Swift or Jon Bon Jovi. Suddenly also has a great chance the way “Listen” had with Dreamgirls, but that one didn’t win. Skyfall.

Best Animated Feature
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Wreck-it-Ralph
Rise of the Guardians
*Sidenote: ParaNorman was sidelined for Hotel Transylvania. I haven’t seen Norman in action, but judging from internet buzz (and my brother), the Globes got it wrong.
Who should win: Not Brave. I’m such an avid Pixar fan, but I must say, this time they missed to plot slightly. It was beautifully rendered, but the story was weak. Hotel T? No. Rise of the Guardians, maybe. Like Brave (but better) it was beautifully shot, but the plot was slightly lacking in places. If the other two are as impressive as their trailers, then I hope Ralph takes it – its about time Disney won something without the help of Pixar.
Who will win: With ParaNorman out of the picture, I’m thinking Frankenweenie, with Ralph and Guardians in a close second. Brave = a possible upset

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour
The Intouchables
Rust and Bone
A Royal Affair
Kon-Toki
Who should win: Critically, it should be Amour (which has a foot-in for best picture at the Oscar nominations announcement next week) or Rust and Bone (which has Cotillard nominated for actress already). It must also be said though, that The Intouchables is one of the highest grossing French films ever produced and is also well-liked by critics. I’m thinking, for the globes, The Intouchables should take it and leave Amour to win the Oscar
Who will win: Its between the first 3. I’m thinking The Intouchables – because the Globes seem to take the audience into consideration at least some of the time…

Part 2 (with the major awards) to follow soon! ;)

A Long-Delayed Wrap Up of 2011, Going into Preliminaries of Awards Season 2012

so I've been so busy WATCHING films this year, that i haven't had the chance to blog about most of them. Sure, my new twitter account helped me provide the briefest of reviews (140 characters - take that, 2000 word english essay!), but there's nothing quite like being able to fully explain your thoughts on a movie you just came out of that completely blew your mind! Having said that, I'm in the process of compiling my "best of 2012" list, but i'm stuck between deciding on films that were released in South Africa in the past year, or going with the flow of the Oscar calendar which would possibly be the more sensible option. Right then, let's do this: I saw The Artist in April this year and was completely blown away with its whimsical, feel-good homage to the medium it belonged to and thought it fully deserved the top award last year. While Hugo was still quite charming, I don't think it was successful in reaching as many main stream audiences as was needed to bring home the gold. Instead, the silver seemed like a fitting position. Yet, with these two brilliant films, I have to say that my pick for #1 of 2011 has to be The Help - a film which makes me cry a little more each time (next screening is poised to be a flat out balling session!). With that sorted i have one more point to make to wrap up the 2011 season (a bit late, don't you think, Thomas??), and that is this: Although 2011 was considered by many critics to be a total disappointment for film making (more specifically, the awards season), i have to disagree entirely. I think that the year before last was a moment in cinematic history where we as audiences needed to hit the pause button and reflect on where we were as a global society. Its crime, its global warming, its the rhinos, its the end of the freaking world! So what the best picture contenders said to me, when I watched Warhorse, the last of the Best Picture nominees, in July, was that because all these films brought back these "Silver Linings", feel-good encouraging messages they were rejected for being good, but not going all the way, pushing the boundaries of film making, being controversial, blah blah blah (look at how brilliant Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was... it could be said to justify my point). Sometimes we need these charming years. years in which narratives are not about excessive violence, full on nudity and sex scenes to boot, Hell, if No Country for Old Men won year after year, I'd probably commit suicide after 5 or so cycles. This past year we found ourselves with such an interesting mix of films, its really going to be difficult to choose our favourites: We had the poetry of Beasts of the Southern Wild, the sleek brilliance of Bond and the ever-reliable Steven Spielberg with a biopic about one of the most world-renound presidents of all time (which we in SA have yet to see). If last year (2011) was 'exciting', then this year would possibly be 'just another year' in cinema, instead critics are abuzz with predictions, guild and critics awards upsets and triumphs, with everyone guessing, who will it be!?!? Who will it be indeed... 2012 list to follow shortly.