Trainwreck’d Society’s 2014 Oscar Preview with Chris & Ron [Exclusive]

So it is that time of year again!  The Oscars are tomorrow!  Yes, I know the Oscars are not the hippest awards show there is.  It would probably be way cooler of us to preview the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes, or the Independent Spirit Awards.  Which, I agree, usually portray way better films.  But, ever since I was a young lad, I fell in love with the Oscars.  I remember beaming like an idiot when Quentin Tarantino accepted his first Oscar, beating out the mainstream highlighted Forrest Gump.  Although I am not hipster-ish to not enjoy Forrest Gump, even as a 9 year old boy I understood that Pulp Ficiton was much better written than Forrest Gump, or just a better story line in general.  And then there came the burst of the independent films breaking their way in to the awards show.  I was 13 when two young and hardly known actors known as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, now known as Jason Bourne and Batman, took home a couple of trophies for the still brilliant film Good Will Hunting.  I was amazed to see a wonderful indie drama win, and still loved seeing Jack Nicholson win for the mainstream delight of a film As Good As It Gets.  I felt as though the Oscars were, and sometimes still are, a versatile award showing that I simply adore.

And with that in mind, as we did last year, I invited my dear friend and screenwriter/filmmaker/DP, practically anything, Chris Eaves to help make some predictions on who we would like to see win, and who we think will actually win.  Chris has been working in the Portland cinema world for a few years now with the illustrious crew known as Sound Skript Entertainment.  They have created some wonderful short films, web series, and even full on productions.  They are a wonderful crew of folks, and I highly recommend you check them out.  Chris and I have a lot in common when it comes to film going.  We both love the Criterion Collection (he is a bit more obsessive than I), anything from the 90’s, guys like Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen (I a bit more obsessive than he), and so on.  Yet we also disagree on several things, which you will clearly see in the text below when discussing what I considered to be an abortion, he a masterpiece, the film Gravity.

And to make things just a bit more fun, we are having a contest via Facebook!  Head on over to the Trainwreck’d Society Facebook Page to find out about the contest, and how you can win some free swag just be participating!  Seriously, all you have to do is pick a side, and be the name drawn from the hat.  Check out how things went down last year for some more research.

Enjoy!

Best Motion Picture of the Year

…And the nominees are:

The Wolf of Wall Street

American Hustle

Nebraska

Captain Phillips

Philomena

Dallas Buyers Club

12 Years A Slave

Graviy

Her

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Her.  I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written film so damn much.  But, I have a feeling that the writing is going to be the stand out piece of the whole film, and that is all that will be noticed.  Which is fine.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Dallas Buyers Club – Movies are a cathartic social machine. Through movies we converse about the world around us. Dallas Buyers Club carries a weight of contemporary reflection. The film’s content is still too much of a hot button to win, but a nomination from the academy will at least provide the film a larger viewership. Dallas Buyers Club is a character study via the performance of Mathew McConaughey delivering a tremendous emotional impact. Film should be conversational by nature and Dallas Buyers Club will keep people talking beyond its release.

 

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: American Hustle.  The hype is there, and waiting.  Not much else to be said.  There were far too many big named actors in this film for them to take a whole lot, but I see this one taking the cake, as well as a the ladies sweeping it, Russell will have his day, and maybe a scattered win somewhere else.  Just 5 total, but the two biggest ones of all, of course.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: 12 Years A Slave.  The British director Steve McQueen addresses human struggle aligned with human created institutions. McQueen’s first two films Hunger (2008) and Shame (2011) exemplifies this theme. In the 21-century American Slavery is whispered as a forgotten forced echoing a past we collectively tell ourselves is no longer relevant. Racism was my father’s father and not me. Unlike last year’s nominee Django Unchained (2012), which also addressed American Slavery but rather through genera storytelling, 12 Years A Slave removes as much of genera storytelling’s laughs and winks for a realistic depiction of struggle. 12 Years A Slave captures our echo amplifying it back reminding us struggle is deeper than the institutions which implemented them.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

…And the nominees are:

Christian Bale for American Hustle

Bruce Dern for Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street.  I don’t think the Academy wants to except Leo, until he is on the Academy himself.  But, it is definitely due time, and what better acceptance speech could be done than Leo thanking Marty for putting him in all of his damn movies!

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club – It has always been fun to watch Matthew McConaughey playing Matthew McConaughey in movies, the man has a charisma that catches the attention of a  room. In recent films such as Mud (2012) and the current Dallas Buyers Club McConaughey is still able to use his southern charm but in these films to the advantage of the story and character. The “Hollywoodness” of the Matthew McConaughey celebrity falls away leaving a very personal character driven performance.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave.  Once again, when an actor is nominated for a role in which he is the primary suspect of the entire film, it’s pretty much his.  It’s the Forrest Gump stigma, if you will.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street – Leonardo DiCaprio has countless great performances and nominations without receiving an Academy win. Martin Scorsese and DiCaprio are very closely linked in their films but also in regards to nominations without statutes. As the Academy finally honored Scorsese with the Departed (2006) as an apology to all his previous overlook nomination, DiCaprio will be honored this go around for his performance in The Wolf of Wall Street. The win for The Departed and the win for DiCaprio are deserving on their own merit regardless of the nomination context.

 P.S. – I am still bitter over the lack of supporting nomination for DiCaprio in Django Unchained last year.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

…And the nominees are

Amy Adams for American Hustle

Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock for Gravity

Judi Dench for Philomena

Meryl Streep for August: Osage County

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Cate Blanchett.  Not only do I want Mia Farrow to choke on her own vomit when she sees another female win an award for a portrayal in one of Woody’s films, also I really enjoyed Cate’s performance, which is rare because I see no greatness in her.  And I am biased in wanting Woody Allen’s films to win EVERYTHING.  If the man believe in special effects, his films should win that too!

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Amy Adams for American Hustle.  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Amy Adams for American Hustle.  The Academy seems to want to show praise for “strong female leads” or “fish out of water, woman in a man’s world”.  While Cate Blanchett was great, she showed too much weakness.  Under normal pretenses, Dench or Streep would be the more obvious choice, but young Amy Adams is lacking a trophy as a lead actress.  Which is enough for me to make this prediction.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Amy Adams for American Hustle – Amy Adams has five supporting actress nomination with zero wins. This is her first leading actress nomination. Adams has selected very diverse roles ranging from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) to Paul Thomas Anderson’s character driven The Master (2012) leaving no doubt of her mastering of both comedy and drama. Adams is one of the best actress of the current generation standing out from the slightly disappointing American Hustle. This nomination is about performance and Amy Adams should win.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

…And the nominees are:

Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper for American Hustle

Michael Fassbender for 12 Years A Slave

Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street.  C’mon, now!  This guy has had lines in comedy films about literally beating dicks until the fall off, and taking a shit on top of a pile of pubes and watching it look like a stuffed animal.  Now he has two Oscar nominations?  Too wonderful!

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Michael Fassbender for 12 Years A Slave – This is my list and I have biases. I love Michael Fassbender and want him to win. His performance is deserving regardless of my bias.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street.  How can the Academy get away with honoring a Scorsese film without giving him an actual Oscar -and- stir up some shit by giving the man who in the same year had a demon do some “not so chill” things to him in another film?  Boom.  It’s math.  Dirty psychological math.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips – This is my cynical card this year. Captain Phillips is Barkhad Abdi first film anything and he also puts a strong performance to screen. A nomination in principle should purely be about being the best regardless of any surrounding context – the best male supporting actor of 2013. The Academy has its own context such as Haley Joel Osment for The Sixth Sense (1999) and Gabourey Sidibe for Precious (2009). Although this precedent is nominations and not wins. In this case believing most of the voting is going to others films this might be a win for the Captain Phillip’s DVD cover.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

…And the nominees are:

Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave

Julia Roberts for August: Osage County

June Squibb for Nebraska

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine.  As previously stated, it’s all about the Woody.  And since The Dice Man wasn’t nominated for a supporting actor award as once anticipated, Hawkins might as well take home the gold.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: June Squibb for Nebraska.  See Below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Jennifer Lawrence.  Everyone adores this chick, and I can see why.  I may not think she is truly the cat’s pajamas everyone else does, I am almost 100% certain on this one.  It’s, you know, whatever.  At least she’s not Kristen Stewart.  I think Lawrence has like three facial expressions.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: June Squibb for Nebraska – Okay, this is my second cynical reasoning claim. Nebraska needs a win, and this will be the nomination. Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle might be the upset for the same reasoning but my bet is on June.

Best Achievement in Directing

…And the nominees are:

David O. Russell for American Hustle

Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Alexander Payne for Nebraska

Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave

Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: David O. Russell for American Hustle.  Normally I would be all about Marty taking it home, but Russell was essentially robbed last year, and I think he has earned his title as Oscar winner.  And honestly, The Wolf of Wall Street was probably one of the most “O.K.” films I have seen from Marty since Hugo, and for that, I don’t know, After Hours?

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity – From a technical perspective Gravity is a visual masterpiece, a film that needs to be seen on a 90 foot screen as not even a home theater 70 inch LED will justify the scale of this work. In defining terms what constitutes being a Best Director? Is Best Director about forming the best story, is it composing the best emotional reaction, is it getting great performances from the talent, is it a combination of everything? In defining my terms no other director this year was able to fashion an environment for the creation of such beautiful imagery progressing visual storytelling and pushing the bounds of filmmaking into new technical grounds.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: David O. Russell.  I don’t believe this is going to be a year where the director nod and best feature are separate.  Then again, I didn’t think it would be last year.  So, what the hell do I know?  Why are you really reading this crap?  Oh that’s right, we are giving away free shit on Facebook.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Steve McQueen for 12 Years A Slave – Hunger (2009) and Shame (2011) from Steve McQueen are highly revered for their cinematic humanistic qualities. As Best Picture goes, usually Best Director follows. For this, and the deeper emotional impact of 12 Years A Slave as previously stated, Best Director will go to Steve McQueen. I’m okay with this win. His movies are hard to watch, but represent the highest echelon of filmmaking.

Best Writing, Original Screenplay

…And the nominees are:

Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell for American Hustle

Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine

Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack for Dallas Buyers Club

Spike Jonze for Her

Bob Nelson for Nebraska

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine.  This is a real toss up.  While I would love to see Spike Jonze have his day, my ridiculous obsession with Woody has to stop me.  I do believe that Her was better than Blue Jasmine.  But they were very different.  I just want the guy who nevers goes to the Oscars to win the most Oscars ever, and he doesn’t have enough years to catch up to Walt Disney, but dammit lets get close!

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Spike Jonze for Her – Her is a very modern film. Spike Jonze is a very modern filmmaker. With a lot of nominations behind him, this becomes the year Spike Jonze wins an Oscar. Her was a good film too.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: David O. Russell for American Hustle.  Like I said, it’s time for David to slay his Goliath, and get the title of Oscar winner that he probably pretends to not care about.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: See above.

Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay

…And the nominees are:

Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke for Before Midnight

Billy Ray for Captain Phillips

Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope for Philomena

John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave

Terence Winter for The Wolf of Wall Street

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke for Before Midnight.  I am almost certain this won’t happen, but this triangle of great folks really deserve this award.  As a great admirer of the 90’s, Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke are phenomenal in my adoring eyes.  Although, for different reasons, seeing Steve Coogan win would be great too.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Terence Winter for the Wolf of Wall Street – It is hard to figure out what The Wolf of Wall Street actually is in terms of classification. It’s hard to believe this “Comedy” is an adaptation of real person Jordan Belfort memoirs. The Wolf of Wall Street is still a film with entertainment as part of its form and such not necessarily an adaptation of historical fact. As much as this film makes me smile I think it’s too loud and filled with pop culture and not enough Independent to win. Cynicalness pokes it’s head up again.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: John Ridley for 12 Years A Slave.  Two words: White Guilt.  Well deserved white guilt I might add.  As genuine of a gesture as I believe it NOT to be, I don’t think the risk of not honoring the true story of an enslaved man by awarding the adaptation of his true story and the portrayal by the man who took his life to the screen, is one that they should really avoid.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  John Ridley for 12 Years A Slave – For many of the same reasons already stated. The audience loves a true story and we love to see struggles caped with overcoming – it’s the hero’s journey and the content is right next to the American Heart even though we deny both most times.

 

Best Achievement in Cinematography

…And the nominees are:

Philippe Le Sourd for The Grandmaster

Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity

Bruno Delbonnel for Inside Llewyn Davis

Phedon Papamichael for Nebraska

Roger Deakins for Prisoners

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Bruno Delbonnel for Inside Llewyn Davis.  I am rather shocked that this is the only appearance of a Coen Brothers film this year.  As most of us should, the Academy has an obvious hard on these two brilliant filmmakers, yet here they are in just two categories, both of which omit the Coen name.  Personally, I just want any film besides Gravity to win.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity.  I can only let out a sigh on this one.  Such horseshit.  Just as they did last year with that extremely festering pile of dung that was Life of Pi, I really think that the green screen is going to win once again.  I don’t mean to hate on this new fan dangled age of digital and green screened all to hell ways of doing business, but I still call bullshit.  And to be fair, Life of Pi was awful.  And I believe many cinematographers are losing their creative edge to a god damned MacBook, and that isn’t cool.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity – All the films nominated are beautifully shot but it is Gravity that pushes the envelope is visual storytelling. No other film has done what Gravity has done in moving filmmaking into the 21 century of digital creation. As the point going forward, brought up by my dear friend Ron, what constitutes a composition now with so much post production add on? Emmanuel Lubezki has 10 nominations and no wins. This is the DP that shot Children of Men (2006) and Tree of Life (2011) which had almost no CGI and I want this win.

Best Achievement in Costume Design

…And the nominees are:

Michael Wilkinson for American Hustle

William Chang for The Grandmaster

Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby

Michael O’Connor for The Invisible Woman

Patricia Norris for 12 Years a Slave

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby.  Although I didn’t really dig a 3D, hip hop infused reanimation of one of my favorite books as much I thought I would, they were dressed to a goddamned T!  Martin got the costumes down as well as they were when Redford played Jay.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby.  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby.  I have faith, I think it can be done.  I can only see this going wrong if the judges decide to hand over a give away award to American Hustle, which is not too far out in left field to consider.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby – The Great Gatsby has fashion sense and a look that gives theme in the pursuit of storytelling. There are costumes and then there are costumes.

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

…And the nominees are:

Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, and Chris Munro for Captain Phillips

Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, and Chris Munro for Gravity

Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Sernanick, and Tony Johnson for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff, and Peter F. Kurland for Inside Llewyn Davis

Andy Koyama, Beau Borders, and David Brownlow for Lone Survivor

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff, and Peter F. Kurland for Inside Llewyn Davis.  I couldn’t even pretend to know what is involved with sound mixing, so I will just pick the Coen Brothers.  Done.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Andy Koyama, Beau Borders, and David Brownlow for Lone Survivor.  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, and Chris Munro for Captain Phillips

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Andy Koyama, Beau Borders, and David Brownlow for Lone Survivor – War has a lot of sounds. Visual keeps an audiences’ attention but it is sound which gives cinema its soul. Lone Survivor has elements of brother-in-arms quiet intimacy but this film is not a dramatic conversational piece. Through the arrangements of the sound mixing emotional heart strings are pulled through the achievement of the mixers’ ability.

Best Achievement in Film Editing

…And the nominees are:

Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, and Alan Baumgarten for American Hustle

Christopher Rouse for Captain Phillips

Jean Marc Vallee and Martin Pensa for Dallas Buyers Club

Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger for Gravity

Joe Walker for 12 Years a Slave

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, and Alan Baumgarten for American Hustle.  I don’t really have any opinion on this, I am just so convinced that American Hustle is going to take the cake, and I’m not real concerned to begin with.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Christopher Rouse for Captain Phillips.  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, and Alan Baumgarten for American Hustle.  I always think that the editing award and best picture award should be together, right?  That’s my rationale anyway.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Christopher Rouse for Captain Phillips – Editing is the strongest piece of Captain Phillips taking a story we kind of already know the ending giving it an intensity of feeling like maybe we don’t know how it will turn out even though we still kind of do. This tension strives from the power of the editing. It’s hard for an editor on Gravity to win with Alfonso Cuaron giving you 17 minute single shots to work with. Captain Phillips deserves this win.

 

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

…And the nominees are:

Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns for All Is Lost

Oliver Tarney for Captain Phillips

Glenn Freemantle for Gravity

Brent Burge for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Wylie Stateman for Lone Survivor

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Oliver Tarney for Captain Phillips.  I don’t know, I just don’t want Gravity to win a damn thing.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Glenn Freemantle for Gravity – There is no sound is space, kind of. It’s the quiet of this film that adds so much more to the experience. Quiet is not silence and creating quiet is very hard to pull off.

 WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Glenn Freemantle for Gravity.  I guess if you treat a film like a video game, you can have the technical shit.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Wylie Stateman for Lone Survivor – For the same reasons as to winning Sound Mixing.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

…And the nominees are:

Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, and Neil Corbould for Gravity

Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, and Eric Reynolds for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash, and Daniel Sudick for Iron Man 3

Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams, and John Frazier for The Lone Ranger

Roger Guyett, Pat Tubach, Ben Grossman, and Burt Dalton for Star Trek Into Darkness

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, and Eric Reynolds for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  It’s not Gravity.  And it’s based on classic literature.  Why not?

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, and Neil Corbould for Gravity – Gravity does not have a spectacular over the top or world building level of visual effects which other films offer but it does possess the technical achievement of pushing the boundaries of possibilities in storytelling. Gravity creates a seamless realism that disbands especial effect disbelief. All the wires are hidden.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, and Neil Corbould for Gravity.  Whatever.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, and Eric Reynolds for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Middle Earth is a beautiful world. But, I’ve been there before and have already seen this place. LOTR needs a win, and the film looks great. Thumbs up!

 

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

…And the nominees are:

Adruitha Lee and Robin Matthews for Dallas Buyers Club

Steve Prouty for Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua Casny for The Lone Ranger

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Steve Prouty for Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.  I know that Dallas Buyers Club should be the right answer, but I love the idea of the Jackass guys being Oscar winners, even if I am not really a fan.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Adruitha Lee and Robin Matthews for Dallas Buyers Club.  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Adruitha Lee and Robin Matthews for Dallas Buyers Club.  There just really is no other realistic option.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Adruitha Lee and Robin Matthews for Dallas Buyers Club – Matthew McConaughey lost a lot of weight for his role. This was a partial reason for McConaughey’s Oscar winning performance. Weight loss can only go so far. The makeup department is so important to storytelling but so under appreciated by the film going crowds. I was sold that McConaughey was dying from Aids which gave me a very strong connection to the film. This was in part to the great makeup of Dallas Buyers Club.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

…And the nominees are:

Pharrell Williams for Despicable Me 2, “Happy”

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for Frozen, “Let It Go”

Karen O for Her, “The Moon Song”

Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, “Ordinary Love”

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for Frozen, “Let It Go”. The phenomenon of this song has hit my home personally.  My kids absolutely adore the entire Frozen soundtrack.  And they are blissfully unaware that such a phenomenon is happening, although they are definitely a part of it all.  So for them, I choose this extremely annoying song in hopes that it goes away very soon.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Pharrell Williams for Despicable Me 2, “Happy” – I have a soft spot for Pharrell. I like the Despicable Me movies. I’ll remember the Pharrell song longer than the U2 song.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for Frozen, “Let It Go”.  It’s just too damn big.  Enough said.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, “Ordinary Love” – It’s U2 with an original song for a Nelson Mandela film in a year Nelson Mandela past away. This is easier than the Adele song for Skyfall. This is my free spot on Bingo.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

…And the nominees are:

John Williams for The Book Thief

Steven Price for Gravity

Will Butler and Owen Pallett for Her

Alexandre Desplat for Philomena

Thomas Newman for Saving Mr. Banks

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Thomas Newman for Saving Mr. Banks.  Because I would simply have to shut down my Facebook account if the kids from Arcade Fire win an Oscar.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Thomas Newman for Saving Mr. Banks.  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Thomas Newman for Saving Mr. Banks.  Nobody should want Arcade Fire to win an Oscar.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Thomas Newman for Saving Mr. Banks – Music is so important to film. Music in film existed before movies had sound. Thomas Newman’s score for Saving Mr. Banks is what holds the film together. Comedic moments to personal reflective conversations, the score keeps the emotions moving and an interest in the film. Being about Walt Disney, best music score seems fitting.

 

Best Short Film, Animated

…And the nominees are:

Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden for Feral

Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim for Get a Horsel

Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares for Mr Hublot

Shuhei Morita for Possessions

Max Lang and Jan Lachauer for Room on the Broom

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden for Feral.  To use the unofficial military acronym, this is a “WAG” (Wild Ass Guess).

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden for Feral – See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden for Feral.  To use the unofficial military acronym, this is a “WAG” (Wild Ass Guess).

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden for Feral – How many people actually watch the shorts?

Best Short Film, Live Action

…And the nominees are:

Esteban Crespo for That Wasn’t Me

Xavier Legrand, Alexandre Gavras for Just Before Losing Everything

Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson for Helium

Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari for Do I Have To Take Care of Everything?

Mark Gill and Baldwin Li for The Voorman Problem

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Xavier Legrand, Alexandre Gavras for Just Before Losing Everything.  WAG

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Xavier Legrand, Alexandre Gavras for Just Before Losing Everything.  WAG.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson for Helium – How many people actually watch the shorts?

Best Documentary, Short Subject

..And the nominees are:

Malcom Clarke and Nick Reed for The Lady in Number 6

Jeffrey Karoff for Cavedigger

Jason Cohen for Facing Fear

Sara Ishaq for Karama Has No Walls

Edgar Barens for Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Edgar Barens for Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall.  I know who Edgar Barens is!!!

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Jeffrey Karoff for Cavedigger –  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Edgar Barens for Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall. Again…I know Barens!  And he is great!

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Jeffrey Karoff for Cavedigger – How many people actually watch the shorts?

Best Documentary, Features

…And the nominees are:

Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sorenson for The Act of Killing

Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher for Cutie and the Boxer

Rick Rowley and Jeremy Scahill for Dirty Wars

Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer for The Square

Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen, and Caitrin Rogers for 20 Feet from Stardom

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen, and Caitrin Rogers for 20 Feet from Stardom.  This was a really cool film.  Maybe not as socially important as the others, but hell, Searching for Sugar Man won last year!  Which I loved, but didn’t see that coming!

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sorenson for The Act of Killing – The Act of Killing shook me up quite a bit. The film is about anti-communist purging from Indonesian between 65-66 resulting in 500,000 killed. The cold war and communists was never a part of my generation as thus I feel removed from that “communist” fear. What The Act of Killing does is address a very fundamental motivation of why people kill and the journey of a person who was caught up in those moments who years later discovers another very humanistic characteristic that is for each individual viewer to figure out for themselves.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen, and Caitrin Rogers for 20 Feet from Stardom.  Here’s to hoping we get two musical years in a row!

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer for The Square – Egypt continues to be a center pillar of geopolitics. The Square’s story is still developing. In this moment The Square will win, and should be seen, but The Act of Killing is about humanist characters and maybe more long term relative.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

…And the nominees are:

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)

The Great Beauty (Italy)

The Hunt (Denmark)

The Missing Picture (Cambodia)

Omar (Palestine)

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: The Hunt (Denmark).  I heart Denmark.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Omar (Palestine).  Controversy sells.  And probably with good reason.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN:  The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium) – Here is where my bullshit comes through. I haven’t seen any of these films. With that said, this is my choice and all of these choice are so subjective. These are all good, well maybe most, but it’s only time which decides what films are great.

Best Animated Feature

…And the nominees are:

Chris Sanders, kirk De Micco, and Kristine Belson for The Croods

Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, and Christopher Meledandri for Despicable Me 2

Benjamine Renner and Didier Brunner for Ernest & Celestine

Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Peter Del Vecho for Frozen

Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki for The Wind Rises

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Peter Del Vecho for Frozen.  See the above “Let it Go” argument.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN:  Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki for The Wind Rises – This is Hayao Miyazaki final film of a very long groundbreaking career. This film is deserving of the win even though it has the least amount of notoriety in the states. Hayao will receive a lifetime achievement award in the coming years but an Oscar for this film would be a much better result. I don’t actually think The Wind Rises will win but I won’t cheapen it by moving this section into the wants to win category.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Peter Del Vecho for Frozen.  See the above “Let it Go” argument.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: See above.

Best Achievement in Production Design

…And the nominees are:

Judy Becker and Heather Loeffler for American Hustle

Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, and Joanne Woollard for Gravity

Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn for The Great Gatsby

K.K. Barrett and Gene Serdena for Her

Adam Stockhausen and Alice Baker for 12 Years a Slave

WHO RON WANTS TO WIN: Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn for The Great Gatsby.  I thought this was actually the greatest part of the film.

WHO CHRIS WANTS TO WIN: Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn for The Great Gatsby.  See below.

WHO RON THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Judy Becker and Heather Loeffler for American Hustle.  Seriously, if Gravity wins this shit, I am going to shun George Clooney, and shit in Sandra Bullock’s empty skull.

WHO CHRIS THINKS WILL ACTUALLY WIN: Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn for The Great Gatsby – The Great Gatsby is an interesting film that I have returned to a few times. It’s not a greatest achievement in film but the choices I still find interesting and it is in this regard The Great Gatsby has some staying power. As part of those choice the Production Design is fundamentally terrific.