I don’t recall a better year for motion pictures in my lifetime. Boy, there were a lot of great films in 2013, which makes picking Oscar winners more difficult than usual. Still, I’ve never been one to shy away from the challenge, so here goes
My own personal favorites this year (and by that I mean those I want to see over and over again) are “Nebraska” and “American Hustle.” But I realize the year’s best picture is actually Steve McQueen’s “Twelve Years A Slave.” Much as with Mel Gibson’s “The Passion Of The Christ” or Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” I’m glad I saw it. But I don’t need to see it ever again. It’s an important topic, and this is the first “serious” film ever made about slavery, but it’s difficult to watch. Still, it is the year’s best picture, and it should win that honor. Likewise, British director Steve McQueen should win Best Director. There’s an outside chance Alfonso Cuaron could win for “Gravity,” but the real achievements there are of the technical variety – not the directing.
As far as the acting categories are concerned, let’s start with the easy one. Amy Adams has deserved to win a statuette for years, and this year she will. Her performance in David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” was perhaps the best anyone gave in any movie all year. It was the key to the success of the entire film. She deserves to win Best Actress, and will. Sandra Bullock was fabulous in “Gravity,” but this will be Adams’ year.
Best Actor is a little more difficult. Chiwetel Ejiofor anchored “Twelve Years A Slave,” and certainly deserves recognition. Matthew McConaughey played against type in “Dallas Buyers Club,” delivering his best performance ever. The sentimental favorite here is veteran character actor Bruce Dern, who scored big-time in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska.” He spends the entire picture in a rotten mood, never smiles, and teeters on the verge of Alzheimer’s. Yet his character is the most loveable of the year. That’s something only a few actors can pull off. (Tommy Lee Jones comes to mind.) At 77 years old, Dern will probably never play another role this juicy. I realize that makes him the sentimental pick, but he gets my vote based on the quality of his acting.
Which actor will the Academy choose? Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf Of Wall Street.” DiCaprio has been at the top of his game for years, and he’s never won. This will finally be his year. And while I admit that DiCaprio is so great in this role I can’t imagine anyone else playing it, I thought it was played way over the top, in an otherwise “realistic” movie.
I apply this same “over the top acting” criticism to Jonah Hill, who played DiCaprio’s right-hand man in “Wolf,” and is nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I really enjoyed newcomer Barkhad Abdi, who played a Somalian pirate in “Captain Phillips,” but my own personal choice here is for Jared Leto’s role as an HIV-positive transgendered woman in “Dallas Buyers Club.” His is the key performance in this film, and he truly disappears into the part. Unlike Bruce Dern or Leonardo DiCaprio, I didn’t realize I was watching Jared Leto until the credits rolled. The Academy will probably award Leto in this category.
My personal pick for Best Supporting Actress is Jennifer Lawrence, who provided memorable comic relief in “American Hustle.” I know she just won the lead actress statuette last year for “Silver Linings Playbook,” which will probably body-check her chances this year, but I believe she deserves it. The academy will likely award newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, whose role as a fellow slave in “Twelve Years” was stunning. I’d vote for her too, if “American Hustle” had never been made. The longshot here is June Squibb for “Nebraska,” but I thought her brash performance, while very funny, was out of place in an otherwise low-key film. I’m actually a little surprised she was even nominated.
The writing award for Adapted Screenplay should go to John Ridley for “Twelve Years.” He deserves it, and will almost certainly win. The Original Screenplay Oscar is tougher to call. This is one category where “Nebraska” stands a real chance, with a tight script by Bob Nelson. But I’d pick Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell for “American Hustle.” Their script is so good I equate it to Robert Towne’s masterful screenplay for 1974’s “Chinatown.” Every scene is important, and no tidbit of information is extraneous. It’s a classic well-written story, and I think the Academy will award it accordingly.
I won’t bother guessing the minor awards, but I was shocked that neither “Wajdja” nor “Blue Is The Warmest Color” were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. None of the five nominated pictures has shown here, so I can’t even hazard a guess.
Now that you’ve read my opinions and predictions, let me hear from you. Do you agree with my selections? If not, what films and actors would you like to see win? Feel free to comment, or e-mail me.