My Oscar Picks or Nobody Does it Better

Its award season where the celebrities get dressed up and give each other handies while we watch. Of course I am being super hipster in that I am talking down the Oscars while aspiring to get my grubby little hands on one of those golden statues. So now that I have done the required celeb-loathing its time to get on with it.

Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper for "Silver Linings Playbook"
Daniel Day Lewis for "Lincoln"
Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables"
Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master"
Denzel Washington for "Flight"

I believe this category comes down to Daniel Day Lewis and Denzel Washington. Sorry Bradley you were in the Hangover II and Hugh Jackman will always be Wolverine to me. I will never vote for Joaquin for what he did to Maximus in "Gladiator". In all seriousness I think this will go to Daniel Day Lewis. He wasn't playing Lincoln he was Lincoln. I loved Denzel in "Flight" and will probably pull a John Madden and take a bus where ever I go from now on but I think DDL did a better job.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

*   Alan Arkin in "Argo"
*   Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook"
*   Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master"
*   Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln"
*   Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"

I was supremely disappointed that John Goodman didn't get a nomination for his role in Argo or Flight. That being said I think this Oscar comes down to Alan Arkin and Robert De Niro. My money is on De Niro because he was in the Godfather and you do not go against the family.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

*   Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"
*   Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"
*   Emmanuelle Riva in "Amour"
*   Quvenzhane Wallis in "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
*   Naomi Watts in "The Impossible"

I have no dog in this race having only seen "Zero Dark Thirty". However I am rooting for nine year old Quvenzhane Wallis. I think this will be one of those wins where the Academy tries to prove they are advanced and enlighten by giving the Oscar to a young black girl...but thats just me.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

*   Amy Adams in "The Master"
*   Sally Field in "Lincoln"
*   Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables"
*   Helen Hunt in "The Sessions"
*   Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook"

I really liked Sally Field for this and thought she did an amazing job in Lincoln so she is my pick for the Oscar.

Best animated feature film of the year

*   "Brave," Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
*   "Frankenweenie," Tim Burton
*   "ParaNorman," Sam Fell and Chris Butler
*   "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," Peter Lord
*   "Wreck-It Ralph," Rich Moore

I like Wreck-It-Ralph in this race. I think this was the first non-Pixar film that captured the magic of Pixar, which I think they lost on Brave. I liked Brave but it didn't seem like a Pixar film. It makes sense that Wreck-It would feel like a Pixar film since the Pixar guys aided in the making of the film.

Achievement in cinematography

*   "Anna Karenina," Seamus McGarvey
*   "Django Unchained," Robert Richardson
*   "Life of Pi," Claudio Miranda
*   "Lincoln," Janusz Kaminski
*   "Skyfall," Roger Deakins

I believe this Oscar comes down to Lincoln and Skyfall. Roger Deakins did an amazing job on Skyfall. I give this Oscar to Skyfall.

Achievement in directing

*   "Amour," Michael Haneke
*   "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Benh Zeitlin
*   "Life of Pi," Ang Lee
*   "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg
*   "Silver Linings Playbook," David O. Russell

No competition this is Mr. Spielberg's to win. He took a movie about a political debate and made it exciting. It is a testament to Spielberg's skill that I was able to sit in a movie theater in 2012 and wonder if the slaves were going to be freed...or a failure of the American school system. Had they nominated Ben Affleck or Kathryn Bigelow I would say he has some competition. 

Best motion picture of the year

*   "Amour" (nominees to be determined)
*   "Argo," Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, producers
*   "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, producers
*   "Django Unchained," Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, producers
*   "Les Miserables," Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, producers
*   "Life of Pi," Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, producers
*   "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, producers
*   "Silver Linings Playbook," Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, producers
*   "Zero Dark Thirty," Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, producers

Ah this is the big daddy of the awards. I really liked Argo, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty. I enjoyed Django but I didn't see anything that was Best Picture worthy in it. I think this is Lincoln's movie to win.