Oscar Season: Jack's Predictions pt. 2

Welcome back, everyone. Today, for my Oscar predicting, I shall be looking at the nominees in the supporting categories of both actor and actress. That being said, here are the nominees:

Outstanding Supporting Actor:

-Christian Bale- The Fighter

-John Hawkes-Winter’s Bone

-Jeremy Renner-The Town

-Mark Ruffalo- The Kids are All Right

-Geoffery Rush- The King’s Speech

Initial Thoughts: This is probably my favorite category for two reasons: 1) I have seen all of these films, 2) This is a solid lineup in my book (Sorry Andrew Garfield, you were my number 6). I am ecstatic John Hawkes got nominated, this was well earned considering its from such a small film. The same can be said about Ruffalo, they are two of my favorites of the year. So was Jeremy Renner, who delivers some of the best lines in The Town (Sadly, this was the film’s sole nomination, so his chaces are slim).

Prediction: I would give it to any of those men, but they haven’t received as much awards attention as Rush or Bale. These are terrific performances, and all odds arelaced on Bale to win. However, I have been slowly gaining doubt, and there could be the possibility that Firth can overtake him. Granted, I think Bale has the showier performance, but if the King’s Speech gets the amount of love its expected to get, Rush might upset. It’s a tough choice, but I am giving it to Bale because he is beyond due and Rush has already won an Oscar for Shine back in 96. Still, I have my doubts, but its too hard to tell.

Outstanding Supporting Actress:

-Amy Adams- The Fighter

-Helena Bonham Carter- The King’s Speech

-Melissa Leo- The Fighter

-Hailee Steinfeld- True Grit

-Jacki Weaver- Animal Kingdom

Initial Thoughts: Glad to see Weaver get nominated, but I think it ends there, for I think this is one of those, “Man, good for her, maybe I should go check it out now.” Also great to see Carter in a more subdue role than we have seen before. Now, I might have mentioned that there is a potential for her film to sweep. Be that as it may, her chances of winning are probably a lot more slimmer and if she pulls the win, I think it’s a sure fired bet there will be a sweep. Not saying its bad, but I think its more of a three way race at this point.

Prediction: I, like many I assume, consider Steinfeld to be more of a lead in the film, but by putting her in this category, she has a better shot. While its considered to be Leo’s to lose, don’t be so sure it’s the safe bet. If there is a category filled with upsets, its this one (see Mira Sorvino or Marisa Tomei). That being said, her role seems more showier than Adams which might give her the edge. However, I really liked Adams’ performance, in fact her’s and Steinfeld’s were some of my favorite for the year. There is also the possibility that Adams’ and Leo might split (which is often the case for two people nominated for the same film), which may give Steinfeld the edge. Still, the safe money is on Leo, but don’t be surprised if I am wrong.

Come back tomorrow for my picks for Best Original Score and Best Documentary

Best Films of the Year part 1

Hey Everyone, I know I have been lazy in my movie reviews, so with it being a new year, I decided to quickly run over 10 films that I felt were the best of the year, in my opinion, and yes I did place them in order of which I enjoyed more, enjoy:

Honorable Mentions:

The Fighter: for having a strong cast (particularly Christian Bale and Amy Adams) and for being quite a strong boxing film, which really is a hard feat considering its competition (Rocky, Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby).

Get Low: Bill Murray and Robert Duvall are amazing in this indie film, I would highly recommend seeing if anything simply for their performances.

Kick Ass: My most favorite guilty pleasure film of the year, I would recommend this any day

Now, for part 1 of my 10 favorite films of the year

10. Inception

Christopher Nolan pens another brilliant script, with a strong cast, led by the terrific Leonardo DiCaprio, this film is fantastic. I did have some problems with some of its editing, and the fact that they had a character written for exposition sake (granted I guess with this material it was kind of needed), but this is just me being nit picky. The score is good, you can really feel the strength of Hans Zimmer’s work through every scene, its really strong, won’t be surprised to see this up for a few Oscars down the road.

9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

I have two big reasons why I loved this film: 1) it was written/directed by Edgar Wright (who has so far done no wrong in my book with the hilarious Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), and 2) I had read the graphic novels and they were utterly amazing. Edgar really harnessed the spirit of the novels and the ideas Bryan Lee O’Malley had in mind for the series and it really came through with this film. The cast is brilliant, Kieran Culkin steals all the scenes he’s in, and his 7 evil exes are perfect (Brandon Routh was my favorite but I am rather bias in that his story was my favorite novel). This was also quite the love letter to ‘90’s garage bands, the music was excellent. This is seriously a film that shouldn’t be overlooked. Also, it taught me the greatest lesson of all, vegan powers, coolest thing ever. Movie rating: Awesome.

8. The King’s Speech

Colin Firth was my pick to win the Oscar for Best Actor in A Single Man, but he did not win, but I saw it coming. With this film, he not only deserves another nomination, but he should dominate the awards season (or someone I will mention later). He is also perfectly matched with the great Geoffrey Rush as his therapist, their scenes and chemistry is terrific. Helena Bonham Carter also has a strong performance in this beautiful historical piece whose art direction should get some award recognition. All in all, the film (directed by Tom Hooper, who is known for working on the John Adams miniseries), is gorgeous and well crafted.

Check back soon for part 2...