Reaction: The 84th Academy Awards Winners

And now, the Academy Awards have ended, leaving the public applauding some winners and scratching their heads over others. And so, I've taken the time to break down each of the categories, talking about who won and why. I did not watch the ceremony on television, so I can't necessarily speak about Billy Crystal's performance as host or for the dresses or anything like that. I just know the winners, and that's what I'll be talking about. For those of you who were following along with my Oscar predictions, you might be happy to know that I correctly predicted sixteen of the twenty-one categories where I made picks.

(Also, for your viewing pleasure, don't forget to check out my "Top 10 Films of 2011" list as well as my personal "Best of 2011" awards.)

*****

Best Short Film, Live Action: The Shore
Because I'm not familiar with the short films, I did not make a prediction as to which of them would win; I also don't really have anything to say about them.

Best Short Film, Animated: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
(See: Best Short Film, Live Action.)

Best Documentary, Short Subjects: Saving Face
(See: Best Short Film, Live Action.)

Best Documentary, Features: Undefeated
I went into this category a little blind, having not seen any of the nominated films, so I took a wild guess and went with Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory based on the fact that the Producers Guild had nominated it at their awards ceremony. What I didn't take into account was the fact that the Academy is a sucker for underdog stories, which is exactly what Undefeated is. It was critically acclaimed, but audiences have been less than thrilled by the film, but I guess the Academy decided to side with the critics here.

Best Visual Effects: Hugo
This might be the biggest surprise of the night, for me. I fully expected the Academy to honor the motion capture technology that brought Caesar to life in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, especially after the massive push to get Andy Serkis an acting nomination for his work on the role. Still, I have to applaud Hugo, my personal top film of the year, for taking another award, but I am still a bit flabbergasted.

Best Sound Editing: Hugo
I had this one pegged from the start. Hugo had been cleaning up in this category at previous awards ceremonies, so there was no reason to think the Academy wouldn't salute it here as well.

Best Sound Mixing: Hugo
(See: Sound Editing.)

Best Original Song: "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets
This is probably the category I was most excited to see, if only because I was a little sad that The Muppets didn't receive more than just its one nomination here. Still, I'm glad to see it take the award, even if it was in an incredibly easy category.

Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource for The Artist
Taking on big-time composers like John Williams and Hans Zimmer couldn't have been easy, but Bource has already received quite a bit of praise for his score for The Artist. Would I have liked to see someone else win? Sure, but I can applaud Bource for his effort.

Best Makeup: The Iron Lady
After picking up a couple wins here and there, I thought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 might take home the award, but I was also very wary of The Iron Lady's ability to steal this one as well. If anything, I think the fact that Harry Potter, a well-received audience pleaser, lost to a sub-par drama goes to show that the Academy is still a bit set in their ways. It might be a few years before they'll actually start to recognize big-budget flicks, no matter how good they might be.

Best Costume Design: The Artist
This category is generally dominated by British period pieces, but it might have been a little too muddled with them this year. After Jane Eyre, Anonymous and W.E. all received nominations int this category, I had a feeling The Artist would swoop in and steal the award. And that's exactly what happened.

Best Art Direction: Hugo
(See: Best Sound Editing.)

Best Editing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I would have been shocked had they not thrown this one to David Fincher's film, even if there were some fantastic films nominated against it. This just seemed like the right choice from the start, and you knew it had to win an award somewhere.

Best Cinematography: Hugo
I'm a little miffed by this one, to be honest. Hugo hadn't won this category at any of the major awards, and I personally thought it would get thrown to either The Tree of Life, War Horse or The Artist. I can see where the merit lies, but I don't know whether this was the right decision by the Academy. Still, it gave Hugo five Oscar statuettes, so that's gotta count for something.

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
A Separation was nominated in other categories as well as this one, making it the front-runner. This one's no surprise.

Best Animated Film: Rango
With the omission of The Adventures of Tintin from this category's list of nominees, this was Rango's award to lose. That being said, I still think Rango might have taken the award even if Tintin had been included. But that's just me.

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants
Despite stiff competition, I figured this category - not Best Actor - was the best chance The Descendants had to take home an Oscar statuette. And the fact that it beat out Hugo here helped spell Hugo's doom in the larger categories.

Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
You can never count Woody Allen out of any Oscar race, and the fact that Midnight in Paris had been dominating in this category at previous awards only helped cement its chances of taking home the Academy Award as well. Still, it had to beat out The Artist, so that has to be commended.

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
When Hazanavicius took the award for Best Director, it all but sealed The Artist's fate to take home Best Picture. Had Martin Scorsese managed to steal this award, we might have had a bit of drama going into the final award announcement, but alas, it didn't happen.

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer for The Help
Despite doing battle against co-star Jessica Chastain, Spencer managed to receive enough votes to win in a category that was lacking in real depth. Still, that can't take away from her fantastic performance in one of the more moving films of the year.

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer for Beginners
I called my prediction of Christopher Plummer in this category the safest bet at this year's Academy Award, and it did not disappoint. To see anyone else take home the award would have been the biggest upset of the night.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady
I honestly thought Viola Davis would find a way to take home this award, but the star power of Meryl Streep is just too strong. Even though she starred in a film that was lightyears behind The Help, her performance was strong enough to sway Academy voters. Still, I couldnt't help but whisper favoritism through the halls after this one was announced.

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin for The Artist
At the end of the night, I thought this category would be the biggest predictor as to what film might win Best Picture. If George Clooney managed to nab this award, I think it would have opened the way for Hugo to take the Best Picture steal. However, when Dujardin rightfully won Best Actor, it was essentially guaranteed that The Artist would walk home with Best Picture.

Best Picture: The Artist
And it did. Although I personally don't think it was the best film of the year, I have to applaud The Artist for all of the accolades it has managed to win this year.

*****

I'd like to congratulate all of the winners and all of the nominees as well. I can't wait for next year's Academy Awards!

Movie Awards: BEST OF 2011

And so, after quite a bit of deliberation, I am able to bring you my nominees for the "Best of 2011" Awards. Below, you'll find thirty separate categories encompassing a broad spectrum of films. The nominees have been taken from the 101 films released in 2011 that I've been able to see thus far.

And so, I present to you my personal "Best of 2011" award nominations. The winners will be announced this Saturday, February 25, so be on the watch!

*****

Best Animation
Nominees:
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Puss in Boots
Rango
Winnie the Pooh

Winner: The Adventures of Tintin

*****

Best Visual Effects
Nominees:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Winner: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

*****

Best Original Song
Nominees:
Jamie Foxx for "Fly Love," Rio
Jason Segel & Peter Linz for "Man or Muppet," The Muppets
Los Lobos for "Rango Theme Song," Rango
Mary J. Blige for "The Living Proof," The Help
Zooey Deschanel for "So Long," Winnie the Pooh

Winner: Jason Segel & Peter Linz

*****

Best Original Score
Nominees:
Alexandre Desplat, The Tree of Life
Hans Zimmer, Rango
John Williams, War Horse
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Thomas Newman, The Help

Winner: Alexandre Desplat

*****

Best Cameo or Brief Appearance
Nominees:
Adrien Brody, Midnight in Paris
Jim Parsons, The Muppets
Jude Law, Hugo
Kristen Bell, Scream 4
Sean Penn, The Tree of Life

Winner: Adrien Brody

*****

Best Young Actor
Nominees:
Alex Shaffer, Win Win
Amara Miller, The Descendants
Elle Fanning, Super 8
Hunter McCracken, The Tree of Life
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna

Winner: Elle Fanning

*****

Best Villain
Nominees:
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Chris Cooper, The Muppets
David Hyde Pierce, The Perfect Host
Kevin Spacey, Horrible Bosses
Stellan Skarsgård, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Winner: David Hyde Pierce

*****

Best Vocal Performance
Nominees:
Andy Serkis, The Adventures of Tintin
Bill Nighy, Arthur Christmas
John Cleese, Winnie the Pooh
Johnny Depp, Rango
Seth Rogen, Paul 

Winner: Johnny Depp


*****

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Nominees:
Analeigh Tipton, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses
Marion Cotillard, Midnight in Paris
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids 

Winner: Jennifer Aniston


*****

Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Nominees:
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Judi Dench, Jane Eyre
Judy Greer, The Descendants
Mélanie Laurent, Beginners
Octavia Spencer, The Help 

Winner: Octavia Spencer


*****

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Nominees:
Alex Shaffer, Win Win
Chris Cooper, The Muppets
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
John Goodman, The Artist
Kevin Spacey, Horrible Bosses 

Winner: Chris Cooper


*****

Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Nominees:
Albert Brooks, Drive
Ben Kingsley, Hugo
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Paul Giamatti, The Ides of March

Winner: Brad Pitt


*****

Best Actress, Comedy
Nominees:
Amy Adams, The Muppets
Anna Kendrick, 50/50
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Kate Winslet, Carnage 

Winner: Kate Winslet


*****

Best Actress, Drama
Nominees:
Carey Mulligan, Drive
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Viola Davis, The Help 

Winner: Viola Davis


*****

Best Actor, Comedy
Nominees:
Charlie Day, Horrible Bosses
Christoph Waltz, Carnage
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love. 

Winner: Jean Dujardin


*****

Best Actor, Drama
Nominees:
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney, The Descendants
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Tom Hardy, Warrior 

Winner: Ryan Gosling


*****

Best Director
Nominees:
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Roman Polanski, Carnage
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life 

Winner: Nicolas Winding Refn


*****

Best Screenplay, Comedy
Nominees:
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller, The Muppets
John Logan, Rango
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Roman Polanski & Yasmina Reza, Carnage 

Winner: Michel Hazanavicius


*****

Best Screenplay, Drama
Nominees:
Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish & Steven Moffat, The Adventures of Tintin
Hossein Amini, Drive
J.J. Abrams, Super 8
John Logan, Hugo
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Winner: John Logan


*****

Best Cast, Vocal
Nominees:
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Rango
Rio
Winnie the Pooh 

Winner: Rango


*****

Best Cast, Comedy

Nominees:
50/50
The Artist
Carnage
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Muppets

Winner: Carnage


*****

Best Cast, Drama

Nominees:
Drive
Hugo
Super 8
The Tree of Life
Warrior

Winner: Drive


*****

Best Documentary

Nominees:
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
Project Nim

Winner: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey


*****

Best Foreign Film

Nominees:
13 Assassins
Winner: 13 Assassins


*****

Best Animated Film

Nominees:
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Puss in Boots
Rango
Winnie the Pooh

Winner: Rango


*****

Best Horror/Thriller

Nominees:
Attack the Block
Rubber
Scream 4
Super 8
Tucker and Dale vs Evil

Winner: Super 8


*****

Best Action/Adventure

Nominees:
Hanna
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Source Code
X-Men: First Class

Winner: Hanna


*****

Best Comedy

Nominees:
50/50
The Artist
Carnage
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Muppets

Winner: The Artist


*****

Best Drama

Nominees:
The Descendants
Drive
Hugo
The Tree of Life
Warrior

Winner: Hugo


*****

Best Picture of the Year

Nominees:
The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Rango

Winner: Hugo

Predictions: The 84th Academy Awards

With the 84th Academy Awards only a few days away, I figured that now was the time to release my own personal predictions as to how the awards will be handed out this Sunday evening. Before we get into all that, however, I would like to offer the following disclaimer:

The following predictions are merely my own personal assumptions as to what films will win at the Academy Awards. I have done extensive research into the trends and the buzz surrounding the Oscars as well as the other awards ceremonies that have thus far taken place, and while I am confident in my predictions, I cannot say that I am an expert on the Academy's voting practices.

All that being said, let's get into the thick of it, shall we? I've made predictions for 21 of the 24 categories (I don't make predictions for the short films, so I apologize in advance), so let's see how well I'll do this year. I'll highlight my official picks in green so that they'll stand out for you. I also won't be delving into the films I thought were snubbed - if you want a look at my initial reaction to the nominees, check out this post.

*****

Best Documentary, Features
Nominees:
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated
Who Will Win: I'm putting my money on Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory solely based on the fact that it was the only one of these films to be nominated by the Producers Guild at their own awards ceremony.

Who Could Steal: For all I know, this is a wide open race. I'm only making my pick of Paradise Lost 3 based off one award nomination thus far, so I'm definitely not entirely set on this category.

Who I'm Rooting For: I actually haven't seen any of these particular films, so I don't really have any interest in this particular race.

*****

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Nominees:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Who Will Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The work that was done to create and bring life to the Caesar character was so well-done that it would be a bit of a travesty if the Academy doesn't recognize it.

Who Could Steal: I've heard little tidings here and there that Harry Potter could pull an upset here, but I'd say the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Still, the Academy may want to throw something Potter's way after it was left out of the Best Picture race.

Who I'm Rooting For: Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The motion-capture technology has come too far not to award this film.

*****

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Nominees:
Drive
Hugo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse
Who Will Win: Hugo, mostly because it's managed to scoop up most of the sound-related awards at previous awards ceremonies.

Who Could Steal: Traditionally, the "sound" categories have gone towards bigger, action-oriented films. Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised to see any of the other films make a run towards stealing here. However, my money would be on War Horse as the favorite behind Hugo.

Who I'm Rooting For: I personally would love to see Drive take home the Oscar statuette seeing as this category marks its only nomination, but I'll be fine if Hugo wins as well.

*****

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Nominees:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse
Who Will Win: I'm going with Hugo again here, for the same reasons as were stated in the "Sound Editing" category.

Who Could Steal: Once again, I'll have to go with War Horse as the next favorite, but don't count out The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Transformers, either.

Who I'm Rooting For: I have to go with Hugo here.

*****

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Nominees:
"Man or Muppet," from The Muppets
"Real in Rio," from Rio

Who Will Win: I would be absolutely shocked if "Man or Muppet" somehow doesn't take home the Oscar in this category.

Who Could Steal: Well, "Real in Rio," just because it's the only other song nominated.

Who I'm Rooting For: "Man or Muppet." It's been my favorite song of the year since I first heard it while watching The Muppets.

*****

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Howard Shore, Hugo
John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
John Williams, War Horse
Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Who Will Win: Because John Williams will probably split votes between his two nominations, I have to go with Ludovic Bource here. He's already taken home awards at the Golden Globes, the Critics' Choice Awards and BAFTA.

Who Could Steal: Obviously John Williams has the best statistical chance to take home yet another Oscar statuette, but I think the most likely dark horse is probably Howard Shore for his score for Hugo.

Who I'm Rooting For: It's no secret that I'm a massive John Williams fan, so I'd love to see him take home another Academy Award, preferably for War Horse.

*****

Best Achievement in Makeup
Nominees:
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Iron Lady
Who Will Win: I'll probably end up hating this decision, but I'm going to take Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 here. It won this award at the Critics' Choice Awards, and I think that's enough to make Academy voters take notice.

Who Could Steal: The Iron Lady has the best shot at stealing this award. It won at BAFTA, but I feel like that might have been because it is a British-centric film, and the hometown viewers might have wanted to award it as a result.

Who I'm Rooting For: I don't really have a personal preference in this category.

*****

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Nominees:
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.
Who Will Win: The Artist took home the award at BAFTA and the Critics' Choice Awards, so there's no reason to assume it will be any different come Oscar night.

Who Could Steal: Traditionally, British period pieces perform exceptionally well in this category. Therefore, you can't count out Jane Eyre or even Anonymous until the envelope is opened, but I'd say their chances are a bit slimmer this year.

Who I'm Rooting For: I'd personally love to see Jane Eyre take home the award here.

*****

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Nominees:
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse
Who Will Win: I'm going with Hugo. It was beautifully-crafted.

Who Could Steal: The Artist definitely has a chance to steal, as does War Horse. However, Hugo has been the art direction darling at most of the previous award ceremonies, so I'd be a bit surprised to see it usurped here.

Who I'm Rooting For: I'd be fine with either a Hugo or The Artist win here. I don't have strong convictions either way.

*****

Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Who Will Win: After leaving it off the Best Picture shortlist, I have a feeling that the Academy voters will choose to honor The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in this category, which it also won at the Critics' Choice Awards.

Who Could Steal: The Artist probably has the best shot at the upset here.

Who I'm Rooting For: I thought the editing in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was the best I'd see all year, so I have to root for that one.

*****

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Who Will Win: I think War Horse has the best chance to take home a statuette for its cinematography, but it's going to be a close race.

Who Could Steal: The Tree of Life. It actually tied War Horse in this category at the Critics' Choice Awards, so I'm predicting a race between these two for top honors on Oscar night. The Artist has an outside shot and could steal, but it'll be tough to overcome the front-runners.

Who I'm Rooting For: The Tree of Life. I thought it was as visually stunning as it was emotionally and mentally. Some of the shots were simply fantastic.

*****

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Nominees:
Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsieur Lazhar
A Separation
Who Will Win: A Separation. It's nominated in other categories as well, meaning the Academy has noticed more than just its merit as a film contending in this category.

Who Could Steal: Of the remaining nominees, Monsieur Lazhar has received the most critical praise, but in all honesty, any film in this category could potentially make the steal. I just don't think it's terribly likely.

Who I'm Rooting For: I haven't seen any of these films, so I don't have a personal preference as to which film wins the award.

*****

Best Animated Film of the Year
Nominees:
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango
Who Will Win: The exclusion of The Adventures of Tintin opens the door for Rango to take home this award, and it shouldn't have any trouble doing so.

Who Could Steal: I feel as though A Cat in Paris or Chico & Rita have much stronger chances to nab the upset here than do Kung Fu Panda 2 or Puss in Boots.

Who I'm Rooting For: Rango. It was one of my personal favorite films of the year.

*****

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Published or Produced
Nominees:
The Descendants
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Who Will Win: I think The Descendants has the best shot at taking home this award, although it's by no means a sure thing. It's going to have some tough competition from the likes of Moneyball.

Who Could Steal: Definitely Moneyball. It was written in a collaboration between former Oscar winners Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, and their star power may be enough to sway Academy voters to their side.

Who I'm Rooting For: I'd actually love for The Ides of March to win here. I thought it offered a well-written screenplay that delved into some real social issues.

*****

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
A Separation
Who Will Win: Woody Allen's gonna take home another Academy Award when Midnight in Paris takes this one.

Who Could Steal: The Artist definitely has a chance, but I don't foresee it happening. Midnight in Paris has been the Original Screenplay darling this year, and its chances were boosted by a win at the Writers Guild Awards.

Who I'm Rooting For: Midnight in Paris.

*****

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Who Will Win: It's going to be a bit of a battle, but Michel Hazanavicius should come out victorious here. He's won in this category at every major award ceremony save the Golden Globes, and that win at the Directors Guild Awards is going to prove very helpful.

Who Could Steal: Obviously Martin Scorsese has a shot to steal here, but with each passing day, the idea of him nabbing his second Oscar for directing seems more and more unlikely.

Who I'm Rooting For: Of these nominees, I'd love to see Malick take home the award, but I concede that it probably won't happen.

*****

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Who Will Win: Normally, when two actors are nominated from the same film, there's worry that their votes will cancel each other out and lead the way for a dark horse to take the win. However, Octavia Spencer has thus far proven that her performance is strong enough to win awards, so we should be seeing her take home the Oscar as well.

Who Could Steal: While Spencer's co-star Chastain could potentially take the steal, the next best bet is actually Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids. Yes, Bejo has a great chance at pulling votes with The Artist the second-most-nominated film at this year's awards, but I personally think she's been placed into the wrong acting category. Therefore, McCarthy is our dark horse here, but here's to hoping there's no way she wins.

Who I'm Rooting For: I personally thought Chastain was better in her role than Spencer, so I'd like to see her take the award.

*****

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Nick Nolte, Warrior

Who Will Win: Christopher Plummer, hands down. This is your safest bet at this year's Academy Awards.

Who Could Steal: If anyone's going to do it, it'll actually be Max von Sydow. The fact that Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was nominated for Best Picture will boost his number of votes significantly.

Who I'm Rooting For: I raved about Nolte in Warrior, so to see him win would be quite a treat.

*****

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Viola Davis, The Help

Who Will Win: I'm going with Viola Davis. Sure, Meryl is the most-nominated actress of all-time, but she also hasn't won an Academy Award since 1983.

Who Could Steal: Meryl is the next-best choice and gives Davis the best run for her money. Of the remaining nominees, only Rooney Mara has a potentially realistic shot at taking home the gold.

Who I'm Rooting For: Of these nominees, I have to root for Davis. I thought she was fantastic in The Help.

*****

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Demían Bichir, A Better Life
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Who Will Win: This is probably the most difficult category for me to make a pick, with the two front-runners being Clooney and Dujardin. Both have essentially split the awards at the previous ceremonies, and so, it's essentially a toss-up. However, I'm going to have to go with Jean Dujardin for the win here. The fact that The Artist received ten total nominations to The Descendants' six should give Dujardin a bit of a boost.

Who Could Steal: As I said, Clooney has the best shot here, and he very well could take it. This one's going to go either way.

Who I'm Rooting For: Brad Pitt, mostly because he's one of my favorite actors.

*****

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Who Will Win: The Artist has all the buzz and all the momentum going into Sunday night's ceremony, so there's no reason to assume it won't take home top honors.

Who Could Steal: Hugo has the best shot. It's the most-nominated film this year, but it feels like this is going to The Artist's award to lose.

Who I'm Rooting For: I'm rooting for Hugo.

*****

Well, there ya have it, folks! I hope you enjoyed my breakdown of this year's nominees. Be sure to tune in on Sunday evening when all the festivities begin. Let's hope I make the right picks!

Reaction: 84th Academy Awards Nominations

And so, the Academy Award nominations have been announced for the this year's ceremony, which will honor the films released during 2011. As with every year, there were some surprises and some snubs, so I'd like to offer you my personal reaction to the announcement. I'll mostly focus on some of the bigger categories now, but as the actual ceremony approaches - it will be held on February 26, 2012 - I will do a full breakdown on my predictions. I'm going to take the categories one at a time, and I'm only going to talk about the ones that stood out glaringly. I hope you can forgive me for not going terribly in-depth at this point, but seeing as I still have yet to see many of the nominated films, I don't want to give my all-out predictions just yet. So without any further delay, here's my reaction to the 84th Annual Academy Awards nominations. (For a full list of nominees, be sure to check the Internet Movie Database, which has listed them rather nicely.)

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Let's start with a little bit of a breakdown. In total, forty-six feature-length films have received nominations for this year's Academy Awards, and fifteen short films have also been nominated. Hugo leads the way with eleven nominations but is followed close behind by The Artist, which nabbed ten of its own. From there, we have a bit of a drop to Moneyball and War Horse, both of which received six nominations.

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Best Achievement in Sound Editing
I want to start here for a very simple reason: this category offers the only nomination that Drive managed to receive for this year's awards. After being so brilliantly received, it hasn't managed to scare up much in terms of nominations, but the fact that it only received one is a bit of a shocker.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
This is the source of one of my biggest issues with this year's nominations, if only for the fact that only two songs were actually recognized. One - "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets - has been my favorite of the year since hearing it during the film, but the other - "Real in Rio" from Rio - seems an odd choice. Also, by only nominating two songs, this may be the sparsest selection from which the Academy has ever chosen. If anything, they could have nominated another song from The Muppets seeing as there were so many great ones from which to choose. Maybe the Academy hopes they can cut down on their show length by offering only a couple of live musical performances.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
While I don't have any massive issues with this category's nominees, I think it's worth mention that John Williams will be competing against himself, as his scores for both The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse have been nominated. What's even more interesting is that his scores will be battling the likes of the music from The Artist, Hugo and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, so there's a slight chance he won't even manage to win.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
For whatever reason, the Academy always seems to do something a little bit odd with this category, and this year is no exception. After winning the Golden Globe in this category, The Adventures of Tintin has not received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. In its stead are two foreign language films - A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita - to duke it out against Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and Rango. Also missing is the beautifully-crafted Winnie the Pooh or Cars 2, which is still a Pixar film despite its lower-than-average critical response. I honestly don't know what the Academy was thinking here.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
While I don't have any massively overbearing issues with either of the screenplay categories, I honestly thought we might see something here for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Best Achievement in Directing
Terrence Malick nabs a nomination for The Tree of Life. While I somewhat agree with this, I think this nomination tells a lot about where the Academy's head might be right now.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
I almost missed this category as I scrolled down the list because its generally a tad bit humdrum, but something shocking managed to catch my eye: a nomination for Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids. As soon as my heart started to beat again, I had to ask myself why the Academy chose to throw her a bone. Yes, I admit she was rather hilarious in the film, but she is by no means to the level of the other actresses who received nominations. It's almost as though they're trying to make a joke out of it. Why not offer something to Carey Mulligan for Drive? Or Shailene Woodley for The Descendants? Or Marion Cotillard in Midnight in Paris? It just doesn't make any sense, my friends. If this is just a way to appease Judd Apatow for his comments about how the Academy doesn't really salute comedy, then I might have to give up on the awards.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
I have a couple of issues here. First, does Jonah Hill really deserve a nomination for his piece in Moneyball? Sure, he was good, but was he really 'Academy Award' good? Second, I'm glad to see Nick Nolte pull a nomination for Warrior. I thought he was absolutely brilliant. Third, where is Albert Brooks for his performance in Drive? He's been in the Oscar buzz for months, and now they leave him out? Another massive snub here, folks. Also, we didn't get the much-anticipated nomination for Andy Serkis in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, although I personally knew it wasn't going to happen. Still, there'll be a lot of fans crying outrage here.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Rooney Mara gets a nomination for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but the Academy manages to leave both Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet off the list despite their fantastic roles in Carnage. Also, a minor snub goes to Tilda Swinton, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Demián Bichir (A Better Life) are in, Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) and Michael Fassbender (Shame) are out. Despite this, I'm not totally surprised by the Academy's decision. Because J. Edgar as a film was rather underwhelming, I can see them not throwing Leo a bone, even if he was very good. And although I've heard plenty of praise for Fassbender in Shame, the fact that the film scored an NC-17 rating didn't bode well for it at all. Still, the Academy should be able to look beyond those lines and give credit where credit is due.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Academy altered their roles concerning the category once again, meaning that we could receive anywhere from five to ten nominees. We ultimately get the following nine to duke it out for 2011 supremacy:

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

While I can't really argue with most of the nominees, the addition of Extremely Loud does seem a bit more political than the rest, especially considering it hasn't had much momentum coming into today's announcement. The biggest snub here probably has to go to The Ides of March, while scored a Golden Globe nomination in this category.

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Having gone through all that, I'd like to list out the biggest winners and biggest losers from the Academy's announcement this morning.

Biggest Winners
The Artist: ten nominations and a Best Picture bid, where it looks to be the front-runner

Bridesmaids: two nominations in major categories for a comedy has to be a success

Demián Bichir: steals a Best Actor nomination

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: three nominations after securing none at the Golden Globes

Hugo: eleven nominations, including a Best Picture bid, leads the field

John Williams: nominated twice for Best Original Score

Melissa McCarthy: steals a Best Supporting Actress nomination

The Tree of Life: three nominations is more than I thought it would get

War Horse: six nominations including a Best Picture bid is better than most experts were predicting

Biggest Losers
The Adventures of Tintin: one nomination and wasn't recognized for Best Animated Feature

Best Original Song: only two nominees were recognized

Carnage: did not receive any nominations

The Descendants: the Golden Globe winner for Best Drama receives half the nominations of The Artist; this doesn't bode well for its ultimate success

Drive: only one nomination, in a minor category

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: only five nominations, and it wasn't included in the Best Picture short-list

The Ides of March: only one nomination, and it wasn't included in the Best Picture short-list

Leonardo DiCaprio: snubbed for his performance in J. Edgar

Super 8: did not receive any nominations

Winnie the Pooh: did not receive any nominations

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And so ends my initial reaction to the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards. As the ceremony approaches, I'll make my final Oscar predictions. That should give me enough time to catch up on everything I still haven't seen!

Movie Awards: BEST OF 1998

Here's a throwback to 1998 with my personal awards list for that year. These nominees and winners are based on the 40 films from 1998 that I've been able to see. I hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane!


Best Visual Effects
Nominees:
ARMAGEDDON
GODZILLA
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
SPHERE

Winner: ARMAGEDDON

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Best Original Song
Nominees:
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," by Aerosmith from ARMAGEDDON
"I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You," by Marc Anthony & Tina Arena from THE MASK OF ZORRO
"I'll Make a Man Out of You," by Donny Osmond & Ensemble from MULAN
"The Prince of Egypt (When You Believe)," by Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston from THE PRINCE OF EGYPT
"Time of Your Life," by Randy Newman from A BUG'S LIFE

Winner: "I DON'T WANT TO MISS A THING"

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Best Original Score
Nominees:
James Horner for THE MASK OF ZORRO
Jerry Goldsmith for MULAN
John Williams for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Randy Newman for A BUG'S LIFE
Stephen Schwartz for THE PRINCE OF EGYPT

Winner: JOHN WILLIAMS

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Best Cameo or Brief Appearance
Nominees:
Don Knotts in PLEASANTVILLE
Jon Lovitz in HAPPINESS
Lawrence Taylor in THE WATERBOY
Sam Elliott in THE BIG LEBOWSKI
William H. Macy in PSYCHO

Winner: SAM ELLIOTT

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Best Young Star
Nominees:
Giorgio Cantarini in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Kirsten Dunst in SMALL SOLDIERS
Lindsay Lohan in THE PARENT TRAP
Peter McNicholl in LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS
Rufus Read in HAPPINESS

Winner: RUFUS READ

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Best On-Screen Couple
Nominees:
Ben Affleck & Liv Tyler in ARMAGEDDON
Jeff Daniels & Joan Allen in PLEASANTVILLE
Jim Carrey & Natascha McElhone in THE TRUMAN SHOW
Mulan & Shang in MULAN
Nicoletta Braschi & Roberto Benigni in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Winner: NICOLETTA BRASCHI & ROBERTO BENIGNI

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Best Villain
Nominees:
Ed Harris in THE TRUMAN SHOW
Geoffrey Rush in LES MISERABLES
Miguel Ferrer (as Shan-Yu) in MULAN
Tom Wilkinson in RUSH HOUR
Vince Vaughn in PSYCHO

Winner: VINCE VAUGHN

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Best Hero(ine)
Nominees:
Antonio Banderas in THE MASK OF ZORRO
Bruce Willis in ARMAGEDDON
Jeff Bridges in THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Roberto Benigni in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Tom Hanks in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Winner: ROBERTO BENIGNI

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Best Voice Acting
Nominees:
Chris Rock (as Rodney) in DOCTOR DOLITTLE
Eddie Murphy (as Mushu) in MULAN
Kevin Spacey (as Hopper) in A BUG'S LIFE
Rose Marie (as Norma Bates) in PSYCHO
Sylvester Stallone (as Weaver) in ANTZ

Winner: EDDIE MURPHY

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Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Nominees:
Cynthia Stevenson in HAPPINESS
Fairuza Balk in THE WATERBOY
Joan Allen in PLEASANTVILLE
Natasha Richardson in THE PARENT TRAP
Tara Reid in THE BIG LEBOWSKI

Winner: JOAN ALLEN

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Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Nominees:
Beverly D'Angelo in AMERICAN HISTORY X
Jessica Steen in ARMAGEDDON
Julianne Moore in PSYCHO
Natascha McElhone in THE TRUMAN SHOW
Uma Thurman in LES MISERABLES

Winner: BEVERLY D'ANGELO

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Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Nominees:
Henry Winkler in THE WATERBOY
John Goodman in THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Philip Seymour Hoffman in HAPPINESS
Steve Buscemi in ARMAGEDDON
William H. Macy in PLEASANTVILLE

Winner: JOHN GOODMAN

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Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Nominees:
Anthony Hopkins in THE MASK OF ZORRO
Barry Pepper in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Ed Harris in THE TRUMAN SHOW
Edward Furlong in AMERICAN HISTORY X
Edward Norton in ROUNDERS

Winner: EDWARD NORTON

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Best Actress, Comedy
Nominees:
Catherine Zeta-Jones in THE MASK OF ZORRO
Jane Adams in HAPPINESS
Julianne Moore in THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Kathy Bates in THE WATERBOY
Reese Witherspoon in PLEASANTVILLE

Winner: KATHY BATES

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Best Actress, Drama
Nominees:
Anne Heche in PSYCHO
Claire Danes in LES MISERABLES
Laura Linney in THE TRUMAN SHOW
Liv Tyler in ARMAGEDDON
Nicoletta Braschi in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Winner: NICOLETTA BRASCHI

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Best Actor, Comedy
Nominees:
Adam Sandler in THE WATERBOY
Antonio Banderas in THE MASK OF ZORRO
Dylan Baker in HAPPINESS
Jeff Bridges in THE BIG LEBOWSKI
Jim Carrey in THE TRUMAN SHOW

Winner: JEFF BRIDGES

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Best Actor, Drama
Nominees:
Edward Norton in AMERICAN HISTORY X
Matt Damon in ROUNDERS
Roberto Benigni in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Tom Hanks in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Vince Vaughn in PSYCHO

Winner: EDWARD NORTON

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Best Screenplay, Comedy
Nominees:
A BUG'S LIFE
HAPPINESS
LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS
MULAN
PLEASANTVILLE

Winner: HAPPINESS

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Best Screenplay, Drama
Nominees:
AMERICAN HISTORY X
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
ROUNDERS
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
THE TRUMAN SHOW

Winner: AMERICAN HISTORY X

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Best Cast, Comedy
Nominees:
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
HAPPINESS
LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS
THE MASK OF ZORRO
PLEASANTVILLE

Winner: HAPPINESS

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Best Cast, Drama
Nominees:
AMERICAN HISTORY X
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
ROUNDERS
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
THE TRUMAN SHOW

Winner: AMERICAN HISTORY X

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Best Sequel or Prequel
Nominees:
THE LION KING II: SIMBA'S PRIDE

Winner: THE LION KING II: SIMBA'S PRIDE

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Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees:
CHARACTER
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Winner: LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

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Best Animated Film
Nominees:
A BUG'S LIFE
THE LION KING II: SIMBA'S PRIDE
MULAN
THE PRINCE OF EGYPT

Winner: MULAN

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Best Horror/Thriller
Nominees:
PSYCHO

Winner: PSYCHO

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Best Action/Adventure
Nominees:
ARMAGEDDON
LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS
THE MASK OF ZORRO
RUSH HOUR
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Winner: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

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Best Comedy
Nominees:
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
HAPPINESS
PLEASANTVILLE
THE TRUMAN SHOW
THE WATERBOY

Winner: HAPPINESS

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Best Drama
Nominees:
AMERICAN HISTORY X
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
REGENERATION
ROUNDERS SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Winner: AMERICAN HISTORY X

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Best Picture of the Year
Nominees:
AMERICAN HISTORY X
HAPPINESS
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
THE TRUMAN SHOW

Winner: AMERICAN HISTORY X

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2010 (Best) | 2010 (Worst)
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