The Oscars 2013

The time for the long awaited Oscars has come. After watching some of the nominated works, I am excited to finally be able to watch it and see if my predictions were correct. After actually watching several of the nominated films, I feel that my predictions are actually valid unlike before when I would just watch and base my predictions randomly.  

Even though its a great honor to be presented an Oscar, I feel that there might be a possibility for some Oscars to be given based on favoritism and not on their performance itself. If this were to happen, I'm sure it would happen to De Niro. The only reason why I feel this way, is because I know how great De Niro is and after viewing his performance, I don't even think he deserved the nomination. I have a feeling he will be receiving the Oscar either way. I just hope these kinds of things don't happen and that actors are based on performance and everything else based accordingly to what it was nominated for.

There have been award shows where the people who receive the award and they thank their fans, but they seem indifferent about it and their thanks don't seem sincere. It bothers me when I see this because they are are being awarded for something they did and they act like they don't even care, when there are millions of other people that would die to be in their place. I hope not to have to witness that.               

Best Picture

The film I decided to watch for Best Picture was Argo. It is about the troubles and efforts of rescuing 6 American hostages from Iran. The plan, created by CIA Tony Mendez, to get these people out of Iran was risky and consisted of the production of a fake movie. This film is based on true events. 

Though a serious and dangerous movie plot, the mood would be subtly lightened with small comedic lines. When first pitching the idea of the movie production as a cover to save the 6 Americans, Mendez was asked if there were any other better bad ideas and he stated that that was the best bad idea they had. Although it is a situation of life or death, when this was said, the mood was lightened because they were referring to the solution as a bad idea. Another spoken line that lightened the mood was when Mendez said that the only thing between their heads and a gun was his story. It was a bit harsh, but its funny how its a story that could save their lives. The fake movie is their only hope of escaping. 

I feel that the film was composed well, beginning with a montage with storyboard pictures of the movie as well as clips as the narrator explains the history part of the film setting the stage for the actual film. Certain techniques they used to transition from one scene to another were quite clever. One that really stood out was  when they were having the script reading for the press and the camera follows the waiter and the waiter passes a t.v. showing what is happening in Iran and the scene transitions to Iran. Another thing I thought really helped with the feeling of the movie was the camera movement. The shakiness of the camera gives the feeling that they are not standing on stable ground and with any wrong step they take, it could all go down. For this is why I Argo will take home the award for Best Picture.  

 

Best Leading Actress

After researching which movies were nominated for Best Leading Actress, I decided to watch The Impossible. Naomi Watts was nominated for this award for playing the mother of a family that got separated by a massive tsunami as they were vacationing in Thailand for Christmas.

Naomi Watts plays the character of Maria Bennett. As the movie begins, Maria was always shown looking at her family as if taking in the perfect life she is in: a loving husband and three happy sons all on vacation. after Christmas, the family was out at the pool of the hotel they were staying at. All of a sudden a huge wave crashes through knocking down palm trees and inundating the people. As soon as she comes up, fear is on her face, she is alone, and she doesn't know where her family is or if they are okay. She later finds her son and is taken to a shelter where she is being taken care of. she was very weak because she had lost a lot of blood.

For a mother that goes through so much, physically and emotionally (wounded and separated from her family), it would take great acting to show so much pain. Watts was able to show so much emotional pain when she was only able to find her oldest son and not her husband or her other two sons. If a mother was bleeding all over and lost their family, the pain of loosing her family is going to be so much greater than any physical pain she can possibly go through and she was able to show it in her face naturally. The first 25 minutes or so was really hard for me to watch simply because her reactions and her acting was so natural it looked real. In my opinion, she really does have a good chance of winning the award for Best Leading Actress.        

Best Leading Actor

Bradley Cooper was nominated for Best Leading Actor in Silver Linings Playbook. The role he played that allowed him to get the nomination was as a mental person that was obsessed in getting back together with his ex-wife.

 Mental people tend to not see their insanity. Something that they see as normal can actually be something that is completely insane to a sane person. After eight years of being in the mental institution, Pat (Bradley Cooper) is taken out by his mother and brought home. His reality is that his ex-wife is still in love with him and all he has to do is prove to her that he is better. He expects for his ex-wife to take him back. the actual reality is that she has moved out and isn't even considering getting back together with him.

At the first look, one cant tell that Pat is supposed to be crazy. The way one can tell is by the way Bradley portrays Pat. His acting allowed this because when he speaks the insane things Pat says, he says them in a sway that you can see that that is his reality and he isn't just trying to pass off as being crazy. When people think of an insane character, they imagine exaggerated smiles, wide eyes, and jittery, well at least I do, and i feel that it would take great dedication to portray an insane person without these stereotypes. I believe Bradley should win as Best Leading Actor because he makes a fine line between Pat's world, and the real world.