Tag Archives: thaddeus stevens

February 23, 2013

Oscar Predictions 2013

By TheCinescopePodcast

2012 was a fantastic year for film, and, for the first time, I’ve seen a majority of the nominated films, including all nine Best Picture nominees, all five Best Animated Feature nominees, all five Best Live Action Short Film nominees, and all five Best Animated Short Film nominees. I also own and have listened through all five nominated Best Original Scores. Needless to say, I feel relatively prepared enough to type out my own predictions list for this year’s Academy Awards, with a little help from various other people’s lists in the technical area. Just to clarify, though: this does not necessarily reflect my personal favorites (otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen Mychael Danna’s score to Life of Pi for Best Original Score), but it instead shows what I actually think will win.

I’ll give commentary for the first six awards and will simply list the rest.

-Chad

P.S. If something is linked, it’s a link to my personal review of that material, if you’re interested in reading.

Best Picture: Argo

When I first decided that I was going to type up one of these, I argued with myself for a long time over whether or not Argo would win the Oscar for Best Picture, but now I’m almost positive. In the entire history of the Academy Awards, there have only been three instances ever when the winner of the Best Picture Award did not also win the Best Director Award, so, since Ben Affleck isn’t nominated for Best Director, I was leaning more toward Lincoln/Spielberg for the Best Picture/Director awards, but Argo has gotten enough steam built up behind it to snatch the Oscar, and rightfully so.

Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln

Had he been nominated, I think that Ben Affleck would have won this award for directing what is sure to win Best Picture, Argo, but, since he’s not, Spielberg seems to be the best choice. He has a long history of bringing us excellent films, and Lincoln was no exception. However, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Ang Lee received the award for directing Life of Pi, but I don’t expect that’ll happen.

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

I wasn’t able to see The Master, but of the other four nominees there is no doubt that all four actors did fantastic jobs in their respective roles, but I think that Day-Lewis will take the cake after his incredible portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln in Spielberg’s latest film. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get the award, but, if I had to make a second guess, it’d be for Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook.

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook

I may have this one completely wrong, as Jessica Chastain also seems to be a popular pick for her role in Zero Dark Thirty (which I don’t agree with), but I think that Lawrence was the definitely the best of those nominated. I must admit to not having seeing The Impossible, but I’m pretty sure that the winner will be either Lawrence or Chastain, and my hope is for Lawrence.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

I’ve changed my mind about four times while trying to write this because both Christoph Waltz as Dr. Schultz in Django Unchained and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens in Lincoln were fantastic and are deserving of the Oscar. However, I do believe that Waltz’s performance shines just a bit brighter than Jones’, putting him at least slightly ahead in my book.

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables

I am almost completely confident that Anne Hathaway will win this award. While Sally Field was a great Mary Todd Lincoln and Jacki Weaver did a fine job in Silver Linings Playbook (I haven’t seen The Master or The Sessions, but I’m sure that Amy Adams and Helen Hunt were great as well), but I think that Hathaway’s stunning performance of the classic “I Dreamed a Dream” is reason enough to justify her receiving the Oscar.

Best Writing – Original Screenplay: Michael Haneke for Amour

Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for Argo

Best Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph

Best Foreign Language Film: Amour

Best Documentary – Feature: Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary – Short Subject: Open Heart

Best Live Action Short Film: Curfew

Best Animated Short Film: Paperman

Best Original Score: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi

Best Original Song: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth for “Skyfall”

Best Sound Editing: Zero Dark Thirty

Best Sound Mixing: Les Misérables

Best Production Design: Les Misérables

Best Cinematography: Life of Pi

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Misérables

Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina

Best Film Editing: Argo

Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi

Advertisement

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Entertainment, Film, Film Reviews, Movies, Music, Scores, Soundtrack Reviews

December 7, 2012

Lincoln (2012)

By TheCinescopePodcast

Note: This film was the main topic of discussion on Episode 5 of my podcast, The Cinescope Podcast. Give it a listen for a more in-depth discussion!

Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln is a film that I had been excited for for quite a long time, though I must admit that the main aspect that attracted me was the promise of a new John Williams score. However, that’s not to say that I wasn’t excited for the film itself; history fascinates me, and the story of Abraham Lincoln, arguably the finest president to ever lead our nation, was one that I was anxious to see adapted for the big screen. And at the hands of Spielberg, one of the best filmmakers of all time, what could go wrong?

The correct answer to that question is “very little.” While Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the United States’ 16th president, is not an exciting film or a film that features extended action scenes, I was fascinated throughout. To see the political process behind all of the goings-on in the House of Representatives was interesting, and the look and feel of the movie, including everything from the costumes to the sets to the screenplay, felt genuine and authentic to the time period. The film focuses on the last few months of Lincoln’s life and on his struggle to get the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the amendment that would abolish slavery in the United States, to pass in the House of Representatives. This issue was one that hit me pretty hard – to imagine people enslaving other people for personal benefit just because of a difference in skin color sickens me, to the point that I actually felt angry at moments in the film. This in itself is a testament to Spielberg’s storytelling skills and to his ability to make the audience truly care about what is happening onscreen.

The film features several fantastic performances from well-known actors. Tommy Lee Jones appears as Thaddeus Stevens, a role in which we see him once again excel at delivering amusing one-liners, but we also see a refreshing depth in character that I, having only seen Jones in two other movies previously, was not expecting. Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrays the president’s oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln. Though he doesn’t appear in much of the film, his performance is still marked with strong emotion and a powerful sense of purpose. David Straithairn and a handful of other actors also appear and do a fine job.

However, the real stars of this film are Sally Field as the president’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Daniel Day-Lewis as the president himself. When the two share the screen together, you feel a combination of sensations pulling you in all directions: you feel the strain that the presidency has put on their marriage, the anguish that they continue to feel over the loss of their son Willie, but, most of all, the love that they have for each other in spite of it all. Day-Lewis conveys all of the complicated emotions felt by the president, whether the emotions deal with his love and dedication to his family, his passion for equality, or the weariness that has taken over him as he struggles to mend the nation at the roughest point in our history.

With such strong performances from the lead actors, a smart script that kept me captivated throughout, and a beautifully respectful musical score by returning Spielberg collaborator John Williams, Lincoln is a film that you don’t want to miss out on. If Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t walk away from the Academy Awards with the Oscar for Best Actor, I’ll be dumbfounded. The film is sure to be nominated in several other categories as well, but don’t wait for the Academy to tell you…go see it!

-Chad

Rating: 5 (out of 5)

MPAA: PG – 13 – for an intense scene of war violence, some images of carnage and brief strong language

P.S. – Read my review of this film’s score, composed by John Williams, here!

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in 5, Entertainment, Film, Film Reviews, Movies, Music, Scores