O-S-C-A-R-S 2014

Obviously I love movies! This is the first year that I actually watched all of the nominees for best picture (before the awards, and down to the wire) as well as performances for the top acting awards.  This was a much harder task than it would have been a few years ago since now they nominate between 9 and 10 awards each year (used to be 5, which is a much more reasonable watching goal!)

The one problem that I already have with this years nominations, is the fact that Lee Daniels' The Butler was not nominated for anything!! I thought that movie was one of the best movies I had ever seen.  Every human emotion you can have, I had while watching the movie.

With that being said - here are my predictions:

Best Picture: 

I'm going to have a few "I can't choose" throughout this post.  For best picture, I can't decide between 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle.  I'm leaning towards American Hustle because I was so into the movie while I was watching it.  However, I thought that both were outstanding movies.  They a both based on true stories (which I think makes them better!), but for entertaining purposes, I think American Hustle just edges out 12 Years by a smidgen.  I wouldn't be surprised if either wins.  

 

As for the other nominees....I thought "her" was absolutely dreadful.  I couldn't even finish it. I ended up reading a synopsis for it online, and did not regret my decision to stop watching it.  I know you need to be able to suspend your disbelief for movies - but maybe I'm getting old, because I thought this was ludicrous! However, I think Nebraska could be a dark horse in this competition.  It was a great movie...the cast was superb in their own roles and the story line seemed to be a fresh take on "crazy old dad". 

 

Dallas Buyers Club, Captain Phillips, and Philomena were all good movies (and all based on true stories!!), but they would not get my vote for best picture. 

 

The Wolf of Wall Street (boats - based on a true story), was an okay movie, but I'm not quite sure why it was nominated for BP. I guess since I watched it after the nominations were released that I was expecting more from it, which ended up leaving me underwhelmed. Lastly, Gravity was a stunningly beautiful movie, pushing the limits of special effects, but I wouldn't volunteer to watch it again. 

Best Actor:
Christian Bale (American Hustle)
Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

I think everyone but Leo could take this award.  I'd say it's going to be a close race between Ejiofor and McConaughey. If I had to pick (which I'm making myself) I'm going with McConaughey.

Best Actress:
Amy Adams (American Hustle)
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
Judi Dench (Philomena)
Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

I'm going to bump this down between two again.  Blanchett and Streep both played extremely complex roles and sold them perfectly.  Again - wouldn't be surprised if Adams or Dench take it. (Bullock didn't really impress me). My choice to win is Meryl.  It will most likely always be Meryl.

Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Salve)
Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

All of these rolls were played well.  Abdi was convincing (and a newcomer!), Cooper played crazy like Cooper does - well.  Hill was a sleazy stockbroker and one of the best roles I've seen him in. Fassbender took on an extremely difficult role, and did a fantastical job at it.  But in my mind, Leto wins.  Even if he doesn't win, he wins.  Leto's first role in 6+ years, and it was a brilliant performance.

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)

Julia Roberts (August: Osage County

Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)

Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)

June Squibb (Nebraska)

This is another hard category. Each of the roles was done extremely well.  I would not be surprised if any of the nominees takes Oscar home, but my vote goes to Nyong'o. She poured her heart and soul into this role, and in my mind, was an extremely intricate part to the movie.  I'm excited to see future roles that she takes on!

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)

Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)

David O. Russell (American Hustle)

Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)

Alexander Payne (Nebraska)

How does one choose best director? I'd say that it's about who takes a screenplay and makes the most out of the movie. I'm stuck between McQueen, Russell, and Payne.  All three movies were captivating, and something I would watch again.  My vote would have to go to McQueen.  He took an extremely hard subject, and kept it that way: hard and real. 

The rest, I'll just give you my choices, some of which will be based on names since I'm not sure how to judge them. 

Best Screenplay made directly for Screen:

Nebraska - Bob Nelson

Best Screenplay based on previously written material:

12 Years a Slave - John Ridley

Best Animated Feature:

Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film:

The Great Beauty - Italy (like the title)

Cinematography:

Gravity - Emmanuel Lubezki

Editing:

12 Years a Slave - Joe Walker

Production Design:

12 Years a Slave - Adam Sockhausen & Alice Baker

Costume Design:

American Hustle - Michael Wilkinson

Makeup and Hairstyling:

Dallas Buyers Club - Adruitha Lee & Robin Matthews

Original Score:

Philomena - Alexandre Desplat

Original Song:

Frozen - Let It Go - Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez

Sound Mixing:

Inside Llewyn Davis - Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff & Peter F. Kurland

Sound Editing:

Lone Survivor - Wylie Stateman

Visual Effects:

Gravity - Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk & Neil Corbould

Documentary: Feature:

Cutie and the Boxer - Zachary Heinzerling & Lydia Dean Pilcher

Documentary: Short Subject:

Facing Fear - Jason Cohen

Short Film: Animated:

Feral - Daniel Sousa & Dan Golden

Short Film: Live Action:

Just Before Losing Everything - Xavier Legrand

So there's my obscenely long post about who I think (or more like who I would vote for) will win an Oscar this evening.   No matter what, I'm excited for Ellen to host. 

For a complete list of nominees visit here!!!!!!

So do you agree with any of my predictions, or vehemently disagree with any?? Let me know your thoughts :)

Book Review: Divergent Trilogy

On my question to read at least 24 books this year, I have officially added 3.  I completed the Divergent Trilogy I read one right after the other without composing my thoughts, so if it seems off I do apologize.

Veronica Roth created a post-apocolyptic type society following the main characters of Beatrice (Tris) Prior and Tobias (Four) Eaton. 

Divergent
Published: February 28th, 2012
I Completed: February 14th, 2014
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book follows Tris in a society where the community is divided into five factions.  Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), Dauntless (brave) and Erudite (intelligent). These factions represent different qualities that their congress should represent.  The book begins on "Choosing Day".  Basically, a test is run (very sci-fi!) to determine which faction you belong to.  Tris happens to be Divergent - meaning the test did not determine not just one faction.  The special-ness of Tris is that she not only tested well for two, but for three Abnegation (where she came from), Erudite and Dauntless. She is told by her test instructor to hide the fact that she is Divergent - which she comes to find out is not something you want anyone to know.

The book then follows her during her initiation into the faction of her choosing (Dauntless) where not every initiate becomes a member of Dauntless.  If you fail to get through initiation (this goes for all of the factions) you then become faction less - the faction less is not a desirable position in their community.  They provide the city with the jobs that no one wants and basically are either forgotten about or detested. Tris's brother: Caleb switch from Abnegation to Erudite, which came to the entire family as quite a shock.

She proceeds to make friends and enemies - as well as push herself to the limits.  Dauntless do crazy things such as jump off moving trains, and off of buildings, they fight (to be graded on) absolute insanity! It really tests who a person is.

Without ruining the book for you - it is filled with action and tests.  Tris is a very relatable character. She uses her abilities to think and be selfless (the other factions she tested into) and the book takes you (via Tris) through the initiation process as well as her getting to know her instructor: Four. ;)

There is a movie coming out in the next few weeks, and I happen to be extremely excited about it.

Don't continue if you want to read the books....spoilers are inevitable. 

Faction Symbols from L to R
Dauntless, Erudite, Candor, Abnegation and Amity

Insurgent
Published: May 1st, 2012
I Completed: February 22, 2014
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This book begins directly after book Divergent ends.  Following the Dauntless attack (forced by Erudite) on Abnegation. Tris tries to deal with what she did during the attack (she killed her best friend's boyfriend and watched both of her parents die).

Four finds out that his mom (Evelyn) is not dead, and she has been living with the faction less.

Erudite then begins to become a force of nature through Jeanine Matthews (she wants to kill all Divergent) and attempts to collect a secret that Four's father (Marcus - leader of Abnegation) holds in order to destroy it. No one knows what the secret is, but they know it shouldn't be destroyed. Four doesn't believe in his father (due to abuse as a child), but Tris does.  Four starts working with his mother and her faction less troops.  When they set out to overtake Jeanine (and Erudite with it) (oh btw - Caleb is working with Jeanine), Tris works with Marcus to attempt to release what information is hidden.

A bunch of other stuff happens - but at the end, a video is released explaining what they are there for and why. Basically, the world went to hell in a hand basket and they reset a whole bunch of people's memories and set them up in this city.  Built the idea of factions to eventually begin to create evolved beings - the Divergent.


Allegiant
Published: October 22nd, 2013
I Completed: March 1st, 2014
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Again - this book begins after the previous installment (Insurgent).  Without giving too much away (felt like I had to give some stuff away in the previous two), Tris, Four and others flee the city to go beyond the fence - not knowing what is there.

They proceed to find out that they are a surveillance community and they are a "test" city.

The battle of what is right and wrong - who to believe and who not to is a constant struggle throughout the series - but particularly in this one. Basically, everything these "refugees" have known has been a lie and they have to determine if they let it continue or not.


My Final Thoughts: 
Lots of deaths throughout the series - like a few in each book.  I was prepared to hate the final book because everyone else said it sucked.  I completely see their point of view - but I guess I was so prepared to hate it, that it wasn't as bad in my mind as I thought it could have been.

I liked the world that Roth created- as well as her writing style.  Though the third book was written in either Tris or Tobais' (Four) POV which was a difference to get used to. I think if she wants to, she could even continue the story - not in anyone in particular's POV but just as a "History of the Experiment" type thing.  And the best thing this book did, was pull me through the emotions of the characters.  It was very Hunger Games-esque, but went a very different route - more so science fiction - set further in the future.

I know I wrapped these up pretty quickly, but I did not want to over-share (I know, me, right?!?) and ruin it for anyone who does want to read them all.  However, you can check out the Divergent Wiki site if you want to know details and skip the reading part - but I know I'm excited for them to turn the books into movies!!

I know some of you disagree with some of my thoughts, but would you care to share them? Have you read them or want to?