Oscar Predictions
March 20, 2003 - 10:53 pm
It's Oscar Time!!!!! I can't believe I haven't written my predictions
yet. All right...we'll start with Best Picture. The nominees are: "Chicago",
"Gangs of New York", "The Hours", "The Lord
of the Rings:The Two Towers", and "The Pianist".
Who I want to win: "The Pianist"
Who I think will win: "Gangs of New York"
I don't think "The Pianist" stands a chance at winning the
gold. It is definitely an outsider, and it doesn't have the specific
aura that an epic like "Gangs of New York" has. It's definitely
dripping with worthiness, but we have to stop and conceptualize that
this is the Oscars and the academy is somewhat stupid. "The Hours"
also has a good chance of winning. It has three major actresses in it's
favor, yet it doesn't possess that triumph-over-humanity essence that
most winners have. "Gangs..." is going to go home with at
least one statue. Maybe this will be the category.
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Next is Best Actor. The nominees are: Adrien Brody ("The Pianist"),
Nicolas Cage ("Adaptation"), Michael Caine ("The Quiet
American"), Daniel Day-Lewis ("Gangs of New York"), and
Jack Nicholson ("About Schmidt").
Who I want to win: Nicolas Cage
Who I think will win: Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson was amazing in "About Schmidt", however depressing
and angry the movie left it's audiences. He made his character come
out shining even though he wasn't the best man. Nicholson also has a
history with the Academy, as this is his 12th oscar nomination. I think
he definitely has a lot going for him. Daniel Day-Lewis also has a good
chance at the gold. As much as I don't want to believe it, Lewis may
very well go home with the statue. His character was weak, but, remember,
the Academy works in strange ways. Nicolas Cage doesn't have that much
of a shot. He is up against too strong of character roles to pull off
a win. Cage does have the fact that he played twins in "Adaptation",
which makes him one character up from his co-nominees. However, I'm
still pissed at the academy for snubbing Leonardo DiCaprio AGAIN!!!
Wasn't it bad enough that he didn't get recognized for "Titanic"!!!
C'mon you idiots!
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On to the Best Actress category. The nominees are: Salma Hayek ("Frida"),
Nicole Kidman ("The Hours"), Diane Lane ("Unfaithful"),
Julianne Moore ("Far From Heaven"), and Renee Zellweger ("Chicago").
Who I want to win: Salma Hayek
Who I think will win: Nicole Kidman
Salma Hayek's portrayal of Frida Kahlo was INCREDIBLE! She played her
character with the rawest of emotions, and it's just sad that she has
to be put in the same category as Julianne Moore's awful performance
in "Far From Heaven" and Renee Zellweger's performance in
"Chicago". However, Salma Hayek is a relatively long shot
and I imagine her nomination came simply as a recognition rather than
a real chance. Of course, that's what everyone said about Halle Berry.
I won't be upset if Nicole Kidman wins though. I wasn't overly moved
by the story of "The Hours", however, I think Nicole Kidman
is definitely deserving of the award. If you take into consideration
her early roles and you compare them to her latest roles, there is a
clear distinction that she is truly talented. I have to comment on Diane
Lane's nomination. I honestly do not know where this came from. "Unfaithful"
is hardly Oscar-worthy. It's a simple, cliche story about a woman who
cheats on her husband and then has to suffer the consequences. This
nomination is proof that the academy is retarded. Actually, if you want
hard-core proof, just look at who won the Best Actress oscar two years
ago. Julia Roberts for her silly portrayal of Erin Brockovich. It was
a good movie, sure, but DEFINITELY not Oscar-status. Geesh!
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Next is the Best Supporting Actor category. This one is a tough call
for me. There are so many unknown factors in the supporting roles. It's
hard to have a precise opinion. The nominees are: Chris Cooper ("Adaptation"),
Ed Harris ("The Hours"), Paul Newman ("Road to Perdition"),
John C. Reilly ("Chicago"), and Christopher Walken ("Catch
Me if You Can").
Who I want to win: John C. Reilly
Who I think will win: Paul Newman
Like I said, this one was a tough call. I honestly don't have a clear
guess on who I actually think will win this category. Usually, though,
the old guy out of the nominees is a safe bet. The academy has a tendency
to award lifers rather than newcomers. I really really really want John
C. Reilly to win. I didn't care for the movie "Chicago" that
much, but Reilly's character was so brilliant. Every role that he has
ever played, he plays it with such depth and emotion. I don't think
he stands much of a chance to win, but the nomination was such a nice
gesture. On the other hand, I will be almost equally as pleased if Chris
Cooper goes home with the gold. His character (teamed with Meryl Streep)
was the best thing about "Adaptation". He was just simply
amazing. His nomination sort of came out of nowhere, but I'm still going
to root for him over Harris, Newman, and Walken. John C. Reilly, I have
my fingers crossed for you, man!
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The next category is Best Supporting Actress. I have a better idea with
these nominees, but it's still a little up in the air. The nominees
are: Kathy Bates ("About Schmidt"), Queen Latifah ("Chicago"),
Julianne Moore ("The Hours"), Meryl Streep ("Adaptation"),
and Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago").
Who I want to win: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Who I think will win: Meryl Streep
Catherine Zeta-Jones (and of course Mr. John C. Reilly) completely saved
"Chicago". If it hadn't been for their portrayal of the characters,
then I would have totally hated the film. Jones was magnificent. Who
knew she could sing and dance like that? I won't be upset if Meryl Streep
wins though. I just feel that she's had her fair share of the Oscar-love,
and she needs to give others a chance. Her character was amazing though
in "Adaptation". I never thought I would see a movie where
Streep sniffs bright green narcotics up her nose. I do not want Kathy
Bates to win. I usually like her characters, but not this time. She
was just weird. I'm still a little upset at Julianne Moore for ever
deciding to do "Far From Heaven", so I don't want her to win.
Besides, she doesn't deserve to win anyways. She was so rigid and unemotional
throughout the whole film ("The Hours").
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Now on to Best Director. The nominees are: Pedro Almodovar ("Hable
Con Ella"), Stephen Daldry ("The Hours"), Rob Marshall
("Chicago"), Roman Polanski ("The Pianist"), and
Martin Scorsese ("Gangs of New York").
Who I want to win: Martin Scorsese
Who I think will win: Martin Scorsese
There isn't much to say here, except: God damn it, give Scorsese his
oscar already! He SO deserves this Oscar. He's never won an Oscar for
his directing. Did you hear me? Martin Scorsese (the brilliant, famous,
talented director Martin Scorsese) has NEVER won. See, I told you the
academy was stupid. There is quite a buzz about this category though.
Most people agree with me on this one. However, I'm sure the Academy
will surprise us all and give it to someone else. My second vote would
be for Roman Polanski, just because I loved "The Pianist".
However, I think it would be extremely difficult to make a mistake with
depressing subject matter like the Holocaust. Go Scorsese!!!
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I am not going to go through every category, but I will briefly comment
on a few categories I feel strongly about.
Best Song. I am sure most of you won't know the songs, so I'm not going
to write out every nomination. However, Eminem is nominated for the
song 'Lose Yourself' from "8 Mile". I really want him to win,
but it almost seems silly. Who would have ever thought that Eminem would
get an OSCAR nomination!!???!! So funny.
Best Visual Effect. The nominees are: "The Lord of the Rings: The
Two Towers", "Spiderman", and "Star Wars II: Attack
of the Clones". Does anyone wanna take a guess at who I want to
win? Of course I want "Star Wars II..." to win. It's my honey
Hayden's movie. The whole movie was visual effects. The actors were
pretty much the only real things in the entire movie. I will be extremely
pissed if the academy gives this award to someone else.
All right, so that's my Oscar predictions.
