Movie Music and More #46: "Emma" (1996)

One of my (Hamlette) favorite film scores, Rachel Portman's Emma (1996), won the Academy Award for best original score that year.  Since we've got Oscars on our minds, I thought this would be a great time to discuss this delightful soundtrack.

Rachel Portman is one of those composers whose scores I almost always enjoy.  She's great at writing joyful music that moves scenes along, and she can layer deep emotions under the surface of that joy as well.  

"Main Titles" gives you a great idea of what the tone of the movie will be before anyone says a single word of dialog.  It begins softly, sweetly, a little bit pensive even, then picks up tempo and becomes sprightly and humorous.  Then it ends with grace and dignity.

"Harriet's Portrait" makes me smile, and not just because the part of the film it belongs to makes me laugh aloud.  It's such vivacious music, isn't it?  Playful and bright and energetic.

"The Dance" is pure fun.  It makes me want to cavort.  Sometimes I do.  It's a little bit repetitive at first, and you can envision people doing an English Country Dance with it's fancy patterns, and then about 40 seconds in, it gets louder and boisterous, and yeah... who can resist dancing to such music?

"Emma Insults Miss Bates" is a more serious track, as befits a more serious scene.  You hear that same theme from the opening credits, only now it's very slow and sad, mournful in places.  Emma grows up quite suddenly in this scene, realizing that her behavior can affect others in bad ways as well as good, and this delicate, wistful song fits the scene perfectly.

The entire soundtrack is delightful -- you can listen to it on YouTube here.  It's one of my favorites to listen to in the early spring, when I'm feeling very bright and hopeful, but with a touch of wistfulness here and there too.

Top 10 Academy Award Best Picture Winning Films: Part 2

Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins an Oscar and Spotlight wins Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards. With yet another Academy Awards coming to a close, let's take a look back at the best of the Best Picture winning films, and if you missed it, click here for Part 1.

5: Ben-Hur

Clocking in at around three and a half hours, Ben-Hur is historical epic that follows the fictional character Ben-Hur on his journey that takes him through various historical events. From the incredible chariot race to seamlessly tying in Christ's resurrection into the film's plot, Ben-Hur truly is an epic in every sense of the word. Ben-Hur even won eleven Academy Awards, which is tied with Return of the King for the most all-time, so there is little doubt that Ben-Hur is one of the best?

4: Casablanca

My first exposure to Humphrey Bogart films, Casablanca is an undeniable classic of the romance genre. While it might not be Bogart's finest film, it is easily one of his many best. If you consider yourself a film fan and have not seen this classic, you are doing yourself a disservice. "Here's looking at you, kid."

3: The Bridge on the River Kwai

Based on the novel of similar name, The Bridge on the River Kwai deals with the psychological, opposed to physical, damage caused by the horrible tragedies that the Japanese put the Ally POWs through in World War II. Despite the heavy subject matter, the film is still very entertaining, largely thanks to Alec Guinness’ brilliant Oscar winning performance.

2: The Silence of the Lambs

As thrilling and it is disturbing, Silence of the Lambs blends a riveting mystery thriller with elements of horror. While the film is certainly not for the squeamish or faint of heart, the plot is brilliantly crafted from beginning to end. Thanks to exceptional performances from Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, the film's plot was elevated even further, with the Academy even rewarding it the much deserved Best Picture. However, despite my praise, The Silence of the Lambs is not exactly a film I want to watch again anytime soon, if ever, but it is an unforgettable watch for sure.

1: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Could there be any other? The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King provides a fittingly epic and emotional conclusion to one of the greatest achievements in the film history. Despite being the first fantasy film to win Best Picture, the gateway to science fiction, comic book, and other fantasy films remains, unfortunately, closed in the minds of the Academy. Even though all of the LOTR films should have won Best Picture, since they all are equally amazing, The Return of the King more than deserved it the year it won. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, along with the other LOTR films, are the closest thing we have seen to a flawless masterpiece of film in the 21st Century, and while others have made a valiant effort, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy still reigns supreme.

Honorable Mentions: Dances with Wolves, The French Connection, The Godfather Part II, Patton, The Sting, Rocky, Unforgiven,

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

88th Academy Awards

88th Academy Awards are tonight on ABC! Well, this year's Oscars are not without its fair share of controversy. #OscarsSoWhite is a big deal this year, and others have written much better informed articles about the topic, so I'll just leave it at that. 

Personally, I have given up on the Oscars for quite a while now. However, this year did have two interesting films nominated for Best Picture, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian. Honestly, I'm still baffled by Mad Max's nomination. Sure, there is a lot of critical praise, but at the end of the day, it's purely an action flick, albeit an awesome one at that. I'm not saying it doesn't deserve a nomination, because it does. I'm saying that it's rather shocking that after so long, the Academy nominates a cool action flick. Who knows what that could mean for the future. Granted, Return of the King won Best Picture a decade ago and no other sci-fi or fantasy flick has come remotely close to matching that. And, of course, The Martian is easily my pick of the nominated films because it's just that good. 

The other category that interests me is Best Animated Feature Film. Inside Out will be the obvious winner since Pixar almost always wins, even when it does not deserve it. Sure, Inside Out is a great movie, one of Pixar's best, but it does not stand up to Studio Ghibli's latest, and possibly final film, When Marnie Was There. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it; it is one of the year’s best dramas. So, are you interested in the Oscars? Do you have thoughts? Please comment below and check back soon!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 10 Academy Award Best Picture Winning Films: Part 1

With the Oscars on Sunday, there is no better time than the present to rank the Top 10 Best Picture winning films. Even though the Academy have gone with safe picks for most of the last ten years, they did actually give the award to quite a few films that deserved it in the past, and this list will rank my ten favorite. Of course, I have not seen ever Best Picture winning film, and these are my personal favorites, so please let me know what yours are in the comments.

10: Braveheart

While it not the most well liked film, Braveheart is a personal favorite of mine. Some of the appeal is that my ancestors fought on both sides of the real war that the film portrays, and even though the movie itself is grossly historically inaccurate, what matters in the end is that it is a great film. Mel Gibson both stars in and directs the film, and his performance as William Wallace is top notch. He manages to balance the stoic nature of the character, while still providing the human aspect. Plus, no one else could deliver such an epic speech other than Gibson! Braveheart might not be for everyone. However, Mel Gibson's historical (or rather fictional) epic is an inspiring tale of standing up against tyranny.

9: The Departed

Martin Scorsese's crime drama about undercover cops and corruption in Boston is a riveting tale. Despite the two and a half hour long run time, Scorsese's direction is crisp, briskly edited, and well paced with enough twists and turns to keep the audience engaged from beginning to end. Thanks to the exceptional performances by the insane all-star cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen, just to name a few, The Departed is a perfect example of excellent talent both in front and behind the camera.

8: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Jack Nicholson's character, "Mac" McMurphy, enters a mental institution for evaluation. In the institution, the free-spirited Mac teaches the others in the institution to live a little and fight back against the institution's oppressive rules. However, the crux of the story are the relationships Mac builds with his fellow patients. There is humor, tragedy, and cheer worthy moments through the film, and Nicholson's performance pulls everything great about the movie together in brilliant fashion.

7: Lawrence of Arabia

Over three hours in length and featuring some of, if not, the best cinematography of the era, Lawrence of Arabia is the definition of a film epic. As the name implies, the film follows T. E. Lawrence, played brilliantly by Peter O'Toole, during World War I. The film captures the personal struggles of Lawrence and his fall into madness. 

6: The Godfather

Despite my expectations that The Godfather would be an overly hyped mess, it actually turned out to be one of the best crime films of all-time. While the film is not flawless, Marlon Brando's iconic performance and Francis Ford Coppola's direction more than makes The Godfather a classic of the medium. Considering that The Godfather is so highly regarded by critics, I recommend the movie to anyone old enough that considers themselves a film enthusiast.

What are some of your favorites? Please comment below and let me know!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The 87th Oscars are Tonight!

The Academy Awards, where snobs and "critics" get together to award the most Oscar bait worthy films of the year, and the winners are revealed tonight at the 87th Oscars. All jokes aside, although my opinion of the Academy is not necessarily positive, I do not agree with them most of the time, or at least not since The Return of the King won Best Picture. However, I generally agree the Academy's picks during the 90s, 70s, and in the past. Anyway, tonight is the Oscars, and even though I do not plan to watch them, I will be interested to see the winners. However, I am surprised that Gone Girl only received one nomination, which was for Rosamund Pike in Best Actress in a Leading Role. Fincher should have been nominated for Best Director and maybe even Cinematography. With that said, if Rosamund Pike does not win, it will be the biggest mistake of the Oscars of the year; well, except for certain a snubbing, which I will get to in a minute. She was incredible in her role, and speaking of Gone Girl, look for my review of that film on Tuesday.

As for the snub, how the heck did The Lego Movie not get nominated for Best Animated Feature!? Seriously, almost everyone loved it, so tell why it was not nominated!? It was nominated for Best Original Song with "Everything is Awesome," yet it failed to be nominated for Animated Feature! Yes, I have read the reasons for it getting snubbed in Variety's article, but even Rotten Tomatoes rated it higher than any other animated film last year, so there is really no excuse. With that said, at least The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was nominated. Despite being one of Studio Ghibli's weaker efforts, maybe it can win to make up for the last year's travesty of Frozen beating The Wind Rises. 

Obviously, the Academy did not nominate any of the amazing blockbusters except for Best Visual Effects, but it is not like that is ever going to happen.

What do you think of the nominations and snubs? Please comment below and let me know, and be sure to check back Tuesday for my review of Gone Girl.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 5 Best Picture Winning Films

With the Oscars on Sunday, there is no better time than the present to rank the Top 5 Best Picture winning films. Even though the Academy have gone with safe picks for most of the last ten years, they did actually give the award to quite a few films that deserved it in my eyes in the past, and this will rank my five favorite. Of course, I have not seen ever Best Picture winning film, and these are my personal favorites, so please let me know what yours are in the comments.

5: The Godfather

Often considered one of the best films ever made, The Godfather might not live up to its reputation but is certainly a great film in its own right that revolutionized the crime drama genre.

Plot: 8.8/10- The Godfather's first 20-30 minutes are mostly setup the rest of the film by establishing the characters as well as the setting. Fortunately, however, the movie begins to pick up the pace a little as the story finally grabbed my attention by the 30 minute mark and after that, it was an entertaining experience. The plot took some unexpected twists and turns, and despite the long running time and occasional pacing issues, The Godfather did not feel like a long movie. Also, the conflict between the crime families is one of the more entertaining aspects as they each use calculated attacks to affect the other’s businesses or family. 

Characterization: 8.5/10- In general, the characters of The Godfather are mostly well established characters for the type of movie being made. However, only three or four of the characters are actually memorable and identifiable, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Vito Corleone, head of the Corleone family, is the most memorable character, and he has many unforgettable quotes. Michael Corleone is the character that receives the most development throughout the course of the film, and he is the one that the audiences can connect with the most.

Overall: 8.8/10- Despite being overrated to a degree, The Godfather is undeniably a well crafted film with excellent performances and surprising entertainment value, providing the long running time is not a turn off for you. (For my full review, you can click here to check it out).

4: Braveheart

While it not the most well liked film, Braveheart is a personal favorite of mine. Some of the appeal is that my ancestors fought on both sides of the real war that the film portrays, and even though the movie itself is grossly historically inaccurate, what matters in the end is that it is a great film. 

Acting: 8.7/10- Mel Gibson both stars in and directs the film, and his performance as William Wallace is all around great. He manages to balance the stoic nature of the character, while still providing the human aspect. Plus, no one else could deliver such an epic speech other than Gibson!

Soundtrack: 9.7/10- James Horner's score is one of my favorites. The main theme is easily the most memorable tracks, and it is fittingly epic and sweeping to fit the stunning cinematography.

Overall: 8.8/10- Braveheart might not be for everyone. However, Mel Gibson's historical (or rather fictional) epic is an inspiring tale of standing up against tyranny.

3: Gladiator

Much like Braveheart, Gladiator is the type of epically manly movie (not to say that it excludes the female audience in any way) that has both great spectacle and a well told story of revenge.

Action/Direction: 9.3/10- Ridley Scott's direction is superb. From the impressive cinematography to the thrilling gladiatorial battles, everything in Gladiator looks fantastic. Even though the opening battle sequence is often overrated, the rest of the action sequences throughout the film feature well choreographed battles and well framed shots. 

Acting: 8.9/10- Russell Crowe's Oscar winning performance as Maximus Decimus Meridius is still his most iconic role.

Overall: 9.0/10- Gladiator is an impressively filmed and well told tale of revenge that never fails to entertain, and yes, "We are entertained."

2: The Silence of the Lambs

The first horror film to win Best Picture, The Silence of the Lambs surprised me by delivering a disturbing thriller that does not forget about the characters or plot.

Plot: 9.5/10- Silence of the Lambs is one of the most perfectly paced films in the mystery genre. Despite a plot that can be perceived as slow moving with dialogue sequences progressing the majority of the plot, the direction and performances maintain the audience’s attention as details of the mystery are slowly revealed. The direction the story goes is occasionally predictable, and the main character can seem a little slow at figuring out the plot for herself, but it rarely detracts from the tension and intrigue of the film.

Characterization: 8.9/10- Even if you have never seen the Silence of the Lambs, you would be hard-pressed to have never at least heard of the legendary character of Hannibal Lector, and he certainly lives up to the legend, largely thanks to Anthony Hopkins' Oscar winning performance. 

Overall: 9.0/10- As thrilling and it is disturbing, The Silence of the Lambs is not necessarily an entertaining film, but rather an intriguing and exhilarating one. However, it is certainly not for everyone due to the disturbing nature of the film, and it is not one that I would want to watch again anytime soon. (A full review coming at some point)

1: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Could there be any other? The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King provides a fittingly epic and emotional conclusion to one of the greatest achievements in the film history. Despite being the first fantasy film to win Best Picture, the gateway to science fiction, comic book, and other fantasy films is, unfortunately, still closed in the minds of the Academy. Even though all of LOTR films should have won Best Picture, since they all are equally amazing, The Return of the King more than deserved it the year it won.

Characterization: 10/10- The Return of the King's large cast of characters all have their character arcs brought to a satisfying conclusion that reflects of the themes that Tolkien instilled in his original novel.

Overall: 10/10- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, along with the other LOTR films, are the closest thing we have seen to a flawless masterpiece of film in the 21st Century, and while others have made a valiant effort, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy still reigns supreme.

What are your favorites? Please comment below and let me know!

Honorable Mentions: Ben-Hur. The Bridge on the River Kwai, Casablanca, Dances with Wolves, The French Connection, The Godfather Part II, Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, The Sting, Rocky, Unforgiven,

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

New Academy Award Categories.

As I stated in yesterday's post, the Academy Awards could use some improvement. I have made a list of categories that I believe the Oscars should add due to the exclusion of certain films and genres. Although it highly unlikely that any of these categories will ever be added, these are the ones that I would add. Also I am trying to be mostly realistic with my ideas for Awards, because something like "Best Comic Book Film" will never happen. The Oscars were last night and not surprisingly, Argo won for Best Picture. Skyfall won Best Song and tied with Zero Dark Thirty for Best Sound Editing. Brave unfortunately won for Best Animated Feature. If you want to see the winners, click here to check out the list.

Ensemble/Best Cast

Lord of the Rings Cast

Often times in films with large casts were there is not a single actor that can be distinguished in a "Leading Role", the actors are snubbed from the awards. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, for example, had many actors who should have been nominated for their performances but did not because it is difficult to define who was in the "Leading Role" or "Supporting Role". Sean Astin in the Return of the King should have easily won Best Actor for his amazing performance or Viggo Mortensen for any of the movie should have at least been nominated. Inception would be another example, the cast was fantastic, One of the Best of All-Time! While it would be unlikely even if the category was added, The Avengers had the strongest cast of the 2012 with the many A-list actors in one film. It is surprising that the award has not already been added because the Screen Actors Guild already gives an award for "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture". 

Best Science-Fiction/Fantasy Film

As I stated in yesterday's post, the Academy has a tendency to snub any Science-Fiction film because the genre has never once won the award for Best Picture! Even though there have been many candidates for the award that probably should have won, except for the fact that it was Science-Fiction. Fantasy, on the other hand, has broken the barrier with The Return of the King rightfully winning Best Picture in 2003. If the category was added, it would include comic book films as well as sci-fi and fantasy, since comic book films usually have qualities of either genre. The Academy Award have a category for "Best Animated Feature", so why is it too far of a stretch for sci-fi and fantasy films to be recognized for their brilliance. Therefore, The Avengers, The Hobbit, and The Dark Knight Rises would all be given a shot for an award. 

Best Comedy/Musical

Although it is not my idea or one that I really want the Academy to add, there have been other critics who want a category like this to be added. It would seem like an obvious choice since the Golden Globes already have this category in their awards.

Best Fight Choreography

This is my current desktop background.

OK, this is entirely unrealistic but Fight Choreography and action directing is just as much an art form as any other aspect of film. For example, the films, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The Matrix" had amazing fight choreographers and the films directors and choreographers should be duly recognized for their skill and execution. In 2012, The Avengers would easily take the win for its incredible battles scenes that rival anything that has come before or since. Joss Whedon never resorted to cheap techniques like dark lighting or shaky-cam that far too many movies use today. Also Best Stunt Work would be another similar category.

I want to emphasize that the likelihood of any of these categories ever being added are slim to none, but they are the ones I would want to see. What awards to you think should be added to the Academy Awards? Do you agree or disagree with my ideas? Please comment below.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

85th Academy Awards Tomorrow Night.

The 85th Academy Awards are tomorrow night! Do you plan to watch them? I am definitely not, but I am looking forward to seeing if The Avengers, Hobbit or Skyfall wins any awards. Below are links to my previous Academy Award themed posts if you have not read them. Also I will be posting "New Oscar Categories" Monday, where I give my thoughts on how to improve the Academy Awards and tomorrow I will be reviewing the Clone Wars episode "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"
2013 Academy Award Predictions.
Top 25 Best Picture Nominated Films Part 2: 12-1.
Top 25 Best Picture Nominated Films Part 1: 25-13
Academy Award Trivia.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

2013 Academy Award Predictions.

The 85th Academy Awards are just a few days away so here are my predictions and picks on the nominees. Although I have yet to see many of the films that were awarded, because most of them were recently released this Winter and have yet to be released on Blu-Ray, I have read many articles on the nominees and know enough to make educated guesses. Another thing, is that I honestly do not care much for the Academy Awards (aka the Oscars), while I do like to know which films are nominated, it has very little impact on my opinion. With the exception of some classics and a few others, which are on my Top 25 Best Picture Nominations List, I rarely agree with their choices. However, I do respect their opinion but, I am annoyed by the Academy's complete ignorance of the Science-Fiction genre. Never has it won the award for Best Picture and at this rate, it never will. I will be addressing this issue in next week's "New Oscar Categories" post and later this year, I plan to make a J and J Productions Awards after I have seen more films that were released last year including everyone's favorite geek films.
Many fans were furious that The Dark Knight Rises was completely snubbed by the Academy, but I do not really care. Some thought it should have been nominated because The Dark Knight and Christopher Nolan were snubbed in 2008, but why is that any reason to give it a nomination? While the visual effects were good, there were far from the best of the year and no actor gave an Oscar worthy performance. The Dark Knight Rises was one of my favorite movies of the year because it was a fun popcorn flick and a good conclusion to the franchise. Most critics said that it was not even as good as The Dark Knight, so why should it be nominated anymore than the other snubbed movies?  It will surely win some of my categories in my J and J Productions awards, but I do not think it is a big deal that it was not nominated. The Dark Knight Rises was a comic book movie and they generally exclude the genre. Basically, I do not care, because It did not expect it.
Also on the side note, I planned to watch Skyfall earlier this week but my Blu-Ray/DVD by mail subscription company (Block Buster) does not have any new releases due to some ridiculous "haven't made a deal with the distributors" claim, which is the reason I have yet to see it .


Best Picture:
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"
"Lincoln"
"Les Miserables"
"Life of Pi"
"Amour"
"Django Unchained"
"Argo"
Prediction: Lincoln/Argo: While Zero Dark Thirty sounded like it would have an easy win earlier this year, due to some controversy over the release confidential CIA information, it appears that its chances are slim. Lincoln and Argo, on the other hand, probably have the best shot. Another outside possibility is Beasts of the Southern Wild, because of its young leading lady.
My Pick: N/A- I have yet to see any of the films listed above.

Best Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Alan Arkin, "Argo"
Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"

Prediction: Robert De Niro/Tommy Lee Jones: Best Supporting Actor is a tough category because there has not been much mention as to who is most likely to win. But many are really liking Jones' performance as well as De Niro's.
My Pick: N/A


Best Supporting Actress:
Sally Field, "Lincoln"
Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"
Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"
Amy Adams, "The Master"

Prediction: Anne Hathaway: Her song in Les Miserables has been a big topic of debate on whether she should win for only doing one song, however it appears that she has a good shot at the award.
My Pick:  Anne Hathaway: Although I have not seen any of the films listed above, Hathaway's performance in The Dark Knight Rises was one of my favorite performances of the year.


Best Director:
David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
Michael Haneke, "Amour"
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Prediction: Steven Spielberg: Due to the upset of Affleck (Argo) and Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) not being nominated for the award, it appears that Spielberg is the most likely to win. However, Ang Lee also has an outside shot.
My Pick: N/A


Best Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis, "Lincoln"
Denzel Washington, "Flight"
Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"
Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"

Prediction: Daniel Day Lewis: While Jackman and Cooper probably have a decent chance at winning the award, Daniel Day Lewis' performance as Abraham Lincoln has received a lot of buzz for his performance.
My Pick: N/A


Best Actress:
Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"
Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Prediction: Jessica Chastain: While Quvenzhané Wallis and Emmanuelle Riva are the oldest and youngest actresses to be nominated for the award, it appears that Chastain will most likely win the award. Wallis might have a good chance considering her very young age.
My Pick: N/A


Best Original Screenplay:
"Zero Dark Thirty"
"Django Unchained"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Amour"
"Flight"

Prediction: Zero Dark Thirty: I almost find it odd that Zero Dark Thirty is considered in the Original Screenplay category since it is based on real events, but despite the controversy it should at least win this award. Also Django Unchained has an outside shot.
My Pick: N/A


Best Adapted Screenplay:
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Argo"
"Life of Pi"
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Prediction: Lincoln/Argo: For the same reasons I stated for the Best Picture nominations, I believe either Lincoln or Argo will this category.
My Pick: N/A


Best Animated Feature:
"Frankenweenie"
"The Pirates! Band of Misfits"
"Wreck-It Ralph"
"Paranorman"
"Brave"

Prediction: Brave/Wreck-It-Ralph: While I have yet to see it, Wreck-It-Ralph is the definitive animated film of the year by most critics and I probably will agree with that statement after watching the film. However, Brave was made my Pixar, therefore the irrational Pixar bias and the fact that Wreck-It-Ralph is inspired by videos gmaes might give Brave the win regardless of quality. Also Frankenweenie was well received by critics and could win the award.
My Pick: N/A- I have yet to see Wreck-It-Ralph, but I am sure it would easily be my pick.


Best Foreign Feature:
"Amour"
"A Royal Affair"
"Kon-Tiki"
"No"
"War Witch"

Prediction: Amour: Amour is the only film of these listed above to be nominated for Best Picture, so it would obviously win Best Foreign Feature.
My Pick: N/A


Best Visual Effects:
"Life of Pi"
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"The Avengers"
"Prometheus"
"Snow White and the Huntsman"

Prediction: Life of Pi: Because the Academy hates Comic Book based films, Life of Pi will probably win since everyone is raving about the effects, even though The Avengers' Visual Effects are unmatched.
My Pick: The Avengers: While Gollum in The Hobbit was fantastic, The Avengers effects were better overall.


Best Cinematography:
"Skyfall"
"Anna Karenina"
"Django Unchained"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"

Prediction: Lincoln: This is a complete guess. Lincoln has been nominated for many other awards, I suppose it has a good shot at cinematography.
My Pick: N/A- As I stated above, I have yet to see Skyfall but I believe it would be my choice among these films.


Best Costume Design:
"Anna Karenina"
"Les Miserables"
"Lincoln"
"Mirror Mirror"
"Snow White and the Huntsman"

Prediction: Les Miserables: From the pictures and advertisements, Les Mirserables costumes appeared to be the best. But I find it quite odd that the critically panned Mirror Mirror was even nominated, The Hobbit should have easily been nominated compared to these other movies.
My Pick: Snow White and the Huntsman: Snow White and the Huntsman is the only one of these films I have seen, but the costume design was done very well.


Best Documentary Feature:
"Searching for Sugar Man"
"How to Survive a Plague"
"The Gatekeepers"
"5 Broken Cameras"
"The Invisible War"

Prediction: N/A- I know nothing about these documentaries.
My Pick: N/A


Best Documentary Short:
"Open Heart"
"Inocente"
"Redemption"
"Kings Point"
"Mondays at Racine"
Prediction: N/A
My Pick:


Best Film Editing:
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Life of Pi"
"Argo"
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Prediction: Zero Dark Thirty: Many critics were raving about the film's intense final sequence, which would dictate good film editing.
My Pick: N/A-


Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
"Hitchcock"
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Les Miserables"

Prediction: Les Miserables: Because Les Miserables had the best critical reception, it will mostly that the win. However, I do hope that The Hobbit will win at least one category.
My Pick: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: There is no contest for in my opinion, the make-up in the Hobbit were superb, especially considering that most of the cast required many prosthetics.


Best Music (Original Score):
"Anna Karenina"
"Argo"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Skyfall"

Prediction: N/A- With the exception of Skyfall, I have yet to hear any of these film's soundtrack, therefore I cannot give an accurate prediction.
My Pick: Skyfall: While Skyfall's soundtrack is great, The Hobbit and The Avengers had far better scores and should have been nominated.


Best Music (Original Song):
"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice"
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted"
"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi"
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"
"Suddenly" from "Les Misérables"

Prediction: "Suddenly" from "Les Misérables": Since Les Misérables is a musical, it is expected that it would win Best Original Song.
My Pick: Although "Lonely Mountains" from The Hobbit was by far my favorite of the year, "Skyfall" was fantastic, already one of my favorite James Bond opening songs even though I have not seen the film.


Best Production Design:
"Anna Karenina"
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
"Les Misérables"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"

Prediction: Lincoln: Another educated guess, but Lincoln appeared to have sets that were accurate of the time.
My Pick: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: No question, The Hobbit would takes it in my book. While it used more CGI than it probably should have, the sets were great nonetheless.


Best Short Film, Animated:
"Adam and Dog"
"Fresh Guacamole"
"Head over Heels"
"Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare'"
"Paperman"

Prediction: Paperman: One of the many talked about things in most Wreck-It-Ralph reviews that the "Paperman" short that preceded the film, and everyone seemed to love it.
My Pick: N/A


Best Short Film, Live Action:
"Asad"
"Buzkashi Boys"
"Curfew"
"Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)"
"Henry"

Prediction: N/A
My Pick: N/A


Best Sound Editing:
"Argo"
"Django Unchained"
"Life of Pi"
"Skyfall"
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Prediction: Zero Dark Thirty: Usually this type of movie wins the category so I suppose it has a good shot.
My Pick: N/A


Best Sound Mixing:
"Argo"
"Les Misérables"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Skyfall"
Prediction: Skyfall/Les Misérables: Hopefully Skyfall win something this year but Les Misérables is all about music and would probably have good sound mixing.

Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? For all I know, none of my predictions could be half right. Please comment below.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 25 Best Picture Nominated Films Part 2: 12-1.

Here is part 2 of my Top 25 Best Picture Nominated Films, featuring many of your favorites like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. Also  Please click here to read yesterday's post, which was part 1 of this list.

At Number 12: Forrest Gump

"Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." That line pretty much sums up Forrest Gump. While many like to hate on this classic film, I find thoroughly enjoyable, yet sad at the same time. The humor is great and Tom Hanks' performance is flawless. 

At Number 11: Braveheart

"They can take our lives. But they can never take our FREEDOM!" What Braveheart lacks in historical accuracy, it more than makes up in  story and inspirational speeches.  

At Number 10: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Again, I am surprised that this received an Oscar Nomination, because it is a fun and entertaining film, but stranger things have happened. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of my favorite westerns ever made, and another film with great dialogue.  

At Number 9: The Fugitive

One of Harrison Ford's many best films, The Fugitive was a smart, thriller, similar to the current Bourne films, except with less action.Tommy Lee Jones won an Oscar for his fantastic performance yet the The Fugitive lost Best Picture to Spielberg's  Schindler's List.

At Number 8: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Another film that I was surprised that to be nominated for Best Picture because it is an action films with many amazing fights but Crouching Tiger, but Hidden Dragon had an excellent epic story and memorable characters. 

Note: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a foreign language, but does have a English dub version. 

At Number 7: Gladiator

Hans Zimmer, Russel Crowe, cool gladiatorial battles and stunning cinematography are just a few reasons why Gladiator is a fantastic film. One of the few action films to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

At Number 6: Inception

Although it is unrealistic to think that science-fiction could win the Oscar for Best Picture, because of those boffins who vote for the Academy, but they will eventually have to give in. However, Inception should have been the film to break the trend because it was far superior to any film that was released that year. The King's Speech was very good, but its nothing compared to the mind bending, complex story of Inception. 

At Number 5: Raiders of the Lost Ark

I was shocked to discover that Raiders of the Lost Ark has nominated by the Academy for Best Picture, because it is an action film but it definitely deserved the nomination. Few films, if any, have a more iconic her than Indiana Jones and the perfect mix of humor, action, likable characters and original plot is amazing. Its in my Top 10 Favorite films, and it has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid.

At Number 4: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second chapter in the second best work of fiction ever created, continued the epic story of previous entry. While, at the time, it would seem unlikely that a fantasy film would win Best Picture, there was no film that even came close to The Two Towers in any aspect. Something that I just noticed about the poster, is that Arwen is included, even though she was only in the film for two minutes at the most.

At Number 3: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first film in the epic trilogy set-up everything that was to come. There was nothing like it since Star Wars, a movie that revolutionized film making and proved that the fantasy genre was more than just kids movies and low-budget B-movies. It added a gritty, realistic tone to fantasy, similar to how Star Wars revolutionized sci-fi with the "lived-in" environments, opposed to the pristine and shinny sets of Star Trek and other contemporaries. 

At Number 2: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Academy actually got it right with The Return of the King. After two incredible films, Peter Jackson and The Lord of the Rings finally got the respect they deserve. The perfect conclusion to the perfect trilogy. One of the few times were the Academy and audience agreed, with The Return of the King breaking box office records and setting the record for most Oscar wins and nominations. 

At Number 1: Star Wars

Star Wars, the film that changed the world. It is unimaginable to think where cinema would be without Star Wars. While The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite, the original Star Wars is my right behind it. I love Star Wars! I have seen it at least 40 or more times, and I will never get tired of it. Star Wars is the perfect film in every way and it will never be topped.

 

Because there are so many great Best Picture Nominations, that there are films that I left off the list and others that I have yet to see. Here are a few honorable mentions: Money Ball, Saving Private Ryan, The King's Speech, Unforgiven, and It's a Wonderful Life,

 What are your favorite Best Picture Nominations? Please comment below.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.