The Oscars: How did I do?

The Oscars were Sunday night and I thought I’d share with you how I did with my picks. The winner is in bold.

Best Actor

Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea” – My pick

Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”

Viggo Mortenson, “Captain Fantastic”

Denzel Washington, “Fences”

 

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”

Ruth Negga, “Loving”

Natalie Portman, “Jackie”

Emma Stone, “La La Land” – My pick

Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

 

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” – My pick

Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”

Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”

Dev Patel, “Lion”

Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

 

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis, “Fences”

Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”

Nicole Kidman, “Lion”

Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures” – My pick

Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

 

Directing

Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”

Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Damien Chazelle, “La La Land” – My pick

Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”

Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”

 

Adapted Screenplay

“Arrival”

“Fences”

“Hidden Figures” – My pick

“Lion”

“Moonlight”

 

Original Screenplay

“Hell or High Water”

“La La Land” – My pick

“The Lobster”

“Manchester by the Sea”

“20th Century Women”

 

Best Picture

“Arrival”

“Fences”

“Hacksaw Ridge”

“Hell or High Water”

“Hidden Figures”

“La La Land” – My pick

“Lion”

“Manchester by the Sea”

“Moonlight”

I didn’t do too bad. La La Land was obviously my favorite and it should have won Best Picture. I’m still holding out hope that a musical will win Best Picture again. A musical hasn’t won that award since Chicago.

How did you do?

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My Oscar predictions – 2017

With the Oscars only a month away, I thought I’d make my Oscar predictions. This year, I’ve made an effort to see as many of the nominated movies as possible. I’ve chosen only the categories I’m most familiar with for my picks.

Best Actor

Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea” – Winner

Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”

Viggo Mortenson, “Captain Fantastic”

Denzel Washington, “Fences”

I believe the winner of this category could be any of these actors because they all did a fantastic job. My pick is Casey Affleck. He portrayed the tragic story of Lee Chandler well. He made me really feel for the character.

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”

Ruth Negga, “Loving”

Natalie Portman, “Jackie”

Emma Stone, “La La Land” – Winner

Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Emma Stone should win. She really impressed me with her portrayal of a struggling actress.

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” – Winner

Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”

Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”

Dev Patel, “Lion”

Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

Mahershala Ali is definitely the one to beat in this category. He was phenomenal. I loved Dev Patel in Lion, but I’d be surprised if he’s able to overcome Mahershala Ali.

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis, “Fences”

Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”

Nicole Kidman, “Lion”

Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures” – Winner

Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

I loved everything about Hidden Figures and Octavia Spencer’s performance is one of the reasons I enjoyed it. As Dorothy Vaughan, she was tough and didn’t give up. I’m sure if Dorothy Vaughan were still alive, she’d be proud of Octavia Spencer’s portrayal of her life.

Directing

Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”

Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Damien Chazelle, “La La Land” – Winner

Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”

Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”

I know the work that goes into a musical. It is not an easy feat. For that reason, Damien Chazelle should win. He was creative and somehow brought the feel of an old Hollywood musical to a modern one.

Adapted Screenplay

“Arrival”

“Fences”

“Hidden Figures” – Winner

“Lion”

“Moonlight”

As I said before, I loved everything about Hidden Figures. I thought the true story was told well.

Original Screenplay

“Hell or High Water”

“La La Land” – Winner

“The Lobster”

“Manchester by the Sea”

“20th Century Women”

The story told in La La Land was wonderful. I enjoyed every minute of it. The way Mia and Sebastian supported each other and allowed each other to follow their dreams was beautiful.

Best Picture

“Arrival”

“Fences”

“Hacksaw Ridge”

“Hell or High Water”

“Hidden Figures”

“La La Land” – Winner

“Lion”

“Manchester by the Sea”

“Moonlight”

La La Land deserves to win this one. The story, the music, and the choreography all make this one dynamic movie. Moonlight is the only other movie on this list that I believe could win.

What are your picks?

 

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The Oscars: Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins

Like most of you, I watched the Oscars last night. I thought Chris Rock did an incredible job and Lady Gaga had the moment of the night. I also was relieved to see Leonardo DiCaprio finally win his Oscar, even though I didn’t love The Revenant. I’ve always felt he was robbed the year he didn’t win for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

Spotlight won the big award of the night, Best Picture. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, it’s a must see.

Below I’ve recapped the winners in bold.

Best Actor

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

 

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

 

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed

 

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

 

Directing

Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Adam McKay, The Big Short

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Lenny Abrahamson, Room

 

Adapted Screenplay

The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian

Room

 

Original Screenplay

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Spotlight

Inside Out

Straight Outta Compton

 

Best Picture

Spotlight

The Revenant

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Room

 

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens deserved a best picture nomination

We’re in the midst of awards season and it’s another season in which we are celebrating movies that no one has seen. I’ve yet to understand why this is the case. I realize we are trying to recognize the very best, but does that mean popular movies don’t deserve nominations. Yes, I’m talking about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the biggest movie of 2015.

Adam Driver did an excellent job as Kylo Ren and I can’t imagine anyone playing the role as well as he did. Why wasn’t he nominated for an Oscar? Does he deserve any less recognition than the actors nominated for best actor simply because he was in a popular movie?

J.J. Abrams also deserved a nomination. Not only did he direct the biggest movie of 2015, but the critics agreed with fans that it was one of the best movies of 2015. Yet, he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.

This leads me to the best picture nominees. With the Oscars nominating so many movies for best picture every year, I was certain that Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be nominated. Again, I was disappointed. How many moviegoers raced to the theater to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens as opposed to The Revenant? I’m not saying The Revenant isn’t a good movie, but again I point out that critics also loved Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it was far more entertaining than The Revenant.

As a writer, I play a lot of “what if” and I can’t help but wonder, what if Star Wars: The Force Awakens was nominated for best picture? What if movies people spent their hard earned cash on were nominated? Maybe more people would tune into the Oscars.

Were you surprised that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was snubbed? Would you prefer to see popular movies nominated?

You can also find me here: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest

 

The Oscars: And the Winners Are…

Two weeks ago, I made my Oscar predictions. How did I do? Check the results below. The winner is in bold and my choices are indicated with “MY PICK.”

Best Actor

Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”

Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”

Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”

Michael Keaton, “Birdman”

Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” – MY PICK

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”

Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”

Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”

Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl” – MY PICK

Reese Witherspoon, “Wild”

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall, “The Judge”

Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”

Edward Norton, “Birdman”

Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”

J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” – MY PICK

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood” – MY PICK

Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods”

Laura Dern, “Wild”

Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”

Emma Stone, “Birdman”

Directing

Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”

Richard Linklater, “Boyhood” – MY PICK

Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”

Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game”

Adapted Screenplay

“American Sniper”

“The Imitation Game”

“Inherent Vice”

“The Theory of Everything” – MY PICK

“Whiplash”

Original Screenplay

“Birdman”

“Boyhood” – MY PICK

“Foxcatcher”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“Nightcrawler”

Best Picture

“American Sniper”

“Birdman”

“Boyhood” – MY PICK

“The Grand Budapest Hotel”

“The Imitation Game”

“Selma”

“The Theory of Everything”

“Whiplash”

In case you missed some of the movies nominated for Best Picture, here they are as acted out by pugs.

As you can see, I did awful. How did you do?