Oscar Opinions: Les Miserables (2012)

Every Oscar year, there is just one shoddy nominee.

QUICK OPINION:
Last year showed off Extremely Loud and Incredibly Gross Close, and somehow Les Mis was just such a clunker. Right from the get-go, something was off. The opening shot is a long shot, but not every long shot is not a good one. Hugh Jackman is prevalent throughout almost every scene, and I do have to admit his performance was good, but it was inconsistent. To be honest, the whole movie was inconsistent and messy. It nails a tone/mood, but since the songs are intercut throughout the story, diversions between the individual songs/scenes can lead to severe messiness. Forget it, the whole movie is a mess.

BEST PERFORMANCE:
Easy: Anne Hathaway's emotive work was Fantine. The shot was a bit too tight, but she devastated everyone in the audience. Great stuff.

BEST MOMENT:
I Dreamed a Dream was pretty great.

Les Miserables (2012)- The pillars of a body are ignored (2 Stars)

Les Miserables has been in the Oscar conversation ever since the idea of a movie adaptation has ever been though of. Once Tom Hooper signed on, the buzz got as fierce as a bumblebee. But after viewing the film, I was puzzled. Why does this even exist as a movie?

Washington Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) nominees!

Skyfall nominations!

Best Film:

Argo

Les Misérables

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director:

Ben Affleck (Argo)

Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master)

Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)

Tom Hooper (Les Misérables)

Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

Best Actor:

Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables)

Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Denzel Washington (Flight)

Best Actress:

Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone)

Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Helen Mirren (Hitchcock)

Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

Argo loses its lead to 'Les Mis', Anne Hathaway WILL win Best Supporting Actress.

'Les Mis' had its first screening today in the Big Apple, and to say it was overwhelming is an understatement.

Tweets across the interwebs report 'standing ovations', and a rather spectacular 'I Dreamed a Dream', sung by a skinny Catwoman. The acting in the film is allegedly described as 'superb', and Anne Hathaway as the runaway leader. Since Jessica Chastain is going lead for 'Zero Dark Thirty', Catwoman is going to have very little competition. And since the acting is great, the actors branch will give this the BP nom, and maybe even the win.

Since this film is a musical, and very epic, the Acadeny is clamoring for both, since both have been missing from the BP lineup for awhile. The win for the film could also change the way studios treat their releases due to the tides of independent films like 'Slumdog', 'Hurt Locker', 'King's Speech'...

Tom Hooper will also do well with the directors branch, since he was a previous winner in 2010. The art direction and the costume design will also be victors. It's been awhile since a film has swept the Oscars, and this will be it.

On the bright side for me, 'The Master', will probably win 2 Oscars, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Hoffman). Maybe it could win Best Actor.

Best Director predictions.

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
I am making a very bold prediction right now. I think the Academy feels the need to reward PT Anderson after There Will Be Blood, and outside of acting, the direction seems to be getting the most praise. Also, Weinstein is backing PT all the way to the finish line.

2. David O'Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
With this being the predicted winner, it would only seem right for this to win Best Director. Problem is though, I've seen lesser notices for direction, but more for the acting. Weinstein might also be busy backing PT Anderson to give enough recognition for Dave.

3. Ang Lee, Life of Pi
This will be like Hugo. The Academy will feel the need to recognize a visual film, and it will give the awards in the visual categories. Ang Lee is a big name, however, and the Academy might want to give him some more love after what happened with Brokeback Mountain.

4. Tom Hooper, Les Miserables
The main thing holding back Tom Hooper is his recent King's Speech win. He is a very bold director, especially with what he is doing in this film. He will be nominated, but probably not win.

5. Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Just because his name is Spielberg doesn't mean he will be rewarded the gold. He might not even be nominated, like last year's War Horse. Tomorrow we will know as tonight it screens in NYFF.

I hate to leave out Ben Affleck for Argo, Kathryn Bigelow, Wes Anderson, Benh Zeitlin, Michael Haneke for Amour, or Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight Rises. Check back tomorrow for Best Actor predictions.

'To the Wonder', the Best Picture AND Director winner?

I bet you're tired of seeing this picture. So am I.

So I read a nifty little article on AwardsCircuit. It stated that if To the Wonder was as good as expected, it should win Best Director and Picture. Here's why:

-Ang Lee can't really win Best Director again for Life of Pi. He already won for Brokeback Mountain in 2005, and is Asian. Yeah, it sounds racist, but its true. Also, the accessability for Pi is still a question.

-Kathryn Bigelow can't really win for Zero Dark Thirty because she recently won for The Hurt Locker. Also, she's a woman. Sounds sexist, but its true.

-Spielberg can't really win for Lincoln because he already won for List and Private Ryan, two WWII masterpieces. The only way Spielberg can pull it off is with something equal to the previously listed.

-Benh Zeitlen for Beasts of the Southern Wild. Not much a chance, since the film is so polarizing.