Complete Oscar Winners list!

From ABC.

1. Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

2. Animated Short Film: "Paperman"

3. Animated Feature Film: "Brave"

4. Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for "Life of Pi"

5. Visual Effects: "Life of Pi"

6. Costume Design: "Anna Karenina"

7. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Les Miserables"

8. Live Action Short Film: "Curfew"

9. Documentary Short Subject: "Innocente"

10. Documentary Feature: "Searching for Sugar Man"

11. Foreign Language Film: "Amour"

12. Sound Mixing: "Les Miserables

13. Sound Editing: "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall" (A tie)

14. Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway

15. Film Editing: "Argo"

16. Production Design: "Lincoln"

17. Original Score: "Life of Pi"

18. Original Song: "Skyfall"

19. Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for "Argo"

20. Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantion for "Django Unchained"

21. Directing: Ang Lee

22. Actress: Jennifer Lawrence

23. Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis

24. Best Picture: "Argo"

Oscar Opinions: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

One of the best war films ever made. Yeah, I went there.

QUICK OPINION:
Zero Dark Thirty is a flawless film that never bored for a second, and never ceased from being the lest bit exciting. Jessica Chastain cut the nice Ms. O'brien out of herself and dominated this film. Boal wrote Maya as one of the most interesting and best characters on the screen in a long time, maybe a character to define the decade (like Aaron Sorkin's Mark Zuckerberg.). Bigelow seemed in control of the entire film, and she and her time blew every expectation of the film out of the water.

BEST PERFORMANCE:
Jessica Chastain's Maya was my favorite performance of the year, so that one is obviously getting to be #1 here. Props to up-and-comer Jason Clarke for holding his own in the first half, a human being that understands the stress of war, despite the man on the outside. (Think Anthony Mackie in The Hurt Locker). Another great performance in a great film.

BEST MOMENT:
30 minutes into the film, when a certain scene involving a bus comes to pass, the film just sucked me in. I can't put a finger on my favorite scene. It's all great. I'll stop singing my praises and ask you (the readers) to see this before (or after) Oscar Sunday. Just see it.

Even if you don't like it, it is definitely thought-provoking.

FINAL OSCAR PREDICTIONS!

A third year of prognostication comes to a close, and its another year where the true best picture of the year DOES NOT WIN! (You can view all my picks here.)

Best Picture:
ARGO

Best Director:
 STEVEN SPIELBERG, LINCOLN

Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, LINCOLN

Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Best Supporting Actor:
Tommy Lee Jones, LINCOLN

Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway, LES MISERABLES

Best Original Screenplay:
Mark Boal, ZERO DARK THIRTY

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Chris Terrio, ARGO

The best original screenplay race.

Some say Amour. At this point, I don't think it is a contender. Just because Amour got a Best Director nomination DOES NOT mean it gets an extra boost. That's like saying 'Beasts' is ahead of 'Argo' just because of a directing nomination. Fortunately the Adapted race is locked up for Chris Terrio.

So it's a two-horse race between Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained. The bad thing is that both films have their fair share of controversy. 'Zero Dark' won the WGA, 'Django' won the BAFTA, and is the expression of voter overlap. I say 'Zero Dark' has the advantage due to the fact it's ahead of Django in the Best Picture race.

If the Globes expressed voter overlap, I would say 'Django' would be leading, but I also have to give 'Zero Dark' a boost due to impulsive voting with the WGA.

PREDICTED WINNER
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

WGA winners!

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chris Terrio, Argo

WGA predix.

WGA tonight. Zero Dark Thirty will finally get its due.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Chris Terrio, Argo

An Interview with Academy-Award nominee Jessica Chastain! (sort of).

click the image for magnification.

So when you're busy churning out the year's best performance, you ain't got much time for anythin' else.

As a student who's second calling is film and blogging, I have very limited resources. In December, the ambition in me decided to ask for this interview, but across a video or something. Plans fell out, and the interview was held off for a month. I then decided to just throw my questions right on Facebook and get them answered this way.

I got a response, but a cryptic one. xxjess.

When did the frontrunners fall?

2010. The Social Network is poised to win the PGA. But in a sudden upset, it loses to The King's Speech. Every year brings out the big upsets, and this year is no exception.

Argo- It fell right after the Oscar nominations were announced... and then something miraculous happened. Globes, SAG, PGA, and soon-to-be PGA and BAFTA. That was the second fall.
The first fall for Argo was the sudden buzz for Les Miserables. The Academy screening that garnered praise more overblown than Elizabeth Banks' Hunger Games hairdo.

Les Miserables- Mixed critical reception. 'nuff said.

Zero Dark Thirty- The film that should win Best Picture will not because of torture controversy that is fortunately falling apart right before the Oscars. Also, the lack of a SAG nomination was a bad sign right from the beginning.

Lincoln- The lack of a BAFTA best director nom was ignored because Lincoln nabbed the most total noms at the ceremony. It's getting the nominations, but not the wins.

The Master- PT Anderson's revenge, a film riddled with hype and attention all summer. I don't know how it fell so quickly. Bad box office, I guess.

Silver Linings Playbook- Fell out of the conversation a little bit due to the expansion-release-style. It was all part of Weinstein's plan, the film did nab four acting nominations, so the fall was almost intentional.

And when fall, one must rise. Ergo, Argo.

The best actress race: it's a three-horse race, but with a different horse.

Naomi Watts' Oscar chances are now dead-in-the-water, ever since she lost the Globe for Best Actress. Somehow, Emmanuelle Riva is the third horse in the already tricky two-horse race between Lawrence and Chastain. Chastain really needs the BAFTA to really get on Lawrence's level, and I think Chastain is ahead of Lawrence, BAFTA terms. The problem is 86-year old Emmanuelle Riva, for her devastating work in Amour. (Yes, I feel guilty for calling an old lady a 'problem'). Both Amour and Zero Dark Thirty have Best Director nominations, and that's already a good sign that both films are popular. ZDT, I believe, has more nominations, and has an important scene in England, if that's any consolation.

As of right now, here are the actresses ranked in likelihood of winning.

1. Jen Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
2. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
3. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
4. Quevenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
5. Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Whoever wins BAFTA changes the game. Crossing fingers for Jessica, but in this race, anything goes.

The Guilds, some things to note.

Every year, the most important precursors shake the race. The guilds, namely SAG and PGA. The Screen Actors Guild is on Sunday, and the Producers Guild announces tomorrow. The two films that are truly seeking Oscar gold are Silver Linings Playbooks and Lincoln, based on number of nominations. Argo is also one one more contender that is missing the all-precious directors nomination that is restraining a potential Oscar victory.

PGA Prediction:
Lincoln

SAG (Best Cast) Prediction:
Silver Linings Playbook

This weekend can mark a weekend of great change. In 2006, Little Miss Sunshine won the PGA, and became a hopeful to a true contender. It lost the Golden Globe and was mainly skunked out of a directing nomination. 2006's PGA also marked the beginning of the end of Dreamgirls.

2006 was one of the more messy years in recent memory, and I would like to see a major upset within this weekend. Like Zero Dark Thirty winning the PGA, but that's all just a dream.

The actors in SAG are in the Academy, the same won that gave four acting nominations to Silver Linings Playbook. This is the same Academy that gave 3 acting nominations to The Master, and 1 SAG nomination. Still, Silver Linings Playbook is an actors piece, and it is a piece that is quite popular.  Still, Silver Linings will probably win the big prize in this shindig. This probably means they will give the Best Actress prize to Jennifer Lawrence's very good work in Silver Linings Playbook instead of Jessica Chastain's powerhouse work in Zero Dark Thirty.

Complete SAG predictions below:

Best Actor- Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress- Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor- No idea. Hoping for an upset, so Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master (No Django nominees)
Best Supporting Actress- Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables (duh!)

More after the jump discussing this weekend's significance.

Iowa Film Critics reward Lincoln!

Best Film: “Lincoln”

Other nominees: “Silver Linings Playbook”; “Zero Dark Thirty”

Best Director: Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”

Other nominees: Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”; Tom Hooper, “Les Miserables”

Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis, “Lincoln”

Other nominees: Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”; John Hawkes, “The Sessions”

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”

Other nominees: Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”; Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”

Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”

Other nominees: Alan Arkin, “Argo”; Robert DeNiro, “Silver Linings Playbook”

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”

Other nominees: Amy Adams, “The Master”; Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”

Best Animated Film: “Brave”

Other nominees: “ParaNorman,” “Wreck-It Ralph”

Best Film That Has Yet to Open In Iowa: “Amour”

The 10 Best Films of 2012.

I unfortunately have yet to see The Master, so it will not appear on this list.

1. ZERO DARK THIRTY
Zero Dark Thirty was not only impeccably made and entertaining, but the also boasted the year's best script and performance.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)- The best film of 2012, and the best war film since Private Ryan. (4 Stars)

this post is part of 'The Watchlist Chronicles'. To learn more, click here.

 Zero Dark Thirty is the best film of 2012, by a landslide. It is a well-paced, directed, acted, written, scored... well, its great at everything it does. It nearly pushes 3 hours, but it never bores for a minute.

Final Oscar Predictions!

The nominations are tomorrow, and with this year being all over the place, we can honestly quote Lawrence of Arabia... "Nothing is written."

BEST PICTURE:
1. Lincoln
Breaking the bank and breaking nomination records, Spielberg is back and with a vengeance.
2. Argo
Free of controversy currently, and was in attendance at every guild thing, like Lincoln.
3. Zero Dark Thirty
Strong critical praise and has been the film getting more love than Argo, but Argo is more well-liked.
4. Les Miserables
Makes the Academy feel warm and fuzzy. Based on a musical that's based on classic literature, and the acting branches love it.
5. Silver Linings Playbook
Actors love it, writers love it, and the direction is perfect.
6. Life of Pi
A visual treat that has a bold vision that is well-told. Thumbs up.
7. Django Unchained
It's a work of near-perfection. The supporting performances are off the charts, and the film's script is richer than Spielberg's current bank account.
8. Moonrise Kingdom
It has surprisingly a lot of necessary stops required for a nomination. Great cast for the acting branch to chew on, and great script for the writers to envy.
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild
The little indie that could.
10. The Master
I still think this film has got what it takes to sneak in. I'm making a bold prediction, which is something I missed last year (Extremely Loud). There is an audience for this film, and the audience will vote for this.

BEST DIRECTOR:
1. Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
2. Ben Affleck, Argo
3. Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
4. Ang Lee, Life of Pi
5. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ACTOR:
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
2. Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
3. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
4. John Hawkes, The Sessions
5. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
I think Phoenix is going to squeak in over Denzel, especially since Flight has nothing going for it besides Washington's performance. The audience for The Master is going to vote for Phoenix, giving him the nomination.

BEST ACTRESS:
1. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
4. Naomi Watts, The Impossible
5. Emanuelle Riva, Amour
I absolutely adore Jess Chastain and her repertoire of work, and hope she wins. She is going to win... a nomination.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
1. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
2. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
3. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
4. Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
5. Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Waltz and DiCaprio were amazing in their parts, and Bardem was the best thing in the near-perfect Skyfall. I mean, Bardem got a nomination for BIUTIFUL! Also, Arkin has yet to win any critics groups prizes, if that's any indicator.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
1. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
2. Sally Field, Lincoln
3. Amy Adams, The Master 
4. Helen Hunt, The Sessions
5. Judi Dench, Skyfall
Skyfall has picked up a lot of steam in the past weeks. Judi Dench recently got a BAFTA nomination, and I don't think Milennium has the capabilities to send out too many Paperboy screeners.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
1. Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
2. Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
3. Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
4. Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
5. Michael Haneke, Amour
Would love Looper to sneak in.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
1. Tony Kushner, Lincoln
2. Chris Terrio, Argo
3. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
4. Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
5. Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Screenplay categories are perfect for littler films to get recognized, like Perks and Beasts.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
1. Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi
2. Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln
3. Robert Richardson, Django Unchained
4. Roger Deakins, Skyfall
5. Mihai Malimare Jr, The Master
I hate to leave off Zero Dark Thirty, but the Academy loves themselves some Robby Richardson. I mean, he did beat Emmanuel Lubezki last year.

BEST EDITING:
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Argo
3. Life of Pi
4. Lincoln
5. Skyfall

Check back tomorrow for complete list of winners, and perhaps a nomination rant... we'll see.

DGA Nominee predictions!

DGA announces tomorrow, and despite it being so close to announcement day, they still remain crucial.

1. Spielberg, Lincoln
2. Affleck, Argo
3. Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
4. Lee, Life of Pi

5 is a tough cookie. The DGA will probably nominate O. Russell for Silver Linings because they usually aren't as sentimental as the Academy. They nominated Dark Knight, Academy chose The Reader. Just because O. Russell will be nominated here at the DGA's doesn't mean he will at the Oscars. Gods (or any other god believed by Piscene Molitor Patel,) will he does.

Zero Dark Thirty and The Master cover Vancouver

Winners via Hitfix,

Best Film
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Supporting Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, "The Master"

Best Screenplay
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Foreign Language Film
"Holy Motors"

Best Documentary
"Searching for Sugar Man"

Best Canadian Film
"Rebelle" (a.k.a. "War Witch")

Best Director of a Canadian Film
Panos Cosmatos, "Beyond the Black Rainbow"

Best Actor in a Canadian Film
Michael Rogers, "Beyond the Black Rainbow"

Best Actress in a Canadian Film
Rachel Mwanza, "Rebelle"

Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film
"Serge Kanyinda, "Rebelle"

Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film
Sarah Gadon, "Cosmopolis"

Best Canadian Documentary
"The World Before Her"

Best British Columbia Film
"Beyond the Black Rainbow"

Ian Caddell Award for Achievement
Alan Franey, Vancouver International Film Festival

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National Society of Film Critics winners! AMOUR!

BEST ACTOR

*1. Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln – 59 (Dreamworks/Touchstone)
2. Denis Lavant – 49
2. Joaquin Phoenix – 49

BEST ACTRESS
*1. Emmanuelle Riva – Amour – 50 (Sony Classics)
2. Jennifer Lawrence – 42
3. Jessica Chastain– 32

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
*1. Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike (Warner Bros.), Bernie (Millennium Entertainment) – 27
2. Tommy Lee Jones – 22
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman – 19

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
*1. Amy Adams – The Master (The Weinstein Co.) – 34
2. Sally Field – 23
3. Anne Hathaway – 13

BEST PICTURE
*1. Amour (Sony Classics) – 28
2. The Master – 25
3. Zero Dark Thirty – 18

BEST DIRECTOR
*1. Michael Haneke (Amour) – 27
2. Kathryn Bigelow – 24
2. Paul Thomas Anderson – 24

...those pesky #1's...

Metacritic keeps a tally of votes from top 10 lists. They did it two years ago, they did it last year, and their doing it this year. Last year, The Tree of Life trumped because it had 23 total first and second place votes. The Artist had 20 votes. Both became Best Picture nominees. Two years ago, The Social Network and Winter's Bone both were on top. Both became Best Picture nominees. This year, Zero Dark Thirty tops with 34 first and second place votes. Does this say anything about being nominated? No, since ZDT is basically a lock for a nomination. But second place, The Master, has 24 top slot seats. Does this say anything about being nominated? No, but it's a good sign that if The Master is doing well on top 10's, Academy members with similar tastes would also put it at equal heights. Same with #3 on the list, another Anderson film, Moonrise Kingdom. It has 15 mentions on #1 and #2 spots. These are the coveted spots needed for a Best Picture nomination. Still, there are Academy members with similar tastes as these top 10 folk, so this MUST be accounted for. I don't think The Master and Moonrise Kingdom stand as much a chance as Lincoln, but please don't be surprised if both are nominated.

You can read the discussed list here.

The Master, Argo, Flight, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Looper all nominated at the WGA's!!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures

Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures

The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company

Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features

Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures

Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox

Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Based on his book; Summit Entertainment

Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell; Based on the novel by Matthew Quick; The Weinstein Company

PGA Nominees!!

Yet again, more Master snubbery. I can now confidently say that The Master IS this year's The Tree of Life.

“Argo” (Warner Bros.)Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn

“Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher

“Les Misérables” (Universal Pictures)Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh

Life of Pi” (Fox 2000 Pictures)Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter, David Womark

“Lincoln” (Touchstone Pictures)Producers:  Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

“Moonrise Kingdom” (Focus Features)Producers: Wes Anderson & Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales

“Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon

“Skyfall” (Columbia Pictures)Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

“Zero Dark Thirty” (Columbia Pictures)Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Megan Ellison