2013 Oscar Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay Nomination Predictions!

1. John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
It's a great screenplay, Shakespearean with its screenplay. The dialogue is wonderful, but the pacing is poor. Leading film contender and pretty much a lock for a screenplay win.

2. Terrence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street
Winter's energy is boundless, contagious, and infectious. Worthy of all its praise, it's one of the film's best aspects, and I'll be surprised if it wasn't nominated.

3. Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater, Before Midnight
No, its not my bias kicking in, the film's screenplay is the one thing that's playing into the Oscars. I wish it was a lock for Best Picture, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

4. Billy Ray, Captain Phillips
It's going to be nominated. No comment.

5. Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena
#Philomania

Other films to consider are The Spectacular Now (oh how I wish it was nominated!), Tracey Letts' August: Osage and even Lone Survivor, which did manage a WGA nom.

2014 Oscars: Best Actress predictions (7/10/13)

Time for another big category, and this year, this category is up in the air (again). However, predicting will not hurt at all.

1. Naomi Watts, Diana
The long overdue Naomi Watts will finally win... hopefully. A lot of this depends on the film' quality. Right now I'm expecting a film rating of 65%-70% on RottenTomatoes.

2. Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Every year Meryl Streep makes a movie, she must be noted as a potential nominee. Her performance has actually been seen by a small audience, and the reception so far is good. Let's see how much cynicism the Academy can handle.

3. Kate Winslet, Labor Day
Every time Kate Winslet make a movie, she also must be recognized as a potential contender. This time, she is directed by Jason Reitman, a man who can usually make Oscar-worthy performances. The again, Young Adult was unfairly snubbed out of Best Actress and Supporting Actor.

4. Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Maybe I am bias. But I think that if there was any contender that has not been a nominee in this category, it ought to be Julie Delpy, with a performance displaying high range and in a film that will most likely receive love from the older Academy members/hipster ones.

5. Nicole Kidman, Grace of Monaco
Last year Nicole Kidman almost became a surprise nominee for the little-seen The Paperboy. However, her chances at a nomination look significantly higher, as she is playing former leading lady Grace Kelly, and is also backed by the Weinstein Company. However, can she pull off Grace Kelly (I'm not sure that she can, personally).

Check back soon for more nomination predictions!

Before Midnight (2013)- One of the greatest films of all time (4 Stars)

Before Midnight is an hour and forty-six minutes long, but feels like thirty minutes tops. It is easily the year's best film so far (I say that a lot, but this is it by a landslide), and will easily nab a spot in my top three by 2014.

Masterpieces Classics: Before Sunset (2004)

Before Sunset is neither my favorite movie of all time, nor is it even the best of 2004 (I would put Million Dollar Baby and Eternal Sunshine ahead of it). But that does not mean the film is masterpiece, because it quite simply just is.

The film is a direct sequel to Before Sunrise, a sumptuously romantic film that I thought was missing something. And after watching Before Sunset, I figure that it was chemistry that was missing. You can argue that since Jesse and Celine just met, they wouldn't have much chemistry. That is a true point, but maybe Before Sunrise was just destined for imperfection.