And This Year's Oscar Goes To...

When I was growing up, my extended family used to take trips during the summer to Cape Cod. At any one time there could have been up to fifteen people crammed into one small house. My cousins and I used to go to the beach, ride bikes, and hound our parents to take us for ice cream every night. It was something I looked forward to every summer.

On one of these trips my father took my brother and I to see Ghostbusters. I remember coming back to the house and telling everyone how good and how funny it was. I couldn’t stop talking about it. When it was on during the early days of cable and HBO, it was one of the first movies I recorded on our new VCR. I must have watched it dozens of times over the years, and now it is part of my Blue-ray collection. I could probably recite most of the movie by heart. It is a timeless classic, and it will always stand out as one of the first movies I saw in the theater along with E.T., The Goonies and Return of the Jedi.

Although Dr. Egon Spengler does not have the same screen presence as Peter Venkman, or even Raymond Stantz for that matter, he is still an essential character in Ghostbusters. He is the analytical and reasonable voice amongst his colleagues that are seen for their frivolous and sometimes childlike demeanor. The actor that played Egon, Harold Ramis, passed away this past week from complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis. Ramis, similar to Egon and the other limited roles he played, was never in the forefront like many of his contemporaries, such as Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Chevy Chase, and John Candy. But along with Ghostbusters, Ramis had a hand in some of the most significant comedies of all time, including Animal House, Caddyshack, Stripes, and Groundhog Day. Even though Ramis flew under the radar, he should be remembered as one of the most influential and true voices in comedic cinema.  

While Ramis made us all laugh, he never won an Academy Award for his efforts. It’s very rare that comedies receive nominations, let alone win. Out of this year’s group of nominees, The Wolf of Wall Street is probably the only film that could be considered a comedy (although I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as that). Throw in some action (Captain Phillips), suspense (Gravity) and a whole lot of drama to make up the rest of the list. There’s some familiar faces to Oscar (Meryl Streep, Christian Bale), and some newcomers (Lupita Nyong’o, Barkhad Abdi). Sunday’s award show has all the makings of another glamorous night where rich and famous people praise one another by giving each other fancy trophies. So now that I kept you all in suspense, let’s move on to making picks in some of the major categories (once again, my apologies to best sound mixing).

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawking – Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Julia Roberts – August: Osage County

June Squibb – Nebraska

I really got a kick out of June Squibb as Kate Grant, the honest and always frank wife of Bruce Dern’s Woody Grant. But this is a two way race, and possibly the closest this year, between Lawrence and Nyong’o. Lawrence took home the Golden Globe, and if she wins this year she’ll be the first performer to win back-to-back acting awards since Tom Hanks in 1994 and 1995. But like any acclaimed prize, it’s tough to repeat. I’m giving the edge to the first-timer Nyong’o.

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper – American Hustle

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

Every year there’s a category where the winner is a no-brainer. Last year it was Daniel Day-Lewis for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. This year there’s two. The first is Jared Leto, another first time nominee who plays an HIV-infected transgender prostitute at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Leto, who hasn’t been in a film since 2009, lost 30 pounds for the role. Oscar tends to recognize performers for going through physical and gender transformations. We can thank the other nominees for showing up, but just like Day-Lewis last year this is Leto’s award to lose.

Best Actress

Amy Adams – American Hustle

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock – Gravity

Judi Dench – Philomena

Meryl Streep – August: Osage County

Talk about prestige. Between these actresses, they combine for thirty-seven nominations and six trophies, and Adams is the only one that hasn’t won despite her four previous nominations. Regardless of all of the talent here, this is the second no-brainer category. The award belongs to Blanchett for her performance as a wealthy New York City trophy wife that has to deal with losing her fortune and social status. If anything she also has history on her side. Female roles in Woody Allen films have earned eleven nominations and produced five winners. This would also be Blanchett’s second Oscar.

Best Actor

Christian Bale – American Hustle

Bruce Dern – Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

Although all of these nominees are justified, it’s difficult to not see Tom Hanks here for his role in Captain Phillips, although in the end it wouldn’t have mattered. This is DiCaprio’s fourth nomination, and his dynamic performance as real-life con-artist Jordan Belfort might arguably be the best of his career. It would seem like Leo’s time has finally come. Unfortunately for DiCaprio there’s not an actor that has been on more of a hot streak than Matthew McConaughey. Going back to 2011, McConaughey has reached critical acclaim in his selected roles, including his cameo in The Wolf of Wall Street and now the brilliant True Detective. McConaughey, who also lost significant weight for the role, has been cleaning up the awards for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club, and the accolades will continue on Sunday night. He’s certainly come a long way since his days as Wooderson.

Best Director

Alfonso Cuarón – Gravity

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

Alexander Payne – Nebraska

David O. Russell – American Hustle

Martin Scorsese – The Wolf of Wall Street

I have to go with Cuarón here, although McQueen has a very good chance of taking the prize. Cuarón has been previously nominated for writing and editing categories, but this is his first for directing. And deservedly so. Gravity combines dazzling effects and an emotional story, beginning with its epic seventeen-minute opening shot. Mastering the technical aspects of the film gives the slight edge to Cuarón.

Best Picture

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

The odds are that either Gravity or 12 Years a Slave is going to walk away with the night’s biggest award. I don’t see any of the other films sneaking in and pulling an off an upset. On paper, the two front runners couldn’t be more different. One takes place in space, the other in the pre-Civil War South. Gravity earned over $200 million at the box office, 12 Years a Slave has earned just under $50 million. The one similarity in both films is their themes of determination and survival. As groundbreaking as Gravity might be, the true-life story of Solomon Northup, a free black man sold into slavery and his struggle for freedom, is too overpowering to be ignored. Similar to previous winners such as Platoon and Schindler’s List, 12 Years a Slave can be devastating to watch, but it deserves our attention. When the night is over, the incredible and intense storytelling of 12 Years a Slave will come out on top over Gravity and its stunning visual effects.