Sunday night, we invite you to join us at the Drexel Theatre, as we are once again pleased to host their annual Red Carpet Oscar Bash! You’ll have a chance to win great prizes if you can correctly pick the most winners, and on that note…here’s how we think the night will go:
Best Film
Will Win: 12 Years a Slave
American Hustle and Gravity are strong contenders, but we think voters will do the right thing and award this magnificent piece of filmmaking with its just due.
Should Win: 12 Years a Slave
Though the year offered a boon of wonderful, imaginative, powerful films, nothing quite compares to the meticulously created, absolutely visceral period piece.
Best Actor
Will Win: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
McConaughey will be rewarded for turning a career’s worth of lazy rom-com roles into two of the most impressive years in any working actor’s career.
Should Win: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Unfortunately, McConaughey’s achievement will be at the cost of a phenomenal talent’s most blistering and brilliant performance, and hands down the best lead turn from an actor this year.
Best Actress
Will Win: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
From her opening moments as Jasmine, the wildly talented and uniquely versatile Blanchett owned the film and the audience.
Should Win: Cate Blanchett
Amy Adams is going to have to take home an Oscar one of these days, and her turn in American Hustle certainly deserves consideration, but Blanchett took a gift of a part and created an unforgettable character.
Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club
Leto brings tenderness and tragedy to the belt-buckle-and-cowboy-hat tale Dallas Buyers Club with a beautifully dimensional performance, and his win is the second surest bet this awards season.
Should Win: Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave
Fassbender will be ignored again by the Academy (who failed to even notice his devastating turn in 2011’s Shame), and that’s a shame in itself because his performance in 12 Years a Slave was more explosive, fearless and honest than anything he’s done, which is saying a lot.
Best Supporting Actress
Hope Says
Will Win: Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave
She won the SAG, Golden Globe, and even the coveted Central Ohio Film Critics Association award for her work. Oscar will follow.
Should Win: Lupita Nyong’o
At first glance, Nyongo’s performance as field slave Patsy seemed a tad heavy handed, but as the character’s hellish existence is slowly revealed, we realize that this performer has found a way to make the unimaginable a reality.
George Says
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle
Though it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Nyong’o does win, I just have a hunch that Lawrence (who also won a Golden Globe as American Hustle was in the comedy category) will prevail.
Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence
It really is a toss up, but I give JLaw the edge for stealing the movie right out from under the the best ensemble cast of the year. “Science oven” for the win!
Best Director
Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity
This is a tough call. Basically, we think the best directing and best film nods will be split between Gravity and 12 Years a Slave. Last year, Ang Lee took the honor mostly for the technical/craftsman merits of his Life of Pi. We think Cuaron will receive the same treatment for the unarguably superior Gravity.
Should Win: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
It’s McQueen’s first dance with Oscar, and though his efforts in drawing performances, staging an epic, and keeping dusty old history as visceral and present as any other film this year are magnificent, we think the voters might side with Cuaron’s technical mastery.
Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: American Hustle
It’s a dazzling work of writing, heartfelt and character driven, funny and touching, full of excitement and spot-on with period. Plus, David O. Russell’s never cashed in on his 5 nominations, so it’s probably time.
Should Win: Her
Spike Jonze’s uncommon voice and vision turned out the year’s loveliest and most original love story, and the sheer uniqueness of the project deserves the Oscar.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: 12 Years a Slave
It’s simply the strongest contender.
Should Win: 12 Years a Slave
The ability to take a text more than a century and a half old, and from it create multi-dimensional characters and achingly relevant conflict, is a talent that needs to be recognized.
Enjoy the Oscars!
