2013 in Review: Jordan Predicts the 86th Academy Awards
Even though we’re just finishing up February and heading into March, 2013 in film isn’t in the books until after the Academy Awards. The Oscars – as they’re also called – are the biggest and “best” awards show around. Preceded by the Screen Actors, Directors, and Producers Guild Awards, as well as plenty of others, the Oscars, like it or not, have prevailed as the coup de gras.
Continuing my “2013 in Review” coverage, I’ve decided to throw my two cents into the picture. Below are my “official” predictions of how Sunday’s Academy Awards will unfold. There are 24 total categories. When applicable, I’ve also thrown in some of my own commentary, including who should win and who really should win (used if I felt the true champion in that category wasn’t nominated). For these picks, I used my “Best Of” and Top 25 Films pieces to determine the outcomes. In some instances, I felt my expertise wasn’t enough (say, for instance, if I’d only seen one or two of the nominees). In these cases, I simply predicted a winner.
Starting with the music, then heading to the technical awards, and finishing with the major categories, here is how I think the Academy Awards will pan out:
Nominees: John Williams (The Book Thief), Steven Price (Gravity), William Butler & Owen Pallett (Her), Alexandre Desplat (Philomena), Thomas Newman (Saving Mr. Banks)
Who will win: Steven Price (Gravity)
Who should win: Steven Price (Gravity)
Who really should win: Hans Zimmer (12 Years a Slave)
Nominees: Happy (Despicable Me 2), Let It Go (Frozen), The Moon Song (Her), Ordinary Love (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
Who will win: Let It Go (Frozen)
Who should win: Let It Go (Frozen)
Who really should win: Young & Beautiful (The Great Gatsby)
Believe me…I’ve listened to “Let It Go” enough times for all of us. However, I do think Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” was – for the lack of a better term – beautiful.
Nominees: American Hustle, The Grandmaster, The Great Gatsby, The Invisible Woman, 12 Years a Slave
Who will win: The Great Gatsby
Who should win: 12 Years a Slave
Nominees: Dallas Buyers Club, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, The Lone Ranger
Who will win: Dallas Buyers Club
Who should win: Dallas Buyers Club
Nominees: American Hustle, Gravity, The Great Gatsby, Her, 12 Years a Slave
Who will win: The Great Gatsby
Nominees: All Is Lost, Captain Phillips, Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Lone Survivor
Who will win: Gravity
Get ready for a whole lot of Gravity as it wins here…
Nominees: Captain Phillips, Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Inside Llewyn Davis, Lone Survivor
Who will win: Gravity
…and here…
Nominees: The Grandmaster, Gravity, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, Prisoners
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Gravity
Who really should win: Gravity
…and here…
Nominees: Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Iron Man 3, The Lone Ranger, Star Trek Into Darkness
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Gravity
Who really should win: Gravity
…and here…
Nominees: American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, 12 Years a Slave
Who will win: Gravity
Who should win: Gravity
Who really should win: Gravity
…and here.
Nominees: Aquel No Era Yo, Avant Que De Tout Perdre, Helium, Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa?, The Voorman Problem
Who will win: The Voorman Problem
Nominees: Feral, Get a Horse!, Mr. Hublot, Possessions, Room on the Broom
Who will win: Get a Horse!
Nominees: CaveDigger, Facing Fear, Karama Has No Walls, The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Who will win: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Did you know this lady passed away on Sunday?
Nominees: The Act of Killing, Cutie and the Boxer, Dirty Wars, The Square, 20 Feet from Stardom
Who will win: 20 Feet from Stardom
Everything I’ve heard says The Act of Killing is amazing. However, 20 Feet from Stardom isn’t a bummer, and the Academy doesn’t like bummers in this category.
Nominees: The Broken Circle Breakdown, The Great Beauty, The Hunt, The Missing Picture, Omar
Who will win: The Great Beauty
I’ve only seen one of these five movies (The Hunt), and it was stunning. It seems like a long shot, though.
Nominees: The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Ernest & Celestine, Frozen, The Wind Rises
Who will win: Frozen
Who should win: Frozen
While Pixar usually dominates the animated category, look for Disney to pull out the double victory this year with Frozen and the Get a Horse! short. Interestingly enough, this will be Disney’s first animated feature win.
Nominees: Before Midnight, Captain Phillips, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street
Who will win: 12 Years a Slave
Who should win: Before Midnight
Who really should win: Before Midnight
Can’t we get some love for my favorite film of the year (Before Midnight)? In short: no.
Nominees: American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Nebraska
Who will win: Her
Who should win: American Hustle
Who really should win: American Hustle
This could be American Hustle’s best chance at a win. However, it is Her’s only chance for a win, too.
Nominees: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Julia Roberts (August: Osage County), June Squibb (Nebraska)
Who will win: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)
Who should win: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
Who really should win: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
I think Jennifer Lawrence should win this category. However, don’t expect the Academy to award it to the same person two years in a row…which makes no logical sense to me. Whatever…Lupita Nyong’o is at least a deserving winner.
Nominees: Amy Adams (American Hustle), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)
Who will win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Who should win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Who really should win: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
There aren’t a whole lot of “locks” in this year’s awards; however, this is the first category I’d bet on if I was in Vegas…
Nominees: 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)
Who will win: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who should win: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who really should win: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
…and this would be the second one I’d bet on.
Nominees: 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)
Who will win: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Who should win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Who really should win: Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now)
I absolutely love this category. Every single candidate is just as worthy as the next, so there is no way I can be disappointed Sunday night. I do wish Miles Teller would’ve been recognized, but his time will come in the future.
Nominees: David O. Russell (American Hustle), Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), Alexander Payne (Nebraska), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Who will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Who should win: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Who really should win: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Ang Lee (Life of Pi) did it last year and Alfonso Cuarón will do it this year. The circumstances were different, yes, but I am predicting a split between director and best picture.
Nominees: American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street
Who will win: 12 Years a Slave
Who should win: Gravity
Who really should win: Before Midnight
I have to put Before Midnight as my “should win” pick, but, of the nominees, I actually liked Gravity the best. However, like the Best Actor category, it is hard for me to be disappointed with any winner of the nominees. 12 Years of Slave has everything going for it.
To summarize, Gravity will dominate the technical awards but fail to garner the biggest prize (Best Picture). I think it’ll end up with seven total wins (the most of any movie all night). It is gutsy to pick a different director from the Best Picture, but that is how I think it’ll go over. Last year it was this way, too, but history shows it is still rare. With the Best Picture win, 12 Years a Slave will take home three awards total.
I predict American Hustle, though it was tied for most nominations, will go home empty-handed. This hurts for a lot of reasons. Despite having a nominee in all four acting categories, the competition is just too strong. Dallas Buyers Club will play the spoiler as it’ll take home both actor awards (and have three wins total).
Frozen and The Great Gatsby (oddly enough) will both have two wins, with Her and Blue Jasmine each grabbing a victory along with all the shorts, documentary film (20 Feet from Stardom), and foreign film (The Great Beauty)…
…of course, I could totally be wrong. Make sure to comment with your commentary below!
Follow me on Twitter @jmacle for live-tweets during the show Sunday
