I have kept me answers very simple due to the fact I haven't seen 3/4 of the films nominated (That's why I have Matt). And that is where Matt, April and Jorge have stepped up their game and include their explications to their picks.
So with out without further ado here are our picks for Sunday's Oscars.
Best Animated
SJF: Wreck-it-Ralph
Twilightish: Wreck-it-Ralph - While I don't believe that there were any EXCEPTIONAL movies in this category this year, I think this was the best out of the choices.
Matt: Frankenweenie – While my favorite animated film of the year in Hotel Transylvania wasn’t even nominated, Frankenweenie is a really great film about boys and their love for pets. There’s some great voice work here as well and the stop motion is like a breath of fresh 1960’s-era Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
HiDefNinja: Brave - This is probably one of the toughest picks for me…Pixar's first attempt at a female lead and a fairy tale was a homerun. Their take on the princess tale was so far from unconventional. Pixar also managed to create a world around Merida that was truly amazing, the Scottish like environment was simply stunning and paired with a good storytelling it should be an easy winner.
Best Supporting Actor
SJF: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Twilightish: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln - Absolutely fantastic in this role. I loved his character and what he stood for. I felt what he felt and he made me feel passionate about what he stood for in the movie.
Matt: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln – Unquestionably Jones’s best performance of his career. His dry delivery (especially in Captain America) has always been enjoyable, but his portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens is top shelf. I do like others in this category, but Jones stands heads and shoulders above them.
HiDefNinja: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained - Waltz' performance in Django Unchained was perhaps one of his best, if not the best yet. He completely embodied his character and played it with such ease that he left a lasting good impression.
Best Supporting Actress
SJF: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Twilightish: Anne Hathway, Les Miserables - I had heard a lot of criticism about Anne Hathaway playing this role (she can't pull it off etc) but I was blown away. I was really upset that she isn't in the movie longer.
Matt: Sally Field, Lincoln – Among my sleeper picks, Field is phenomenal and honestly deserved a Best Actress nomination. How AMPAS screwed that up is still beyond me.
Best Director
SJF: Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Twilightish: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln - We all know already that Spielberg is a genius, but he took 150 minutes of old men arguing in a court room and made it interesting and not boring.
Matt: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln – I don’t care whether Spielberg already has three Oscars: if you do something well, you shouldn’t need to give it up to someone else just to be fair. If that were the case, perennial losers the Cubs and Browns would have ‘won’ championships in my lifetime.
HiDefNinja: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln - This is perhaps the most unfair set of nominees, where is Ben Affleck? Where is Kathryn Bigelow? I don't think I'll ever understand the way the Academy works. If I have to pick someone from the list, it has to be Steven Spielberg.
Best Actor
SJF: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Twilightish: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln - He could not have portrayed Abraham Lincoln more spot on. It literally gave me chills. He had his mannerism's down to a T.
Matt: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln – If Lewis doesn’t win, I’ll march to Hollywood and demand AMPAS throw in the towel. A brilliant and career-defining performance, Lewis is Lincoln right down to his walk. Please AMPAS, have the appearance of intelligence.
HiDefNinja: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln - Daniel Day-Lewis was excellent in his role as Abraham Lincoln. There's not a lot to say here other than excellent is pretty tough to beat. The list of actors in this category is pretty good, but Daniel was a cut above the rest.
Best Actress
SJF: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Twilightish: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook - May the odds be ever in her favor.... She is absolutely one of the most talented actors of her generation and she deserves this.
Matt: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty – This one is tough because Sally Field deserved equal credit for her Lincoln performance. But if I have to pick one, it’s Chastain. She’s tough and unforgiving as the agent that nails UBL – hail hot, smart chicks!
HiDefNinja: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty - Her performance in Zero Dark Thirty was absolutely phenomenal. She embodied Maya as best as she could and what resulted was perhaps one of her best performances to date. I just cannot see an upset in this category; she should be able to add the Oscar next to her Golden globe pretty soon.
Best Picture
SJF: Life of Pi
Twilightish: Argo - Honestly is that who I WANT to win?? No. I just have a sneaky suspicion it is going to win.
Matt: Lincoln – Forget the fact that I’m a history teacher: Lincoln is one of the most important films of the 2010’s. Its themes of racism sadly echo in our time, and such films can become cathartic for a generation that’s more disjointed and divided than ever. Argo and ZDT are good but there’s nothing like Lincoln.
HiDefNinja: Argo - I have to admit, Ben Affleck hit a home run with Argo. The film was excellent to say the least. Argo is the clear winner here. Why Affleck doesn't appear in the best director list is beyond me, but Argo will definitely take it.
Twilightish Picks Explained
Best Animated Film:
Wreck It Ralph While I don't believe that there were any EXCEPTIONAL movies in this category this year, I think this was the best out of the choices. Being that I have 3 kids, this is the one category that I actually did see ALL of the movies. While I'm not thrilled for this to be my pick, It is my favorite out of the choices. As much as I am a Disney fan and I WANT to say Brave, I just can't go with it. It lacked so much to me and I found myself bored, (I know there are a lot of mixed feelings about that movie) Wreck it Ralph however had me pleasantly surprised! My kids loved it, and it is one we will be purchasing in a couple weeks when it comes out on bluray.
Best Supporting Actor:
Tommy Lee Jones- Lincoln He was absolutely fantastic in this role. I loved his character and what he stood for. I felt what he felt and he made me feel passionate about what he stood for in the movie. I thought his performance was totally moving. He totally earned this award.
Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway- Les Miserables Let me first make sure I spelled her name right... Okay good. FANTASTIC. I am in the minority of people that did not cry when I went to see this movie in the theater. I have never seen the play. I had no clue what the story was about. Besides hearing my girlfriends belt out the songs on road trips... that was all I knew of "Les Mis". I am however a huge fan of the Musical genre. How I haven't been exposed to this before I have no idea. I had heard a lot of criticism about Anne Hathaway playing this role (she can't pull it off etc) but I was blown away. I was really upset that she isn't in the movie longer. 'On my own' was brilliant! And she did that in one consecutive take! Awesome.
Most Deserved. Best Director:
Steven Spielberg- Lincoln Have you seen this movie? If you haven't... You should. I saw it twice in the theater. Yes I sat through 300 minutes of it, and I loved every SECOND of it. Maybe it's because I'm a history buff, but I was blown away by the telling of this story. We all know already that Spielberg is a genius, but he took 150 minutes of old men arguing in a court room and made it interesting and not boring.
Best Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis- Lincoln Again- WOW. As you can tell.... I loved this movie! I was 100% in awe of Daniel Day Lewis in this movie. He could not have portrayed Abraham Lincoln more spot on. It literally gave me chills. Some of the iconic speeches. He had his mannerism's down to a T. There is a scene towards the end of the movie where he is walking down a hallway and he even walked like him. (Lincoln was known for walking slowly). While I did thoghroughly enjoy Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables and I think he did a fantastic job... I think the Oscar really deserves to go to Daniel Day Lewis.
Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook May the odds be ever in her favor.... Yep I said it. I'm not going to play her up. I don't think I need to. She is absolutely one of the most talented actors of her generation and she deserves this. She is real, Down to earth, and for that I like her. I hope the Academy feels the same way!
Best Picture: My PREDICTION- Argo Honestly is that who I WANT to win?? No. I am one of the few that could give a flying FLIP about this movie. But I just have a sneaky suspicion it is going to win. I would like to see pretty much any other movie win. Lincoln. Les Mis. Silver Linings. Why? Not because I don't love Ben Afleck.. Don't get me wrong, I really do love him. But the plot of this movie just did not impress me at all. I will watch it when it comes out. Which I think was Tuesday, Oh well, Maybe after my Disneyland vacation next week.
HiDefNinja.com Picks Explained
I am Jorge Flores and I am editor at Hidefninja.com and here are my personal picks for the upcoming Academy Awards.
Best Animated Film:
Brave This is probably one of the toughest picks for me, seriously, I love animation and year after year studios continuously pump a variety of good flicks to try and dethrone Pixar/Disney. The quality has gone better by miles in the last couple of years and for 2012 we saw some truly great animated flicks, including Pixar's attempt at a fairy tale involving a princess. However, among the list of nominees, Brave is my favorite to take the Oscar home. Why? Pixar's first attempt at a female lead and a fairy tale was a homerun. Their take on the princess tale was so far from unconventional, they created a character that was far from the norm and instead of create a defenseless princess they created a hero for little girls around the country. Pixar also managed to create a world around Merida that was truly amazing, the Scottish like environment was simply stunning and paired with a good storytelling it should be an easy winner. Frankenweenie, Paranorman and Wreck-It-Ralph were good on their own right and perhaps an upset is not really that farfetched.
Best Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained Waltz' performance in Django Unchained was perhaps one of his best, if not the best yet. Every time he was on camera he was just great, the film might have been controversial, but every time someone mentions Django Unchained, Waltz comes to mind. He completely embodied his character and played it with such ease that he left a lasting good impression. The rest of the nominees are all excellent actors, but Waltz is the best choice this time around.
Best Director:
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln This is perhaps the most unfair set of nominees, where is Ben Affleck? Where is Kathryn Bigelow? I don't think I'll ever understand the way the Academy works, however, without taking any credit from the nominees the list is short. If I have to pick someone from the list, it has to be Steven Spielberg. Spielberg's Lincoln biopic was excellent, a few minor flaws, but nevertheless it does a great job paying homage to undoubtedly one of the country's greatest presidents to ever live. With Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee-Jones and Sally Field at Spielberg's disposal it's hard to imagine a letdown. Ang Lee's Life of Pi, David O'Russell’s Silvers Linings Playbook, and even Benh Zeitlin’s surprisingly well done film Beasts of the Southern Wild deserve a worthy mention. However, with a true master director at the helm and with a fantastic cast, Spielberg is above the rest in this list.
Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln Daniel Day-Lewis was excellent in his role as Abraham Lincoln. There's not a lot to say here other than excellent is pretty tough to beat. The list of actors in this category is pretty good, but Daniel was a cut above the rest. Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty Her performance in Zero Dark Thirty was absolutely phenomenal. She embodied Maya as best as she could and what resulted was perhaps one of her best performances to date. I just cannot see an upset in this category; she should be able to add the Oscar next to her Golden globe pretty soon. Best Picture: Argo I have to admit, Ben Affleck hit a home run with Argo. The film was excellent to say the least. The film was put together very nicely, it had good pace, excellent acting, and the suspense had me at the edge of my seat. The other motion pictures in the list are great in their own right, but Argo is the clear winner here. Why Affleck doesn't appear in the best director list is beyond me, but Argo will definitely take it.
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