2012 Film Awards
The following are who I would cast my vote for in each of the following film categories at the Oscars, if I had a vote.
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- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.Best Picture
This film is an incredible achievement in storytelling. It brought me along on an emotional ride that I was not expecting at all. The over-riding message that I took away from the film was one of acceptance, and that message will stick with me. Also, visually there isn't a better looking film released this year.
2nd: Amour
3rd: Argo
4th: Lincoln
5th: Beasts of the Southern Wild
6th: The Master
7th: Oslo, August 31st
8th: Cloud Atlas
9th: Zero Dark Thirty
10th: End of Watch - DirectorMichael HanekeStarsJean-Louis TrintignantEmmanuelle RivaIsabelle HuppertGeorges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.Best Director, Michael Haneke
For me, the greatness of a director lies in knowing exactly what he/she needs to do in order to make the story come alive. That is precisely what Haneke did here. He knew that he needed to turn the camera on, get out of the way, and let the actors play out the story. The result is incredible.
2nd: Ange Lee, Life of Pi
3rd: Ben Affleck, Argo
4th: Steven Spielberg
5th: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis
Do I really need to say anything about this one? This is a remarkable performance and it carries the film very well.
2nd: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
3rd: Denzel Washington, Flight
4th: John Hawkes, The Sessions
5th: Richard Gere, Arbitrage - DirectorMichael HanekeStarsJean-Louis TrintignantEmmanuelle RivaIsabelle HuppertGeorges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.Best Actress, Emmanuelle Riva
This performance is proof that you don't need to be loud or flamboyant in order to give a good performance. Sometimes subtlety is the best way to convey emotions and make the audience feel for a character, and that's what happens here.
2nd: Rachael Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea
3rd: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
4th: Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
5th: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty - DirectorMichael HanekeStarsJean-Louis TrintignantEmmanuelle RivaIsabelle HuppertGeorges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.Best Original Screenplay, Michael Haneke
This is a beautiful story that again proves simpler is sometimes better. It is so moving, and I believe it is universally relate-able.
2nd: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
3rd: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
4th: Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
5th: Dominga Sotomayor, Thursday Through Sunday - DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.Best Adapted Screenplay, Chris Terrio
This story feels effortless and flows at such a great pace, all the while not falling into the easy trappings that it could have, and scenes set in different places play off of each other incredible well.
2nd: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
3rd: David Magee, Life of Pi
4th: Tony Kushner, Lincoln
5th: Lucy Alibar and Ben Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy AdamsA Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.Best Supporting Actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman
This man may very well be the most underrated actor working today. He can do anything he wants with any role plays. He had me hanging on his every word throughout this entire film.
2nd: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
3rd: Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
4th: Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild
5th: Alan Arkin, Argo - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsJoaquin PhoenixPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy AdamsA Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.Best Supporting Actress, Amy Adams
If it were completely up to me, this would be Amy Adams third Oscar win (also for Doubt and The Fighter). She more than holds her own against the powerhouse performances from the other principles in this film, and delivers just like always.
2nd: Sally Field, Lincoln
3rd: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
4th: Helen Hunt, The Sessions
5th: Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - DirectorMichael HanekeStarsJean-Louis TrintignantEmmanuelle RivaIsabelle HuppertGeorges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.Best Foreign Language Film, Austria
There were a lot of really good foreign films this year, but this one clearly stands well above the rest. And I think I've already said enough about it above.
2nd: Oslo, August 31st
3rd: Thursday Through Sunday
4th: A Simple Life
5th: Tabu - DirectorRich MooreStarsJohn C. ReillyJack McBrayerJane LynchA video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.Best Animated Film
Why not. This was another down year for animated films after a good 4 or 5 year stretch for really quality animated films. Here's to hoping that 2013 brings some better animated films. - DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.Best Film Editing, William Goldenberg
Great film editing does two things: it sets the pace of film and creates suspense. Both of these things are accomplished very well in this film.
2nd: William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor, Zero Dark Thirty
3rd: Tim Squyres, Life of Pi
4th: Chris dickens and Melanie Oliver, Les Miserables
5th: Stuart Baird, Skyfall - DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.Best Cinematography, Claudio Miranda
What an incredibly beautiful looking film. The 3D imaginary was not gimmicky but added a great feel and quality to this film. Also, 3D films have been doing very well in this category as of late.
2nd: Mihai Malaimare, The Master
3rd: Danny Cohen, Les Miserables
4th: Frank Griebe and John Toll, Cloud Atlas
5th: Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln - DirectorTom HooperStarsHugh JackmanRussell CroweAnne HathawayIn 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.Best Art Direction, Ann Lynch-Robinson and Eve Stewart
The sets in this movie are great. They help to immerse you in this story and this world, no matter which location it takes us to (and there sure are a lot of them).
2nd: Hugh Bateup and Uli Hanisch, Cloud Atlas
3rd: David Gropman and Anna Pinnock, Life of Pi
4th: Rick Carter and Jim Erickson, Lincoln
5th: Sarah greenwood and Katie Spencer, Anna Karenina - DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.Best Visual Effects
Sure all of the animals are CGI, but they all look incredibly good. Sure a lot of the ocean scenes are CGI, but they all look incredibly good. (Also, every film that is nominated for both Best Picture and Best Visual Effects wins Best Visual Effects.)
2nd: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
3rd: Cloud Atlas
4th: Prometheus
5th: The Avengers - DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyJude LawAaron Taylor-JohnsonIn late-19th-century Russian high society, St. Petersburg aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Alexei Vronsky.Best Costume Design, Jacqueline Durran
This film was hard for me to watch, but the costumes in this period piece sure did look nice.
2nd: Kym Barrett and Pierre-Yves Gayraud, Cloud Atlas
3rd: Paco Delgado, Les Miserables
4th: Joanna Johnston, Lincoln
5th: Sharen Davis, Django Unchained - DirectorTom TykwerLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsTom HanksHalle BerryHugh GrantAn exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.Best Makeup
Creating the multitude of different looks throughout a multitude of different settings and time periods was a difficult job, and it was pulled off very well as the characters in each story looked the part.
2nd: The Hobbit: An unexpected Journey
3rd: Les Miserables
4th: Lincoln
5th: Anna Karenina - DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.Best Original Score, Mychealael Danna
I think the music worked well to highlight the emotions in this film, without being over powering as the music sometimes can be.
2nd: John Williams, Lincoln
3rd: Johnny greenwood, The Master
4th: Dario Marianella, Anna Karenina
5th: Alexandre Desplat, Argo - DirectorTom HooperStarsHugh JackmanRussell CroweAnne HathawayIn 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.Best Original Song, "Suddenly"
Its a really nice song that plays at what might be the most emotional moment of the film. It helps to create the bond between Valjean and Cosette
2nd: "Skyfall," Skyfall - DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJessica ChastainJoel EdgertonChris PrattA chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.Best Sound
This is the same Oscar winning team that worked on The Hurt Locker, and the work here dealing with explosions and gun fire is just as good as it was three years ago.
2nd: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
3rd: Skyfall
4th: Les Miserables
5th: Life of Pi - DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJessica ChastainJoel EdgertonChris PrattA chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.Best Sound Editing
Same reasoning as above. Its just as good as the work in The Hurt Locker.
2nd: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
3rd: The Dark Knight Rises
4th: Skyfall
5th: Life of Pi