Oscars 2013: My Picks for Who Will Win/Who Should Win

Greetings, all! It has been a while since I last blogged, but it has been quite a busy semester. Here are my picks (before the show!) of the winners of tonight's Oscars!

Best Picture
Will Win: Argo 
This one is no question. Argo lost a LOT of momentum when Ben Affleck was not nominated for Director, but since then it has swept every single major awards show, including the Golden Globes, Director's Guild, Screen Actor's Guild, Producer's Guild, and everything in-between. It's the favorite to take home the Gold. 
Should Win: Les Miserables/Zero Dark Thirty/Amour/The Master
The Master, by far the biggest snub of the Oscars this year, was the greatest film I saw this year. A virtuoso piece of filmmaking, with the best writing, acting, and look of anything that came out this year. But since it is not even nominated for Best Picture (nor is the incredible Paul Thomas Anderson for directing) I have to choose between Les Mis, Zero Dark Thirty, and Amour. All incredible movies in their own right, that I believe are more deserving of the award than Argo or the other favorite, Lincoln. 

Best Director
Will Win: Steven Spielberg/Ang Lee (Lincoln/Life of Pi)
These are the only two I can see winning the Best Director Oscar. There were too many snubs to count in this category, including Tom Hooper for Les Mis, Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty, and Ben Affleck for Argo. But out of those nominated, Spielberg or Lee will take it home. 
Should Win: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
I still cannot get over how The Master was snubbed out of the two categories it most deserved. PTA made yet another "masterful" film, one that was more affecting than anything else nominated. But, God forbid people have to think while watching a movie. 

Best Actor
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
This is one of the only categories this year that is locked in. Day-Lewis will win this by a long shot, and even though I wasn't one of the biggest fans of Lincoln, Day-Lewis did what he usually does and churned out a great performance. 
Should Win: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
I understand that Daniel Day-Lewis made another great movie, but I feel like Phoenix's role in the Master was better than Day-Lewis. He got so into his role, emotionally and physically, and I believe he deserves the award more than DDL. 

Best Actress
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
This category is also a lock. Jennifer Lawrence has won almost every award coming to the Oscars, and she should be the one taking the award. 
Should Win: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
The oldest Best Actress nominee ever, Riva churned out a heart wrenching performance of a stroke victim in the final months in her life. This was one of the most heartfelt films in recent memory, and Riva was incredible. 

Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook
This is a category in which everyone nominated could take home the award. In my opinion, I think that the Academy will give it to DeNiro to make up for it not winning Picture or Director. 
Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
When I first saw The Master, I thought for sure that PSH would be the favorite to win by far. His performance was incredible, as usual, and he deserves to take this Oscar more than anyone else nominated. 

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Hathaway will win this because of her incredible turn as Fantine in Les Mis, mainly for her one-shot rendition of the beautiful I Dreamed A Dream. She has been the favorite to win all season. 
Should Win: Helen Hunt, The Sessions
As much as I love and adore Hathaway and Les Mis, I believe that Helen Hunt had a better and "exposed" role as a sex surrogate in The Sessions. The movie, also snubbed in the Best Actor and Best Picture categories, was sweet and very genuine, and I think Helen Hunt deserves the award. 

Movie Review: The Master

The latest masterpiece from director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights), The Master is an enthralling and enigmatic piece of film, featuring some of the greatest performances of the year. Returning from Navy service in World War II, Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) drifts through a series of PTSD-driven breakdowns, trying to find his stride in several small jobs until having a violent breakdown in the middle of a department store. Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), after returning from the Second World War, having witnessed many horrors, is a very charismatic intellectual who creates a faith-based organization in an attempt to provide meaning to his life. He becomes known as "The Master". Freddie becomes his right-hand man, but soon begins to question both the belief system and The Master as the organization grows and gains a fervent following. There really is no other way to summarize this film, as it truly has to be seen in order to be understood (so to speak). 

The first I will speak of this film are the incredible, virtuosic performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Phoenix, making his acting return since his "set back" in the acting world a few years ago, makes an amazing turn as Dodd's right-hand man. Phoenix is at the height of his career in this role, changing himself both physically and mentally to deal with the intense source material. Playing a mentally deranged drifter, he plays very well off of Hoffman as Dodd, and takes in each bit of Anderson's source material. He is likely to get an Oscar nomination in the (very crowded) Best Actor category. Philip Seymour Hoffman, the title character, is also at the height of his career, which is saying a lot considering his other Oscar-winning roles. He is incredible as Lancaster Dodd, playing a role just as intense as Phoenix. Hoffman is a true performer, and is by far one of the greatest actors of this generation. He is a lock for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, and is currently in the lead for the win (his main opponent is Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln). There is a scene earlier in the film, of just Phoenix and Hoffman, where Dodd is giving Freddie an "interview." This is probably the greatest scene in the movie, and is reason enough for both of them to win Oscars. Amy Adams also does very well as the wife of Dodd, Peggy, yet oftentimes gets outshined by the two leads. She should, however, get a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Another great aspect of this movie is the direction and writing of Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson's writing is very smart, and keeps great pace throughout the entire film. His creative angle, bringing the most he can out of the talent of Hoffman and Phoenix is truly masterful. He is one of the greatest directors working today, and one of the best screenwriters. The look of the film, from the sets to the costumes, capture the post-war feel in a believable way. The score has also been another big talking point, using original and repetitive figures to create a sense of suspense and keep the intense feeling throughout the film. Overall, The Master is an incredible piece of film, at the same level of direction and performing of Anderson's last film, There Will Be Blood. It is one of the most original, confusing, yet satisfying films I have seen this year. A virtuosic motion picture if there ever was one. 

Rating: A

Possible Oscar Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director- Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Actor- Joaquin Phoenix
Best Actor in a Supporting Role- Philip Seymour Hoffman
Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Amy Adams
Best Original Screenplay- Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Original Score
Best Cinematography