Everyone says I just shouldn’t care, that the whole thing is rigged, that it’s all meaningless. And if truth be told, I don’t care all the much but I do think the Oscars are kind of fun. Ya, it’s pretty meaningless. A lot of the people that win, end up not even having a career after. But the list of nominees are usually some of the “better” films released that year.

Yes, I know they generally ignore genre films even though that’s what most people are wanting to see. They overhype films that hardly any “common” person liked. There are so few winning spots, that many quality performances get snubbed. But I still think there’s some fun to the yearly oscars.

Oscar Predictions

I won’t even begin to try and guess or predict what films or actors will win. There are so many factors, so much hype, so much personal-preference, and subjective evidence involved. If you want a detailed and thoughtful analysis of who will win this year, the guys over at ComingSoon.net did a great write-up a few weeks ago:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/weekendwarriornews.php?id=113100

It’s worth checking out.

What I’m going to do here is tell you what I wish would happen, what should happen, in my dream world, how the oscars would go based on my personal movie-going preferences for this year. I’m not going through all the categories because I don’t even know what to choose in some and others, I don’t really have a strong opinion on. So just the big ones.

Best Picture

I’m going with Gravity here because it was an evolutionary leap in film-making. American Hustle shouldn’t be on here. It was fun and I liked it but it isn’t a best picture. I feel the same way about Nebraska. Great performance by Bruce Dern but not best picture caliber.

Best Actor

I’d go with Matthew McConaughey but not for Dallas Buyers Club. He was great in it but that movie kind of tricked people because he had such a physical transformation. His best performance this year was actually in Mud. I would be happy if Bruce Dern won because I love him too.

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock blew me away in Gravity. That was a tough role where she was on her own almost all the time and yet the emotion comes through. She sells the drama. It was a powerhouse of a strong woman performance.

Best Supporting Actor

This may surprise you but Jonah Hill came out of nowhere this year to change into something else with Wolf of Wall Street. His performance was energetic, shocking, and fearless.

Best Supporting Actress

I’d choose June Squibb for Nebraska. Next to Bruce Dern, she was the best thing about that movie. Loved every minute she was on screen.

Best Cinematography

Bruno Delbonnel‘s work on Inside Llewyn Davis was gorgeous and melancholy all at once. Gravity could probably win here too but for the classic use of lighting, framing, and technique, Bruno is my pick.

Best Director

Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity. This one is indisputable. No one did a better, more innovative, more game-changing job directing this year than him.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Captain Phillips was so well-paced, so full of tense moments and emotional release. It would be so hard to put that all together the way it came out. I think I was most impressed by the writing on this one out of all of them. Billy Ray for Captain Phillips.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

Her was the best written screenplay this year. The way it played with questions of what real love is, what a relationship can be, how we relate to one another. Just masterful. Spike Jonze would win.