In the words of the immortal Sinatra: "It was a very good year." They’re not always. Oscar has had its Years of the Dog, and Years of the Turkey. Not so, 2013. This year was an embarrassment of riches: nine best-picture nominees that no voter need feel ashamed to endorse, and a number of fine performances that make for hard calls in the acting categories.
Who can forget Christian Bale, complete with scary hair, as the creepy-compelling con man in "American Hustle"? Who can top Cate Blanchett as a modern-day Blanche DuBois in "Blue Jasmine"? Who isn’t haunted by "12 Years a Slave’s" Lupita Nyong’o and Chiwetel Ejiofor, or warmed by Jared Leto as a feisty AIDS patient in "Dallas Buyers Club"? Who didn’t marvel at Amy Adams’ sham English accent in "American Hustle"? Who didn’t root for Sandra Bullock – or what you could see of her under her space helmet — in "Gravity"? Who could look away – even if they really, really wanted to – when "Wolf of Wall Street’s" Jonah Hill helped Leonardo DiCaprio lose his lunch?
And then the films themselves. What quality, what variety! A highly original, trenchant comedy-drama about Jersey con artists conning each other – "American Hustle." Very likely the most truthful, harrowing film ever made about slavery — "12 Years a Slave." A quirky film about cyber-age love that may also represent Hollywood’s first non-apocalyptic view of the future – "Her." And amazingly, a big-budget sci-fi thriller that is actually good, got good reviews, offers a new kind of sensory experience, and finally justifies not only the Imax 3-D process but also the Academy’s 2010 decision to up the number of best-picture nominees from five to a maximum 10 in order to include popcorn movies. For your consideration: "Gravity."
Even the more conventional films on the roster, like "The Wolf of Wall Street" (Martin Scorsese up to his old tricks), "Dallas Buyers Club" (sincere "issue" movie) and "Nebraska" (unsurprising indie heart-warmer) are well made, well acted, and no insult to the intelligence.
Don’t make us choose.
But we have to. So here goes.
Picture
Nominees: "American Hustle," "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Gravity," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "12 Years a Slave," "The Wolf of Wall Street."
What will win: "Gravity"
What should win: "American Hustle"
My take: Most observers make this a three-way race between "Gravity," "12 Years a Slave," and "American Hustle." And one of the other films could always end up being a surprise spoiler. But what it likely comes down to is whether the Academy will go for a good citizenship medal by endorsing the powerful, worthy but – for some Academy voters – perhaps a little off-putting "12 Years a Slave," aim for intellectual cred with the clever "American Hustle," or go with the popular favorite, "Gravity," which made more money ($269 million) than the two others combined. As a character once said in another Oscar-nominated movie, "Follow the money." "Gravity."
Director
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: McQueen
Who should win: Cuarón,
My take: So if "Gravity" gets best picture, how do we honor "12 Years a Slave" for its weighty intentions? By giving McQueen the director’s trophy, of course. Though if any movie is a director’s movie, it’s "Gravity." Another scenario is that Cuarón,’s film ends up sweeping both the picture and director categories.
Actor
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: McConaughey
Who should win: Ejiofor
My take: Who hasn’t heard of the McConaughssance? And what Academy voter could resist the lover boy who’s transformed himself into a Real Actor? Unless of course, there’s a sentimental surge for Dern, who at age 77 is no spring chicken. But it’s "12 Years a Slave’s" Ejiofor, as a man struggling to hold on to his very identity in a system bent on obliterating the last vestiges of it, who gave the year’s most riveting lead performance.
Nominees: Amy Adams, "American Hustle"; Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"; Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"; Judi Dench, "Philomena"; Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County."
Who will win: Blanchett
Who should win: Adams
My take: Everyone gives this to Blanchett, and she seems a shoo-in – apart from the unlikely chance that director Woody Allen’s personal problems have an influence on voters. But we want to say a word for Adams, whose performance as a con-artist who peels her name, accent and motives away like an onion is unforgettable.
Supporting actor
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: Leto
Who should win: Cooper
My take: Leto, the popular favorite, gives a memorable performance as a likeable transgender AIDS patient – but then, who could give an unmemorable performance as a likeable transgender AIDS patient? Kudos to the performance, and the serious weight loss – but we’re going to go with Cooper, who should be given credit for transforming himself almost as much as Leto into a vain, smarmy FBI agent on the make.
Supporting actress
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: Nyong’o
Who should win: Nyong’o
My take: There’s been some criticism of "12 Years of Slave" for telling, not the story of a slave, but of a free man (Ejiofor) mistaken for a slave – the implication being that the mistake, rather than slavery itself, is what the movie finds shocking. They’re forgetting about Nyong’o, as the slave who goes through the film’s most horrifying ordeal, and does not escape in the end. What happens to Nyong’o’s character is – simply — heartbreaking. So is her performance.
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