My my my has the Oscar landscape shifted in the two weeks since I last updated my Oscar predictions. The race is really starting to take shape and it looks like it will be an exciting few months as films vying for the crown. Let’s dig into the predictions then, shall we?
Moving Up
-Saving Mr. Banks on the strength of the film and nostalgia factor. If Disney plays its cards right it could totally steal the thunder of the other films en route to a Best Pic win.
-Lone Survivor played really well at AFI Fest and I can totally see this film giving people such a thrill/emotional catharsis that it could be a big player.
-The rapturous reception for Nebraska has not gone unnoticed and because of such I have placed the film in screenplay and moved Dern to number 1 in the lead actor category.
Moving Down/Out
-Man of Steel and Rush are basically getting bounced out of the tech categories by Lone Survivor and a resurgent Pacific Rim.
Miscellaneous
-Frozen has now announced itself as the film to beat in an animated field that’s still a mess. Also worth noting that the short that plays before the film, “Get a Horse” is phenomenal.
-What do we all think of Original Score? I was just sent the score for The Book Thief and it’s some of John Williams most listenable music. Is there an upset in the making?
-Meryl Streep is hanging on by a thread in that actress category. Adele Exarchoupolous is angling to take that final slot and if Weinstein doesn’t push her heavily, she could miss.
-I am genuinely interested in the response to the new Spike Jonze film Her. When I saw it at AFI Fest all I could think about was how immensely rewatchable that film would be and how someone could easily pop it in during the holidays. Could be a sleeper pick.