Who Will Win, Who Should Win - Oscars 2013

Just in case you have been living under a rock, the 85th Academy Awards are happening tonight. Like many other film enthusiaists and bloggers-alike, I have been doing my best to catch up and watch most of the of the movies that are up for a big award. Scheduling in time to make trips to the theatre when crunch-time hits and the Oscars are only days away is a ritual I can't let go of. Not only do I enjoy taking in all of the productions, it is crucial in order for me to feel like I am justified on the big night when I celebrate with winners whose work I too lauded, or when I yell at my television screen if the aforementioned doesn't win.

This leads me to the purpose of this post. Let's play a fun game I like to call Who Will Win, Who Should Win. The premise is simple, in fact I think the title says it all. I work my way through the larger categories of the Academy Award nominations and share which nominees I think will walk away with Oscar gold, countered by the nominees that I believe should win.

Let's begin.

Music - Original Score

Should Win & Will Win
I'm going to go with Dario Marianelli for Anna Karenina for this win. To me, a winning score should be a glue for the story and be a leading character without the audience being aware. Anna Karenina did a solid job of this.

Cinematography

Will Win
Janusz Kaminski for Lincoln will likely take this category. Lincoln has received a great deal of attention for its visual identity. Although I wasn't the biggest fan of this film, I will say that this is a category I am okay with it winning.

Should Win
Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi--hands down. This film was a treat for the eyes, not to mention just a solid production all around.

Directing

Will Win
Stephen Spielberg for Lincoln. Although I don't think Lincoln was his best work, he is still Spielberg so I can't be mad if he takes this category.

Should Win
Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild.
It is no secret that I am absolutely enamored with this movie, but Zeitlin's recent success is a pretty inspiring story. This is his first feature and it is magical (says me). Seriously, do yourself a favour and Google him.

Actor - in a Supporting Role

Should Win & Will Win
Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained.
Anyone who wasn't charmed and captivated by his performance doesn't have a pulse. He pulled off a character that is fairly complex when you think about it, and he stole every scene he was in, despite having the tall task of acting alongside Hollywood heavy hitters.

Actress - in a Supporting Role

Will Win
Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables.
She sang. It sounded pretty good. Plus, she shaved her head so that essentially means she is a safe bet to walk away with gold.

Should Win
Honestly, none of these nominees really blew me away.

Actress - in a Leading Role

Will Win
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty.
Solid performance, so no hate here. I would much rather Chastain take this over Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook. To this day, I am convinced that this movie was nominated in so many categories because of a clerical error that was too ackward to fess up to.

Should Win
Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild. This little girl took my breath away.
Honourable mention: I must give props to Naomi Watts in The Impossible. That film wreaked havoc on my nervous system and she put in some major work. I am very surprised this movie didn't receive more nods.

Actor - in a Leading Role

Should Win & Will Win
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln.
Day-Lewis is one of the few actors that lives up to his hype. The guy is unreal and I would line-up to watch him in anything.

Best Picture

Will Win
I think Argo will take home the big win. This film has been surprising everyone, including it's own team, by cleaning up at several award ceremonies over the past few weeks.

Should Win
Oh man, this is really hard for me. I liken this task to picking your favourite child, an impossible request. But since I must, I am going to go with Life of Pi. I can't go into details as to why this is my pick. This decision has been hard enough. That is all.


Agree or disagree with any of my picks, opinions, etc? Let me know! The comment section is there for a reason.