By Emi Feldman
Staff Writer
The Oscars. Just the thought of the event alone gets most avid moviegoers’ hearts racing. In the few months leading up to the awards some of the year’s greatest films are released into theatres; all in a very short time frame.
This can leave some diehard Oscar fans a little overwhelmed. The mantra is “So many movies to see, so little time.” Whether you have seen all of the films nominated by the Academy or were only able to make it to a select few, here are the Chronicle’s 2013 Oscar projections.
This year’s category for Best Supporting Actress has been creating a buzz ever since most of the films were announcing their release. The nominees include Amy Adams in “The Master,” Sally Field in “Lincoln”, Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables,” Helen Hunt in “The Sessions,” and Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook.”
While all the nominated women are talented, it has been Hathaway who has stolen the national spotlight. After practically starving herself and singing her way into the hearts of millions, it would be a total shock if she didn’t take home the Oscar.
All of the men nominated for the category of Best Supporting Actor have not only given stellar performances but have also proven to audiences that a supporting character can hold just as much weight as the title character.
Nominated this year is Alan Arkin in “Argo,” Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook,” Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master,” Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln” and Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained.”
Each role was demanding in different ways; however, De Niro’s performance was one step above the rest. In the role of a father to a son who has recently lost everything, De Niro’s performance was both captivating and believable.
The category of Best Leading Actress has proved to be a memorable and historical collection of women this past year. Both the youngest and the oldest nominees ever in this category find themselves among the five women with an Academy nomination.
Competing for the award is Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty,” Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook,” 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour,” nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and Naomi Watts in “The Impossible.”
Though the competition will be fierce, Lawrence will most likely take the award for her role as Tiffany, a mysterious woman with her own collection of pressing issues.
Being nominated for Best Leading Actor is the highest achievement for a performer in the film industry. The winner of this year’s award will join a historical brotherhood of men and go down in Oscar history.
This year’s nominees include Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook,” Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables,” Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master” and Denzel Washington in “Flight.”
Day-Lewis’ performance of the nation’s 16th president will most likely win him the Oscar. Although Lincoln was arguably one of the drier films nominated this year, Day-Lewis gave a stellar performance and managed to keep all eyes on him.
And now, the main event, the climax of the evening and the award that will monopolize social media: Best Picture.
This year there are nine nominations and each film differing do much from the next. Imagine how difficult it must be to be on the panel deciding a winner among a Broadway classic, a true story based on a great leader and the bravery of the American military, just to name a few.
The cultivated nominees are [in alphabetical order] “Amour,” “Argo,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Django Unchained,” “Les Misérables,” “Life of Pi,” “Lincoln,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”
Over the past few weeks, the films “Les Misérables,” “Lincoln,” “Life of Pi,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Argo” have all been projected to bring it home.
However, I truly believe “Lincoln” will be the star of the evening. With an all-star cast, beautiful lighting, impressive visuals and extremely innovative camera-work, there is no doubt in my mind this will be the film of the year.
Make sure to tune into ABC this coming Sunday night at 7p.m. or come to the student center theatre at 6:30 for a red carpet viewing, free hors d’eouvres and “mocktails.”