A president, a dentist, super heroes, and Canadians
Oscar Statues on display at the Time War
The Oscars are right around the corner, and let’s face it: you’ve been too busy with group projects and midterms to see any of the nominees.
The Link has you covered.
Our picks for seven major categories will help you figure out which flicks to watch before the big show on Sunday, February 24. Follow along from home, and keep pretending the movies that should win actually have a chance!
ANIMATED FEATURE
Frankenweenie
If anyone can unseat Pixar from their usual reign atop the animated features, the smart money is on Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie.
The expertly-crafted stop-motion adventure is a love letter to the horror movies and Hollywood of a bygone era, and the Academy will be glad to reward Tim Burton with his first Oscar.
— Jesse Wentzloff
VISUAL EFFECTS
The Avengers
There is no contest here. One movie seamlessly integrated visual effects and live-action shots of superheroes fighting intra-dimensional invaders pouring out of a rift in the fabric of space-time, and four others did not.
The Hobbit showed us more of the same instead of Smaug, and Life of Pi’s tigers and whales seem quaint compared to Tony Stark saving the planet from certain thermonuclear destruction.
Comic books are cool again, and The Avengers wins this one in a landslide.
— Jesse Wentzloff
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams (The Master)
In an effort to avoid enduring another chirpy acceptance speech from Anne Hathaway, this nod will go to Amy Adams for The Master. Her unsettling depiction of Peggy, cult leader Dodd’s wife, had a chilling effect on my temptation to join any “cause”.
Adams deserves extra kudos for going nude in the flick while she was pregnant and totally untanned.
— Sarah Gray
LEADING ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain ( Zero Dark Thirty)
This is the hardest pick of the litter. Both Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) have equal chance to hear their names called.
I’m going with Chastain to edge out Lawrence because Chastain gives a controlled and non-heroic performance. But really, this category is even money. Naomi Watts is also incredible in The Impossible and makes a movie bloated with computer-generated imagery more than your average Michael Bay film, even if no one saw it.
— Thorstan Gerlach
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoff Waltz (Django Unchained)
Cristoph Waltz (Django Unchained) is an absolute treat to watch, and while many will bemoan the fact that Leo is missing out on yet another chance at a statuette, it’s hard to argue that Waltz doesn’t deserve the nod. Dr. King Shultz is unpredictable, delightful, and chillingly intelligent, and Waltz plays him with meticulous precision.
— Jesse Wentzloff
LEADING ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) might as well get his polish kit out of the closet because he will get his third Best Actor prize come Oscar night. He’s been sweeping up all top actor awards this year and I don’t expect that to stop. DDL’s understated and controlled performance brings to life one of American history’s greatest characters and comes out with a performance nothing short of spectacular.
—Thorstan Gerlach
BEST PICTURE
Argo
Despite overlooking a few Canadian details, Argo brilliantly depicts the thrilling rescue of hostages from Iran in 1979 against a backdrop of bell-bottoms and beehives. Ben Affleck deserves praise, and at least a Best Director nomination, for making an important historical narrative relevant. In casting John Goodman and Alan Arkin as heroic comic foils, Affleck makes a film that is pleasing, informative, and exciting all at once.
— Sarah Gray
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