Oscars 2019 Predictions – Best Actress

February 21, 2019February 12, 2019 / juliamc25 / Leave a comment

In today’s post, we take a look at one of the most exciting categories in this year’s Academy Awards, as we shine a light on the actresses nominated for Best Actress.

Will win: Glenn Close (The Wife)
Should win: Glenn Close (The Wife)
Also nominated: Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Lady Gaga (A Star is Born), Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

At the apex of this category is a proper clash of the titans, as two masterful performances from Olivia Colman and Glenn Close vie for the prestigious Oscar statuette. Honestly, there’s not much separating the two. Colman stars in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite and is superb as Queen Anne. Blinkered by trauma, her character teeters on the edge of insanity, vulnerable and explosive in equal measure.

In a more restrained but equally brilliant turn, Glenn Close stars in The Wife and explores what a life lived in someone else’s shadow looks like. It’s a fabulously layered and, at times, even inscrutable performance. Piece by piece, with every passing injustice, the facade begins to crumble and the woman underneath emerges.

In truth, the only thing that separates these performances is Hollywood’s politics. As wonderful and experienced an actress as Colman may be, she’s fresh-faced in the world of Hollywood award shows. Glenn Close, on the other hand, has been nominated for an Oscar six times without winning. Quite simply, it’s her turn to win, and it’s hard to argue that she doesn’t deserve it.

Glenn Close delivers an acting tour de force in The Wife.

The strength of Close and Colman’s performances in no way diminishes the magnificence of the other nominees in this category. It almost beggars belief that Roma marks Yalitza Aparicio’s first foray into the world of acting, so good is she at it. But its that exact lack of experience which lends a refreshing naturalism to her performance, and she absolutely deserves her moment in the limelight.

In Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Melissa McCarthy has stepped way out of her comfort zone and taken on a role which differs radically from anything she’s done before – but it’s a decision which has paid off. Though the film is essentially the story of a criminal, there’s a fragility about her performance which means you can’t help but like her.

And, of course, Lady Gaga’s performance in A Star is Born has been nothing short of revelatory. Her turn as Ally is brilliant on every level. Given Gaga’s superstardom, it’s only natural that she’s believable as the star she eventually becomes in the film, but more impressive is how wonderful she is in the quieter, more intimate moments of the film. It’s a performance underpinned by remarkable acting dexterity, and she, too, deserves high praise.

Sunday evening will undoubtedly be Glenn Close’s night, as she finally picks up her well-deserved, long-overdue Oscar. However, given the brilliant female talent on display in this category, it will also be a win for women in film.

Olivia Colman is brilliant as the explosive Queen Anne in The Favourite.

Oscars 2019 Predictions – Best Adapted Screenplay

February 16, 2019February 12, 2019 / juliamc25 / Leave a comment

In today’s post, we will be taking a look at the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay at the upcoming 91st Academy Awards.

Will win: BlacKkKlansman
Should win: A Star is Born
Also nominated: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, If Beale Street Could Talk

It will probably be considered an upset if anything but BlacKkKlansman goes on to win the award for Best Adapted Screenplay – however, put simply, it is not the strongest screenplay nominated in this category. BlacKkKlansman is a fine film and its screenplay does a serviceable job, but one does have to wonder if its perceived dominance here is largely because of Spike Lee’s involvement. Lee is a brilliant director who has inexplicably failed to garner much attention from the Academy during his long and illustrious career. Given that his nominations in the Best Director and Best Picture categories this year are unlikely to yield any golden statuettes, Best Adapted Screenplay may well be the token award that rights the wrongs of Academy Awards gone by.

In truth, the more deserving winner would be Bradley Cooper, Eric Roth and Will Fetters’ screenplay for A Star is Born. It has been well documented that this is a film that has been remade numerous times throughout the years, with Cooper’s directorial debut serving as its fourth iteration. Far from retreading old ground, this is a screenplay which confidently reimagines the story for a different generation, adding layers of vibrancy that make it feel bold and dynamic. It is no easy feat to make a story told this many times feel so fresh and relevant, and it is a great shame that it will likely go overlooked.

Whilst If Beale Street Could Talk and Can You Ever Forgive Me? both appear to have outside chances of doing well here, neither are strong enough to make waves that could rock the boat, and all the signs continue to point towards a win for BlacKkKlansman.

BlacKkKlansman is hot favourite to win the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

Oscars 2019 Predictions – Best Original Song, Best Original Score

February 15, 2019February 15, 2019 / juliamc25 / Leave a comment

Two categories which go together hand-in-hand are Best Original Song and Best Original Score. Historically, nominees in the Best Original Song category have performed before the award is presented.

Best Original Song

Will win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Should win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Also nominated: All the Stars (Black Panther), I’ll Fight (RBG), The Place Where Lost Things Go (Mary Poppins Returns), When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson’s Shallow is the odds-on favourite in this category, and rightly so. It is a song of great emotional resonance and truth, a conversation between two lost souls which builds emphatically to an earth-shattering climax and expression of self.

Unlike the other nominees and their relationships with their respective films, A Star is Born could not exist without Shallow. It is the beating heart of the film, the moment around which the story is built. In the few months since its release, it has become a cultural phenomenon, and the Academy Award for Best Original Song deserves to be its crowning achievement. This one isn’t even close.

Dazzling and powerful, Lady Gaga’s Shallow from A Star is Born looks certain to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Best Original Score

Will win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Should win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Also nominated: Black Panther, Isle of Dogs, Mary Poppins Returns

Nicholas Britell’s soundtrack for If Beale Street Could Talk has steadily emerged as the favourite to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score and, although the category is far from clear-cut, it’s easy to see why. The sadness of its piano chords and its slow, aching strings are uplifted by soft melodies which affirm the film’s message. As far as competition goes, Marc Shaiman’s soundtrack to Mary Poppins Returns is the obvious choice, but Terence Blanchard’s stellar work for BlacKkKlansman is certainly worthy of merit, even though it appears to have flown under the radar this awards season.

The soundtrack to If Beale Street Could Talk has slowly emerged as favourite in the Best Original Score category.

A Star is Born (2018) – Review

October 7, 2018November 6, 2018 / juliamc25 / Leave a comment

★★★★★

The story of A Star Is Born is a well-worn fixture of Hollywood lore. A star on the decline meets and falls in love with a star in her ascendency, and together they try to navigate their way through the labyrinth of his addictions, her fame, and everything in between. It is a tale that has been retold time and again, from generation to generation, by names woven into the cinematic canon – Gaynor and March, Garland and Mason, Streisand and Kristofferson. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are the newest pair to provide their take on this story, and in so doing have delivered a film that is truly for the ages.

A Star is Born (2018)

As coasting rock star Jackson Maine, Cooper is superb. He is every inch the hardcore, world-weary rocker the role requires him to be, with a commanding stage presence about him that really shines through in some of his solo numbers. The film’s opening sequence, which sees Jack performing the foot-thumping Black Eyes in front of masses of adoring fans, is a particular highlight, more so because Cooper sings every word live.

However, even more impressive is the fact that Cooper manages to make his character something none of his predecessors ever managed: likeable. For all his charm (“Hey! I just wanted to take another look at you”), he is a deeply troubled individual, plagued by childhood trauma, substance abuse and progressive hearing loss. There are moments in the film where Jack says and does some truly horrible things to those he loves, yet at no point do you ever start to dislike him. Instead, it’s clear that he is very much a victim of his own demons, and the vulnerability in Cooper’s performance perfectly captures this.

Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born.

In stark contrast to Cooper’s forlorn Jack is Lady Gaga’s Ally, the singer he meets by chance one night and whose voice he instantly falls for. Her raw talent is as undeniable as it is compelling, and jaded though she may be by years of rejection from the music industry, she gradually warms to Jack’s insistence that she share her gift with the world. It’s a staggeringly good performance from Gaga in every department. She is equally at ease sparring with co-stars Anthony Ramos (her best friend Ramon) and Andrew Dice Clay (her Sinatra-loving father) as she is carrying the heavier emotional baggage that the later chapters of the film bring, and it’s incredible to think that so natural a performance could come out of an actress making her feature film debut.

Though Gaga’s acting may be revelatory, her profoundly powerful voice has been renowned for years. Moments when she utilises both in perfect harmony are a privilege to behold. Always Remember Us This Way and I’ll Never Love Again, both penned by Gaga, are melodically, lyrically and vocally songs that rank right at the very top of her discography. However, the epicentre the film is the scene in which Ally reluctantly joins Jack on stage to sing Shallow, the song she penned and performed for him the night before. It’s a genuinely hair-raising scene in which she initially holds herself back in the wings, pinned down by her fears and insecurities, before finally marching centre-stage and into the spotlight. She looks surprised as, almost involuntarily, note after dazzling note pours out of her, much to the rapturous acclaim of the crowd in front of her. It’s electrifying, and a reminder of how moving film can be when done right.

Lady Gaga electrifies in A Star is Born.

Although Bradley Cooper has worked with many of the industry’s directing heavyweights, A Star is Born marks his first foray into the world of directing. There are perhaps slight pacing issues and an overuse of straight-to-camera shots, but it is nevertheless a remarkably assured first offering, with loving references to the versions of the film that preceded his own.

He succeeds in capturing the energy and dynamism of live performances, and there is some seriously gorgeous cinematography employed throughout. His use of framing, both as a foreshadowing and bookending device, is also particularly effective. So strong a debut is this that it’s hard to imagine quite how he’ll top it with his next feature, whenever that may be, but it is clear that he has a very bright future behind the camera ahead of him.

Bradley Cooper makes his directorial debut.

Though it is still early days, A Star is Born is already generating a lot of Oscar buzz. Best Original Song seems a lock, whilst nods for acting, directing and even Best Picture may yet be on the cards. Critics have argued that such accolades would not be merited given the number of times the film has been remade. However, this is perhaps best addressed by the film itself. Towards the end, Jack’s brother Bobby (Sam Elliott) remarks that all music is made up of the same twelve notes that can be found in any octave. He adds that, “All any artist can offer the world is how they see those twelve notes.” It’s an observation that also rings particularly true of A Star is Born. Whilst it’s a story that may have been told before, never has it been told better.

Oscars 2016: Predictions

February 27, 2016February 27, 2016 / juliamc25 / Leave a comment

On Sunday evening, the red carpet will be out in the heart of Los Angeles. It is a night that has been months in the making. The world’s press will be waiting, and millions will be watching.

For all the pomp and ceremony which surrounds the Academy Awards, though, they are fundamentally a simple, heartfelt celebration of film. To be nominated is an honour in and of itself, but those who win leave with far more than just a golden statue. They walk away knowing that they have become a part of cinema history.

To win an Oscar is no mean feat; the art of filmmaking is constantly growing and evolving, and every year the bar is raised that little bit higher. Even predicting the results can be surprisingly difficult, but by now guessing the winners is as much a part and parcel of the night as the ceremony itself.

The 88th Academy Awards will showcase the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and honour the best films of the past year. Here are the Pick of the Flicks‘ predictions on who and what will emerge victorious.

Best Picture

Will win: The Revenant
Should win: The Big Short

Despite the glaring absence of the wonderful Carol, it is a strong group of films that comprise this year’s Best Picture nominees. But of the eight who made the shortlist, only three have ever really been in contention for the most coveted prize of the night, namely The Big Short, Spotlight, and The Revenant. However, despite the successes of Spotlight and The Big Short at the SAG and PGA awards respectively, it is unclear if either has quite enough momentum to make it all the way to the finishing line. It is a very, very difficult call to make, but ultimately the Academy likes nothing if not grit and spectacle, and this is where The Revenant could clinch it.

The Revenant is this year’s strongest example of filmmaking as a spectacle, which the Academy are likely to lap up.

Best Director

Will win: Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant)
Should win: Adam McKay (The Big Short)

It is difficult to say whether Alejandro González Iñárritu’s win in this category last year places him in better or worse stead to take home the Oscar on Sunday night, especially when he faces such stiff competition from Mad Max’s George Miller. The key disadvantage Miller faces, however, is that the Academy often proves reluctant to reward blockbuster, crowd-pleasing films with ‘big’ awards. This, combined with the sheer amount of momentum behind The Revenant, may just be what hands it to Iñárritu. It is a great shame, though, that Adam McKay will not get a look in for his refreshing, original work in The Big Short; it takes great skill to make complex issues interesting and accessible to the masses, and this is what he does in the film with aplomb.

Having scooped the prize for Best Director last year with Birdman, Alejandro González Iñárritu could well do the same again this year for The Revenant.

Best Actor

Will win: Leonardo DiCarpio (The Revenant)
Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

For years now, much has been made of how the famous Oscar statuette has continued to elude Leonardo DiCaprio. But no more. Though his performance in The Revenant is far from a career-best, it certainly is the strongest in this category. More than anything, though, this simply feels like his time. The stars have finally aligned for Leo, and Sunday will be his night.

His time is now. Finally, Leonardo DiCaprio looks set to claim the Oscar that has eluded him for so long.

Best Actress

Will win: Brie Larson (Room)
Should win: Brie Larson (Room)

Brie Larson’s mantelpiece must surely be close to collapse under the weight of the many awards she has garnered in recent weeks. Let us hope, then, that it can take the weight of one more because this has been a done deal for a very long time indeed.

For her wonderful performance in Room, Brie Larson is the hot favourite to win the Best Actress award.

Best Supporting Actor

Will win: Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
Should win: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

The nominees in this year’s Best Supporting Actor category may be classified into two groups. On the one hand, there is a selection of talented actors, each of whom has turned in a strong and unique performance. And, on the other hand, there is Sylvester Stallone. Although his performance in Creed is by no means the worst of his career, its inclusion here – when stronger performances such as Idris Elba’s in Beasts of No Nation have been ignored – is, frankly, farcical. What is worse, Stallone is the baffling odds-on favourite to win here, proving once again that in Hollywood sometimes all you need to succeed is popularity, not ability.

A masterclass in mediocrity: a win for Sylvester Stallone in Creed would confirm the triumph of popularity over ability.

Best Supporting Actress

Will win: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
Should win: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

It seems more than a trifle insulting to Alicia Vikander and Rooney Mara that their stellar respective performances in The Danish Girl and Carol have only been recognised in the supporting actress category. In reality, Vikander effortlessly acted last year’s Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne off the screen, whilst Mara more than held her own against acting heavyweight Cate Blanchett. Kate Winslet, fresh from wins at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes, is certainly a contender here, but if any sense of justice prevails at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, it will be Vikander who leaves victorious.

The superb Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl. Her star is fast on the rise.

Best Original Screenplay

Will win: Spotlight
Should win: Inside Out

If pure creative originality were the only criteria for this award, this would be Inside Out’s for the taking. However, as things stand, the tightly-scripted, topical Spotlight will win here with ease.

Well-written and tightly-plotted, Spotlight has resonated with audiences the world over.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will win: The Big Short
Should win: Carol

All the signs are pointing toward a victory for The Big Short in this category, but truthfully all of the nominees would make deserving winners. Phyllis Nagy’s considered, delicate adaptation of The Price of Salt – renamed Carol for the big screen – is perhaps a touch above the rest, but is unlikely to make any waves.

The Big Short looks likely to win big in a category brimming with tough competition.

Best Original Score

Will win: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)
Should win: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)

Pounding, eerie and effective from the first note, Ennio Morricone’s tremendous score is one of the few saving graces of The Hateful Eight – and certainly the best score of the year. Had John Williams’s eagerly-anticipated score to Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit the same heights as his work in the previous six films, this would have been a far more interesting race. The Force Awakens’ soundtrack is by no means terrible, but its mediocrity has paved the way for a comfortable and deserved win for Morricone.

Though Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight is deeply flawed, little criticism can be levelled at Ennio Morricone’s brilliant score.

Best Production Design

Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max will prove very difficult to beat here. The world that Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson have created is nothing short of spectacular, bizarre, utterly original and, frankly, a cut above the rest. If there is any threat it will come from The Revenant, but a victory for Mad Max in this category seems a pretty safe bet.

As original as it gets: the production design of Max Max: Fury Road is on course to win.

Best Costume Design

Will win: Cinderella
Should win: Cinderella

This year Sandy Powell could well be her own worst enemy. As was demonstrated by Jenny Beavan’s shock win for Mad Max: Fury Road at the BAFTAs two weeks ago, voters appear to be equally torn between Powell’s marvellous work on both Cinderella and Carol. Put simply, she is most likely splitting her own vote. It would be a great shame if this were to happen again on Sunday, as her costume design for Cinderella in particular is nothing short of sublime – one of the few highlights in an otherwise terrible film. Thankfully, her enchanting, fairytale designs are likely to have stolen the hearts of Academy voters, and with any luck will secure her a well-deserved win.

The exquisite work of Sandy Powell is on fine display in 2015’s Cinderella.

Best Cinematography

Will win: The Revenant (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Should win: Carol (Ed Lachman)

Emmanuel Lubezki looks poised to make cinematography history by winning this award for a staggering third year in a row. It would certainly not be an undeserved win, as The Revenant is undoubtedly a visually-stunning film. It is just a shame, though, that the subtle and delicate beauty of Ed Lachman’s cinematography for Carol will go largely unnoticed by Academy voters.

Should Emmanuel Lubezki secure a win for his work on The Revenant, he will become the first director of photography to win an Oscar three times consecutively.

Best Make-Up and Hair

Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

There is one clear winner here. The work of the hair and make-up stylists in Mad Max: Fury Road is second to none.

The hair and make-up in Mad Max is an example of the very best of its craft.

Best Visual Effects

Will win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

This year has been a particularly strong one for visual effects, and at a push it is Mad Max which most stands out amongst the nominees. But the sheer popularity of Star Wars means that no one will want to see it leave the Dolby Theatre empty-handed, and this could well be the category which ensures that it doesn’t.

The much-beloved Star Wars stands its best chance at an award in the Best Visual Effects Category.

Best Sound Editing

Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should win: Max Max: Fury Road

This will be an award closely contested by the two technical giants of the year, The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road. Mad Max is certainly the ‘louder’ of the two films, and this will most likely play to its advantage.

Loud and proud bold and brash: Mad Max is a likely winner of the award for Best Sound Editing.

Best Sound Mixing

Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

Once again, this is between The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road. Ultimately, though, as far as sound goes, any film which can boast a roaring monster truck ridden by a flame-throwing electric guitarist is going to be pretty difficult to beat.

Trucks, amps, flamethrowers, guitars. Mad Max‘s sound mixers had their work cut out for them.

Best Editing

Will win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Should win: Mad Max: Fury Road

The Best Editing category will be another battleground in which Mad Max and The Revenant slog it out for the most technical awards of the night – and one that is perhaps slightly more suited to the former than the latter. The Revenant is a slow-moving beast of a film, whilst Mad Max surges forward – quite literally – at a considerable speed with a lot more to juggle.

It will be a close race between Mad Max and The Revenant for the Best Editing award.

Best Animated Film

Will win: Inside Out
Should win: Inside Out

A sure thing. A dead cert. A done deal. Say it how you want, this award was always going to Inside Out.

Disney Pixar have produced a wonderfully original and fresh film, inside and out.

Best Documentary

Will win: Amy
Should win: Amy

A prodigy and a tragedy. The story of Amy Winehouse’s painfully short life is more or less guaranteed a win here.

The tragic story of Amy Winehouse looks guaranteed to secure an all-too-bittersweet victory.

Best Original Song

Will win: Til It Happens To You
Should win: Til It Happens To You

Lady Gaga’s haunting, oh-so-relevant Til It Happens To You has been highly praised and widely discussed since its release in September 2015. This victory will be a deserved one, and it will be an important one.

Uncomfortable to watch but so very important: Lady Gaga’s Til It Happens To You.

The Oscars will be broadcast live from 1.30am GMT (8.30pm EST) on Sky Movies Oscars this Sunday.