Hello, Bloggers, sorry it's been a while, but I've been occupied with school. As part of my Oscar coverage, I will discuss what kind of potential upsets I wouldn't mind seeing happen on Oscar night since this was such a great year for films. Not to say that my picks are more deserving than those who might potentially win, it's just upsets are rare at the Oscars these days and I wouldn't mind seeing an upset or two. Here we go:
9. The Moon Song over Let It Go OR Ordinary Love for Best Original Song: from I feel like this is a neck-in-neck race between "Let It Go" from Frozen and "Ordinary Love" from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, with "Ordinary Love" potentially gaining a slighter edge because of the backstory involving how U2 were closely associated with Nelson Mandela. But if there is one song I'd love to see upset both, it would be the very soothing "Moon Song" the movie Her. I like all three songs, especially "Let It Go", but "Moon Song" always has me singing the "million miles away" lyric every time I think about Her.
8. The Hunt over The Great Beauty for Best Foreign Language Film: The Italian pic The Great Beauty seems poised to win the Foreign Language Film Oscar. While I haven't seen it, my pick to win it is the Danish film The Hunt. The only other nominated film I've seen is the Belgian Broken Circle Breakdown, which I admittedly didn't care for as much as The Hunt. The one thing that works against The Hunt's favor is that it is very dark as it deals with a modern-day witch hunt. But, we'll have to wait and see.
7. Michael Fassbender OR Bradley Cooper over Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto has swept up pretty good this awards season for his portrayal of a comical yet conflicted AIDS-infected transsexual named Rayon, winning the Critics' Choice, Globe, and SAG despite getting snubbed by the BAFTAs. While I would be for Leto winning the trophy, it would also be neat to see either Michael Fassbender win for his daring and complex portrayal of a sadistic plantation owner in 12 Years A Slave or Bradley Cooper win for his dynamic portrayal of the power hungry head of the ABSCAM operation in American Hustle. This is a strong category so either one of these three is alright with me.
6. 20 Feet From Stardom over The Act of Killing for Best Documentary: Something tells me The Act of Killing seems poised to win Best Documentary. But even though I haven't seen it, I would love to see the brilliant documentary 20 Feet From Stardom win the Best Documentary Oscar. If you are into music, I would highly recommend you check out 20 Feet From Stardom. It is about singers who were backup singers for artists like Sting and Rolling Stones, but it is very interesting.
5. Sally Hawkins over Lupita Nyong'o OR Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress: The BSA Oscar this year seems to be a rumble between the ingénues: Lupita Nyong'o, the Yale School of Drama grad nominated for her first film role vs. box office champ and previous Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence. But if one actress were to derail them both, it could be Sally Hawkins for her brilliant portrayal of a modern-day Stella Kowalski in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. All three are brilliant performances: Lupita Nyong'o delivers a heartbreaking performance by acting with her eyes, Jennifer Lawrence is devilishly comedic as the main character's housewife in American Hustle, and Sally Hawkins pulls off a character that you just want to shake because of her choices in men, yet you still love her. I could definitely see them choosing Hawkins in case they don't want to give the Oscar to an actress for her first film role and feel that two Oscars would be too much too soon for Lawrence.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio over Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor: In my opinion, this upset seems plausible. McConaughey may have been on a roll these past few years with his interesting film choices and I applaud him for that. If he wins, I would definitely NOT be upset as after seeing Dallas Buyers Club, he was outstanding and gives a career-best performance but DiCaprio is just as deserving as he is. Not only that, but DiCaprio is one of those actors I would love to see have an Oscar and this is his 4th acting nomination. Either one of these two winning is alright with me, so if Jennifer Lawrence does end up reading Matthew McConaughey's name out of the envelope, I'll be like "Oh, alright". Or in Matthew's words, "Alright! Alright! Alright!"
3. Amy Adams over Cate Blanchett for Best Actress: Like Jared Leto, Cate Blanchett has deservingly swept this awards season. I did pick Cate Blanchett for Best Actress on my annual Film Guy Awards over on my Facebook notes, but Adams winning the Oscar would be understandable in my book. It wouldn't just be because she's overdue but because she is equally as deserving as Blanchett is.
2. Prisoners over Gravity for Best Cinematography: Gravity and Prisoners are two films with amazing cinematography. I am a fan of Emmanuel Lubezki who was the cinematographer for Gravity and I'd be pretty stoked if he won, but because Best Cinematography is the only nomination for Prisoners and Gravity is nominated for 10, I'd especially like to see the 11-time Oscar nominee Roger Deakins win for a film that I personally think was largely overlooked this awards season.
1. Her or American Hustle over 12 Years A Slave for Best Picture: Right from the get go, 12 Years A Slave was and is my pick for Best Picture. But if I wanted to see any film derail it, it would be Her or even American Hustle. If any other film were to derail 12 Years, it would more than likely be Hustle or Gravity, but Hustle would also be a deserving winner. It is not only entertaining but it conveys a strong moral message about how we live in a world of grey. But Her showcases how we have become so attached to our technological devices and does it in a futuristic way. Either way, I'll still find myself enjoying the ceremony.
So, those are the top 9 upsets I wouldn't mind seeing on Sunday night. If you agree or disagree, please feel free to write in the comments section. Thanks for reading and here's to a great Oscar season!
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