My tips for the 2013 OSCARS

Best Film

This is a tricky one as there has been such a a high quantity of quality films. I would be more than happy for Les Misérables to take the gong but for me I hope and believe Ben Affleck's 'Argo' wins Best Picture. A fast paced, intense film with a fascinating story built around real events set in a authentic late 70's period.

fact.co.uk

Nominations:

Zero Dark Thirty
Argo
Lincoln
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi

Best Actor

Hugh Jackman was phenomenal as Jean Valjean and on another year I feel he may have taken the award for the Best Actor. Likewise, I also really enjoyed Denzel Washington's portrayal of a drunken pilot in 'Flight'. Nonetheless, two time Best Actor winner, Daniel Day Lewis, should make history tonight for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, in Spielberg's biopic, 'Lincoln'. Day Lewis' performance is phenomenal, you forget your watching Lewis and simply become immersed into the character of Lincoln.

bloomberg.com

Nominations:

Daniel Day Lewis- Lincoln
Bradley Cooper- Silver Linings Playbook
Denzel Washington- Flight
Joaquin Phoenix- The Master
Hugh Jackman- Les Misérables

Best Actress

This is one of the toughest calls. Jennifer Lawrence has enjoyed lots of success at awards ceremonies in the past month with her brilliant performance in 'Silver Linings Playbook' but so has Emmanuelle Riva for her role in French film, 'Amour'. Nonetheless, you then have to add Jessica Chastain into the equation for her commanding role in Kathryn Bigelow's, 'Zero Dark Thirty'. Which way will it go? I'm punting for Lawrence.

guardian.co.uk

Nominations:
Jessica Chastain- Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva- Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis- Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts- The Impossible

Best Director

Only one choice for me and that is, Ang Lee. Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi, has written a story that seems incredibly difficult to direct well on the big screen. Nonetheless, Lee does this with perfection. Phenomenal visuals bring the tiger called Richard Parker is brought to life as does the relationship with Pi. They embark on a stormy voyage with phenomenal cinematography and editing that certainly deserves OSCARS success.

wired.com

Ang Lee- Life of Pi
Michael Haneke- Amour
Benh Zeitlin- Beasts of the Southern Wild
David O. Russell- Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg- Lincoln

Best Supporting Actor

Tommy Lee Jones would be a more than worthy winner for his depiction of Thaddeus Stevens in 'Lincoln'. Nonetheless, I hope and believe Christoph Waltz will get his second OSCAR for his humorous and less villainous performance (compared to his role in Inglorious Basterds) as Dr. King Schultz in Tarantino's, 'Django Unchained'.

reeltalkonline.org

Nominations

Alan Arkin- Argo
Robert De Niro- Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman- The Master
Tommy Lee Jones- Lincoln
Christoph Waltz- Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress

I can only see this going one way and rightly so. Whilst Sally Fields was exceptional as Mary Todd Lincoln, Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Fantine in 'Les Misérables' is the firm favourite.  With less than 40 minutes of screen time, Hathaway provides a raw and emotional performance, pinnacling with 'I Dreamed a Dream' that has left audiences covered in goosebumps and reaching for the tissues.

savingpeople.livejournal.com

Nominations

Sally Fields- Lincoln
Jacki Weaver- Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt- The Sessions
Anne Hathaway- Les Misérables
Amy Adams- The Master

Part 2: And the Best Picture goes to...

On the day of the OSCARS  I give you the second part to my series on the favourite movies of Joe Public. I surveyed a variety of people and so far we have had films such as, Rob Reiner's 'Stand By Me' to the modern Christmas caper, 'Elf'. This second post provides an eclectic selection of films visiting the land of 'Oz', the town of Bedford Falls and the wilderness of Alaska. Nonetheless, we'll also meet prostitues, choirmasters and magicians but perhaps most surprisingly, Lindsay Lohan. 

Robin Hood: Prince of Theives

A 90's version of a classic tale sees Kevin Costner take the title role with Alan Rickman starring as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Whilst some audiences liked it, one top film critic wrote, 

"A murky, unfocused, violent and depressing version of the classic story, with little of the lightheartedness and romance we expect from Robin Hood."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement then...

Starring: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman
Director: Kevin Reynolds

Fanpop.com

It's a Wonderful Life

I've written about this film before as it is certainly in my top five. James Stewart perfectly plays the role of George Bailey, a man down on his luck who is contemplating suicide. Bailey receives a visit from an angel who shows him how the world would be had he never existed:

"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"

A story about family, friendship and compassion but also greed. My only criticism is that its adopted the role of a Christmas classic but Frank Capra has created masterpiece that should be watched all year round. 

Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed
Director: Frank Capra

dvdizzy.com

Gone with the Wind

There is no doubting that this film is a classic and if you don't agree, well...frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. Winner of ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh keep us enthralled for a whopping 238 minutes. Nevertheless,  don't let the mammoth running time put you off this story of romance and drama set in the Deep South amongst the backdrop of the American Civil War. 

guardian.co.uk

Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh
Director: Victor Fleming

Les Choriste

This is the only foreign language film in my survey and what a film it is. Gerard Jugnot stars as a teacher at a boys boarding school in the French countryside. Jugnot's character attempts struggles to get through to the boys but soon finds success by assembling a choir . The pupils transform from misbehaving  youngsters into motivated and inspired individuals in a heartwarming story with a wonderful soundtrack, 

Starring: Gerard Jugnot
Director: Christophe Barratier

The Wizard of Oz

'Follow the yellow brick road..." The iconic tale of Dorothy and Toto rocketed Judy Garland, at the age of just 16, into stardom and film history. Described by a voter as a masterpiece for its time between its transition from black and white to colour and how it's remained an all time classic to this day proves what a classic it is!"

Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan
Director: Victor Fleming

"There's an audience for Oz, wherever there's a projection machine and a screen." John C Filnn Snr.

 thefilmstage.com

Into the Wild

Based on a true story, 'Into the Wild' follows the story of Christopher McCandless who travels to various places in North America spending a lot of his time in an abandoned bus out in the wilderness of Alaska. Sean Penn is behind the lens of this non-linear narrative, as McCandless graduates from University but rather than pursuing a career he leaves his conventional life. He embarks on an adventure that sees him forge friendships but ultimately live a life of isolation, a leap into the wild. 

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Kristen Stewart
Director: Sean Penn

firstshowing.net

Donnie Darko

A mind boggling film that includes a six-foot rabbit but still a movie that althought it didn't do too well on its release, has become a firm favourite with audiences and critics.  A thought provoking story and a stellar performance from a young Jake Gyllenhaal combined with a 'genius soundtrack' ensure that Donnie Darko will boggle minds for many years to come. 

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore
Director: Richard Kelly

Pretty Woman

The second RomCom in the survey and again it stars, Julia Roberts. Set in L.A. it sees a businessman, played by Richard Gere, hire an escort for various business events. Nonetheless, over time, Gere falls in love with her. It may sound cheesy but what's wrong with that? Sometimes everyone needs a feel good, schmaltzy film. It has also been seen as one of the most popular films ever, with the highest ever grossing in the United States for a romantic comedy and often regarded by critics as the best of its genre.

cineplex.com

Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts
Director: Garry Marshall

The Prestige

Christopher Nolan is one of Hollywood's hottest directors after a series of fantastic films during the past decade and 'The Prestige' is certainly one of them. Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and even David Bowie star in a story about two battling magicians (Jackman and Bale). For years they have been rivals as they search for the ultimate illusion. Obsession and jealousy are prominent themes in a twisting, mysterious and atmospheric film. 

movpins.com

Starring: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman
Director: Christopher Nolan

The Parent Trap

A bit of a curveball in my survey sees the Lindsay Lohan remake of Disney classic, 'The Parent Trap' enter the survey. Perhaps Lohan's second most famous film after 'Mean Girls', this sees her play both separated twins who meet at an American summer camp. They then swap places, one goes to the mother's home in London and the other to the Father's house, in the beautiful vineyards of California. They are determined to reunite their parents but face various obstacles including an interfering two-faced potential stepmother. Lots of laughs and a perfect film for the whole family. 

"Movies like this remember how much fun escapism can be"- Roger Egbert, film critic

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson
Director: Nancy Meyers

mirror.co.uk

And the award for Best Film goes to...

What is your favourite movie? It is often one of the most difficult questions to answer. Some people can tell you straight away. Nonetheless, many people have different films for different moods and thus it becomes very difficult to single one out. 

The critically successful films aren’t always the most popular films and this is illustrated when looking at the highest grossing films for the last fifteen years. Blockbusters such as ‘The Avengers’, 'Harry Potter' and most recently 'Skyfall' feature , with audiences flocking to see these films but they are rarely that successful during Awards season.  The films that generate the highest box office figures are crowd pleasers and so often sequels. Perhaps the average cinemagoer would rather spend their money on a feel good rom com, the latest instalment of their favourite franchise or a superhero film  rather than gritty war films, biopics and artistic masterpieces. 

Rank	Title	Studio	Worldwide	Domestic / %		Overseas / %		Year^
1	Avatar	Fox	$2,782.3	$760.5	27.3%	$2,021.8	72.7%	2009^
2	Titanic	Par.	$2,185.4	$658.7	30.1%	$1,526.7	69.9%	1997^
3	Marvel's The Avengers	BV	$1,511.8	$623.4	41.2%	$888.4	58.8%	2012
4	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2	WB	$1,328.1	$381.0	28.7%	$947.1	71.3%	2011
5	Transformers: Dark of the Moon	P/DW	$1,123.7	$352.4	31.4%	$771.4	68.6%	2011
6	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	NL	$1,119.9	$377.8	33.7%	$742.1	66.3%	2003^
7	Skyfall	Sony	$1,094.3	$302.8	27.7%	$791.5	72.3%	2012
8	The Dark Knight Rises	WB	$1,081.0	$448.1	41.5%	$632.9	58.5%	2012
9	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	BV	$1,066.2	$423.3	39.7%	$642.9	60.3%	2006
10	Toy Story 3	BV	$1,063.2	$415.0	39.0%	$648.2	61.0%	2010

Box Office Mojo 

Nonetheless, it must noted that Titanic does buck the trend as James Cameron's epic was both a commercial and critical success, taking home eleven Academy Awards including Best Picture.

So it could be argued that the favourite films of Joe Public are not necessarily those that win the Academy Award for Best Film. So what are the most popular films?  I surveyed a variety of people of different ages to find out what their favourite film and why they think this.

Some Like It Hot

Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon
Director: Billy Wilder

Daily Record

Released it 1959, 'Some Like It Hot' remains one of the best comedies ever made. Perhaps Marilyn Monroe's best performance alongside Lemmon and Curtis dressed up in drag. A timeless, laugh out loud movie perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon. 

Stand By Me


Starring: River Phoenix, Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland
Director: Rob Reiner

Based on Stephen King's short story, 'The Body' this is a wonderful coming of age film that shows the relationship between a group of school friends. The four friends set out on an adventure to find a body and on their journey stories are told, friendships are tested and leeches are removed.

"I think its adorable, beautifully shot and touching" - @rozzyunwin

Notting Hill

Starring: Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, Rhys Ifans
Director: Roger Mitchell

The romantic comedy was a genre that dominated film about Britain between the 1990s and the mid 2000s.  It has been suggested, “romantic comedy has proved to be one of the most enduring cinematic genres” (Mortimer, 2010, p1). A genre that uses a traditional but successful formula that is reliable in attracting a large audience. Film studios place greater focus on maximising returns on their initial investment thus they replicate a ‘recipe’ that has been successful in the past. At the heart of the success was the triangle that has been so influential in moulding an audiences’ perceptions of Britain. Working Title is the British film production company behind the biggest British romantic comedies of the last twenty years.  Nonetheless, it was their collaboration with screenwriter, Richard Curtis and British actor Hugh Grant that provided the key ingredients. These three components created three of the most known romantic comedies that arguably epitomise quintessential Britain. These include 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', Love Actually' and of course 'Notting Hill'. 

A formula that sees a bumbling Englishman (Hugh Grant) meet an American woman leading to a feel good film that has women and even men flocking to the cinema. 

"Upsy Daisy"-William Thacker

Sideways

A comedy drama that sees two middle aged men set off on a road trip through California's wine country. Paul Giamatti's starring role combined with "brilliant humour, stunning California scenery and great wine facts."

decanter.com

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church
Director: Alexander Payne

Kill Bill Vol. 2

Tarantino has arguably been one of the most consistent directors over the last twenty years producing modern classics such as 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Reservoir Dogs' but also finding success in the past few years with 'Inglorious Basters' and most recently with the fantastic, 'Django Unchained'. Nonetheless, @James_Mullinder decided his favourite ever film was Kill Bill Vol. 2 as Uma Thurman returns seeking vengeance. 

Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine

Director: Quentin Tarantino


Forrest Gump


Starring: Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Robin Wright Sally Field
Director: Robert Zemeckis

This is one of my favourite ever films. Tom Hanks heads up a fantastic cast as Forrest Gump, an innocent but rather dumb man who finds himself at the heart of some of history's biggest moments including serving in the Vietnam War and witnessing the Watergate scandal. Based on the book by Winston Groom, the film won an Academy Award for Best Picture with the ability to make you take your emotions on a roller coaster. A classic American soundtrack, combined with a unique tale and formidable cast leads to a relentlessly quotable modern classic. 

"Stupid is as stupid does"- Forrest Gump

Capescoaching

Shawshank Redemption

'The Shawshank Redemption' is a staple of top ten lists' and also the second inclusion of a Stephen King adaptation in my survey. A compelling story described by @Emma_Kelson as a film that opened her eyes to a world she knew little about. This is a powerful, thought provoking tale with one critic suggesting that "if you don't like Shawshank, you're beyond Redemption."

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Director: Frank Darabont

theguardian

Elf

Perhaps a bit of a curveball in this list? People may ask how can you go from Shawshank to Elf? Easy! That is the beauty of film and people's opinions. Film critic, Mark Kermode described Elf as a 'turkey' but surely that shows how you shouldn't listen to the critics. This has become a staple of many people's Christmas viewings and is arguably the greatest Christmas film of the last fifteen years. Stick an innocent Elf played by Will Ferrel into a bustling New York and hilarity ensues. 

Empire Online

Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel
Director: Jon Favreau

That's it for Part 1 but check back soon to see even more favourite films including, 'Its a Wonderful Life',  'The Wizard of Oz' and 'The Prestige.'