Admit it. Every year during the Oscars you find yourself shockingly unfamiliar with the past year’s films, so you have to hope “that movie with that actor you saw in that other thing that one time,” wins out.
Along with High School sports and local politics, many of us at Southern Torch consider ourselves connoisseurs of film (the scientific term is actually “Movie Buffs”). Therefore, we have compiled a “Survival Guide” of films to familiarize yourself with before Hollywood’s biggest night.
1) American Hustle - 10 nominations
Watch for:
-Strong performances from the entire cast. Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper are all nominated, giving the film nominations in every acting category.
-Strong performance direction from David O. Russell. Not only did he get his dynamic duo (Lawrence and Cooper) back together and nominated for the second year in a row, he threw Batman (Bale) and Lois Lane (Adams) into the mix and got them nominated as well.
-Costume design. The way the film captures the essence of the seventies makes it all but certain to steal the category.
Possible wins:
Best Director (David O. Russell)
Best Actress (Amy Adams)
Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
Best Supporting Actor (Bradley Cooper)
Best Costume Design
Best Original Screenplay
2) Gravity - 10 nominations
Watch for:
-Sandra Bullock. The only way critics could love Sandra Bullock more is if someone writes a complex character for her to act out all by herself in space. OH, WAIT.
-Visual effects and cinematography. See this one in theaters, kids. It’s the first movie since Avatar that used 3-D to its full potential without incorporating cheap gags.
Possible wins:
Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron)
Best Actress (Sandra Bullock)
Best Cinematography
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
3) 12 Years a Slave - 9 nominations
Watch for:
- Direction. Steve McQueen delivers an uncomfortably strong reminder of the nature of slavery in the 1800’s.
Possible wins:
Best Picture
Best Director (Steve McQueen)
Best Adapted Screenplay
4) Frozen - 2 nominations
Watch for:
-Everything you’ve come to expect from Disney.
-Strong performances by musical favorites Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, and Johnathan Groff.
-Best Song nominee “Let It Go”.
Possible wins:
Best Animated Feature
Best Song (“Let It Go”)
5) Dallas Buyers Club - 6 nominations
Watch for:
-An incredibly well-written story (nominated for Best Original Screenplay)
-Strong performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, both of whom have already won Golden Globes for this film.
Possible wins:
Best Actor (Matthew McConaughey)
Best Supporting Actor (Jared Leto)
Best Original Screenplay
6) The Wolf of Wall Street - 5 nominations
Watch for:
-Typically outstanding direction by Martin Scorsese (shocker).
-A very shocking biographical story of the life of Jordan Belfort, who wrote the book upon which the movie is based. The screenplay is nominated for Best Adaptation.
-Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, a role unlike anything he has ever done before.
-Jonah Hill in the strongest performance of his career as Donnie Azoff.
Possible wins:
Best Picture
Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill)
Best Adapted Screenplay
7) Captain Phillips - 6 nominations
Watch for:
-Barkhad Abdi’s performance as Muse. Prior to this film, he had no acting experience or even any acting aspirations and was working as a limousine driver in Minnesota.
-Brilliant writing, nominated for Best Adaptation.
-Tom Hanks. Although he isn’t nominated, his performance, particularly in the final moments of the film, gives an astounding but unnecessary reminder of his prevalence as one of the greatest actors to ever live.
Possible wins:
Best Supporting Actor (Barkhad Abdi)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Other films you’ll hear about, though probably not as much, include Her (5 nominations), Nebraska (6 nominations), and Philomena (4 nominations), all of which are nominated for Best Picture.
* Her
Possible wins:
Best Production Design
Best Score
* Nebraska
Possible wins:
Best Director (Alexander Payne)
Best Actor (Bruce Dern)
* Philomena
Possible wins:
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actress (Judi Dench)