Most Deserving Oscar Wins of the 2010's

My idol Nathaniel Rogers (who I had the pleasure of interviewing last semester) posted a list yesterday of his favorite Oscar wins from the past few years; the 2010's, which got me thinking about my favorites. Looking back, I see some really.... not so great wins, but among the rubble, there are some truly deserving, rich wins that I applaud the Academy for. Let's take a look, shall we?

Can Emma Stone Re-Capture "Easy A" Acclaim With Magic in the Moonlight?

A trailer for Woody Allen's follow-up to the wildly successful "Blue Jasmine" has landed! "Magic in the Moonlight" stars Collin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden and Jacki Weaver.

Dylan Farrow's Open Letter Specifically Names Cate Blanchett

I don't know if any of you have been keeping up with the recent explosion of bad press Woody Allen has been receiving lately, but it seems to be consuming the movie related news cycle as of late. An open later, penned by Allen's adopted daughter Dylan, was posted by The New York Times just the other day (you can read it here if you so choose).

For those of you who don't know, Dylan Farrow had accused her adoptive father of molesting her at some point. The allegations came shortly after a dramatic divorce between Mr. Allen and Mia Farrow. The allegations were explored shortly after they surfaced, with the courts ruling that (in a nutshell) Dylan Farrow had "difficulty determining fact from fantasy", and that no such molestation happened.

The open letter addresses (for the first time that I'm aware of) what happened from Dylan's point of view, in addition to her feelings and the repercussions of what transpired. It's a brave piece for someone in her position to publicize; Woody Allen is a revered public figure, and the backlash this situation received in the past has exploded ten fold with the publication of this letter. The fact we live in an internet age doesn't help at all.

In the letter, Farrow points a finger at actors and actresses who have worked with Woody, most notably, Cate Blanchett:

"What if it had been your child, Cate Blanchett? Louis C.K.? Alec Baldwin? What if it had been you, Emma Stone? Or you, Scarlett Johansson? You knew me when I was a little girl, Diane Keaton. Have you forgotten about me?"

In doing so, Farrow is not only asking the public not to support Allen, but she points the question to the people who help bring his work to life. She also addresses the fact that Blue Jasmine (the film in which Blanchett and Allen have collaborated on) is an Academy Award Nominee for Allen's writing.

So, what does this all mean for The Academy Awards? And more specifically, Cate Blanchett?

Art Directors Guild choose Her, Blue Jasmine & American Hustle

Excellence in Production Design- Period Film:

• American Hustle (Judy Becker)
• The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)
• Inside Llewyn Davis (Jess Gonchor)
• Saving Mr. Banks (Michael Corenblith)
• 12 Years A Slave

Excellence in Production Design- Contemporary Film

• August: Osage County (David Gropman)
• Blue Jasmine (Santo Loquasto)
• Captain Phillips (Paul Kirby)
• Her (K.K. Barrett)
• The Wolf of Wall Street (Bob Kirby)

Excellence in Production Design- Fantasy Film

• Elysium (Philip Ivy)
• Gravity (Andy Nicholson)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Dan Hennah)
• Oblivion (Darrel Gilford)
• Star Trek into Darkness (Scott Chambliss)

Writer's Guild Nominations: Blue Jasmine & Dallas Buyers Club Get a Boost, Another loss for Inside Llewyn Davis

Support from the PGA and now WGA mean great things for these 2 "underdogs".

Yesterday's PGA nominations found Dallas Buyers Club continuing its Screen Actors Guild success by landing a nomination for Best Film; with both PGA and SAG behind it, Best Picture seemed pretty likely. But now, with the WGA backing it, there seems to be a lot more support behind the film than previously thought.

Woody Allen's screenplay for Blue Jasmine was always seen as a sure thing given his track record. But after receiving a PGA nomination yesterday and a Golden Globe nomination for Sally Hawkins, it seems there's more support for the film outside of Cate Blanchett's masterclass turn and Allen's screenplay.

Films that were ineligible for the WGA include 12 Years A Slave, Philomena, Rush, Blue Is the Warmest Color, Short Term 12, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, Fruitvale Station and In a World. I imagine that's how Lone Survivor (a film that's been ignored all season) made it in.

The Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis was passed over for a nomination after being passed over by the PGA. Though the PGA loss is less worrisome (they didn't nominate A Serious Man back in 2009 and it managed to get a Best Picture nomination), the WGA exclusion is more worrisome; the WGA has always gone for the Coens. Though this isn't a nail in the coffin, it can be telling in terms of consensus.

You can read the full list of nominations below.

Producers Guild Nominations: Our Potential Best Picture Lineup?

Blue Jasmine, American Hustle, Captain Philips and Dallas Buyers Club among the list of nominees

The Producers Guild, much like the Screen Actors Guild, is an important precursor to have behind your film; the Best Picture winner and most of the films to be nominated for picture (save for a few surprise inclusions/exclusions on nomination morning) are always included on this long list.

That bodes well for the small Dallas Buyers Club, which was only seen as a vehicle for stars Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, but managed to score a nomination here AND a Best Ensemble nomination with SAG a month ago; a Best Picture nomination looks very likely now. Blue Jasmine, the film that will undoubtedly win Cate Blanchett her second Oscar (first Leading Actress trophy), also landed on the long list of nominees; that writing nomination for Woody Allen and Best Supporting Actress nomination for Sally Hawkins aren't seeming too crazy now with the level of support being expressed for the film.

Another surprise was the critically adored Inside Llewyn Davis being passed over for Wolf of Wall Street. Both were passed over by SAG, but Wolf's inclusion over Davis here could be pretty telling... then again, there's still time for that to change.

Other than that, the nominees are pretty standard; both 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle landed nominations.

Take a look people; this could very well be our Best Picture lineup