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?

Lupita Nyong'o Joins the Cast of Star Wars Episode VII

Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o will be joining the cast of "Star Wars Episode VII", according to major media outlets. The film has already nabbed stars Adam Driver (HBO's Girls) and Oscar Isaac ("Inside Llewyn Davis"), Andy Serkis, and Oscar nominee Max Von Sydow in addition to past Star Wars stars Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill.

Well, That's A Wrap!

Truly, this is my favorite picture from last night... I can't take my eyes off of her, she's divine. One of the best, most deserving, and most Oscar winners we've had in awhile. 

It seems like we've been following the 2013 awards season forever, hasn't it? Though last year was one of the best years in film we've had in awhile, this Oscar season seemed much longer than the others. What was shaping up to be a competitive year settled into a somewhat predictable horse race. On some levels, I'm okay with it, and on others, not so much.

12 Years A Slave is Triumphant at the Independent Spirit Awards

Yesterday's Independent Spirit Awards proved successful for Best Picture frontrunner 12 Years A Slave. The film won 5 awards, including Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Director, and Picture. Though it had an easier time here due to the absence of American Hustle and Gravity, will it find similar success at tonight's Academy Awards?

Take a look at the full list of winners below. And don't forget to check out the updated Oscar index to see who stands with the most awards before tonight's ceremony!

Final Say of Lupita vs JLaw? Plus Director & Supporting Actor

My sentiments exactly. Grantland's Wesley Morris and Chris Connelly discuss the 2 woman race that's been building all year.

Below is the breakdown of Best Director & Supporting Actor 

Lupita Nyong'o vs. Jennifer Lawrence: Who Will Be This Year's Best Supporting Actress Winner?

Over the past few months, there's been talk of movement in the acting races. You'll recall that before last Sunday's BAFTA's, there was internet chatter over whether Amy Adams and Leonardo DiCaprio could overtake frontrunners Matthew McConaughey in the lead actor and actress categories. But now that Blanchett has collected yet another trophy (has she lost one this entire season?), and Chiwetel Ejiofor picked up one in McConaughey's absence, it seems a bit silly that we even considered for a second that anyone else could win in the year of Jasmine and Ron Woodroff, 2 critically acclaimed and very popular performances; one given by an actress returning from a bit of a hiatus and another given by an actor who continues to reinvent and push himself.

Looking back, however, it seems as if the true race to win was not between Blanchett and Adams, nor McConaughey and DiCaprio (with some heat from Ejiofor), but between Lupita Nyong'o and Jennifer Lawrence.

Screen Actors Guild Spreads the Wealth

American Hustle predictably wins Best Ensemble

The Screen Actors Guild chose American Hustle as their Best Ensemble winner, the equivalent to their Best Picture award. It was always going to win the ensemble award; the starry cast (including Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale) is catnip to voters. 

It's important to note that Hustle didn't sweep; Jennifer Lawrence lost Best Supporting Actress to Lupita Nyong'o, who has come back in a big way after losing at the Globes (she also won with the Broadcast Film Critics). 

Argo, last year's Best Ensemble award winner, went on to win Best Picture with the Oscars. Past winners who also went on to win Best Picture include The King's Speech, Slumdog Millionaire and No Country for Old Men. 

The race isn't over yet, however. The Producer's Guild and Director's Guild have yet to announce their winners; expect Gravity to win the DGA, and 12 Years A Slave could very well win the PGA. This is still very much a 3-way race. 

Read the full list of winners (including TV Actors) below:

What the Oscar Nominations Tell Us

Here are some takeaways from this morning's Oscar Nominations (if you're interested in what I think)

Golden Globe Winners: What Does It All Mean?

American Hustle won 3 of the top awards (including trophies for Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence)

The Golden Globes are a weird case of award show. They take place before the Oscar nominations are announced, but after the voting for nominees has closed. What this means, is that no matter what happens at the Globes, it has nothing to do with a film or person's chances at getting nominated for an Oscar.

Unlike SAG, BAFTA, DGA and PGA, the Hollywood Foreign Press has no association with the Oscars. For example, the members of SAG are all members of the Academy, so their choices for winners are indicative on how the much larger voting body of actors will vote come time to decide a winner. But the HFPA is their own body, with entirely different people voting. And as history will tell you, they love nominating and awarding stars over character actors.

So then, what does it all mean? If this award has nothing to do with Oscar nominations, why is it important? Is it simply just another glamorized but meaningless award ceremony?

12 Years A Slave: The Film of the Year

12 Years A Slave is the most acclaimed film of the year. It has scored 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 97 on Metacritic, and so far has the most precursor award nominations of any film released this year. In addition, it has grossed almost $30 million against a $20 million budget, having just expanded into wide release; to say it's the Oscar favorite is an understatement, and it will certainly be facing off against critic favorite/box office behemoth Gravity for much of the awards season.

I was blown away by Gravity, completely and utterly in awe of the technical achievement, and the beautiful performance that Sandra Bullock gave. Up until 12 Years, it was my pick for Best Picture.

A lot of people are turned off at the subject matter: "Another slavery movie?", "Another period film?", "Ugh, typical Oscar movie", "It looks boring" are among the comments I've heard from being asked about the film. Many movies about slavery have never really gotten into the cold hard facts: It was a horrible experience, that was completely life altering in every way imaginable. Never has a film so accurately displayed the horrors of slavery, never has a film grabbed me and forced me to examine what it was showing, and never has a film blown me away quite in the way 12 Years A Slave did. Make no mistake, just because the film is set in the mid 1800s, does not mean the film is any less important. In fact, I'd say that 12 Years A Slave is one of the most important films to ever be made, of any year.