Oscars 2014

Oscar fever has hit Flat 19.

A couple of my super awesome flatmates and me are doing the whole night, from 11.30pm on Sunday to 4 in the morning on Monday. Red carpet to ceremony finale, complete with Oscar Bingo cards that our lovely Charlotte found. J

I’ve watched the glamorous ceremony every year since 2010, but it’s always been the day after once I’d recorded it (what would we do without Sky+?) This year, though, I’m living on my own, and that means I can stay up watching live until the sun comes up. And, by wonderfully amazing coincidence, I’m living with a couple of brilliant-minded gals who watch it, too. Let the crazy dazzling Gatsby-style Oscars party begin!

OK. Perhaps not.

But we will be getting in some yummy take away and sitting in suspenseful anticipation as J-Law opens that envelope and says: “And the Academy Award for Best Actor goes to… Leonardo DiCaprio!” (At least that’s what I’ve desperately got my fingers crossed for…)

What I’m really looking forward to this year (other than Leo getting that damn gold statuette that he’s deserved for many many years) is Ellen DeGeneres hosting again! She’ll be just as good as Billy Crystal and definitely better than Seth MacFarlane last year (we won’t mention 2011’s disastrous attempt… *cough* Anne Hathaway *cough* James Franco *cough*)

The awards, though, are the most exciting part of the whole night. This year looks to be one of the most ambiguous due to there being no clear frontrunners like there have been recently (i.e. The King’s Speech/Colin Firth in 2011, The Artist in 2012 and J-Law just a year ago). However, I do think there have been several snubs… Tom Hanks being the most obvious. Captain Phillips, although I haven’t seen it, has been well-received, and he was incredible in Saving Mr Banks. Walt Disney is a man who would be difficult to play correctly given his inexplicable range of reputations, and Mr Hanks has given him a sympathetic and warm portrayal that hasn’t been recognised by any award panels that I know of. Emma Thompson, also in Saving Mr Banks, was brilliant as P.L. Travers, too. Finally, in my opinion The Great Gatsby should have been at least nominated for more. But then again, the award season always seems to forget those movies released earlier in the year (others include Monsters University for best animated film and Benedict Cumberbatch for… well, just ‘cos. It’s Benedict.)

Without further ado, if I were the only judge on the panel, the Academy Awards go to:

Best Picture – The Wolf of Wall Street (*12 Years a Slave)

Actor in a Leading Role – Leonardo DiCaprio (*Matthew McConaughey)

Actress in a Leading Role – Sandra Bullock (*Cate Blanchett)

Actor in a Supporting Role – Jonah Hill/Michael Fassbender (*Jared Leto)

Actress in a Supporting Role – Jennifer Lawrence (*Jennifer Lawrence)

Animated Feature Film – Frozen (*Frozen)

Costume Design – The Great Gatsby (*American Hustle)

Directing – Martin Scorsese/Alfonso Cuarón (*Steve McQueen)

Music (Original Score) – Thomas Newman, Saving Mr Banks (*Steven Price, Gravity)

Music (Original Song) – Happy, Despicable Me 2 (*Let It Go, Frozen)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) – The Wolf of Wall Street (*12 Years a Slave)

Writing (Original Screenplay) – American Hustle (*Dallas Buyers Club)

 

(*) depicts my actual prediction on what will actually happen on the actual night J