My 2013 Oscar Picks.

BEST PICTURE

1. Amour
2. Argo
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Django Unchained
5. Les Misérables
6. Life of Pi
7. Lincoln
8. Silver Linings Playbook
9. Zero Dark Thirty

Who Will Win: Argo

Who Should Win: Argo

Who Could Win: Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook

Who Got Snubbed: The Dark Knight Rises, The Master, Looper

This years race has gotten interesting. If you would have asked me when the nominee were named this year, I wouldn’t have given Argo much of a chance, especially since Mr. Affleck was snubbed for the Directing category. I really thought Lincoln was going to take this category, which would have been a shame because I personally thought it wasn’t all that entertaining. Same thing with Life of Pi. But can Silver Linings Playbook, which seems to have captured the heart of critics and movie-goers alike (including me), pull off an upset? We’ll see, eh?

DIRECTING

1. Ang Lee, Life of Pi
2. Benh Zeitlin, Beast of the Southern Wild
3. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
4. Michael Haneke, Amour
5. Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg

Who Should Win: Ben Affleck (Argo)

Who Could Win: David O. Russell

Who Got Snubbed: Ben Affleck (Argo), Rian Johnson (Looper), Christoper Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises), Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)

There is a chance Argo may not take home the Best Picture trophy, But Ben Affleck hands down will take home the dire- oh, wait, he wasn’t nominated. Which is a bit crazy to me. There’s no reason for him not to be. His directing is superb in Argo. But that’s not going to happen. So I guess Spielberg is taking home the statue, even though David O. Russell is more deserving.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

1. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
2. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
3. Denzel Washington, Flight
4. Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
5. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Who Should Win: Bradley Cooper

Who Could Win: Denzel Washington

Who Got Snubbed: Daniel Craig (Skyfall)

If I haven’t made it apparent yet, I found Lincoln to be a mediocre film. But I will concede that Daniel Day-Lewis is very good in the role of the 16th President. Better than Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook? No, not really. But Lewis has been the favorite in all the other awards shows this year. And if the Academy is anything, it likes to play it safe in its selections.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
4. Naomi Watts, The Impossible
5. Quvenzhane Wallis, Beast of the Southern Wild

Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence

Who Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence

Who Could Win: Jessica Chastain, Naomi Watts

Who Got Snubbed: ?

For whatever reason, every year this category is the biggest mystery for me because I never seem to have a chance to see the films these amazing ladies have starred in sadly. The only two I have seen are Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook. Of the two I would pick Lawrence, who is pure electricity this year.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

1. Alan Arkin, Argo
2. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
4. Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
5. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Who Will Win: Robert De Niro

Who Should Win: Robert De Niro

Who Could Win: Any of them

Who Got Snubbed: Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained)

This is going to be the most interesting category of the night to me. There is no predictability here. Anyone can take home the statue, and worthy of it too. But I think De Niro will be the one walking away with it. In one of his best performances in years, how could he not? The only thing that would have made it more interesting is if Leo DiCaprio has received a nod.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

1. Amy Adams, The Master
2. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
3. Helen Hunt, The Sessions
4. Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
5. Sally Fields, Lincoln

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway

Who Should Win: Anne Hathaway

Who Could Win: Anne Hathaway

Who Got Snubbed: Kerry Washington (Django Unchained)

How did Sally Fields get a nomination? I mean that was probably the worst aspect of Lincoln for me. As I said, The Academy likes to play it safe. Any who, Anne Hathaway will win this category and rightly so. Her heartbreaking and fearless rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” is enough to cement her brief but brilliant performance in Les Miserables as a win.

Well, that’s it- the six big categories. There are a few others that have my interest as well like the short film category but I save that for the Twittercast. If you want to hear my thoughts and comments on the 85th Oscars you can follow my Twitter, @KevinAE. Then again you could just enjoy this celebration of film without my probable annoying Tweets.

I Saw A Film Today… Silver Linings Playbook

If you haven’t noticed, I have a love of original movie poster art and try to use the works of talented people as often as I can. I just want to showcase great art from great artist. Through this search I’ve come to know so pretty amazing artist. But occasionally there just isn’t anything available at the time of a review for an alternative. Or my search has turned up nothing. Either way, I feel slightly defeated when this occurs. And such was the case with Silver Linings Playbook, which is deserving of some great art frankly. You art peeps need to get on that. I’m joking. Not really.

Pat (Bradley Cooper) recently has been released into the care of his parents (Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver) from a mental heath facility eight months after he was arrested for nearly beating the man who was having an affair with his wife to death. Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Pat is trying to get in shape and reading books to convince his adulterous wife that they need to get back together.

By chance, while at a friend house for dinner, Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who recently lost her husband in an accident. The two form an instant but unusual bond with each other. She promises to help Pat deliver a letter to his wife if he helps her in a dance competition. Things get serious though when Pat’s dad places a bet on how well the two place in the competition.

Silver Linings is an exercise in how to make a proper Romantic Comedy. You don’t need the cute little “ah, I accidentally saw you coming out of the shower” hijinks, a romantic embrace in a dusky wheat field, or Nicolas Sparks’ name plastered on a recycled poster to make a winning Rom-Com. No, honest notions of emotions and love, great actors, and maybe in the case of this film a dash of crazy is how you make a winner.

Not to say SLR doesn’t fall victim to some of the stereotypes and pitfalls of the genre. The one issues that really stood out in David O. Russell’s latest film is just how neatly it all wraps up. For a film riddled with so much pain, craziness, and yes humor, the question comes to this: Does Pat deserve the silver lining he worked so hard for? He certainly makes a transformation, and for the better as well.  But for a story of such caliber, should the mythos of a silver linings be fully realized?

Jennifer Lawrence isn’t the young woman who most people who recognize her as “the girl from Hunger Games” here. She retains her edge but sheds any innocence from that film as the widow who uses sex as a coping mechanism. She is unpredictable, and we fully feel the confusion that Bradley Cooper’s Pat endures the entire film. The two participate in a cat-and-mouse game of their own devising, a game where motives are heavily veiled but rehabilitation is abundant. Both deserve the nominations and accolades they’ve received this award season. Both have their standout scenes. Lawrence when she confronts Cooper in a crowded street, raw and unadulterated. Cooper when maniacally searching for his wedding tape, waking up the entire neighborhood to the narration of Led Zeppelin’s “What is and What Should Never Be”.

This goes for the great Robert De Niro as well. This is one of his finest performances in years as an undiagnosed OCD father with a love for the Philadelphia Eagles. The scenes between him and Cooper are heartbreaking, and over the course of  the film you begin to understand where both come from and why they’re the way they are. The rest of the supporting cast shines as well. Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, and Anupam Kher all are pure magic.

Silver Linings Playbook is truly one of the best films of the year and sets the standards for what the Rom-Com genre should be. David O. Russell threw a touchdown with this one.

Verdict: See it!

* Rated R for language and some sexuality/nudity. 122 minutes.