86th Academy Awards

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Note 1: Well, I did a post on Oscars last year, so I am going to do one every year now. Talk about being clingy, heh.

Note 2.0: Post 2.0 is going to be bigger and better, aww yeah!
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It hasn't been a stellar year for movies compared to the previous year, neither there nor here. A year of massive snubs too (I weep for you, Coen brothers, Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson). '12 years a slave' emerges as the 'Lincoln' from last year, and TEN nominations for 'American Hustle', are you effing kidding me?! The race is wide open (which makes it mildly interesting), and my prediction is that this year predictions in general are going to go for a toss. My sentiments for this year's Oscars are best summarized by the movie nominated this year for Makeup and Hairstyling, a movie that will be selling DVDs with 'Oscar nominee' plastered on its cover - 'Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa'.

The complete list of nominations is available here. This is going to be a difficult year for predictions, so whenever in doubt, I will stick to a golden rule - snub American Hustle!

Category	Prediction	Pick	Vishesh Tippani	Quotes	Hit / Miss
Best Motion Picture of the Year	12 Years a Slave	The Wolf of Wall Street	The Wolf of Wall Street is by far the best movie of this year, its only fault being that it isn't "Best Picture material". F.U. American Hustle, I wish Jonah Hill peed all over you.	From TWOWS: "My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week."	Hit! But they got it wrong. Time.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role	Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club	Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street	see: Best Motion Picture of the Year P.S.: F.U. American Hustle.	From TWOWS: "I am not gonna die sober!"	Hit! So disappointed for Leo!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role	Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine		Kill me for saying it, but I don't think Amy Adams' cleavage deserves an Oscar. F.U.	"Who do you have to sleep with around here to get a Stoli martini with a twist of lemon?"	Hit!
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role	Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club		see: Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling	"Relax, I don't bite. I guess you're handsome, in a Texas, hick, white trash, dumb kind of way."	Hit!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role	Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave		If only Scarlett Johansson was nominated. Sigh. And F. U. JLaw, Eff. You. You didn't deserve it last year, you don't deserve it this year.	From Her: "You know, I can feel the fear that you carry around and I wish there was... something I could do to help you let go of it because if you could, I don't think you'd feel so alone anymore."	Hit! So much deserve!
Best Achievement in Directing	Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity	Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street	see: Best Motion Picture of the Year	From TWOWS: 'The name of the game, moving the money from the client's pocket to your pocket.' 'But if you can make your clients money at the same time it's advantageous to everyone, correct?' 'No.'	Hit!
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen	Spike Jonze, Her		The writing is just devastating. Devastating. Isn't that what great writing is supposed to be?	"Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt."	Hit!
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published	12 Years a Slave	Richard Linklater, Before Midnight	Anyone who has followed the 'Before...' series will hardly contest that Linklater deserves this, but well...	From Before Midnight: "Like sunlight, sunset, we appear, we disappear. We are so important to some, but... we are just passing through."	Hit!
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year	Frozen		♥♥♥♥♥	'Olaf! You're melting!' 'Some people are worth melting for.'	Hit! ♥
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year	The Great Beauty		The Great Beauty is what To Rome with Love should have been, or rather what this movie should have been called.	'We're all on the brink of despair; all we can do is look each other in the face, keep each other company, joke a little... don't you agree?'	Hit!
Best Achievement in Cinematography	Gravity		Technical awards for Gravity is quite a no-brainer this year. From the camera-work to sound, Gravity is, without a doubt, going to sweep the technical awards.	'Houston, I have a bad feeling about this mission.' 'Please elaborate.' 'Well, it reminds of a story.'	Hit!
Best Achievement in Editing	Gravity	Captain Phillips	Captain Phillips' climax got close to Argo's climax. It's tough to beat Gravity for the technical awards this year.	From Captain Phillips: "Shut up, Irish. Too much talking."	Hit!
Best Achievement in Production Design	American Hustle	Her	Her was a surprise (and deserving) nomination for this category, and the minimalism in the look and feel of the movie only goes on to show how much thought was put into it. Oh, and yes, F. U. American Hustle.	From Her: "Your past is just a story you tell yourself."	Miss. The Great Gatsby.
Best Achievement in Costume Design	American Hustle		Probably the only good thing about American Hustle. Yup, Amy Adams' cleavage wasn't one.	"But, you know I thought you were mysterious like my mother. Until, it turned out... the mysterious just meant depressed."	Miss. Because in-your-face costumes are the way to go. :| The Great Gatsby.
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling	Dallas Buyers Club		see: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role		Hit!
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score	Steven Price, Gravity		While I really wish Thomas Newman, after being nominated 11 times before this (including Wall·E), won this one for his great score in a music-heavy Saving Mr. Banks, I feel Steven Price deserves this one. Check it out.		Hit!
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song	'Let it go', Frozen	'Ordinary Love', U2, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom	This is a tough one to pick, between 'Ordinary Love' and 'Let it go'. I do want to see U2 win, after they didn't win the last time they were nominated. And while you are at it, 'The Moon Song' from 'Her' is absolutely heart-breaking.		Hit!
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing	Gravity		see: Best Achievement in Cinematography		Hit!
Best Achievement in Sound Editing	Gravity		see: Best Achievement in Cinematography		Hit!
Best Achievement in Visual Effects	Gravity		see: Best Achievement in Cinematography		Hit!
				Total:	18 / 20

Who are you rooting for?

86th Academy Awards...