Best/Worst: Robert De Niro

In honor of Robert De Niro’s seventh Oscar nomination, I thought it would be fun to take a closer look at the best and worst of his career.  So here it is… the Robert De Niro dynamic list!

1.      The Taxi Driver

De Niro will, more than likely, never be better than this.

2.     The Godfather Part II

3.     Jackie Brown

Most people don’t seem to like Jackie Brown.  I think it’s because it was the movie Quentin Tarantino made after Pulp Fiction and it just wasn’t Pulp Fiction enough.  Personally, I love this movie and I think De Niro is hilarious as the soft spoken pot smoking ex-con.

4.     Ronin

This is totally an underrated film!

5.     Sleepers

6.     The Deer Hunter

7.     Awakenings

8.    Goodfellas

9.     Meet the Parents

10.Wag the Dog

11.  Analyze This

12. Raging Bull

13. Casino

14. Heat

15. Cop Land

16. This Boy’s Life

De Niro’s first collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio.  Great movie.

17. Stanley & Iris

18.Cape Fear

19. Flawless

20.           Marvin’s Room

21. Brazil

22.            The Mission

23.            City by the Sea

24.            Midnight Run

25.            The Score

26.            Meet the Fockers

27.Great Expectations

28.           15 Minutes

29.            Guilty by Suspicion

30.           We’re No Angels

31. The Untouchables

32.            Mean Streets

33.            Backdraft

34.            Analyze That

35.            The King of Comedy

36.            Once Upon a Time in America

37.The Fan

38.           Men of Honor

39.            A Bronx Tale

40.           Showtime

41. New York, New York

42.            Little Fockers

By the time Little Focker can around, I think the franchise was played out.  And I think De Niro was just playing a caricature of his original character.

43.            Sharks Tale

44.            Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

45.            Machete

46.            The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

47.Stardust

Oh man.  You MUST avoid Stardust!!!

Haven’t Seen

·         Three Rooms in Manhattan

·         Greetings

·         Sam’s Song

·         The Wedding Party

·         Bloody Mama

·         Hi, Mom!

·         Jennifer on My Mind

·         Born to Win

·         The Gang That Counldn’t Shoot Straight

·         Bang the Drum Slowly

·         1900

·         The Last Tycoon

·         True Confessions

·         Falling in Love

·         Angel Heart

·         Jackknife

·         Night and the City

·         Mistress

·         Mad Dog and Glory

·         A Hundred and one Nights

·         Godsend

·         The Bridge of San Luis

·         Hide and Seek

·         Arthur and the Invisibles

·         The Good Shepherd

·         Righteous Kill

·         What Just Happened

·         Everybody’s Fine

·         Stone

·         Manuale d’amore 3

·         Killer Elite

·         Limitless

·         New Year’s Eve

·         Being Flyn

·         Red lights

·         Freelancers

·         Silver Lining Playbook

85th Academy Awards – 'Best Cinematography’

I am only 1 for 3 in this category, however, out of the six categories I missed last year, this one hurt the most.  All of the indicators were pointing towards Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life… however, it just wasn’t meant to be. 

The role and voting procedures for Cinematographers have not changed, so feel free to read more about them in last year’s post if you wish:  84^th Academy Awards – Best Cinematography.

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Nominations:

·         Anna Karenina

o   Seamus McGarvey – 2^nd nomination.  Previously nominated for Atonement.

McGarvey hasn’t been nominated for any other major award, however, in addition to Anna Karenina, McGarvey also shot The Avengers… I have a feeling that this combination of films, this year, is what earned the nomination.

·         Django Unchained

o   Robert Richardson – 8^th nomination.  3 wins:  JFK, The Aviator, and Hugo.  Also nominated for Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Snow Falling on Cedars, and Inglourious Basterds.

Richardson is pretty much a badass, having filmed a significant number of Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino’s films.

Richardson has also been nominated for the San Diego Film Critic Society Award.

·         Life of Pi

o   Claudio Miranda – 2^nd nomination.  Previously nominated for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

In my opinion, Miranda is the clear front runner.  He has already won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award, Las Vegas Film Critics Award, and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award.  He is also nominated for the BAFTA Award, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Boston Society of Film Critics Award and the Satellite Award. 

An interesting additional piece of information is that Miranda was the only Oscar nominated cinematographer to also be nominated by the Boston Society of Film Critics.

·         Lincoln

o   Janusz Kaminski – 6^th nomination.  2 wins:  Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.  Previously nominated for Amistad, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and War Horse.

Ever since filming Schindler’s List in 1993, Kaminski has worked, almost exclusively, with Steven Spielberg.  However, he has also filmed my favorite Cameron Crowe film (Jerry Maguire) and my favorite Judd Apatow film (Funny People)

Kaminski is also nominated for the BAFTA Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, and the Satellite Award.

·         Skyfall

o   Roger Deakins – 10^th nomination.

To be honest, when I saw Skyfall listed in this category I was pretty surprised, however when I realized Deakins had filmed the movie I understood.  Deakins is a beloved member of the cinematography community.

Deakins has been previously nominated for The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, Kundun, O Brother Where Art Thou, No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Reader, and True Grit.

He has already won the Loas Angeles Film Critics Association Award and has also been nominated for the BAFTA Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Satellite Award, and Washington DC Area Film Critic Association Award.

Although I think Life of Pi is the statistical favorite… with this being Deakins’ 10^th nomination, having never won… he has a very good chance at winning… and I’m going to take that chance.

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Snubs:

Mihai Malaimare Jr. (The Master) won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award and is nominated for Broadcast Film Critic Association Award, Satellite Award, and the Washington DC Area Film Critic Association Award

Danny Cohen (Les Miserables) is nominated for the Boston Society of Film Critics Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, and Washington DC Area Film Critic Association Award

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Oscar Trends:

To be honest, I have yet to find a trend for this category.  All in all, it all seems a bit subjective.  Even the American Society of Cinematographers Award can’t be used as a barometer since for the last 26 years, their winner has only gone on to win the Oscar 9 times!

So… the only thing I have to go on is the consistency of nominations and wins for the year (across the board), which leaves me with Life of Pi and Skyfall. 

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Prediction: 

1.      Life of Pi

2.     Skyfall

3.     Lincoln

4.     Django Unchained

5.     Anna Karenina

85th Academy Awards – 'Best Makeup and Hairstyling’

Alright folks, we’re now moving into categories where I excel.  I am currently 3 for 3 in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling, so I’d like to think I know what I am talking about… but I probably don’t.

Although the name of this category has been changed to include Hairstyling, it has always been part of the Makeup category, so there have been no major changes to those eligible for this award.  Nor have there been any changes to Voting Procedures.  Feel free to read more about them in last year’s post if you wish:  84^th Academy Awards – Best Makeup.

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Nominations:

·         Hitchcock

o    Howard Berger – 2^nd nomination.  Won for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

o    Peter Montagna – 1^st nomination.

o    Martin Samuel – 3^rd nomination.  Previously nominated for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and At World’s End.

This team has also been nominated for the BAFTA award.

·         The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

o   Peter Swords King – 2^nd nomination.  Won for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

o   Rick Findlater – 1^st nomination.

o    Tami Lane – 2^nd nomination.  Won for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (alongside Howard Berger)

This team has also been nominated for the BAFTA award.

·         Les Miserables

o   Lisa Westcott – 3^rd nomination.  Previously nominated for Mrs. Brown and Shakespeare in Love.

o   Julie Dartnell  – 1^st nomination.

This team has not been nominated for another award.

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Snubs:

The big snub for Makeup and Hair this year goes to Lincoln, which is nominated for the BAFTA award AND the Broadcast Film Critics Award.  And frankly, when it comes to makeup the only two movies people seem to be talking about are The Hobbit and Lincoln; however, the other two nominees are mentioned quite often as honorable mentions.

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Oscar Trends:

The Academy seems to like over the top and whimsical makeup and hair.  And since The Lord of the Rings took home two of these, coupled with the fact that The Hobbit seems to be all the buzz in this category… and since Lincoln was not nominated… there is a definite front runner.

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Prediction: 

1.      The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey

2.     Les Miserables

3.     Hitchcock

February Movies (I really want to see!)

Looking at the movies being released in February, I am only excited about three:

Warm Bodies

Stand Up Guys

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III 

85th Academy Awards – 'Best Costume Design’

Okay, this is another troublesome category.  I am only 1 for 3, however, after revamping how I calculate odds last year, I picked the last winner (The Artist) correct.  So I am feeling pretty good this year.

For information on the role of the Costume Designer and the Voting Procedures check out my post from last year:  84^th Academy Awards – Best Costume Design.

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Nominations:

·         Anna Karenina

o   Jacqueline Durran – 3^rd nomination.

Durran has previously been nominated for Atonement and Pride & Prejudice.  She is also a past recipient of the BAFTA award for Vera Drake.  Durran is a period piece guru.

She has been nominated for the BAFTA and Satellite Award, and has already won the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award

·         Les Miserables

o   Paco Delgado – 1^st nomination.

Although this is Delgado’s first nomination, he is no strange to working on award winning films, having previously costumed The Skin I Live In and Biutiful.

Delgado has been nominated for the BAFTA Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, and the Satellite Award.

·         Lincoln

o   Joanna Johnston – 1^st nomination.

Johnston is the go-to costume designer for Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, and has also worked with M. Night Shyamalan and Ron Howard; having designed Saving Private Ryan, The Sixth Sense, Cast Away, Forrest Gump, Back to the Future Parts II & III, and the list goes on and on.

Johnston has been nominated for the BAFTA Award and Broadcast Film Critics Award. 

·         Mirror Mirror

o   Eiko Ishioka – 2^nd nomination, 1 win.

Ishioka previously won for designing Dracula.

Although Ishioka has not been nominated for any other award this season, she passed away last year and since she is an Oscar veteran, she could end up being a sentimental choice for the Academy.

·         Snow White and the Huntsman

o   Colleen Atwood – 10^th nomination, 3 wins.

Atwood has previous won for Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Alice in Wonderland.  Previously nominated for Little Women, Beloved, Sleepy Hollow, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Nine.

Atwood is by far the most seasoned and versatile designer in the field.  She is also nominated for the BAFTA Award and Satellite Award.

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Oscar Trends:

The best indicator of this award falls to the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (Now called the Critics’ Choice Award).  Since they began giving this award, they are 4 for 4 predicting the outcome of the Oscar, giving Anna Karenina the clear edge.

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Prediction: 

1.      Anna Karenina

2.     Les Miserables

3.     Mirror Mirror

4.     Lincoln

5.     Snow White and the Huntsman

85th Academy Awards – 'Best Film Editing'

Alright, my overall Oscar predicting skills are pretty above average… however, Film Editing is my Achilles heel.  In the three years I have been doing this competitively I have NEVER gotten this category correct.  So… I’m not even going to try to sounds like I know what I am talking about here… I’m just going to make another educated guess and hope for the best.

Again, there are no major changes to the role of Film Editing and Voting Procedures, so you can read about them in last year’s post if you wish:  84^th Academy Awards – Best Film Editing.

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Nominations:

·         Argo

o    William Goldenberg – 3^rd nomination.

Goldenberg actually picked up his 3^rd and 4^th nomination for Film Editing this year.  He is also nominated for Zero Dark Thirty (see below).  Previously he has been nominated for Seabiscuit and The Insider.

For Argo, Goldenberg took second place at the Boston Society of Film Critics’ Awards, nominated for the Broadcast Film Critics Award, took second place at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (losing to himself for Zero Dark Thirty), won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award (beating out himself for Zero Dark Thirty), and is nominated for the Satellite Award.

·         Life of Pi

o   Tim Squyres – 2^nd nomination.

Squyres was previously nominated for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  Additionally, he is also known for his work on Gosford Park and Eat Drink Man Woman.

The recognition for Squyres’ work on Life of Pi has not been as wide spread as Goldenberg’s work on both Argo and Zero Dark Thirty.  Squyres has been nominated for BAFTA Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, and San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.

·         Lincoln

o   Michael Kahn – 8^th nomination, 3 wins.

Kahn is Steven Spielberg’s go-to Film Editor.  He has already received Oscars for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan; and in addition has been nominated for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Fatal Attraction, Empire of the Sun, and Munich.

That said, so far this awards season, he has only been nominated for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award.

·         Silver Lining Playbook

o   Jay Cassidy – 2^nd nomination.  Previously nominated for Into the Wild.

o   Crispin Struthers – 1^st nomination.

After toiling away as the assistant editor on movies like I am Number Four, The Fighter, and RocknRolla, this nomination is a pretty big deal for Struthers.  Although he has served as a lead editor previously, this is by far his most recognizable project.

As for Cassidy, he has been around for quite some time… however, the industry might still be shunning him for editing last year’s Justin Bieber documentary Never Say Never… or maybe that’s just me.

So far these guys have only been nominated for the Satellite Award.

·         Zero Dark Thirty

o   Dylan Tichenor – 2^nd nomination.

o   William Goldenberg – 4^th nomination.

Tichenor was previously nominated for editing There Will Be Blood.  And cinephiles will probably also like to know that he is the guy who edited The Royal Tenenbaums, Magnolia, and Boogie Nights.  This is a guy who knows how to handle stories with huge casts.

And coupled with Goldenberg, I am not surprised these guys have been having such a big year.  They are nominated for the BAFTA, won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award, nominated for the Broadcast Film Critics Award, won the Hollywood Film Festival, won the Las Vegas Film Critics Award, won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, nominated for the San Diego Film Critics Society Award, and are nominated for the Satellite Award.

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Snubs:

As I reported above, I obviously don’t know anything about Film Editing, so I am not even going to attempt to report on possible snubs in this category.

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Oscar Trends:

As I reported last year, for 20 of the last 21 years, the winner of the Oscar was also (at least) nominated for the BAFTA… and although I feel like my analysis was sound, last year was the one exception, with the win going to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

However, I still think the BAFTA nominations are the most sound indicator and this year only two films are nominated by both organizations:  Zero Dark Thirty and Life of Pi… and I will use this data in my predictions:

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Prediction: 

1.      Zero Dark Thirty

2.     Life of Pi

3.     Argo

4.     Lincoln

5.     Silver Lining Playbook