Awards season will culminate with the 86th Academy Awards tomorrow night, March 2nd. As I noted in my annual Top 10 Films list, 2013 was an outstanding year in film with a high number of quality films. Though I felt the Academy left out several deserving films out of their annual nominations list, for the most part they got it right, as the very best and brightest minds in the film industry will gain well deserved honors when the envelopes are finally opened and the results revealed. If I was given the opportunity to fill out an official Oscar ballot, it would read as follows:
Best Picture
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave (MY PICK)
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Directing
David O. Russell
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity (MY PICK)
Alexander Payne
Steve McQueen
Martin Scorsese
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale
Bruce Dern
Leonardo DiCaprio
Chiwetel Ejoifor
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club (MY PICK)
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Amy Adams
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine (MY PICK)
Sandra Bullock
Judi Dench
Meryl Streep
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi
Bradley Cooper
Michael Fassbender
Jonah Hill
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club (MY PICK)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Sally Hawkins
Jennifer Lawrence
Lupita Nyong’o - 12 Years a Slave (MY PICK)
Julia Roberts
June Squibb
Best Adapted Screenplay
Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years a Slave (MY PICK)
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Original Screenplay
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club
Her (MY PICK)
Nebraska
Best Cinematography
The Grandmaster
Gravity (MY PICK)
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Prisoners
Best Costume Design
American Hustle (MY PICK)
The Grandmaster
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
12 Years a Slave
Best Film Editing
American Hustle (MY PICK)
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
12 Years a Slave
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Dallas Buyers Club (MY PICK)
Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger
Best Original Score
The Book Thief
Gravity
Her
Philomena
Saving Mr. Banks (MY PICK)
Best Production Design
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her (MY PICK)
12 Years a Slave
Best Sound Editing
All Is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity (MY PICK)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor
Best Sound Mixing
Captain Phillips
Gravity (MY PICK)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Lleywn Davis
Lone Survivor
Best Visual Effects
Gravity (MY PICK)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness