Road to the Oscars #3: Best Actor

The Academy Award category for Best Actor in a Leading Role is competitive as always this year due to the four five shining nominees that were chosen by the Academy: Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook, Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln, Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables, Joaquin Phoenix for The Master, and Denzel Washington for Flight. All of these men are extremely talented and are worthy of receiving this award.

Although I have already written about Lincoln, this post is meant to describe who I believe will win the Academy Award in the category, and it would be wrong of me to disregard my hunch that Daniel Day-Lewis will receive the award just because I had already written about Tommy Lee Jones. Day-Lewis's enrapturing performance as the charismatic, strong-willed, kind, and incredible man Abraham Lincoln, who many consider the best President of the United States in history, simply cannot be ignored. Day-Lewis flawlessly displayed all the qualities of one of the most respected men in history, from his clear sense of grief due to his deceased son to his laugh as he told a joke about a picture of George Washington in a British man's bathroom to a room full of young men. Day-Lewis's performance was absolutely the reason the movie will forever be remembered for Americans everywhere.

My favorite aspect of Day-Lewis's performance was the way he spoke as Abraham Lincoln. Many of his previous movies had him using deeper voices (for example, There Will Be Blood), and this shift in voice for the beloved president is not only befitting for the character, but actually believed to be historically accurate. Lincoln was supposedly a soft-spoken man, and Day-Lewis captures this in his portrayal effortlessly, making the man only seen by the world in pictures truly come to life. The little things in Day-Lewis's acting, such as this, make him worthy of this Academy Award.

The one performance in this category I did not really enjoy was Hugh Jackman's in Les Miz. I found myself instantly bored by his performance, not nearly as connected as I felt to Day-Lewis or Washington or Cooper. My favorite scenes were the ones he was not in, though I must say he was easier to watch than Russell Crowe. I pray that Jackman does not receive this award.

Basically, I feel that Daniel Day-Lewis deserves to be recognized for his work as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln, Spielberg's historical fiction masterpiece about the most beloved president in American history. Without Day-Lewis portraying the man, the film would have fallen flat, especially due to its length. This incredible performance paralleled with Les Miz and Hugh Jackman's dull portrayal of Jean Valjean truly illustrates Day-Lewis's acting genius. I hope that Day-Lewis wins this award for his outstanding performance in Lincoln!

Road to the Oscars #2: Best Supporting Actress

The Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is filled with extremely talented women, namely Amy Adams for The Master, Sally Field in Lincoln, Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables, Helen Hunt for The Sessions, and Jacki Weaver for Silver Linings Playbook. However, unlike the race for Best Supporting Actor, this category seems like much less of a competition.

I am nearly certain that Anne Hathaway will take the Oscar in this category for her role as Fantine in Les Misérables. The sheer emotion that Hathaway displays in the musical-turned-screenplay is worthy of this prestigious award. Live singing "I Dreamed a Dream" in merely one shot as beautifully as Hathaway did in the film is impossible for about 99% of the human population, and the fact that she accomplished this so perfectly proves how amazing and versatile an actress she truly is. She also demonstrates her dedication to the project in the way she allowed her hair to be cut disproportionately during the film in order to stay true to her character. Her performance drew me to tears and was one of the redeeming qualities of this rather long and tiresome movie. Also, it doesn't hurt her chances that she successfully grabbed the Golden Globe in this category for the same role. I have a strong feeling that the Academy will give this award to Hathaway.

The only other actress in the running who could potentially beat Hathaway in my opinion is Sally Field for her role as Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln. However, the Academy will probably not want to continue Sally's winning streak of 2 awards for 2 nominations, giving Hathaway the advantage once again.

Once again, I have noticed buzz about how Amy Adams should win this award, even though she probably will not. Since I have still not seen The Master, I cannot form my own opinion, though I am a big fan of Adams and am sure she could do no acting wrong (except for Night at the Museum 2).

Examining the actresses in this category carefully, it is evident to me that Hathaway already has the award for Best Supporting Actress in her back pocket. Her incredible, emotion-driven, dedicated performance will have the Academy shedding tears just like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. It is almost a sure win for Anne Hathaway, and it is very much deserved for this accomplished, stunning actress.

Road to the Oscars #1: Best Supporting Actor

In what may be the closest race of the 2013 awards season, the nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role this year are all Academy Awards veterans: Alan Arkin for Argo, Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook, Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master, Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln, and Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained. Each man has proven himself worthy of the nomination, and regardless who wins, this category can't go wrong.

My prediction is that Tommy Lee Jones will take the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a confident and self-assured radical Congressman in Lincoln. Jones' stellar performance in this Spielberg blockbuster captivated and charmed me. His portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens was definitely one of the highlights of the movie and will remain in my memory for time to come. I also feel that Jones deserves this award because of his believability. Not once did I think to myself during the film, "Tommy Lee Jones is incredible," for I didn't see him as Tommy Lee Jones; I saw him as Thaddeus Stevens. I laughed with Stevens; I was near tears when all seemed to be hopeless for the Thirteenth Amendment and, along with the pivotal document, Stevens. I sympathized with Stevens as he fought for what he believed (and what we know) is right, despite the myriad obstacles. Had Jones not delivered an incredible performance, I would not have felt the range of emotions I found myself dealing with during Lincoln. Because of these reasons, I believe that Tommy Lee Jones will take the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Although I have not seen The Master, I have heard it is an incredible film, and many critics are saying Philip Seymour Hoffman deserves to win this award. Thus, I would like to mention his performance here and say that I would love to see this movie in order to better make my prediction. However, I still feel that the Academy will pick Jones even though critics enjoyed Hoffman's performance since the Academy tends to have a soft spot for Steven Spielberg. I am sure The Master is an incredible movie, but until I have seen it, I can't judge for myself.

In conclusion, it seems to me that Tommy Lee Jones of Lincoln will take home the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Although the other contenders, namely Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Christoph Waltz, are all worthy of the esteemed award, I feel that Jones should be the one to hold the golden trophy in his hand and make his acceptance speech on February 24th. Hopefully, my prediction comes true, and Jones will get the glory he deserves!