Oscar Predictions: Phase Two

By Ryan O'Connell on 01/28/2014 • ( 0 )

To see Phase One of Giddy Up America’s road to my Oscar Predictions, go HERE.

My mission to see as many Oscar-nominated movies as possible before the Oscars on March 2nd resumed this past weekend as I watched Captain Phillips, which is nominated for Best Picture and Barkhad Abdi is nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

I thought Captain Phillips was good- unexpectedly good actually. It was intense and tight as a drum once you got past the twenty minute mark and the stage & players had been effectively set. It can’t be easy task trying to make a suspenseful movie that has an ending already in place; an ending that most people are familiar with (i.e. he survives.) But director Paul Greengrass pulled it off. And bonus, he threw in a twist- sympathetic pirates! Didn’t see that coming.

This brings us to Abdi, who plays Muse, the head of the previously mentioned sympathetic pirates.

Giddy Up America’s Oscar Predictions: Phase Two

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

As great as Abdi was, I can’t see him winning here. And dude, Abdi was really good. This is a feat made event more impressive when you factor in that this was like, his first acting gig. His IMDb page consists of Captain Phillips, followed by a slew of interviews he’s done. He has a haunting presence; almost ghost-like and he speaks in a halting, lyrical way. The phrase everything will be all right, Irish flows off his tongue in a soothing, yet disturbing way- as if it’s a something he says to himself to help him sleep at night. He really did a great job. He gets the participation ribbon in this category. Too many heavy-hitters for him to have a shot. I’m still pro-Fassbender here.

Best Picture

Seeing Captain Phillips didn’t sway how I feel about the Best Picture race- I’m still leaning heavily towards 12 Years a Slave. Totally cool with it being nominated, though.

Best Actor

But you know what I’m not totally cool with? Tom Hanks not being nominated. That fifth spot, the Honor to be Nominated, but Not Going to Win spot should have been Hanks, not Christian Bale, who was nominated for American Hustle. Bale is good, but personally, I think Hanks was better. Bale doesn’t carry American Hustle like Hanks carries Captain Phillips. And the last twenty minutes of Captain Phillips? Well if that can’t get a dude like Hanks nominated for Oscar, I don’t know what does.

Movies left to see: Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Gravity, Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Jasmine

Photos: Sony – Columbia Pictures