The Half Empty Picks for The Oscars

Now I have made an effort this year to see as many of the Oscar-nominated films as possible and have spent a pretty impressive sum of dead presidents doing so. So I think I have earned the right to do what I have seen on all the news and politics shows that I watch on a daily basis. I deserve the right to present my predictions for the winners at The Oscars tomorrow night.

 

So here goes.

Best Picture goes to “Lincoln.” No doubt. Doris Kearnes Goodwin’s story of Lincoln’s struggle to get his 13^th Amendment passed became the year’s lesson in history, a better lesson than the killing of UBL.

Best Actor? Hands down Daniel Day Lewis. Hal Holbrook did a good Lincoln on the 80’s mini-series “North and South” but you close your eyes and you heard Holbrook. You close your eyes at the movies and you heard Lincoln.

Best Actress. Jennifer Lawrence. The film was surprisingly good, and you figure out why when you realize that if anyone else played Tiffany it would have been just a so-so film.

Best Supporting Actor. Alan Arkin. If  you don’t agree, argo fuck yourself.

Best Supporting Actress. Sally Field. It’s all about how The Flying Nun finally gets to play Mary Todd Lincoln and you don’t even realize it’s her.

Cinematography. “Life of Pi.” It was the cinematography that made it possible to turn that book into a movie. Nothing else.

Best Director. David O. Russell. Spielberg directed a bangup movie but only someone as crazy as Russell could have come up with the magic of an undiagnosed bipolar male.

And finally, Best Original Score. Does anyone doubt that it is going to be Adele’s “Skyfall?”