Oscar Predictions 2013: Les Miserables, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty Will Be Nominated For Best Picture

Culture

According to PolicyMic pundit Cady McClain

The first predicted nominee is, "Zero Dark Thirty. In this film director Kathryn Bigelow follows the story of the hunt for and death of one of America’s greatest enemies. I expected this film to be about rock star Marines who macho it up and save our country. Boy was I wrong. Not only does the film have an entirely different focus, it goes deep within the emotional dedication and passion that those without a gun possess. Because of her former win as Best Director, this film has every chance at being nominated. Elegantly shot and brilliantly edited it takes us all on an important trip, challenging the preconceptions of all who see it.

Because of its similar ability to take us inside the process of war, Argo will also be nominated. With this film, Ben Affleck has graduated to being a master at his craft, and the Academy always loves a young Cinderella story. Tense to the very end, we are forced to consider the dangerous game our country plays in foreign affairs and the all too human cost. Its nod to Hollywood cannot be underestimated. Who doesn’t like to think they saved the world?

One cannot argue that the president who forced through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is one of the most revered in our history, and with his film Lincoln, director Steven Spielberg has created a fine homage to the man. As we are taken inside the process of law, I found it impossible to not reflect on our own Congress and wonder about the back door machinations currently being employed. An important film for current generations as well as those to come, no longer will anyone wonder how hard it is to be the president when the country is so divided. When it comes to celebrating a body of work, Spielberg is without a doubt first in line in this group, but whether his film will hit all the buttons of the Academy is yet to be seen.

Another civil war is at the heart of the next film which I believe will be nominated, Les Miserables. Although the totalitarianism and elitism at the heart of the French Revolution is not yet America’s issue, they are issues that define us all the same: Europe’s hard won lessons have become America’s study guide of “What Not to Do.” There is no arguing that director Tom Hooper has made a gorgeous film and that his recent win for The King’s Speech gives this film, his follow up, a special edge but it relies a bit too much on close ups for my taste. That said, one cannot deny that the movie musical is now a force of dramatic storytelling with which to be reckoned.

Although it is a long shot, I think there is a chance the Academy will remember the power of the film The Dark Knight Rises and if they don’t … well, they should. It is without a doubt a film about the origins of war, exposing the dark heart of a revolution. It was hard not to see similarities to our current culture as both “Bain” capital and the Occupy movement took center stage. An emotional, epic event, this film reminded us of the power of film to affect us on a deep personal level, unsettling the strong and undoing the weakest amongst us to horrific end. Director Christopher Nolan created a film that may turn out to have the longest shelf life in the bunch.

There are many, many other films that I think should be nominated, but I chose these five based on the criteria that they dealt with the theme of war, a topic I think extremely relevant to our American culture at this moment in time. There is another theme, that of liberation from slavery, that I could write another article about and it would be just as valid an argument. Django Unchained is one of the best films on the subject ever made and deserves all the recognition it can get. I hope that it will get a nomination, but it is hard to say given that it may offend some people’s taste.

Other films that made my list but did not fall into the war category are The MasterCloud AltasSkyfallThe SessionsLife of PiFlightThe Perks of Being a WallflowerSilver Linings PlaybookBeasts of the Southern WildMoonrise Kingdom, and The Impossible. I believe all these will all be vying for a spot on the list of Ten Best Films of 2013."