2013 Oscars picks

Let's dive right in and go top to bottom, shall we? My picks are in bold. Mind you, I was split on a number of the categories (the bigger ones ... and some of the technical/smaller ones), so I'd also be pleased with films/people other than my picks winning. Here's hoping I get at least 12 of the 24 categories right.

Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper
Daniel Day Lewis
Hugh Jackman
Joaquin Phoenix
Denzel Washington

Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin
Robert De Niro
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Tommy Lee Jones
Christoph Waltz

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain
Jennifer Lawrence
Emmanuelle Riva
Quevenzhané Wallis
Naomi Watts

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams
Sally Field
Anne Hathaway
Helen Hunt
Jacki Weaver

Directing
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Cinematography
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Costume Design
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Animated Feature
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

Animated Short Film
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head Over Heels
The Longest Daycare
Paperman

Production Design
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Foreign Language Film
Amour
Kon-Tiki
No
A Royal Affair
War Witch

Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching For Sugar Man

Documentary Short
Inocente
Kings Ponit
Mondays at Rancine
Open Heart
Redemption

Live Action Short Film
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry

Film Editing
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Makeup and Hairstyling
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

Original Score
Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Original Song
"Before My Time"
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend"
"Pi's Lullaby"
"Skyfall"
"Suddenly"

Sound Editing
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Sound Mixing
Argo
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Adapted Screenplay
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Original Screenplay
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

On Cars (or What Happened To Car Artistry?)

"Almost two weeks into the new year and this is the first blog post he puts up," you must be thinking.  Hey, I've got excuses - probably not necessarily good ones (marathoning Castle, reading on and off, sending in job application after job application) - but they're excuses nonetheless.  Anyways, something has been on my mind since New Year's Eve.

I was driving into Westchester to celebrate with my college friend Jeremy, some of our mutual college friends from the area, and some of his USY friends.  We were all going to crash there, but that's not important in the long run here in this post.  So, while driving across the bridge, I passed a white car with an angelic hood ornament that I estimated to be somewhere around 80 years old.  It wasn't decrepit or falling apart, but instead in stellar condition.  This was a seriously Nice Car.

A Rolls Royce Wraith (Picture from Motorstown)

I don't usually pay attention to cars nowadays because they all look similar, or at least middle-class consumer cars (Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Volkswagen  etc.) do.  They do very little to stand out.  Sure, they might have a rear spoiler or something cool to make them stand out, but they don't pop, if you will.  And I'm not really a car person.  Yes, I can change a tire, check the oil level, check tire pressure, polish the headlights and taillights, hand wash the car, etc., but that's the extent of it.

But this Nice Car - it popped.  I did a little Googling (Yes, I verbed a noun, so what?) the next day based on the details I could remember (spare tires on the side of the hood, wide-eyed headlights, angelic hood ornament), and I discovered that it was a Rolls Royce, but I found a few possible contenders for what the model was.  I managed to narrow it down to a Wraith, Silver Phantom, or a 25/30, and I was satisfied at that.

"Now, why is this of any concern to us?" you're probably asking.  It shouldn't necessarily be of any concern, but more interest in an opinion.  Older cars, especially well-maintained ones, have an aesthetic that sticks around.  Look at the Wraith pictured above.  The headlights and grille give the appearance of a face.  Just think of Cruella de Vil's car in the animated 101 Dalmatians!  The side-mounted tires can be easily accessed instead of rummaging around the trunk to free the spare tire.  The wells over the tires ... well, they look cool.  The whole car looks cool.  And I like seeing cool cars, like old Beetles ("Punch-Buggie red, no punch-backs!").  Nowadays, the main cool cars are expensive sports cars, which are more or less pipe dreams for those who drive sedans, minivans, SUVs, and so on.

I guess it's a little pipe dream of mine to own a classic car like this.  I blame the Dirk Pitt novels I was into in middle school (and some of high school) and the Herbie films.

TL;DR - I saw an old Rolls Royce, which I thought was cool because of the aesthetic nature of older cars compared to today's automobile fare.

Music:
Experimental Film (TMBG)
Payne's Bay (Beirut)
Die Alone (Ingrid Michaelson)
Rocky Ground (Bruce Springsteen)
The Man From The Turnaround (Robbers on High Street)
Come On (Friska Viljor)
Meg White (Ray LaMontagne)
A Hard One To Know (Benjamin Gibbard)
Holland Road (Mumford and Sons)
State of the Art (Gotye)
Chugjug (Family of the Year)
Lost (Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra)
Yankee Bayonet (The Decemberists)

2012 in TV

I usually don't keep track of TV shows I watch each year, as I've watched a few network shows and more cable shows in recent years. Anyways, there's an increase in the amount of British programming on my queue, along with some noteworthy dramas (Sherlock, Downton, Thrones, Breaking Bad, and Luther) and fan-favorite children/YA programs (Avatar, Korra, Adventure Time, and Gravity Falls). So here's the list. I'd recommend most of the programs. Happy watching!

Viewed

Jekyll
Sherlock (series 2)
Downton Abbey (series 1)
Fringe (season 4)
Avatar (all 3 seasons)
Alcatraz
Game of Thrones (seasons 1 and 2)
The Fades (series 1)
Korra (book 1/half of season 1)
Whitechapel (series 1)
Bedlam (series 1)
Breaking Bad (seasons 1 - 4)
Eureka (season 5)
Luther (series 1 and 2)
Adventure Time (seasons 1 - 4)
The Hour (series 1)
Castle (seasons 1 + 2)

Still In Progress (for obvious reasons)

Gravity Falls (season 1) - Disney needs to manage the airing of new episodes better.
Fringe (season 5) - 3 more episodes to go ...
Revolution (season 1) - Decent, but I'm watching because of Abrams, Favreau, and Kripke.
The Walking Dead (season 3) - Getting better and better since season 3.
Warehouse 13 (season 4) - One of my weekly pleasures.
Doctor Who (series 7) - Despite the recent ups and downs, I'm still watching. Plus, Neil Cross has two episodes in the second half of the current series, along with Neil Gaiman.
Adventure Time (season 5) - Addictive and highly amusing.
The Hour (series 2) - One episode behind (it's on the DVR), but I'm really enjoying Whishaw, Capaldi, and West, as well as the police corruption arc of the current series.
Castle (season 3) - So much love for the show. Dunno why I didn't start watching earlier.

2012 in Novels

Another record-setting year for me with plenty more graphic novels than last year (just over half of the list this year) and a total of 52 novels this year, making it a novel a week (if you don't count the graphic novels). Happy reading!

1. Side Jobs (Jim Butcher) 
2. The Fault In Our Stars (John Green) 
3. Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut) 
4. A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess) 
5. Batman Reborn: Gotham City Sirens (Paul Dini) 
6. Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories (Paul Dini) 
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) 
8. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) 
9. The World According To Garp (John Irving) 
10. A Taste of Honey (Shelagh Delaney) 
11. Look Back In Anger (John Osbourne) 
12. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Allan Sillitoe) 
13. Spider-Man Noir (David Hine) 
14. X-Men Noir (Fred Van Lente) 
15. The Waking (Raven Gregory) 
16. Psylocke (Chris Yost) 
17. Madame Mirage (Paul Dini) 
18. Iron Man: Extremis (Warren Ellis) 
19. Spider-Man: Fever (Brendan McCarthy) 
20. The Buddha of Suburbia (Hanif Kureishi) 
21. American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis) 
22. Wonder Woman: Love and Murder (Jodi Picoult) 
23. Persepolis 1: The Story of A Childhood (Marjane Satrapi) 
24. Persepolis 2: The Story of A Return (Marjane Satrapi) 
25. Why We Broke Up (Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman) 
26. Londonstani (Gautam Malkani) 
27. Thank You For Smoking (Christopher Buckley) 
28. Lamb (Christopher Moore) 
29. DC/Wildstorm: Dream War (Giffen) 
30. Locke & Key: Clockworks (Vol. 5) (Joe Hill) 
31. Ghost Story (Jim Butcher) 
32. 11/22/63 (Stephen King) 
33. The Wind Through The Keyhole (Stephen King) 
34. Doctor No (Ian Fleming) 
35. From Russia With Love (Ian Fleming) 
36. Goldfinger (Ian Fleming) 
37. Memorial (Chris Roberson) 
38. R.I.P.: Best of 1985 – 2004 (Thomas Ott) 
39. Hark! A Vagrant (Kate Beaton) 
40. Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Ramon K. Perez) 
41. Thunderball (Ian Fleming) 
42. The Walking Dead Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars (Robert Kirkman) 
43. You Only Live Twice (Ian Fleming) 
44. Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Part 1 (Gene Yang) 
45. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Ian Fleming) 
46. Batman: Earth One (Geoff Johns) 
47. Diamonds Are Forever (Ian Fleming) 
48. Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Part 2 (Gene Yang) 
49. Live and Let Die (Ian Fleming) 
50. Chew: Tasters Choice (Vol. 1) (John Layman) 
51. Chew: International Flavor (Vol. 2) (John Layman) 
52. Chew: Just Desserts (Vol. 3) (John Layman) 
53. Chew: Flambé (Vol. 4) (John Layman) 
54. Chew: Major League Chew (Vol. 5) (John Layman) 
55. The Man With The Golden Gun (Ian Fleming) 
56. The Sandman: The Wake (Vol. 10) (Neil Gaiman) 
57. The Spy Who Loved Me (Ian Fleming) 
58. Y: The Last Man – Cycles (Vol. 2) (Brian K. Vaughn) 
59. Moonraker (Ian Fleming) 
60. Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse – Birds, Bees, Blood & Beer (Vol 1.) (Ben Templesmith) 
61. Joker (Brian Azzarello) 
62. For Your Eyes Only (Ian Fleming) 
63. Grim Leaper (Kurtis J. Wiebe) 
64. Octopussy and The Living Daylights (Ian Fleming) 
65. Y: The Last Man – One Small Step (Vol. 3) (Brian K. Vaughn) 
66. Shadow Show (Sam Weller and Mort Castle) 
67. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) 
68. Smoke and Mirrors (Neil Gaiman) 
69. The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep And Never Had To (DC Pierson) 
70. Preacher: Gone To Texas (Vol. 1) (Garth Ennis) 
71. Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie) 
72. Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Part 3 (Gene Yang) 
73. Anya’s Ghost (Vera Brosgol) 
74. Wildwood (Colin Meloy) 
75. The Perks of Being A Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) 
76. The Name of the Star (Maureen Johnson) 
77. Casino Royale (Ian Fleming) 
78. Redshirts (John Scalzi) 
79. Lost At Sea (Bryan Lee O’Malley) 
80. The Time Keeper (Mitch Albom) 
81. Every Day (David Levithan) 
82. The Pearl (John Steinbeck) 
83. Star Trek/Doctor Who: Assimilation^2 (Vol. 1 – Issues 1 – 4) (Scott and David Tipton) 
84. Under Wildwood (Colin Meloy) 
85. The Walking Dead: The Heart’s Desire (Volume 4) (Robert Kirkman) 
86. Drive (James Sallis) 
87. Friends With Boys (Faith Erin Hicks) 
88. Brain Camp (Susan Kim) 
89. Saga: Volume 1 (Brian K. Vaughn) 
90. The Woman Who Died A Lot (Jasper Fforde) 
91. Edge of Doom (Steve Niles) 
92. Tune: Vanishing Point (Vol. 1) (Derek Kirk Kim) 
93. The Bride Wore Black Leather (Simon R. Green) 
94. Chew: Space Cakes (Vol. 6) (John Layman) 
95. Feed (M.T. Anderson) 
96. Days Missing (Vol. 1) (Phil Hester, David Hine, Ian Edginton) 
97. Days Missing: Kestus (Vol. 2) (Phil Hester, David Marquez, Trevor Roth) 
98. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (Jenny Lawson) 
99. Witch Doctor: Under The Knife (Vol. 1) (Brandon Seifert) 
100. Darth Vader and Son (Jeffrey Brown)
101. Morning Glories: For a Better Future (Vol. 1) (Nick Spencer) 
102. The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity (Vol. 1) (Mike Carey) 
103. Morning Glories: All Will Be Free (Vol. 2) (Nick Spencer) 
104. Morning Glories: P.E. (Vol. 3 (Nick Spencer) 
105. Doctor Who/Star Trek: Assimilation^2 (Vol. 2 – Issues 5 – 8) (Scott and David Tipton) 
106. The Manhattan Projects: Science Bad (Vol. 1) (Jonathan Hickman) 
107. A Dirty Job (Christopher Moore) 
108. Thief of Thieves: I Quit (Vol. 1) (Nick Spencer and Robert Kirkman) 
109. Revival: You’re Among Friends (Vol. 1) (Tim Seeley)

2012 in Films

Looking over this list, I realize that this year was another record-setter, both in terms of first-time views, theatrical screenings (32 2012 releases ... or at least films in US theaters this year (not counting the first three on the list or re-release screenings)), and rewatches (having seen the film in prior years).  I won't be reviewing these films on the blog, but I've been keeping track on my Tumblr.  I was seeing if I could watch 365 films in the year, as there was a challenge going around Tumblr.  I didn't make it to 365, but making it about a third of the way is still a pretty big accomplishment in my book.  You can find a nicely organized list with reviews (in pieces) here.

1) Tinker Tailor Solider Spy (dir. Tomas Alfresdon, 2011)
2) The Artist (dir. Michel Hazanavicius, 2011)
3) The Descendants (dir. Alexander Payne, 2011)
4) Dogma (dir. Kevin Smith, 1999)
5) The Maltese Falcon (dir. John Huston, 1941)
6) Beauty and the Beast (dir. Gary Trousdale and Kurt Wise, 1991) - theatrical rewatch
7) Chaplin (dir. Richard Attenborough, 1992)
8) Blade Runner (dir. Ridley Scott, 1982/1991 Director's Cut)
9) Star Trek (dir. JJ Abrams, 2009)
10) Michael Clayton (dir. Tony Gilroy, 2007)
11) Double Indemnity (dir. Billy Wilder, 1944)
12) While You Were Sleeping (dir. Jon Turtletaub, 1995)
13) Thor (dir. Kenneth Branagh, 2011) - rewatch
14) Serenity (dir. Joss Whedon, 2005) - rewatch
15) Laura (dir. Otto Preminger, 1944)
16) Scarlet Street (dir. Fritz Lang, 1945)
17) Atlantis (dir. Gary Trousdale and Kurt Wise, 2001) - rewatch
18) The Killers (dir. Robert Siodmak, 1946)
19) John Carter (dir. Andrew Stanton, 2012)
20) The Hurt Locker (dir. Kathryn Bigelow, 2009) - rewatch
21) Game Change (dir. Jay Roach, 2012)
22) The Seventh Seal (dir. Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
23) The World According to Garp (dir. George Roy Hill, 1982)
24) Out of the Past (dir. George Tourneur, 1947)
25) The Hunger Games (dir. Gary Ross, 2012)
26) The Lady From Shanghai (dir. Orson Welles, 1947)
27) Meet Joe Black (dir. Martin Brest, 1998)
28) American Psycho (dir. Mary Harron, 1999) - rewatch
29) He Walked By Night (dir. Anthony Mann, 1948)
30) The Cabin In The Woods (dir. Drew Goddard, 2010/2011/2012)
31) Gun Crazy (dir. Joseph H. Lewis, 1949)
32) DOA (dir. Rudolph Maté, 1950)
33) Thank You For Smoking (dir. Jason Reitman, 2005/2006) - rewatch
34) Kiss Me Deadly (dir. Robert Aldrich, 1956)
35) The Avengers (dir. Joss Whedon, 2012)
36) The Killing (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1956)
37) Dark Shadows (dir. Tim Burton, 2012)
38) Strangers on a Train (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1950)
39) Primer (dir. Shane Carruth, 2004)
40) Safe House (dir. Daniel Espinosa, 2012)
41) Rushmore (dir. Wes Anderson, 1999)
42) Prometheus (dir. Ridley Scott, 2012)
43) Doctor No (dir. Terence Young, 1962) - rewatch
44) Martha Marcy May Marlene (dir. Sean Durkin, 2011)
45) The Ides of March (dir. George Clooney, 2011)
46) Being Elmo (dir. Constance Marks, 2011)
47) From Russia With Love (dir. Terence Young, 1963) - rewatch
48) Moonrise Kingdom (dir. Wes Anderson, 2012)
49) Brave (dir. Mark Andrews, 2012)
50) Goldfinger (dir. Guy Hamilton, 1964) - rewatch
51) Inglorious Basterds (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2010)
52) The Adventures of Tintin (dir. Steven Spielberg, 2011) - rewatch
53) The Cove (dir. Louis Psihoyos, 2009)
54) Thunderball (dir. Terence Young, 1965) - rewatch
55) Ultimate Avengers (dir. Curt Geda, Steven E. Gordon, and Bob Richardson, 2006)
56) The Amazing Spider-Man (dir. Marc Webb, 2012)
57) Monsters (dir. Gareth Edwards, 2010)
58) You Only Live Twice (dir. Lewis Gilbert, 1967) - rewatch
59) Iron Man (dir. Jon Favreau, 2008) - rewatch
60) The Perfect Host (dir. Nick Tomnay, 2010)
61) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (dir. Peter Hunt, 1969) - rewatch
62) The Dark Knight Rises (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2012)
63) Diamonds Are Forever (dir. Guy Hamilton, 1971) - rewatch
64) Beasts of the Southern Wild (dir. Benh Zeitlin, 2012)
65) Live and Let Die (dir. Guy Hamilton, 1973) - rewatch
66) The Intouchables (dir. Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano, 2011)
67) The Man With The Golden Gun (dir. Guy Hamilton, 1974) - rewatch
68) Ruby Sparks (dir. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, 2012)
69) The Bourne Legacy (dir. Tony Gilroy, 2012)
70) The Spy Who Loved Me (dir. Lewis Gilbert, 1977) - rewatch
71) Miss Representation (dir. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, 2011)
72) Inside Job (dir. Charles Ferguson, 2010)
73) ParaNorman (dir. Sam Fell and Chris Butler, 2012)
74) Moonraker (dir. Lewis Gilbert, 1979) - rewatch
75) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (dir. Brad Bird, 2011) - rewatch
76) For Your Eyes Only (dir. John Glen, 1981) - rewatch
77) Good Night, and Good Luck (dir. George Clooney, 2005)
78) Gangs of New York (dir. Martin Scorsese, 2002)
79) Octopussy (dir. John Glen, 1983) - rewatch
80) Blood Simple (dir. Joel Coen, 1984/2000 Director's Cut)
81) Big Trouble In Little China (dir. John Carpenter, 1986)
82) A View To A Kill (dir. John Glen, 1985) - rewatch
83) Dr. Strangelove (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1964) - rewatch
84) Raiders of the Lost Ark (dir. Steven Spielberg, 1981) - rewatch (theatrical/anniversary re-release)
85) The Living Daylights (dir. John Glen, 1987) - rewatch
86) Los Cronoscrimenes (Timecrimes) (dir. Nacho Vigalondo, 2007)
87) The Help (dir. Tate Taylor, 2011)
88) Howl's Moving Castle (dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2004)
89) Cowboy Bebop (dir. Shinichiro Watanabe, 2001)
90) Licence To Kill (dir. John Glen, 1989) - rewatch
91) The Master (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)
92) GoldenEye (dir. Martin Campbell, 1995) - rewatch
93) Tomorrow Never Dies (dir. Roger Spottiswoode, 1997) - rewatch
94) Looper (dir. Rian Johnson, 2012)
95) The World Is Not Enough (dir. Michael Apted, 1999) - rewatch
96) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (dir. Stephen Chbosky, 2012)
97) Die Another Day (dir. Lee Tamahori, 2002) - rewatch
98) Slither (dir. James Gunn, 2006)
99) Casino Royale (dir. Martin Campbell, 2006) - rewatch
100) Quantum of Solace (dir. Marc Forster, 2008) - rewatch
101) Seven Psychopaths (dir. Martin McDonagh, 2012)
102) Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 (dir. Stevan Riley, 2012)
103) We Have a Pope (dir. Nanni Moretti, 2011)
104) Argo (dir. Ben Affleck, 2012)
105) SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden (dir. John Stockwell, 2012)
106) Wreck-It Ralph (dir. Rich Moore, 2012)
107) Persepolis (dir. Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, 2007)
108) Skyfall (dir. Sam Mendes, 2012)
109) And Then There Were None (dir. George Pollack, 1965)
110) The Sessions (dir. Ben Lewin, 2012)
111) Sound of My Voice (dir. Zal Batmanglij, 2011/2012)
112) Safety Not Guaranteed (dir. Colin Trevorrow, 2012)
113) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (dir. Peter Jackson, 2012)
114) Lincoln (dir. Steven Spielberg, 2012)
115) Ink (dir. Jamin Winans, 2009)
116) Les Misérables (dir. Tom Hooper, 2012)
117) Young Frankenstein (dir. Mel Brooks, 1974) - rewatch
118) Django Unchained (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2012)