Silver Linings vs. Les Mis and The Oscar Race

     I have just recently seen two of the upcoming Oscar nominated films, Silver Linings Playbook and Les Miserables.  While they are both very different films, I am going to give my two cents here as to what I liked and didn't like about both as well as my Oscar predictions for each.
     Lets start with Silver Linings... Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro were all amazing as the acting is what made this film shine.  The quirky story about a released mental patient who is trying to reconcile with his estranged wife and yet falls in love with another woman was a refreshing change.  The edition of a dance contest into the storyline at the same time as the championship football game created a unique and fun climax to this romantic comedy.  I really liked Bradley's character and while Jennifer Lawrence also did an amazing job, Bradley steals the show.
     Les Miserables is a wonderful musical but as a film I felt it was a little slow and at times boring.  The casting and acting were great but the film itself lagged and was hindered by the directors insistance to film all of the sound live instead of dubbing it in later.  This created an issue for the cameras as they had to be in a good position to collect sound as well as the picture and was therefore stuck on characters who were singing for very long periods of time.  Also the audio was still hard to hear in some places which is frustrating when the characters are mostly singing instead of talking.  In terms of singing, most of the actors were pretty good and could hold their own through most of the songs, but there were a few cringe moments with Hugh Jackman and Russell Crow on a couple of notes.  The sets and costumes were wonderful and the little boy who played Gavroche stole my heart, but overall it was a good film not a great one.
     Both Silver Linings Playbook and Les Miserables are up for Best Picture this year but I don't think either one has a chance.  The big prize will either go to Lincoln or Argo (my vote is Argo), but both films have a chance in some other categories.  Anne Hathaway deserves the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Fantine in Les Mis and might very well win it as her only competition is Sally Field from Lincoln.  Bradley Cooper, while amazing, will not win Best Actor and neither will Hugh Jackman as that prize will go to Daniel Day Lewis who was Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln.  He so embodies our former President that you hardly realize it is an actor and not the man himself come back from the dead.  Jennifer Lawrence has a better chance of winning for Best Actress than her co-star although Naomi Watts may pull out a win for her role in The Impossible.  In the Best Supporting Actor category, Robert De Niro is nominated for Silver Linings but I think that Alan Arkin should win for Argo instead.  Even though De Niro was great, Arkin was even better.

Skyfall, The New Bond Standard!

Skyfall is the best Bond movie I have seen in years.  While some are complaining that it is too action packed and strays too far from the original Bond films of the 60's that it pays homage to, I disagree.  Bond has developed and changed over the years based on the changes in society.  This most recent film reflects that with it's combination of traditional Bond characters along with modern technology and Jason Bourne type action.  To me it was thrilling!  The opening sequence of motorcycles on rooftops and then a fight on top of a moving train was exceptionally done.  I was on the edge of my seat.  The opening credits appear after this adrenalin burst with a haunting song by Adele that blew me away.  The song incorporates the traditional Bond theme along with a video sequence that  I could watch for hours by itself.  I won't give away the plot but the villain is quite creepy at times and the non stop action oriented plot kept me riveted throughout the entire film.  Daniel Craig has become my favorite Bond behind Sean Connery and I hope there is another film in the works to keep the thrill alive.