87th Academy Awards Predictions: Be prepared for snubs and surprises!

Less than a day before the 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced by Chris Pine, Alfonso Cuaron and J.J. Abrams. Do you spot anything they have in common? They are stars from star-related films such as Star Trek and Gravity. Does this hint Interstellar will have the most nominations? Very unlikely for the top honours. Therefore, which films will receive nominations for the major categories? To speak with confidence and experience:

Boyhood
Birdman
The Imitation Game
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Selma

The rest is still unclear, and seldom would I use the word 'confused' in the context of predictions. You may skip to the predictions section from here, but filmAEO has valid reasons as to why snubs and surprises would be expected tomorrow.

Best Picture links to Best Director

To get the predictions correctly, one tends to think about the preferences of Academy voters, even provided that they have not screened some films at all. Therefore, the best way to guess is to see if the strong contenders have a strong deck of other nominations. Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild nominations are great indicators of Oscars nominations, although Golden Globes winners are well known for not accurately matching Oscars winners. The dilemma comes when you see Clint Eastwood (American Sniper) and Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) were the surprising nominations for the Directors Guild of America (DGA awards), instead of Ava DuVernay (Selma) and David Fincher (Gone Girl). This issue backtracks the predictions for Best Picture, and one might think a nomination for Gone Girl would be gone. Also, the thought of Ben Affleck being snubbed two years ago for Argo would remain a classic example for those who did not get a DGA nomination. Thus, filmAEO thinks Ava DuVernay will make it to the five, especially when the Academy favours diversity and the fact that Selma is historically depicting Martin Luther King.

As we all know the Academy tends to think differently, supporters of Wes Anderson may have to be prepared for a snub at Best Director. On the bright side, his sure Best Original Screenplay nomination will solidify the ultimate win, similar to Ben Affleck receiving Best Picture for Argo despite the Director snub. The Directing category is always one of the trickiest to predict due to its limited number of voters within the Academy, unlike DGA which has over thousands of members.

Other tricky categories

Best Supporting Actress
- Jessica Chastain has done a lot of films this year, especially well performed in A Most Violent Year, yet Rene Russo in Nightcrawler can be a threat due to the momentum the film is picking up.
- Laura Dern in Wild can be nominated afterall, despite missing all the nominations for Globes and Screen Actors Guild.

Best Original Score
- Alexandre Desplat clashing his own votes on Unbroken, The Imitation Game and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
- Alexandre Desplat ending up with two nominations.

Best Cinematography
- When Unbroken is not critically acclaimed, but its Cinematographer Roger Deakins is always appraised for whatever he does.

Best Film Editing
- The rule of thumb for most Best Picture nominees to have a least a nomination for editing. Will Lee Smith for Interstellar be nominated when the space-time travelling motion picture has confused most of the audience?

Overall impression

- The contenders for Best Picture that filmAEO has picked are as equally entertaining as one another, unlike last year when American Hustle and Dallas Buyers Club were strongly preferred.
- Some potential contenders have an open-ended conclusion that is seen unclear, and their directors would moan themselves for this.
- In some categories, veterans are in the way of emerging talented artists, but these newbies can still make an impression with a nomination.
- Whatever the result is, be prepared for the snubs and surprises!

KEEP CALM and see predictions from filmAEO :)

filmAEO predictions for 87th Academy Awards

Best Picture

American Sniper

Boyhood

Birdman

Gone Girl

Nightcrawler

Selma

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

Best Director

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

Ava DuVernay (Selma)

Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)

Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Best Actor

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

David Oyelowo (Selma)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

Best Actress

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Jennifer Aniston (Cake)

Best Supporting Actor

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

Robert Duvall (The Judge)

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)

Best Original Screenplay

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Boyhood

Selma

Birdman

Nightcrawler

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Imitation Game

Gone Girl

Whiplash

The Theory of Everything

Wild

Best Animated Feature

The LEGO Movie

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Big Hero 6

Song of the Sea

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Best Foreign Language Film

Ida (Poland)

Tangerines (Estonia)

Wild Tales (Argentina)

Force Majuere (Sweden)

Leviathan (Russia)

Best Cinematography

Interstellar

Mr. Turner

Birdman

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Unbroken

Best Costume Design

Into the Woods

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Mr. Turner

Maleficent

Big Eyes

Best Film Editing

Nightcrawler

Boyhood

The Imitation Game

Whiplash

Birdman

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Foxcatcher

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Production Design

Birdman

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Interstellar

Into the Woods

Mr. Turner

Best Original Score

Interstellar

Gone Girl

The Theory of Everything

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Best Original Song

"Glory" (Selma)

"Everything is Awesome" (The LEGO Movie)

"Mercy Is" (Noah)

"Lost Stars" (Begin Again)

"I'm Not Gonna Miss You" (Glen Campbell… I'll Be Me)

Best Sound Editing

Interstellar

Godzilla

Unbroken

American Sniper

Fury

Best Sound Mixing

Interstellar

American Sniper

Whiplash

Into the Woods

Birdman

Best Visual Effects

Interstellar

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

Godzilla

72nd Golden Globes Predictions

                                                                                                                       Courtesy of Vulture

It is a crucial week ahead for Hollywood because the 87th Academy Awards will be announced on 15th January (Thursday). What is more exciting ahead in a few hours (GMT 01:00, 12th January) would be the 72nd Golden Globes Awards hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for the third consecutive time. Although the Globes has a limited base of voters within their committee, winners of the night will boost momentum in their race for the ultimate honours, the Oscars. At these striking hours of reviewing the nominees for the Globes, filmAEO makes the daring predictions once again.

Motion Picture, Drama

Prediction: Boyhood

Reason: Never has a film done so to put this amount of effort on filming for 12 years. Director Richard Linklater has been making great films over the years and this has truly topped his career. Partricia Arquette's performance which is likely to win Best Supporting Actress would anchor the film's position for this award title.

Motion Picture, Comedy

Prediction: Birdman

Reason: Cinematography utilising natural lighting and contrast, coherence of the story all in one shot with nearly no editing at all (actually there was) and its great cast ensemble etc. These main factors contribute to the win of the title. Possible wins for Best Director and Best Actor, Comedy/Musical increase its chances as well.

Director

Prediction: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

Reason: Lost this title to Martin Scorsese few years ago when he filmed Babel. An overdue for sure and the Globe committee owes him big time. Linklater may take over the title for his 12 years' effort and commitment to Boyhood, yet Inarritu filmed Birdman with less effort and demonstrated the art of filming well balanced in every aspect.

Actor, Drama

Prediction: Eddie Redmayne (Theory of Everything)

Reason: Two words: Stephen Redmayne. His performance, in particular facial expressions, bears a great resemblance to Stephen Hawking in person.

Actor, Comedy/Musical

Prediction: Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Reason: Been quiet for many years and his acting potential is yet to be noticed since Batman. All you need is one film in your acting career to take away the top prizes, and this is the moment for Michael Keaton.

Actress, Drama

Prediction: Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Reason: Seeing the changes of an Alzhemier patient and understanding them through Julianne's performance, they are simply the winning elements when emotions convert into votes. Julianne is also nominated in Actress, Comedy/Musical category this year. This is the right moment to give her the title, which is also an appraisal for her amazing performances throughout these years.

Actress, Comedy/Musical

Prediction: Emily Blunt (Into the Woods)

Reason: If Amy Adams did not win last year, the title would have been hers. However, Emily Blunt's singing and acting is equally as amazing as Amy in Big Eyes.

Supporting Actor

Prediction: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Reason: This is the tempo you need as a supporting actor. Simmons' character has amplified the intensity of Whiplash.

Supporting Actress

Prediction: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Reason: She is the center of mass for Boyhood as the Mother to bring up the Boy. Great performance all the way through the film, meanwhile seeing her physical changes (aging) and the audience will always remember her last scene before the film ends.

Screenplay

Prediction: Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Reason: The Grand Budapest Hotel has become the highest grossing film of Wes Anderson's works. This is the category in which he would be recognised and rewarded for. 

Animated Feature

Prediction: The LEGO Movie

Reason: Everything is AWESOME! Lego has been a childhood memory for most of these Globes voters, and the many characters will be the everlasting collective memory for audience and future generations.

Foreign Language Film

Prediction: Ida 


87th Academy Awards Predictions up soon at filmAEO. Stay tuned!

Countdown: Top 10 films of 2014

Countdown to 2015 is approaching, so at this point of 2014, it is the moment for filmAEO to embrace yet another year of great films. It is not a usual practice for film critics to say the year was not overwhelmed with great movies, however filmAEO must point out that the 'Best Picture' race is really tight as there is clearly no greatest of the great. I believe the answer will be clearer when the Oscar nominations are announced in two weeks. No matter how, for the films that filmAEO have already viewed, we present our countdown for the top 10 films of 2014 in preferential order:

1. Nightcrawler
2. Gone Girl
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. The Lego Movie
6. Boyhood
7. Edge of Tomorrow
8. Interstellar
9. The Imitation Game
10. The Theory of Everything

If you have seen our top 10, have an eye on the following list as your pre-countdown activity. We present you the list of notable 2014 films:

- Begin Again
- Big Hero 6
- How To Train Your Dragon 2
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Foxcatcher
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- 22 Jump Street

Unfortunately, some films are scheduled for showings in 2015, but we know they have been picking up good reviews throughout the year. They could have been potentially placed either at top 10 or the notable films. Therefore, we are daring enough to present you the great films that are yet to be viewed:

- Birdman
- Whiplash
- Selma
- A Most Violent Year
- American Sniper
- Top Five
- Ida
- Force Majeure
- Wild

Trust our list of recommendations when you find nothing better to do than watching a good film before countdown. filmAEO wishes you all a great year ahead! Do not forget to check your watches for countdown while viewing these great films.

Farewell 2014, bring it on, 2015!

filmAEO

The Race Continues - 72nd Golden Globes Predictions

                                                                                  Courtesy: Indiewire

Importance of the SAG and the Golden Globes

Following the announcement of Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Golden Globes will hit Hollywood with another huge wave of excitement on tomorrow 13:00 (GMT). What is so special about all these nominations and awards? Well, they are precursors to Oscar winners of the year which will be announced in January. Whoever wants to catch an eye among Oscar voters should better earn a nomination in SAG and the Golden Globes. It is all about the momentum along the race, especially when media sets to play an important role nowadays.

Before we look into filmAEO's predictions for the Globes, let us have a quick review on the SAG nominations announced today, and what they would potentially mean at the Oscars.

Review: The 'expected' and 'surprising' SAG nominations

As mentioned in the previous post, it is a highly competitive year of performances, and the term 'snubs' may not truly reflect the nature of the race. The nature would result in either 'within expectations' or 'surprises' that you would think he/she actually well performed. 

The Best Supporting Actor category was an example of what filmAEO would regard as 'within expectations'. We were uncertain about Robert Duvall's position in the beginning, but he has earned his place in the end as a veteran. Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo and J.K. Simmons were the sure bets and they are likely to be announced as nominees at the Globes tomorrow.

There are several underrated performances which are honoured within the SAG nominations. Naomi Watts' performance in St. Vincent was good but you could find better options to fill in your ballots. Yet, her overall presence for the film and dynamic with Bill Murray to whom he would refer as the 'Lady of the Night' caught the eye of both audience and voters. Her Eastern European accent was astonishingly amazing. filmAEO was glad to be surprised by her presence at the SAG.

Another surprise is Jennifer Aniston in Cake. She is similar to last year's Matthew McConaughey when they are actors/actresses that have been around in comedies and B-rated movies. However, if you look at the trailer of Cake, you will see this is a different Jennifer Aniston because of her transformation for the character.

In whatever aspect, Nightcrawler would be filmAEO's top 10 films of 2014. Jake Gyllenhaal has stepped out of his comfort zone and physically transformed himself into an ambitious and dark character for the film. We thought the film would not place any significance at the Oscars, but reconsidering Jake's performance and nomination, we might see changes in the race.

Best Cast Ensemble

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Birdman

Boyhood

The Imitation Game*

Theory of Everything*

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)*

Micheal Keaton (Birdman)

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Jennifer Aniston (Cake)*

Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Robert Duvall (The Judge)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

Naomi Watts (St. Vincent)*

*indicates nominations that filmAEO did not predict on.

The Golden Globes Nominations Predictions

Golden Globes nominations bear some differences from SAG as the lead actor and actress categories will split be into subcategories on drama and comedy/musical. filmAEO hopes our predictions for Globes will exceed our 80% accuracy on SAG.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Boyhood

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory of Everything

Unbroken

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical

Into the Woods

Birdman

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Pride

Begin Again

Best Director

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

Ava DuVernay (Selma)

Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)

David Fincher (Gone Girl)

Best Actor - Drama

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)

David Oyelowo (Selma)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

Best Actress - Drama

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)

Jennifer Aniston (Cake)

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Bill Murray (St. Vincent)

Chris Rock (Top Five)

Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)

Best Actress - Comedy/Musical

Helen Mirren (The Hundred-Foot Journey)

Emily Blunt (Into the Woods)

Amy Adams (Big Eyes)

Keira Knightley (Begin Again)

Angelina Jolie (Maleficent)

Best Supporting Actor

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Johnny Depp (Into the Woods)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

Laura Dern (Wild)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Best Screenplay

Boyhood

Birdman

The Imitation Game

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Gone Girl

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6

The Lego Movie

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Best Foreign Language Film

Two Days, One Night

Ida

Mommy

Leviathan

Force Majeure

filmAEO is back - Screen Actors kicks off the Oscars Season

                                                                             Courtesy of Goldderby

filmAEO is back and we proudly kick off the Oscars race with our predictions on the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) which will be announced on 10th December 2014, 14:00 (GMT).

It is a year of great performances again, which means both critics and voters would struggle to pick the top performances among many. The answer will be revealed in less than a day, and the nominations in SAG were usually a preamble to the Oscars nominations. More importantly, they are quite accurate with their five nominations for each category. 

filmAEO is just as excited to share our visions as other critics do, so here are the nomination predictions.

Best Cast Ensemble

Birdman

Boyhood

Foxcatcher

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Into The Woods

Could you spot all of the actors/actresses in Grand Budapest Hotel?

Best Actor

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

David Oyelowo (Selma)

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher)

From Batman to Birdman, he is Michael Keaton.

Best Actress

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)

Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)

There is no way you can 'forget' her... It's Julianne Moore!

Best Supporting Actor

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Robert Duvall (The Judge)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

Prepare to be whipped. Not your tempo, but it would be J.K. Simmons' to thrill you!

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

Laura Dern (Wild)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

WAIT! Is that Meryl Streep? Yes, it is and she can sing too! Gotta love her!

Would these predictions be right for the Oscars as well? We shall see then. Stay tuned for yet another season of movie awards.

Matthew McConaughey - The Hero We Look Up To

Matthew's Road to the Oscars 

It has been weeks since Matthew McConaughey's Best Actor win for Dallas Buyers Club, and his acceptance speech on looking up to three things in life still attaches to the very bottom of my mind. He set another great example of successful comebacks of Hollywood actors and actresses. There is an answer to his resurrection from shallow romantic comedies to ultimately a transformational and indelible Oscar performance.

Before the instant influence of Dallas Buyers Club and the awareness towards the film, Matthew has already paved his way to be the spotlight of the year. The journey started from the early release of Mud, when he played a convict trying to reunite his lover with the help of two young boys. This Southern drama has echoed the minds of audience and voters at that time, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%. However, being an independent film itself would be a disadvantage if the momentum cannot be built throughout the year of 2013 until the Oscars season. Therefore, it was eventually forgotten by most, along with other indie films such as Fruitvale Station. Yet, Matthew's performance kicked off the goodwill that was later surmounted.

His road to the Oscars continued when Dallas Buyers Club was released in November and the film in general along with Jared Leto's remarkable acting have generated good reviews. Moreover, the release was in coherence with the awards season that earned Matthew nominations in other major awards before the Oscars. The more crucial factor comes when he actually starred in one of the big hits of the year, The Wolf of Wall Street. With the following scene sitting opposite with Leonardo diCaprio, his hums with his fist thumping against his chest set off the tone and pace of the film. Imagine if Leo and Matthew swapped their roles with Leo playing Dallas Buyers Club, one will realise this does not quite work when Leo is always playing characters within his pretty boy image comfort zone. This explains no Oscars yet for Leo.

Truly eye-catching in True Detective

Matthew has already marked a good impression throughout the industry when Oscar voters were about to tick him in their ballots. However, here comes the killing factor that led to the fatality of the other four contenders for Best Actor, which is the HBO production of True Detective. Aired in the period from January till early March with only eight episodes for its first season, True Detective was truly the hit of the time among Americans when the drama is well plotted with conspiracies and suspense. Not only viewers and critics had speculation on what would happen next to the lives of two detectives played by Matthew and Woody Harrelson, this instant influence spread to the film spectrum when voters once again notice Matthew's contribution to the media world. His performance as Rust Cohle was once again as brilliant as what he did in Dallas Buyers Club, delivering physical changes and emotions which viewers and voters like to see. If you are a huge fan of mysteries and in particular an admirer for Matthew, True Detective is absolutely an entertainment to appreciate.

Sadly, Matthew has stated clear that he would not cast in the coming seasons of True Detective.

Coming up next... Interstellar (2014)

The milestone ahead of Matthew, after his Oscar win, comes with the highly speculated film Interstellar (2014) directed by visionary Christopher Nolan. Although the first released trailer did not reveal much about the plot, which is expected of Nolan to keep the suspense, the narrative speech by Matthew drew power and hope to this exciting sci-fi film on wormholes and time travelling.

Interstellar, which will be released in November 2014, is the type of films that are targeted to win awards, in particular its sci-fi plot which its success strongly depends on the technical aspects of filmmaking. My respect for Nolan who insisted on using IMAX cameras to film Interstellar, instead of the recent mainstream DCP which eliminated the use of 35mm films in the past.

Matthew McConaughey is the first Best Actor winner to work with Christopher Nolan, and his recent win would increase the credibility of Interstellar. With Christopher Nolan's vision and mission to film  challenging stories, the character created for Matthew is likely to be scarred by the past and fear, as seen in Batman Begins and Inception. To overcome the barrier, the acting and interpretation of the character will be left to Matthew's talent. If Matthew gets it right, it is very likely to be another Oscar nomination in his record, so one would not disagree that Interstellar generates high expectations. Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain are also the leads in Interstellar.

If Christopher Nolan gets the space-time travelling correct in a clear-cut and logical manner, he will be nominated for Best Director, considering his past snub for Inception.

Interstellar can possibly be nominated for the following categories in the 87th Academy Awards:

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Best Supporting Actress - Jessica Chastain
Best Original Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Cinematography
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Production Design


The Hero

Matthew McConaughey really deserved the Oscar considering his enormous effort and contribution in 2013 and this years yet to come is all down to his positive attitude in chasing after the hero he will never be, as remarkably stated by him at the Oscars acceptance speech. To me, what Matthew has done was an act of hero and to humbly serve the film industry is never a trivial job. Every film lover has their place for heroes in life and in films, and I certainly have mine for Matthew.

86th Academy Awards General Reaction and Views

The Night with Ellen DeGeneres

Back in 2006 when Ellen DeGeneres was the host of the Oscars, she was okay but not amazing. However, she got the gist of being the host for such an important night and turned the viewings around on the evening of 2nd March, 2014.

Her host became the most watched Oscar telecast since 2005. Not only her monologue in the beginning had this charming interaction with the stars that we all admire, but also her spontaneously made up jokes were cool and calm. Even though the stage setting and the flow of the show was average, with her spark of genius, she made close contact with the nominees and guests at the audience.

This selfie, which was first addressed to Meryl Streep so that they could break a record along with Meryl's nomination track record, is the very proof of how resourceful she is to connect viewers of Twitter and on TV to the Hollywood circle. It literally crashed Twitter when it was eventually well taken by Bradley Cooper. The person on the rightmost with black framed glasses is apparently the brother of Lupita Nyong'o (Best Supporting Actress winner). The genius of this selfie even incorporated non-Hollywood people who ultimately can be part of the Hollywood dream.

Ellen redefined the Oscars ceremony and strengthened our awareness to it via social media and the new generation of the film industry.

Another moment of genius came when she suddenly engaged on the view of her guests having pizzas. Although it seemed to have broken the traditional rule of hosting the Oscars, she successfully projected the fundamental human side of stars, when viewers would always think how posh and wealthy the stars dress and behave at these occasions. After all, they are just human beings like one another when they can go casual and not feeling embarrassed in having pizzas. The pizza man just came in with three pizza boxes in one of the intermissions and most of the stars took a slice whenever Ellen invited them to, except for one pooper who acted really uncool, Leonardo diCaprio.

Pizza delivery man became one of the luckiest man to take away a US$840 tip, with Harvey Weinstein tipping in $200 if I recall correctly.

We see Ellen a lot on her shows inviting superstars and questioning them in a cool manner, but her reinvention on the Oscars ceremony really took the ambience to a new level. Thanks to her coolness, genius mind and spontaneity.

Deserving wins and Glamorous moments

• Best Picture: Brad Pitt won his 1st Oscar as a producer for 12 Years A Slave.

•  Best Original Screenplay: Love for Spike Jonze's Her is around.

• Best Actress: Cate blanchett showing her gratitude towards Woody Allen after being the seventh winner from Woody Allen films.

• Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey's acceptance speech was powerful and soulful, listing three principles he cherishes in life. Alright, alright, alright!

• Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto's universal love and support for those who are in need, as well as thanking her mother who raised him and his brother up from hardship.

• Best Animated Feature: Most prepared speech from winners of Frozen. Well-spoken!

Those shocking moments...

Before going into the shocking moments, I have to clarify my belief in Leonardo diCaprio not winning Best Actor is never a shocking moment at all. What was shocking was his joyous face and eventually sucking the pride and tears up when he lost to Matthew McConaughey.

• Whatever category it was nominated for: American Hustle goes home empty handed with 10 nominations. Even more disappointing for its director David O. Russell.
• Best Animated Short: Mickey Mouse's Get a Horse lost to Mr. Hublot.
• Best Original Score: First time nominee Steven Price got his well-composed Gravity on the spot and won the Oscar over 12-time nominee Thomas Newman and 6-time nominee Alexandre Desplat.

Jennifer Lawrence handles her second trip at the Oscars, but this time at the red carpets over a traffic cone. If she had won, a third trip would probably happen. No wonder Ellen joked and offered to bring her the award if she won.

Since when did Ellen dress in a fantasy outfit like that......

Evaluation of filmAEO's predictions

19/24 predictions, achieving an accuracy of 79%

Categories that I missed...

• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Costume Design
• Best Film Editing
• Best Animated Short
• Best Live Action Short

What went wrong...

Best Original Screenplay: Her (Winner); American Hustle (Prediction)

Best Costume Design: The Great Gatsby (Winner); American Hustle (Prediction)

• Thought American Hustle would win something at least for their costumes that truly reflected the 70s and its clever plot and dialogue of con artists, agents and politicians, considering its 10 nominations.
• Originally thought The Great Gatsby will just win one Oscar for Best Production Design. 
• American Hustle possesses both originality and the fun element, whereas Her is truly original yet sad and serious.

Best Film Editing: Gravity (Winner); Captain Phillips (Prediction)

• Thought Tom Hank's Best Actor and Paul Greengrass' Best Director snubs would bring the film some sympathetic support, especially for its intensive way of editing the film.
• Recent win for ACE Eddie Awards could gather stronger support to vote for Captain Phillips.
• Technical voters are still amazed by the achievement and breakthrough of Gravity.

Best Animated Short: Mr. Hublot (Winner); Get a Horse (Prediction)

Best Live Action Short: Helium (Winner); The Voorman Problem (Prediction)

• Both categories have been historically hard to make a guess unless you have seen them all, which filmAEO has not, except Get A Horse.
• Thought there was a strong support for Mickey Mouse, considering its last win was many years ago.

filmAEO's analysis on Oscars will see you all in next year!

General discussions about films will be continued, starting with Best Actor winner Matthew McConaughey :)

Interstellar (2014) directed by Christopher Nolan; starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain