Ending the Year with a Bang

          Filming the morning announcements today was actually a lot of fun. I thought that the whole thing was going to be stressful all over again, but it wasn't at all. I admit, I was a bit anxious before we started, but as things progressed, I felt more optimistic. I guess what made a difference this time was that we didn't have to get a perfect take the whole way through. We were able to stop and just pick up where we left off. In fact, we even finished with fifteen minutes left to spare. That's crazy.

          The scripting process was actually a bit messy. We spent so much time organizing the way we would write it. When it came time to actually start scripting, Alexa, Spencer, and I just kind of stared at the screen and wondered how the hell we were going to start. We had to make sure that everything flowed well together. We wanted the reporters and the hosts to have an easy conversation. Also, we knew that the pre-recorded material also had to fit into the conversation somehow. I think the beginning was the hardest part. As soon as the three of us started writing, everything just kind of fell into their respective places.

          Question of the Week with Daisy and Alexa was also really fun. I was able to walk up to people that I didn't know and asked them questions. Okay, so our question was "What are you doing this summer?" It's not exactly the most interesting question ever, but we got some good answers. On the other hand, we also got pretty bland answers. I'm just glad it turned out looking good after editing.

          Around school, I have been talking to friends outside of the magnet and film. A lot of them seem to be thinking that we're not going to have an interesting show. On one hand, it makes me mad because they're judging us and they've yet to see a single episode. On the other hand, it only fuels me to prove them wrong. I have a good feeling about our morning announcements for tomorrow. Our beginning and ending are going to epic!

          Overall, for this project, my greatest pride is the fact that I helped write the majority of the script. I'm glad that it was so easy for the talent to follow the script. There were no hitches and the script served its purpose well. I know that we have a bright and exciting future ahead of us next year.

          I can't wait!

Crash and Burn

          I cannot even begin to explain the rush of emotions I felt during and after the whole process of the "how-to" video. During the filming, I was just downright frustrated. Nothing was going right. Because the actors would lose their place, so would I. I know that Lemos was telling me to pay attention to the screens instead of the script, but I just couldn't! Plus, I gave my cameramen a set list of shots. I didn't wanna just call on them and they're not on the shot that I intended them to be.

          Our whole set burned and crashed to the ground. It was like a fire consumed it and nothing was left but ashes. I. Was. So. Pissed. We spent a lot of time making and putting up the set only to have everything fail on us. It just makes me think that we could have put that time and effort into something else. Ahh, these what-ifs are killing me.

          Alexa didn't have a headset either. It sucked because I wasn't able to communicate with her. Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal, but it certainly couldn't have hurt to be able to talk to her the way I was supposed to.

          Quite frankly, everything just went out horribly. I joked about it before, saying that we would have an amazing opening sequence and a crappy video... and that's exactly what happened. Plus, we didn't get to put in the two graphics we were meant to have. We didn't have an ending to the show. Added to insult, we went over the time limit.

          They say that the blame isn't on me. But I feel like it is! Come on, I'm director. I feel like such a failure. I should have made sure that my talent knew their lines. I was all over the place while directing my crew. Overall, I just felt like I did a crap job. It just sucks to go from my successful Sticky Webb video to this horrible mess.

Life as Director... Again

          So once again, I was chosen director for my group. I do not mind that much because I thought that the director job for this specific project seems so much fun. I get to boss my people around and yell at them when they don't do that they're supposed to. But really, in all honesty, I think I have a really great group.

          Throughout this week, I have revised the script, made the shot list for the cameramen, and created the lighting plot with Patricia. It seemed like so much work. It kind of is, but I still managed to get everything done. We also already have our whole stage setting figured out. It is now only a matter of putting everything together.

          We are doing our first practice tomorrow. I'm a little anxious about it, but at the same time I am also very excited. I haven't really had an practice with being director. In fact, I've even made a list so that I know what to say in what order. I might just be psyching myself out, but either way, you can never be too prepared :)

Finally

After two years of waiting, our chance of making the morning announcements is finally here! Of course, there are still things to do, but those things are meant to prepare us for next year. I am so excited!

I really like my group for the "how to" video. My group consists of people that I know and trust. The script writing and treatment was a bit hard for me. I could not really think of a good idea. My first treatment was a no go. I absolutely hated it. When it came time to script writing, I wrote a completely new different idea. I liked it a lot better than the first one.

However, when it came time to choose which script we were going to do, I really wanted to do Patricia's idea. Her "how to" is how to make a scrapbook. I know it may seem boring to most, but I love the idea! I love it even more, knowing that the pictures we are going to use involves the SkillsUSA team. Since the San Diego trip, we have all gotten really close. I could not have of a better way to showcase that to everyone else.

I have really high hopes for this project. I have my eyes set on being either director or technical director. Both jobs seem to be really fun. Even though the director job seems extremely stressful, I like the whole idea of it. I am also more software savvy than camera savvy, so technical director seems like the job for me. Well, no matter what job I get, I will make sure to do it properly.

Overwhelmed with Life

In spirit of film noir, I wanted to share this black and white photo of me... with my unfinished schoolwork. I'm gonna cry. *tear* It's almost 2 am and I'm not anywhere near done. Cry, cry, cry.

UPDATE: Okay, so it's 3:28 am now. I'm still awake. Holy... I'm probably not gonna get any sleep. Plus, I still need to look for music and sound stuff for our film. FUHHHHHH!

UPDATE: It's 4:26 am. Yup, I'm not getting sleep. AT ALL. I've gone almost 24 hours without sleep. Wow. I'm done with everything. Time to look for music. Yay...

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

          I didn't realize how dedicated I was to film up until these last few weeks.

          These weeks have also made me realize how much I really need a car. Before this project, my dad was able to pick me up at any time, because he didn't really have a steady work. During spring break, he got a steady job and is currently working in Downtown L.A. Because of this, I don't exactly have a ride home. Honestly, I've been like a freaking nomad. I've been hitching rides from everybody. It's not exactly the best to do. But hey, it's necessary. Plus, I still get home somehow.

          I've been going home really, really, really late. Along with Daisy, I've been staying inside Lemos' room trying to edit the heck out of this project. Right now, my eyes are begging me to sleep, but I can't. Because of this project, I haven't exactly had the time to do anything else. I have my SAT subject tests to worry about this Saturday, and I haven't even studied for them yet! At this point, I think I'm probably going to do horrible on the test.

          Despite all the obstacles I've gone through, I still dedicated my time to this project. I skipped 4th, 5th, and 6th period today! Plus, I spent my lunch and whole after school filming and editing. Let's just say that I spent half of my day today just doing film. When I left Lemos' room today, I felt satisfied with myself and my group. Our film turned out fantastic, considering we were still filming today.

          That's another thing, my group was at such a disadvantage because everyone else was already done filming. We barely filmed our principal scene today, and that's the most important scene out of the whole film. It's not only the beginning, but it's also the end of our film. All things considered, we got everything we needed to get done. Admittedly, we still have a few things to do tomorrow, but we can easily get them done.

          For the first time, I'm going to address some group issues. I've tried to avoid them before, but I cannot hold it in anymore. I have gone through so much frustration, tears, and stress for this project only to give credit to those who do not deserve it. Basically, half of our group never showed up to any filming/editing days. I'm not naming names, because I'm pretty sure Lemos knows who they are already. I understand that everyone has things to do. I get it. I have things to do too. So does Alexa. So does Jose. So does Daisy. And so does Mark. But either way, we still choose to set aside our own time to work on this project. I resigned my job, for Pete's sake! I mean, there's absolutely no excuse.

          They work during class time, but that's not enough. I'm not going to say that they haven't done anything all, because they've done some stuff. Some. Not a lot. They're probably gonna read this blog post. They're probably gonna hate me. They're probably never going to talk to me. But hey, I'm only speaking the truth. And you know what? Sometimes the truth hurts. Deal with it.

          I read Erika's post and saw her apology. Honestly, I have to apologize to her too. She couldn't exactly do her job as producer because I didn't help her as much as I should have. As director, I should have told her the exact locations and times we would film. And really, we were just going along with the flow. We really didn't have any set times to do anything. Whenever we did plan something, things never went according to plan. The schedule always had to be rearranged. Even for Erika, that's a lot of work. So I make my apologies to her.

          I'm only giving credit where credit is due. It's not fair for me to be expected to give credit to those who do not deserve it as much as others. I watched everyone, some of them my friends, struggle, get depressed, cry, and break down because of this project. But there were also some people who didn't have a care in the world. They could eat and sleep at night, while some others couldn't because this project consumed them. Making it worse, those people had the audacity to complain. If they wanted things done, then they should have showed up.

          Because they didn't show up, several members of our group had to take over other jobs. Honestly, despite being given specific jobs, we were actually all over the place. The microphone was always being held by different people. Sound design became more of a group effort. We refused to let the group suffer simply because one person didn't show up to do the job. I love our group. We supported each other all throughout this project. I couldn't have done it without them.

          I'm not gonna say what time I left Lemos' room today. Let's just say it was really late. I promised myself that I wouldn't leave until I knew that we were in a good place. And I really think that we are. Whatever we need to finish tomorrow will get done. Finally, this project is coming to an end. Can't say that I'm not happy, because I am. Oh God, am I glad that we're done with this project by 3rd period tomorrow! At the same time, my group and I are not quite done yet. Our project will go places. It will be turned in to multiple film festivals. Hopefully, it will win some too :)

Frustrations and Stress

          I would first like to start out and say that I really love our film. I do. I love it to death. Even before we were chosen, Alexa and I had already decided that we were going to do our script no matter what. We love the story so much that we are willing to suffer for it. But it is killing me. The past two weeks have been full of frustrations and stress. I cannot go a single hour without thinking about our film.

Oh, film... film, film, FILM.

          My life has been consumed by film. Guess what? I resigned from my tutoring job because I can no longer afford to miss Wednesdays or Thursdays. Those two out of three days in the week have become so precious. Every minute, every hour, and every day counts. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't think. My thoughts are now constantly consumed by our film. Are we going to be able to follow the schedule? Are we going to finish tomorrow? Are we going to finish at all? I'm the over-thinker kind of person. Added to that, I'm also rather paranoid at times. Now that the deadline is quickly creeping up on us, over-thinking and paranoia has become an issue. I'm constantly thinking of how we plan on accomplishing this film.

          So, so, so, so, so, so, so many issues have come up since this film project started. I shall first start off with the fact that a certain someone, I'm not going to name names, has bailed on us, not once, but TWICE. The first time around it was very understandable. We knew that there were things to be taken care of. Because of that first unexpected incident, we had to rearrange our schedule. And that was fine. Besides, at that point, our schedule wasn't exactly final yet. That was the first week. The second week, I took the liberty of planning out what we're going to do on every single day. The day comes for this someone to show up, and once again, it was a no show. The worst part is that we were not informed. We were left no message. No sorry. No anything. Once again, the schedule had to be rearranged. This time, the situation was not acceptable. This week was supposed to be our final week to film. I had the entire thing figured out. I was so sure that we were going to finish. But alas, things never go according to plan.

          Secondly, as co-directors, Alexa and I can pretty much control anything else that goes on around us: cinematography, editing, sound design, locations, setting, lighting, etc. However, it just so happens that the one thing that we cannot control is the thing that is killing us. Go figure. Actors. Acting. We cannot control how an actor is going to act out a scene. We cannot force an actor to remember his/her lines. We cannot force an actor to keep a straight face and stay in character. The worst part is that our actors are not part of the class. It's not their grade. If they choose to, they could abandon us at any moment and we'll be left to fend for ourselves with an unfinished product. The possibilities are endless. I know that, in real life, actors are not always going to be your friends. But in real life, those actors are getting paid. Our actors are doing it only because we asked them to. They are doing us a favor, not the other way around.

          I have never felt so frustrated in my life. I had about a million breakdowns today. At any moment, I could have chosen to blow up at my group or just walk away. But I didn't. I needed to stay strong, not only for me, not only for Alexa, but for my entire group, my friends. I stayed away for a while and let Alexa take the lead because I just needed to take a breather. I needed a moment to myself so that I could calm down and remind myself that everything is going to turn out fine.

          Ever since I departed from my group, I have been feeling this horrible guilt at the pit of my belly. I was acting like , dare I say it, a female dog to everyone in my group. When asked a question, I would answer in one-worded answers. There comes a point when being nice just isn't enough anymore. The first week, I was all about being nice. I begged. I pleaded. I was ready to do anything they wanted me to do as long as we could get that day's shooting done. This week was it. No more being Mrs. Nice Girl. If I didn't start taking it seriously, no one else would. Still, maybe I could have been not-so-mean about it. Strict, but fair.

          Despite it all, I still have high hopes for this film. We may have not shot a lot, but what we do have is amazing. I owe it all to my actors, cinematographer, and director. Without them, this film would be nothing.

Life in Production

          Filming in one word... STRESSFUL. It seems like we just cannot find the right look that we are looking for. Don't get me wrong, I love my group. We just haven't been as productive as I hoped we'd be. For the longest time, we did not have an actress for our character, Raven. It was only today that we finally casted her. However, we won't be able to film with her until Monday. 

          I hoped to get everything filmed by this Friday. That idea seems so far-fetched now. My new goal is to be finished by Tuesday of next week. I want to give my editors and sound designers as much time as they need to edit. I do not want to be the group that is struggling to get everything finished before the day the film is due. I have a good feeling about this film... now if we could only get it done... 

          It is also a pain to work with actors. This is by no means the first time we've used actors, but this is the first time we're making a film with dialogue-packed scenes. The actors continue to mess up and we cannot exactly do anything about it. I almost feel like our whole film lies on the hands, and it's not exactly a good feeling. I like our actors, I do. They're down-to-earth. However, as a director, I just cannot help but feel so unproductive.

          Tomorrow, we're filming a huge scene. Well, it's not exactly a HUGE scene, but it does involve our principal, Ms. Blake. And the pressure is on! We need to be more organized and prepared around her. I want her to see us as professional filmmakers. To do that, we need to act like we are. We do get a little too immature sometimes and I know that it needs to stop. If we're gonna get this film done, we need to be on our A game and we're not there quite yet.

Hating Alexa

I secretly hate Alexa.

God... who does she think she is? She comes up with so many good ideas and she makes me look bad. She's so smart. It's so annoying. I mean, who gave her the right to be so amazing? Like, she knows our story inside and out. She plays out the story in her head just like I do. I hate it. When we're writing our script, she knows which adjustments to make and whether we need to add or delete something. I feel so useless. It's like she can totally write the script without me, but she's nice enough to make me feel like I'm actually doing something... even though it's all really her.

When I suggest something, she always agrees with me. She keeps saying that my ideas are good. I know she's lying! God... I wish we would just fight sometimes. We get along so well. That's a terrible issue. Partners should never be perfect with each other. It totally ruins everything. We're not supposed to have chemistry with each other... figuratively and literally.

In class, she sits there and types like a pro. Then I look at myself. I realize that Alexa's just so damm good at everything. I hate it. I keep trying to find flaws, but I come up with nothing. One day, I'm going to find something wrong with her! But all my efforts will be pointless. She's just too perfect.

Mr. Lemos said that we need to change several things with the script. Alexa and I agreed. We haven't exactly established what our conflict is and that's an issue. The story is there, we just need to find a way to rewrite the script so that the conflict is more distinct amd obvious. Alexa was already coming up with different things we could do to fix our script problems. I just smile and nod. She knows what she's doing.

And it's her birthday this Friday. What the heck, man?! At 16, she's already amazing. At 17?! I don't even know what's going on anymore. It feels like just yesterday, she was younger than me. Now she's my age too?! She just won't let me catch a break, can she?

I really hate Alexa.

I really do.

Still Working With Alexa

          Pre-production is still an on-going progress. Alexa and I have decided to tweak some things to our story to make it flow a little bit. Instead of Raven only having parts in the beginning and end of the film, we decided to add her in for some small parts in between. Finn, the main character, begins noticing Raven's presence. She's always just lingering around either him or Scarlett. He questions it, but not really to the point where he becomes suspicious. He doesn't realize anything until the end of the film. We added that bit due to Mr. Lemos' comment and it made sense to both Alexa and me.

          I really liked a suggestion that Alexa gave. She said that when Finn is looking around the room, searching for Scarlett, right before he gets called up to the office, Raven should be sitting in Scarlett's seat. It foreshadows a connection between Raven and Scarlett. It also kind of puts the girls side-by-side as deceiving, sneaky girls.

          While trying to write our script, Alexa and I have already started trying to think of ways we would shoot the film. We want to be able to show paranoia, entrapment, and claustophobia through our shots. Essentially, we're already kind of coming up with a shot list, but not really.

          For example, in the scene where Scarlett hands Finn the bag of "fun," I told Alexa that we could put a paper bag around the camera lens and film Finn that way. It's going to frame the whole shot and it forces Finn to look trapped withing that bag.

          Overall, there really is no issue working with Alexa. In fact, working with her is really fun. We have yet to have any disagreements in anything about the film. I think we're both pretty much on the same page about how we want this film to turn out and that is really to our advantage. We have the same goals for this project.

Pre-Production with Alexa

          It was the first time Alexa and I had ever collaborated on a story together. We've always talked about doing such a thing, but we never really did it until now. Honestly, writing and coming up with ideas with her was a lot of fun, and I'm not just saying that because she's my friend. She and I had very similar ideas and when one of us came up with something, we readily accept the idea. We did not have any conflicts. We both pretty much kept an open mind, allowing us to keep an easy flow of ideas.

          The idea for our treatment actually came from something Mr. Lemos said. He mentioned the idea of a valedictorian and I picked up the idea from there. Originally, Alexa and I planned to make Finn, the main protagonist, become a drug dealer. Scarlett was going to lure him into her gang because she gets commission for every new person she brings in. Two things changed that route. While I was writing it, I began thinking about how Alexa and I would end up showing the whole drug deal scandal. It was too much trouble for its worth. Then while I was writing, the idea just kind of popped up about Raven being the whole mastermind behind Scarlett's femme fatale character. Actually, when we first wrote the treatment, Raven didn't even have a name. She was just going to be a plot device to instill the idea of Scarlett being the School Loner. It just shows how easy it is to deviate from your original outlone. It's not always necessarily a bad thing. In our case, it turned out to go in our favor. The story suddenly made a lot more sense.

          I was also very pleased at how our pitch to the class went. Alexa and I both knew the story by heart. As soon as I stopped talking, she would pick the story up. And vice versa. Our pitch went smoothly. After class, I was on such a high because we did not get any criticisms. It seemed like everyone really liked our idea. When they had questions, Alexa and I answered them without hesitance because we had full confidence in our story. I was glad that everyone accepted our answers, rather than question them some more.

          As soon as class finished, Alexa and I were already coming up with different ideas of how we would shoot the film. We began considering ways we could portray entrappedment, anxiety, paranoia, and etc. We're starting to really get into it. When we go into production, Alexa and I would really like our story to be chosen because it has great potential. Alexa and I had also already agreed that if we can pull off our story into a film, we are going to, without a doubt, send it to a film festival.

The Oscars

          After weeks of blogging about several Oscar categories, the time has finally come. A few more days and we get to find out who really won. I am subscribed to Entertainment magazine and have recently received the Oscar edition. Inside, it had statistics about the chances each nominee had of winning.

          Of all the statistics, I would have to say that the one that surprised me the most was the Best Supporting Actor category. Robert de Niro was given the highest percentage of winning. It was definitely an unexpected result. When I watched The Silver Linings Playbook, I did not feel like de Niro gave an Oscar worthy performance. I honestly think that he is only nominated simply because he is Robert de Niro. His performance was okay. The film did not show his true skills. I did not even think de Niro would have a chance at winning the Oscar. I believed that anybody else had a better chance.

          In the magazine, I was pleased to find that Anne Hathaway had the highest chance of winning the Best Supporting Actress. I fully support that statistic. She was absolutely phenomenal in Les Miserables. If I must say, I thought that it is her best acting role yet. She really got into her character. She allowed herself to feel the same pain and sorrow of her character and it showed in her acting. In my opinion, Hathaway deserves the Oscar more than anyone else nominated.

          I also think that more than any other nominee, Argo has the best chance of winning Best Picture. It has slowly been creeping up on Lincoln. Finally, it has surpassed Lincoln is now taking the lead. Even Entertainment magazine thought so. However, Daniel Day-Lewis is clearly going to win Best Actor. There is just no way for anyone else to win that Oscar. Day-Lewis truly gave an outstanding performance in Lincoln and he deserves it.

          I was also very happy to find that Jennifer Lawrence had the highest chance under Best Actress. Ever since I watched The Silver Linings Playbook, I have been rooting for Lawrence to win. She has become one of my favorite actresses in the industry. There is just something about her that is so lovable and endearing. Her quirky antics just seduces you into loving her. I would be devastated if she does not win the Oscar.

          Overall, I think that these six categories are rather easy to predict. Many of the films and actors/actresses have already been winning awards outside of the Oscars. Those awards foreshadow what is to come this Sunday. I think that all of the nominees with the best chances are worthy, except maybe for de Niro. They were fantastic in their films and were obviously nominated for a reason.

Best Picture Nominee: Zero Dark Thirty

          Among all of the Best Picture nominees, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty are two of the several films that allowed its audience to have a glimpse at our nation's past. One is the history of a man we're educated about in school and the other is still very recent. It's a story that will soon be written in our history books and the generations after us will learn about it too.

          I thought that the idea for Zero Dark Thirty was very smart. Of course, everyone wanted to know how the whole situation really happened. We wanted to know the obstacles our troops had to endure just to capture one man. When I found out that they were making a film about it, I was impressed. There's no better way to capture and share the moment. Howevee, I did have some sligt concern. Hollywood has a tendency to overdramatize something to the point where it is no longer the truth. In Zero Dark Thiry, there is probably several overexaggeration, but I thought thaf it was not as obvious. I actually really enjoyed the film. I really felt like I was part of making our country's history.

          The film is filled with massive amounts of violence, but I felt that it tied the whole story together. There was no way to get the real story of the manhunt without showing what really happened and if it meant showing violence, they should do it. And they did. However, because of the film, we, as the people the people of America, were educated about the tactics and strategies that the CIA used to catch Osama bin Laden. They did not just rely on torture and violence. They used their skillful minds.

          I also thought that the acting was great. I felt that Jessica Chastain was phenomenal in the film. She just had this air about her that screamed confidence. She made her character become who it became. The character, Maya, had one goal: to catch Osama Bin Laden. She had great control of her expressions.

          The overall effect of the film was also sensational. There was always a sense of grim and darkness. The camera movements and the shots told a lot about the film. There were a lot of shots that were filmed in darkness, but Bigelow managed to still show what's in the scene. The lighting really helped highlight the important things.

          Despite Zero Dark Thirty being a great film, I feel like Argo has a better chance of winning. After all, it's been winning a lot of awards. I feel like most of the categories are pretty easy to predict, considering at least one of the nominees has been constantly winning other awards. In the Best Picture category, it's no different. I really think that Argo is going to make the homerun.

Best Actress Nominee: Jennifer Lawrence

          Drum roll please... JENNIFER LAWRENCE! I have been waiting for this moment. Like, seriously.

          I absolutely adored Jennifer Lawrence in The Silver Linings Playbook. She plays the character of Tiffany, a widowed unorthodox woman. She is very blunt. She likes to be independent and hates it when men try to take the upper-hand. Several times, she and Bradley Cooper's character collided head on because Cooper had a controlling air about him.

          As opposed to De Niro, whom I also blogged about, Jennifer Lawrence was more than just there. She was everywhere in the film, whether or not she was on screen. I felt that her acting was so phenomenal that the audience just cannot help but look for her in the scene. She is such an essential piece to the entire film and she played her part so well. I don't know how she did it but Lawrence managed to exalt a callous and uncaring personality, but you could sense the emotion running through her. Although she doesn't outright show or say it, the audience can feel Tiffany's love for Pat. Lawrence does this seamlessly through her acting.

          Don't even get me started on Lawrence's on-screen chemistry with Bradley Cooper. Those two were on fire! They adapted around each other. Lawrence molded herself, not only around Tiffany's character, but also Pat. She included that fact that, despite barely meeting Pat in the film, he becomes a huge part of her life. It was almost as if Lawrence forgot about herself for about two hours and played the life of someone else. But it was convincing.

          It just might seem weird seeing Lawrence play such a dark character because she's such a lively person in real life. In fact, her character seems almost too unrealistic. Any other actress may not have been able to pull off what Lawrence did. She took an unrealistic character and transformed it into someone that people get attached to and can relate to. There are obviously some parts in which you just have to take off your reality glasses and enjoy the show. That's certainly what I did. It is better to stop over-analyzing the film's unrealistic properties and just enjoy the phenomenal acting and story set before you.

I cannot really judge if Lawrence will win the Oscar because I have yet to see the other nominees, but I sure hope she wins.

Best Actor: Denzel Washington

          Denzel Washington is one of the most accomplished actors in the media industry. In fact, he's already been an Oscar winner. There is no about it. He has been able to mold into any character thrown at him and he does it so seamlessly. He is always such a dominant character in any film. His most recent film, Flight, is no different. He takes on the role of Whip Whitaker. He manages to land an out-of-control plane, while drunk.

          There is just something about Denzel Washington that pulls you in. In Flight, he somehow finds just the right amount of balance in playing his character. On one hand, his character is supposed to have a strong personality, someone who takes care of himself. But at the same time, he can also be weak, especially when he gives in temptation. He takes a character and brings this complexity to it that no one else can. He adds layer upon layers of emotion and background to each and every one of his characters.  Acting isn't just for anyone. Sometimes, you are just born with it.

          Washington lifts Flight off of the ground. Without him, the film would not have been half as good as it is. He literally dropped his reality and twisted himself to fit into his character. However, he does not completely let go of his true self. He intertwines his personality into his character, allowing for a more seamless transition.

          Despite Washington's great performance, it just might not be enough, especially not against his other competitors. Bradley Cooper, in my opinion, did very well in Silver Linings Playbook. Hugh Jackman, despite playing a type of musical character he's never played before, also did a rather amazing job. Maybe there's still hope for Washington. Maybe there isn't. All I know is that either way, Washington is already an Oscar winner and will continue to be a fantastic actor.

Best Supporting Actress Nominee: Anne Hathaway

          I remember seeing the trailer for Les Misérables so many months ago. I thought that it was quite awkward to see Anne Hathaway seeing in the trailer. In fact, her singing voice plays throughout the trailer. It has become the musical score of it. It was weird seeing her sing. I felt like the trailer did not really give away much of the story, especially if you do not know what the play is about. Admittedly, I have never even heard of Les Misérables before, even in its play form. At first, I was reluctant to watch the film. When I found out that it was going to be a musical, I was dumbfounded, considering Russel Crowe, Hugh Jackman, and Anne Hathaway are among the actors and actresses featured in the film. It is just an odd thought to consider either of them singing for an extensive amount of time. However, I decided to watch the film anyways and I do not regret it.
      
         Anne Hathaway plays the character of Fantine. She becomes a prostitute, not by choice, but because it is necessary. Her daughter is sick and she needs the money to support and provide for her child. Though her part in the film is really small, it is essential to the story. She then manages to get Jackman's character, Jean Valjean, to adopt her daughter.

         When Hathaway sang "I Dreamed a Dream," I was captivated. I have to admit, though, that she does not necessarily have the best vocals in the world, but it does not matter to me. I don't care what anyone else says. Hathaway just has this thing about her that captures any person. In all the films I have watched her in, I just could not help but fall in love with both her and her character. This film was no different. The way she sang the song was just heartbreaking. She manages to project a character that has just completely given up on the life. The unshed tears in her eyes. The deep sadness and hopelessness. The quiver in her mouth as she sang. It all added to such a phenomenal performance. But despite Fantine's weaknesses, Hathaway also captures her character's sarcasm and biting attitude. It is almost as if Fantine and Hathaway have molded into one. Hathaway clearly sunk into her character the way any actor or actress should.

         I feel like Hathaway has a pretty good chance of possibly winning the Oscar. She might even be Les Misérables only hope, because I highly doubt that Hugh Jackman would win against the other nominees in his category. She did a fantastic job. Compared to Jacki Weaver, whom I felt played a rather passive character in  Silver Linings Playbook, Hathaway deserves the award more. Although I have not watched the other films nominated for the category, I still strongly feel like Hathaway has a pretty good chance. Her vocal abilities should not define the fantastic job that Hathaway did, but rather, her ability to sink her teeth into a very well-rounded character.

Best Supporting Actor Nominee: Robert De Niro

          I've wanted to watch Silver Linings Playbook ever since I first saw the trailer. I just kept putting it off until I finally decided to watch it this time around. I cannot believe that I waited so long to watch it. I must admit that the movie is extremely eccentric and unrealistic but that's what makes me love the movie. It's not really good of a movie, but it's become one of my favorites. There's just something about the actors that makes you fall in loves with the characters. Robert De Niro himself made me fall in love with his character, Pat Sr.

          I have to admit that it the first half of the film, I absolutely felt like De Niro's character was just... there. He did not really seem to play a huge part in the film. I felt like all he was there for was to fill in the gap of the main character, Pat Solatino. Also, it took me a while to really understand what his character was like. I soon realized that his personality is revealed by other characters. For example, I realized that he believed in "football juju," making sure he did certain things while watching football. I learned this through Pat's character, for he called out his father for his unnecessary actions. I learned that he kind of has a gambling problem, especially against his friend, Randy.

          I felt that it was odd whenever Pat Sr. tried to act fatherly against his son. I don't know if it's De Niro himself or if it's the character. Then again, maybe it's slightly awkward because he's a father that's supposedly not acted the way a father should have. Pat definitely seems to have some resentment against his father and it's obvious, especially because his portrait wasn't hung up that way his brother's portrait was. Yet again, De Niro managed to accomplish his acting part rather well. Honestly, if I had to act like a concerned father towards a son that I never really took care of, I never would have pulled it off.

          Despite being such a crazy film, I really thought that Silver Linings Playbook had its serious moments. However, I felt like De Niro was usually involved in the more silly parts of the film. Whenever he tried to act serious towards his "son," it just always felt fake, given their broken father-son relationship.

          If I'm going to be honest, I do not think that De Niro will win the award. It just seems like anyone else could have done a better job. I'm not saying that De Niro isn't a good actor. I just feel like a different film deserves the honor more. If anything, De Niro was probably just a sub-in, simply because Silver Linings Playbook was also nominated for Best Picture. Nevertheless, the film has still become one of my favorites, whether or not they win an Oscar.