Last minute question marks and wishlist

Ballots have been in for two days now, and there's nothing left to do but wait for the final results to be unveiled on Sunday night. Most pundits have settled on their predictions after weeks of deliberation, but for me, these dwindling days are often when my initially settled predictions suddenly become unsettled! There are some huge question marks that'll have me waffling on this category or that from now until their envelopes are opened. Here are some lingering uncertainties I have heading into the big show, accompanied by a small wishlist that would be oh so satisfying to see happen:

Connecting with the Movies of 2013

How does one begin to relate the white-knuckle space adventure of a thrill ride like Gravity to the soberly grounded realism of a docudrama like Captain Phillips? How is the intimate conversation piece Before Midnight at all similar to the sprawling historical tragedy 12 Years a Slave? What do any of these films have in common with each other – or any of the dozens of other applicable films released in the past 12 months – besides the fact that they are among the finest motion pictures of 2013? It's a question I find myself asking not only this year (which is being touted as one of the best for American cinema in a critic's age), but every year, as my mind mulls over the thematic patterns that connect the cream of the annual movie crop.

In 2009, 'escapism' was the pervasive theme connecting such disparate stories as Up in the Air, Avatar, The Hurt Locker, An Education, and Precious, among others; In 2011, 'nostalgia' and 'inspiration' connected many of the year's most celebrated titles, including The Artist, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, and many more; And for me, 2013's greatest films were connected by... well, 'connection'. Indeed, and as generic as it sounds, it's hard for me to recall a year in which so many memorable screen characters seem to triumph or fail as direct result of the connections they forge (or don't forge) between themselves and their fellow human beings.

One Category at a Time: Sound Editing

As it is in Best Sound Mixing, the competition for the Best Sound Editing trophy seems to be pretty well sewn up. Even though a 4/5 overlap with the former category makes a separate analysis of the latter somewhat redundant, let's take a look at the nominees anyhow. After all, last year saw the first time ever that the two sound awards were split between three films, so clearly the Academy doesn't always lump the two together -- often, but not always.

My Award nominations: Sound Editing

Last year my nominees for Best Sound Editing were five completely different films than my nominees for Best Sound Mixing, but as much as I do wish I could similarly spread the wealth this year, there were a couple of films whose sound elements simply could not be denied recognition in both categories.

My Award nominations: Sound Mixing

The sound people provided us with a wealth of rich sounding films this year. I once thought that my own award would be a slam dunk for one film in particular, but as I look at my final five, I honestly don't know which one I'm going to crown the best Sound Mixing of the year. They're all so deserving...

My Award nominations: Editing

Had to make some heartbreaking decisions to whittle this category down to five. Lots of terrific Editing work this year, and in different ways too. Here are the five I ultimately settled on (although I could just as easily substitute any of my "just missed" picks at any time):

Motion Picture Sound Editors nominate

The final guild to drop its list of year-end nominees -- on the eve of Oscar nominations no less -- is the MPSE.

The most important category, Best Sound Effects and Foley, includes Oscar hopefuls Gravity, Captain Phillips, Lone Survivor, and All Is Lost, among others.

The only conspicuous omission is Rush, and I gotta say, I don't understand the industry's resistance to this movie. Sure, I didn't love it, but there's a lot of craftsmanship to appreciate. The fact that it's also been shut out by the CAS, the Makeup and Hairstylists Guild, and the ASC in a field of seven nominees...
Way. Harsh.

Anyway, check out all the categories and my thoughts after the cut.

Cinema Audio Society sounds off

The CAS has listed what they believe to be the year's finest achievements in sound mixing. Presumed Oscar heavyweights Gravity and Captain Phillips are accounted for, along with Inside Llewyn Davis' gorgeous musical assembly. Lone Survivor and Iron Man 3 round out the remaining two slots, but whether or not they'll turn up on the Oscar ballot is another question.

The big takeaway, for me at least, is that All Is Lost is conspicuously absent yet again. After missing with every single guild this season (save for an embarrassing Stunt Ensemble nod from SAG that does not include the daring Mr. Redford), one would have thought that surely the sound mixers would finally stand up for it, but no dice. I expect Gravity to take it anyway, and it's hardly undeserving.

Over on the animated side of things, it would appear Frozen is the one to beat. It's joined by likely-soon-to-be-fellow-Animated-Feature-nominees Monsters University, Despicable Me 2, and The Croods. They're joined by not-so-likely-to-be-Animated-Feature-nominee Walking With Dinosaurs.

Review - All Is Lost

The 'old man and the sea' concept gets amped up to eleven in J.C. Chandor's arresting new survival drama All Is Lost, in which Robert Redford (referred to simply as “Our Man” by the closing credits) struggles to keep a sinking yacht afloat in the Indian Ocean.

Chandor's screenplay, which barely runs 31 pages due to its virtual absence of dialogue, is elegant in its simplicity; a refreshingly radical U-turn from the dense verbosity of his 2011 debut Margin Call. Our man wakes up from a nap on his 30' luxury yacht, the Virginia Jean, to discover water pouring in through a hole in the hull. He must rely on his resourcefulness and stoic determination (albeit one that's slowly ebbing away) as his situation constantly deteriorates from bad to worse to worse yet.