Silver Linings Gradebook: Commentary on the 85th Academy Awards

After months of award ceremonies, Oscar campaigns, and tight races, Argo has risen above the competition to claim the prize for Best Picture. It was virtually unstoppable in the past few months, proven by it's win at last night's ceremony. Argo has cemented it's place in the pantheon of 85 films to ever take the Best Picture award. However, Argo's legacy will forever be plagued by two lackluster "achievements": it now joins Driving Miss Daisy as being the fourth film in Academy history to win Best Picture without a Best Director nomination; and, it is the third Best Picture in the past forty years to only take three total awards. 

I know I shouldn't be surprised, but Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, you could have done better. 

I've said it once and I'll say it again: 2012 remains one of the best cinematic years in recent history. With movies like Lincoln, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, and Les Miserables finally and successfully seeing the light of day, there were multiple choices for the best motion picture of 2012. The Academy went with the fairly average thriller. I am not saying that Argo was bad; but, in a year with so many great options, they could have chose better. 

As for the show itself, the 85th Academy Awards brilliantly shined at it's extremely high points, but was miserably bogged down by it's extremely low points. In order to show readers what I mean, here is a breakdown of the different segments of the Oscars: 

The Opening Monologue: Seth MacFarlane seemed like the logical choice for Oscar host. He has an expansive knowledge of pop culture, would appeal to a younger audience, and has experience in putting on a good show. And for at least the first part of the night, he did that. MacFarlane kept his jokes appropriate and not too mean (except for the unnecessary "boob song"), and the audience at least seemed to enjoy the show. The Captain Kirk portion was a nice surprise and pretty funny, but drug out for too long. And props to MacFarlane for dressing up in the flying nun costume and exchanging jokes with Sally Field. After a few song-and-dance numbers that featured a seemingly random mix of celebrities, the show finally got started. A little long for an opening monologue, and a little repetitive, but all in all not too bad. Three and a half out of five stars. 

The Presenters: Like every other year, the Academy Awards boast multiple presenters who attempt to crack (usually) unfunny jokes. This year, they were exeptionally bad. Melissa McCarthy and Paul Rudd's awkward joke reel was terrible, as was Mark Wahlberg and Ted's. Viewers looked forward to presenters who actually gave genuine compliments and not distasteful cracks. Also, the show wasted two key opportunities, reuniting The Avengers and Chicago casts, by giving them poor material to work with. The Avengers have people who are especially funny together, and they could have done so much with the five guys. Even the producers of the Oscars, who also produced the movie Chicago, could not make their own cast shine. Zeta-Jones and company looked bored and awkward together, and the least they could have done was sing a little. And no matter how you feel politically, Michelle Obama's appearance was just inappropriate; the Oscars are an international celebration of movies that should not be closed by someone completely unrelated to the film industry. For the biggest award of the evening, the Academy needed Jack Nicholson to actually present. The presenters of the Academy Awards remained an extreme low of the evening. One out of five stars.

The Orchestra: This year, the orchestra was in another building away from the show. All in all, they did a good job of playing recognizable movie scores throughout the evening. They celebrated various winners of the past, and even featured a few popular movie songs that were not Oscar winners. But, the biggest fault of the orchestra was how they "encouraged" winners to end their speeches. Instead of playing the friendly Oscar theme, the orchestra instead blasted the Jaws theme song over acceptance speeches. It was rude, unnecessary, and cruelly interrupted people's once in a lifetime opportunities. Three and a half out of five stars. 

The 50 Years of James Bond Tribute: I was really looking forward to this one. The James Bond franchise has been infamously snubbed by the Oscars in the past, so this was a rare opportunity to reconcile with the past. But, of course, the lame theme of the evening (Music in the Movies) prevented the producers from doing anything good with this. The 50 Years of James Bond Tribute was rushed, and shamefully represented the longest-running movie series of all time. Introduced by Bond Girl Halle Berry, the montage was choppy and poorly done. It did not even show the best parts of the series. They limited an awesome franchise to simply it's music, but did not even feature any other Bond song besides the theme and "Live and Let Die". The only reason I'm giving this section a somewhat good rating is because of the legendary Dame Shirley Bassey's performance. As someone who grew up on James Bond and "Goldfinger", it was really special to see her perform live. She's still got the midas touch; I just wish the producers could have helped show that Bond does too. Two out of five stars. 

The Celebration of Movie Musicals of the Last Decade: The highlight of the evening was easily The Celebration of Movie Musicals of the Last Decade. It was so cool to see Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jennifer Hudson return to their Oscar-winning roles in Chicago and Dreamgirls, respectively; they proved that they could still be excellent performers years later. And the entire Les Miserables cast performing "One Day More" was very touching, considering it will probably be their last performance all together. It brought the film's journey full circle, and it was a nice tribute to movie musicals. Five out of five stars. 

The In Memoriam: There's clear favoritism on the producer's end of the Academy Awards. While the Bond tribute was short and choppy due to supposed "time restraints", the Barbara Streisand song extended the In Memoriam section to great lengths. Yes, it was very well done and the In Memoriam was good (even though it missed quite a few big names). But could they not have had Streisand sing during the slide show instead of the orchestra, and chop at least five-ten minutes from the run time? Three out of five stars. 

The Best Original Song Nominees: Adele brought down the house with "Skyfall". She remains an artist who's songs are best performed live, but too bad the Academy could not have provided her with a more exciting backdrop. The Norah Jones song could have been done so much better, as it is a jazz compilation that was written by the host of the show. Instead, they threw her in at the last minute, right before they announced that she would lose the Oscar. However, Adele's performance was worth the price of admission, and she definitely deserved the Academy Award. Three and half out of five stars.

Seth MacFarlane: Though he started off fairly PG-rated, by the end, Seth MacFarlane went back to increasingly inappropriate and racy jokes. He had a few good one-liners, but was overshadowed by the bad ones. Though a little inappropriate, the John Wilkes Booth crack was pretty funny and probably the best of his jokes. I have a feeling the audience got scared whenever MacFarlane walked onto the stage; he went from being a potential replacement to Billy Crystal to a host in the fashion of Ricky Gervais. Plus, the closing number with Kristen Chenoweth was awkward and not funny. Much like the show itself, Seth MacFarlane shined at extremely high points, but failed at extremely low points. Three out of five stars. 

The Winners: And now for the winner's wrap up. Remember: when everything is said and done, the Oscars are the only awards that matter. Ready? Here we go.

Argo was a very good movie, but should not have won Best Picture. There were multiple other nominees, like Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook, that should have won in Argo's place. Best Director surprisingly went to Ang Lee for Life of Pi; he beat Steven Spielberg and brought Life of Pi the evening's most awards with four. I was a little shocked and annoyed at this choice at first, but I now realize that Ang Lee's work was incredible, as he brought a supposedly "un-filmable" novel to the big screen with much success. He has now set a new precedent by being the only two-time Best Director winner to not have a Best Picture film.

The acting awards were, for the most part, not too surprising. Daniel Day-Lewis took Best Actor for Lincoln, one of the greatest performances in motion picture history. He is now the only actor in Oscars history to have three Best Actor awards, solidifying his place among the acting greats. Silver Lining Playbook's Jennifer Lawrence rightfully took Best Actress for a role that made her constantly switch personalities. She has had a great year, cumulating in this award that makes her the second-youngest winner of the award and the youngest actress with two Best Actress nominations. Dark horse Christoph Waltz claimed Best Supporting Actor for his work in Django Unchained, beating tough competition and earning him his second Oscar in five years. Favorite Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for her tragic work in Les Miserables; she deserved an Oscar if not only for her powerful performance of "I Dreamed a Dream".

Other Academy Awards went to Best Screenplay winners Argo and Django Unchained, and Life of Pi won several technical achievements. "Skyfall" became the first James Bond theme to ever win an Oscar. The biggest surprise of the evening was easily the Best Sound Editing Oscar, which resulted in a rare Academy tie. The winners were Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall, and it remains only the sixth time the Oscars have ever resulted in a tie. Both of these films equally deserve the honor, as they each demonstrated strong sound qualities. I am highly impressed by the Academy spreading the awards around to several deserving films, and I agree with the majority of the winners. Four out of five stars.

Overall, this was a fairly average ceremony that could have been so much more. With the high quality of presenters, performers, and nominees, I am a little disappointed that the Academy did not do more with what they had. But, there were a few memorable Oscar moments that are bound to make history. I hate to give it an average rating, but seeing as that's how I felt about it, I really have no other choice. Therefore, I give the 85th Academy Awards three out of five stars.

Thank you for joining Movie Critic's Club over the past few months as we have covered this year's awards race. I hope that you have enjoyed discussing all things Oscar, and have learned a little in the process, too. I look forward to making this coverage an annual event. We will return to normal blog discussions on this week's Flashback Friday. Thank you, and enjoy your movie viewing time. 

2013 Oscar Predictions

Today's the big day! After months of prep work, blog posts, movie watching, and awards discussion, the 85th Academy Awards is finally on TONIGHT!!! We want to play along, so here are Movie Critic's Club's predictions for tonight's Oscar ceremony. Enjoy the show, but most importantly, have fun, and enjoy celebrating the best movies of 2012. Here's this year's official Oscar ballot so you can make your own predictions: 85th Academy Awards Ballot

Best Picture

What Will Win: Lincoln. Yes, I know Argo is winning every award known to man. And yes, Ben Affleck was robbed a nomination. Sure, it's a time relevant film that demonstrates how great Hollywood is. But, I honestly do not think it is going to win the big award this year. It has three major strikes working against it: Argo only has the fifth highest number of total nominations (7), against Lincoln's triumphant 12; Ben Affleck wasn't nominated for Best Director, and only three films in the 84 years of Academy history has ever won Best Picture without this crucial nomination (most recently 1989's Driving Miss Daisy); and, I believe that it currently has the "Apollo 13 curse", where it will take every other major branch award without winning Best Picture (1995's Apollo 13 won the SAG, PGA, and DGA, but failed to get a Best Director bid and ultimately lost to Braveheart at the Oscars).

Lincoln, on the other hand, is better targeted towards the older members of the Academy. It is Steven Spielberg's best film in years, and boast a wide array of incredible performances, a strong screenplay, and marvelous production. It has the most nominations, a typical indicator of big winners; and, it managed to influence people of all ages through a moving tale of it's title president. Lincoln fits the overall mold of a Best Picture winner, and for that reason, I believe that it will take the Academy's highest honor tonight. Will I be surprised if Argo wins? Not really. It's certainly a worthy film. But Lincoln just seems to press all the right Academy buttons.

What Should Win: Django Unchained. I know this one's a long shot, but Quentin Tarantino has not won in so long. It was way back in 1994 when he won his one and only Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Pulp Fiction. Django is a fun Western film with a lot of guts (literally), and should be recognized for reaffirming how influential of a director Tarantino remains. Here's hoping for a little bit of love for the picture tonight.

Best Director

Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln. It's been almost fifteen years since Spielberg has won an Academy Award, and with no Ben Affleck standing in his way, his win is a virtual lock. Lincoln has been Spielberg's pet project for years, so a win would be very fitting for this highly talented history aficionado and cinematic legend.

Who Should Win: Spielberg, but David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook. Spielberg deserves to win, hands down. But David O. Russell needs to at least be recognized for providing such sensitive direction to a potentially disastrous project. The reason Silver Linings Playbook is so successful is because it takes the delicate subject matter of bipolar disorder and turns it into a reaffirming romantic comedy. Plus, who can argue with the fact that he made the movie for his bipolar son? A true masterpiece in direction.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln. Does this one even need explanation? Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the greatest actors of our generation, and he gives one of the best performances of all time in Lincoln. Awe inspiring, and one of the few guaranteed locks at this year's Oscars.

Who Should Win: Day-Lewis, but Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook. If this were any other year, Bradley Cooper would be taking home the gold statuette. This is the guy who came from The Hangover, The A-Team, and Hit and Run to give one of the most powerful performances of the year. It's a shame he has been in the shadows this awards season, because who knew this guy could actually act?

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook. Best Actress has been a contested category. Though Jessica Chastain was the early critic's favorite, Jennifer Lawrence has done well in the recent awards. Her only real competition is Emmanuelle Riva in Amour, who, at 86, is the sentimental favorite. Riva won the BAFTA (the British equivalent of the Oscars) for Best Actress, and since she likely won't be nominated again, could take the prize. In the end, however, Lawrence is just too good to ignore in Silver Linings Playbook, and her loss would be a major upset. As Silver Linings Playbook is the first movie up for all four acting Oscars in over thirty years, it should win something, and Lawrence remains the most likely to do this.

Who Should Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty. It's a shame that the Oscars are not held in December, because then Zero Dark Thirty would have gotten the attention it deserves. It's a much better and more thrilling movie than The Hurt Locker, and this is largely due to Jessica Chastain's gender-transcending performance. One of the most underrated actresses out there, Chastain is awesome in this movie. Too bad she likely will not win.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Who Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln. This category is the toughest to call, with all five nominees equally as worthy of an Oscar. Plus, they're all previous winners, which makes it even harder to decide. But let's hypothetically remove Alan Arkin and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who have not proved very exciting this season. That leaves Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Christoph Waltz. Dark horse Waltz, though he won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA, along with Django Unchained just do not have the backing they need to take home such a competitive prize. Therefore, I choose Tommy Lee Jones' grouchy and scene-stealing work in Lincoln. He won the Screen Actor's Guild Award, and since actors represent the largest voting block of the Academy, Jones will probably take home the Oscar as well.

Who Should Win: Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook. But wait, what about De Niro? He's awesome in Russell's film, and plays his first real tough guy in what seems like forever. De Niro has finally returned to what he's best at. And, he last won an Oscar for Raging Bull... in 1980. Yes, Robert De Niro, one of the greatest actors of all time, has not won an Academy Award for over thirty years. I'll let that one settle, and just hope that we can see him give a well-deserved acceptance speech tonight.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables. The other lock of the evening. Anne Hathaway cut her hair, shed weight, and perfected her mother's role. Out of all the good things to come out of this year's Les Miserables, Hathaway is certainly the best. Her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" will continue to amaze for years to come.

Who Should Win: Hathaway, but Sally Field, Lincoln. While Hathaway broke our hearts, Mrs. Lincoln made us almost hate Lincoln himself. Only Sally Field could yell at Daniel Day-Lewis and have us take her side. I think her win would be worth it just to hear another "You like me!" speech.

Best Original Screenplay

What Will Win: Django Unchained. Like I said earlier, it has been a long time since Quentin Tarantino  has won an Oscar. He's the favorite in this category, and for good reason: Django is a rip-roaring adventure with unforgettable dialogue. Tarantino + vengeance story + racist Southerners + bounty hunters + blood-fueled action scenes + Western setting = one heck of a good time.

What Should Win: Django Unchained, but Zero Dark Thirty. Zero Dark Thirty is the other major contender here, for it's tense screenplay and thrilling story. Maya was developed so wonderfully by writer Mark Boal, and it would be nice to be recognized for his achievement.

Best Adapted Screenplay

What Will Win: Argo. I was going to go with Lincoln here, but Argo's screenplay is really well written.  Plus, it's a decent constellation prize if it doesn't win Best Picture. Lincoln is also very reliant on dialogue, so it still could easily take the award.

What Should Win: Silver Linings Playbook. Truly the best screenplay of the year, with an inspiring story, great characters, and hilarious lines. Without this screenplay, Russell's direction and the actor's performances would not nearly be as effective as they are. It deserves to win this prize more than any other nominated film this year.


Best Documentary Feature

What Will Win: Searching for Sugar Man. It's a documentary that's full of twists, heart, and inspiration. It appeals to the person inside all of us that just longs to be a rock star. All in all good fun.

What Should Win: 5 Broken Cameras. I liked Searching for Sugar Man, but this one was also enjoyable.

Best Animated Feature Film

What Will Win: Brave. In a category much more contested than people give it credit for, this one could go between three films: Brave, Frankenweenie, or Wreck-It Ralph. The mean age of the members of the Academy hurt video game-based Wreck-It Ralph's chances, though it was the most popular animated film of the year. Based on prior experience, Brave will likely take home the gold. It's a Pixar film, one of the Academy's favorites; plus, since Pixar did not win last year, and with the BAFTA win already in it's pocket, all signs seems to indicate Brave as the most formidable challenger.

What Should Win: Frankenweenie. As much as I love Wreck-It Ralph, I really want Frankenweenie to win this award. Tim Burton has never won an Oscar before, and this is only his second nomination; he's an artist under-appreciated in the movie industry. Plus, Disney has never won an Animated Feature Oscar without Pixar, and they're certainly due for one. The fact that this film is an homage to horror films of Hollywood's past gives it a fighting chance, and one that I hope will prove enough to allow Tim Burton to finally win an Academy Award.

Best Foreign Language Film

What Will Win: Amour. It's up for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. It's a universal favorite that certainly appeals to older viewers, featuring a love story between dying spouses. Amour will win Best Foreign Language Film.

What Should Win: A Royal Affair. A Danish costume drama featuring strong performances, this one is more entertaining than Amour is.

The Short Subjects

What Will Win: Redemption (Documentary), Henry (Live Action), Paperman (Animated). Redemption has good heart, so I'm choosing this one. After seeing all the live action and animated nominated shorts, Henry and Paperman seem the most likely based on the Academy's mean age and track record.

What Should Win: Kings Point (Documentary), Death of a Shadow (Live Action), Paperman (Animated). I encourage everyone to check out both Death of a Shadow and Paperman. Death of a Shadow is a highly original story about stealing shadows and framing portraits right before death; Paperman was the intro video to Wreck-It Ralph, and reminds us of the magic of the movies. It's a story of fantasy and love at first sight- a truly uplifting and inspiring short animated film.

Best Film Editing

What Will Win: Argo. The editing in this movie is so tense and hair-raising that it will make you question your history knowledge. It's crisp style also makes it flow very nicely.

What Should Win: Argo, but Zero Dark Thirty. For the same reasons as Argo, you will forget we ever killed Osama bin Laden. The editing in this war film makes the final sequence one of the most thrilling ever shot.

Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects

What Will Win: Life of Pi. With 11 nominations, the Academy obviously enjoyed Life of Pi. Since it will not win any major category, expect it to sweep a ton of technical awards. Best Sound Editing could go to Zero Dark Thirty, but that film has not been as adored as Life of Pi.

What Should Win: Skyfall. James Bond has been infamously robbed of most Academy Awards. Skyfall is one of the franchise's best installments, so is a little love for it too much to ask? Roger Deakins, the cinematographer of the film, has been nominated numerous times without any wins. Zero Dark Thirty should also be recognized for its great sound, and The Avengers should win for it's magnificent Best Visual Effects.

Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

What Will Win: Les Miserables. The flawless design of this movie deserves to be recognized. The streets of Paris come alive, in combination with the costuming and props of the characters who roam the city.

What Should Win: Les Miserables, but Lincoln. The costumes and production design of Lincoln expertly transport us back to the Civil War of America. Hitchcock should also get a Makeup nod for transforming Anthony Hopkins into the legendary director himself.

Best Original Score and Best Original Song

What Will Win: Skyfall and "Skyfall". I think that this is Thomas Newman's year for Best Original Score, and he might beat the equally-as-worthy John Williams in the category. Adele's "Skyfall" is a welcome return to Bond theme songs of the past, and is also a popular favorite. With the singer locked in to perform at tonight's Academy Awards, expect Skyfall to run away with both music categories.

What Should Win: Skyfall and "Skyfall". While John Williams gave another memorable score in Lincoln, and Ted featured the great Norah Jones song "Everybody Needs a Best Friend", I just can't ignore Skyfall. I know I should be giving other options here, but these two are fantastic and, frankly, I want them to win more than the others. So, I'm saying they both will and should win the Oscar.

Enjoy the 85th Academy Awards, beginning tonight at 7 P.M., only on ABC. Good luck to all the nominees, and have fun!!!

Flashback Friday: The 84th Academy Awards

Unlike 2012, movies in 2011 were not very good. With fairly lackluster titles leading the box office and critical reception, 2011 failed to impress many. While a few titles remain prominent in the cinematic world, for the most part, they were weak in comparison to the huge names of 2012. And when a silent, black-and-white love letter to Hollywood claims Oscar's top prize, the mediocrity of a film year comes full circle. But for those select 2011 movies worthy of rememberance, how did they do at last year's Academy Awards? Were the winners actually deserving of recognition? Today on Flashback Friday, we're answering those questions by reflecting back on the 84th Academy Awards.

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that they were getting rid of the unsuccessful ten Best Picture nominee rule, people both rejoiced and questioned the alternative choice. Now, the Academy would select between five and ten nominees for Best Picture; in order to be nominated for the award, films must get 5% of the first choice picks of the voting Academy members when choosing a Best Picture nomination list. Confused? So was everyone else. The Academy ended up choosing nine nominees. Go figure.

The Best Picture award ultimately went to The Artist, a black-and-white French movie that was (mostly) silent. While critically successful, The Artist has not held up it's popularity since it won. Certainly not a typical winner, The Artist was nothing more than a nostalgic look at the past. It was a decent movie about Hollywood that naturally appealed to the older crowd of The Academy.

The sad part- it was probably one of the best movies of 2011.

The Artist winning Best Picture was not really the Academy's fault. 2011 had weak movie titles, and so the Oscars had to work with what they were given. Too bad what they were given was, for lack of a better word, garbage. Even the other nominees, including Martin Scorsese's family-flick Hugo, Alexander Payne's sappy drama The Descendants, Woody Allen's dreamlike comedy Midnight in Paris, and Terence Malick's bizarre but artistic The Tree of Life, remain lucky hits at best. We won't even mention the atrocious Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close nomination. 

Michael Hazanavicius won Best Director for The Artist, and was certainly the underdog amongst the fellow nominees mentioned above. Overall, The Tree of Life and it's genius director Terrance Malick probably deserved the Oscars for producing the standout thought-provoking movie of the year. But, as we've mentioned before, 2011 did not have much going for it, and Malick's films just do not have the backing they need to win. Their weirdness is dwarfed by The Artist's spectacle and familiarity.

Best Actor went to Jean Dujardin for The Artist. His win was actually impressive, considering the close competition he faced. George Clooney was the obvious standout of the year, tackling a family man role different from his usual performances. Gary Oldman finally received his first Oscar nomination, for a famous spy part in Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy. However, Dujardin probably won't be up for another Oscar, so his win this year is acceptable and appreciated. Clooney and (hopefully) Oldman will have their times to walk up the famous stairs.

The race for Best Actress actually had a lot of potential, with all five leading ladies excelling at powerful and tough performances.  Meryl Streep, despite a record 17 nominations, has only won three Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress in 1979 for Kramer vs. Kramer; Best Actress for Sophie's Choice in 1982; and Best Actress in 2011 for The Iron Lady. Though she was good in her latest winning film, the movie itself remains nothing special; out of all the five Best Actress nominees, she was probably the least deserving. Glenn Close has yet to win an Oscar, and her pet project Albert Nobbs should have garnered her a way-past due award. Viola Davis powerfully portrayed a struggling African-American in The Help, and Michelle Williams was unrecognizable as Marilyn Monroe in My Week in Marilyn. But the true deserving woman was Rooney Mara, who escaped into the title role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Her win would have made the Academy seem more "hip" and attentive to popular films. But, alas, they went with Meryl Streep.

Christopher Plummer took the well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar, the sentimental pick of the year. He's never won before, and only got his first nomination in 2009 for The Last Station. Octavia Spencer's performance in The Help was the popular choice in 2011 for Best Supporting Actress. Honestly, Berenice Bejo in The Artist was more deserving; and, Jessica Chastain should have gotten something for breaking out into the movie business with a bang. She appeared in seven movies throughout the year, and was nominated for her work in The Help. Chastain also appeared in the Oscar-nominated The Tree of Life.

The two best awards of the night went to Best Original Screenplay winner Woody Allen, for his artistic fantasy Midnight in Paris; and, The Descendant's Best Adapted Screenplay of sharp dialogue and rich story, written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash. Roger Ebert's favorite A Separation won Best Foreign Language Film, and Rango beat the Pixar-streak of Best Animated Feature. Hugo pretty much took the rest of the technical awards.

All in all, 2011 was a bad year in film, featuring lackluster releases and standard movies. The Academy chose the best they could at the 84th Academy Awards. From what we can tell, the 85th Academy Awards are shaping up to be much better and much more deserving. 2012 easily trumped 2011 in providing cinematic achievements, and the Oscars will recognize these great films on Sunday, February 24th. We'll see you at the Oscars.

Join us this weekend for Movie Critic's Club's predictions for the 85th Academy Awards!

Movie Critic's Club's Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners

Out of the thousands of movies made throughout the century, only eighty-five have ever claimed the title of Best Picture. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences hands out this honor during their annual Oscar telecast, easily the most coveted award of the evening. But how many of these films actually deserve this rare privilege? Complaints of genre bias, racism, and unpopular choices have plagued the Best Picture race for years. However, for those films actually worthy of Best Picture, they have marvelously stood the test of time, appreciated and beloved to this day. So, here is Movie Critic's Club's Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners, counting down the greatest winners of the highest cinematic achievement of all time.

10. Gone with the Wind (Fleming, 1939)

Starting off the countdown with a bang is Gone with the Wind, Victor Fleming's 1939 Southern epic about the Civil War. The Best Picture winner won eight competitive Oscars (in addition to two honorary awards), including Best Director-Victor Fleming, Best Actress- Vivien Leigh, Best Supporting Actress- Hattie McDaniel, and Best Adapted Screenplay- Sidney Howard. Though nominated, Clark Gable was shockingly beat for Best Actor by Robert Donat in Goodbye, Mr. Chips. In Gone with the Wind, literally every page of the hugely popular source novel was beautifully brought to life on the screen, credited to powerful performances and inspired direction. Holding the record for most Oscars won for almost twenty years, this movie would be higher on the list if the equally as worthy The Wizard of Oz wasn't up for Best Picture the same year.

9. American Beauty (Mendes, 1999)

The Academy routinely chooses serious dramas as their Best Picture winners. But no other drama is as enjoyable or worthy of the prize as Sam Mende's 1999 suburban drama American Beauty. Starring Best Actor winner Kevin Spacey, the film chronicles a few days in the lives of a dysfunctional family and their troubled neighbors. In addition to Spacey's Best Actor Oscar, the film also walked away with Best Director- Sam Mendes, Best Original Screenplay- Alan Ball, and the hugely worthy Best Cinematography- Conrad Hall (Annette Benning, arguably better than Spacey in the film) lost her Best Actress bid to Hillary Swank in Boys Don't Cry). American Beauty remains the textbook definition of an Oscar winner; it's known better as a Best Picture winner than a great movie. It's hysterically funny while heartbreakingly tragic, and one of the most enduring Best Picture winners ever made.

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Jackson, 2003)

The only fantasy winner, a huge crowd-pleaser, and a film years in the making; how could it not make the Top Ten? The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is Best Director- Peter Jackson's magnum opus, an Oscar winner that went eleven for eleven. With no acting or cinematography nominations, Return of the King took home nearly every award of the evening. One of the greatest movie trilogies ever made, The Lord of the Rings redefined filmmaking forever with it's innovative visual effects, stunning screenplay, and amazing production design. This third installment took home the big awards after the first two, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, failed to claim the Best Picture prizes they each were nominated for.

7. West Side Story (Wise and Robbins, 1961)

While musicals tend not win Best Picture, the 1960's saw five winners of the award, including this popular Broadway adaptation. West Side Story is a modern-day spin of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, telling the tale of two rival gangs, the Puerto Rican Sharks and the American Jets, and their growing conflicts. The gang wars escalate after the Jet's Tony and the Shark's Maria begin to fall in love with one another. Famous for it's snapping fingers, bright colors, and New York City landscape, West Side Story took home ten Oscars, including Best Director- Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, Best Supporting Actor- George Chakiris and Best Supporting Actress- Rita Moreno. With "America", "Maria", "Tonight", and "Cool", West Side Story remains an unmatched musical Best Picture winner.

6. Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, 1962)

Lawrence of Arabia has one of the most harrowing productions ever undertook, with almost four years of filming on location in the desert. Beautifully shot by Best Cinematography- Frederick A. Young, the film is the life story of T.E. Lawrence, a British soldier and ally of the Middle East. The movie dominated the 35th Academy Awards, winning seven Oscars including Best Director- David Lean and Best Original Score- Maurice Jarre. Although it shockingly lost out on Best Adapted Screenplay- Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson and Best Actor- Peter O'Toole, all three men were nominated for their participation. Despite worthy competition from The Music Man and To Kill a Mockingbird, Lawrence of Arabia truly was the Best Picture of 1962. And for that, it takes the number six spot on this list.

5. Schindler's List (Spielberg, 1993)

Steven Spielberg did not win the Best Director Oscar for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, despite nominations for each of them. It was not until 1993 did people actually begin to recognize Spielberg as an artistic and "serious" filmmaker. With Schindler's List, the director pushed the boundaries of cinematic achievement by providing a breathtaking story full of emotion, trauma, and the capacities of the human spirit. Also claiming Best Adapted Screenplay- Steven Zaillian and Best Original Score- John Williams, the movie has since become a legend across the globe for it's devastating look at the Holocaust in World War II Nazi Germany. The story pits the film's Best Actor nominee Liam Neeson (who plays Oskar Schindler) and fellow Best Supporting Actor nominee Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth) at the pinnacle of man's darkest hour. Haunting and surreal, this black-and-white Best Picture winner is one for the history books.

4. Casablanca (Curtiz, 1943)

Considered one of cinema's greatest films, Casablanca is a movie that has a little of something for everybody. It's filled with action, romance, mystery, peril, war, music, and some of the most quotable screenplays ever written. The Best Adapted Screenplay- Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch was one of only three wins for the film, along with Best Picture and Best Director- Michael Curtiz. However, despite a relatively small amount of awards, a singular fact does boost the motion picture higher up on the Top 10: when it was first released, Casablanca was not even popular. The Academy recognized the film as Best Picture nonetheless. This is one of the few times in their eighty-five year history that the Academy has chosen a truly great Best Picture winner without it being popular beforehand. Good foresight, Academy. "Here's looking at you, kid."

3. Titanic (Cameron, 1997)

Coming in at number three is, for most people, the most iconic Best Picture ever made. The 70th Academy Awards, which celebrated Titanic as the Best Picture of the year, was the most viewed Oscar telecast of all time, with nearly 57.25 million people watching the show, almost ten million more people than the second-place ceremony (for the Academy, this should be a sign that you should nominate more popular films in the major categories). At a time the highest grossing movie, this blockbuster remains immensely popular and wildly successful. Titanic stars Best Actress nominee Kate Winslet (who's older version is played by Best Supporting Actress nominee Gloria Stuart, the oldest nominee ever) and Leonardo DiCaprio in an ill-fated romance between classes that's forever shattered by the sinking title ship. Led by winners Best Director- James Cameron and Best Original Song- Celine Dion for "My Heart Will Go On", Titanic garnered eleven Academy Awards. James Cameron was "king of the world" that year, and it's hard to argue against such an undeniable truth.

2. The Silence of the Lambs (Demme, 1991) 

Out of the three "Big Five" winners, only one can truly be considered among the Top 10 Best Picture Oscar winners. As popular as it is critically acclaimed, The Silence of the Lambs also claimed honors for Best Director- Jonathan Demme, Best Actor- Anthony Hopkins, Best Actress- Jodie Foster, and Best Adapted Screenplay- Ted Tally. Foster plays FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who's sent to interrogate the psychotic cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) for information on a new serial killer, "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine). Considered amongst the most influential heroes and villains ever created, Clarice is a flawed heroine that transcends gender stereotypes when matched against the devilishly clever Hannibal. Anthony Hopkins shocked and amazed viewers, captivating audiences so much that he was given a Best Leading Actor Oscar for only sixteen minutes of screen time. Furthermore, the motion picture was released in February, considered a "dead month" by Academy standards; the movie must have made an impact as it was not voted for Best Picture until almost a year later. The Silence of the Lambs is a worthy, all around fantastic production that reminds movie lovers why they love the Academy Awards.

1. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972)

At the 45th Academy Awards, the musical Cabaret nearly swept the Oscars, winning eight awards including Best Director for Bob Fosse. It seemed all but certain that the film would set a new record; but then, in an instant, Cabaret was silenced by losing it's Best Adapted Screenplay bid to another movie. This other movie, a gangster film written by winners Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, would go on to win Best Actor- Marlon Brando and Best Picture of 1972. The highest grossing film of the year, this gangster movie became an instant sensation and has since developed into one of the best movies ever made. Therefore, the number one spot on Movie Critic's Club's Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners of all time goes to... The Godfather.

One of cinema's proudest achievements, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is a gangster movie about the Corleone crime family, headed by patriarch Don Vito Corleone (Brando). However, a series of events forces his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) to join the family business. With more fleshed out and developed characters than any other film, The Godfather also stars James Caan as Vito's hothead oldest son, Robert Duvall as Vito's adopted son and lawyer, and Diane Keaton as Michael's love interest. Pacino, Caan, and Duvall all received Best Supporting Actor nominations for their now legendary performances. No other motion picture or screenplay is as perfect as The Godfather; it features some of cinema's most iconic performances, dialogue, set pieces, and scenes. The powerful themes of family, crime, vengeance, and madness play out to excellent effect. But above all else, The Godfather succeeds because of the incredible direction by Francis Ford Coppola, who makes the story so interesting and captivating that audiences feel themselves in the story. Coppola grips the viewer from beginning to end, holding their attentions for all three hours of the masterful storytelling. For all these reasons and more, The Godfather is the greatest Best Picture Oscar Winner of all time.

Hope you enjoyed this Top 10 list, and be sure to watch the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 24th to see if this year's Best Picture winner joins the ranks of the best Oscar winners.

Flashback Friday: It Happened One Night (Capra, 1934)

There are five Academy Awards that are considered to be the most prestigous: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Screenplay. They are the oldest and most enduring prizes given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Together, they make up "The Big Five" Oscars. Sweeping "The Big Five" is a very rare and distinctive milestone. The Holy Grail of Academy honors, only three films in the eighty-four years of Academy history have ever won this honor; the most recent was in 1991, when The Silence of the Lambs took "The Big Five". Before that, 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest shared the honor with only one other movie, with a gap of almost forty-one years separating them. The original winner was also the first comedy to win the night's biggest award. So today, we're finishing off our Best Picture Flashback Friday series with the 1934 "Big Five" winner, It Happened One Night.

Though it ultimately became one of director Frank Capra's biggest success stories, It Happened One Night was initially perceived as a failure. Infamous for it's troubled production and initially mixed reception, the movie bounced back better than most films ever hope to. Released before the extreme  enforcement of the Motion Picture Production "Hays" Code (the governmental censorship of films that made them "appropriate" with little-to-no provocative content), It Happened One Night remains one of the earliest and most popular romantic comedies of all time.

The movie tells the story of the bratty Ellen "Ellie" Andrews (Claudette Colbert), who runs away from home after her wealthy father (Walter Connolly) annuls her marriage to a man named Westley (Jameson Thomas). On the bus that will take her to her husband, Ellie meets newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable), who recognizes her celebrity status immediately. Peter blackmails Ellie to give him an exclusive story in exchange for him taking her to see Westley; or, he will take her back to her father in exchange for the reward he's offering for his daughter's return. Ellie reluctantly agrees to Peter's deal. 

Ellie, used to her spoiled and rich lifestyle, has trouble adjusting to living life on-the-go. She comes to totally totally depend on Peter's street smarts, and together they have several misadventures on the quest to find Westley. The bus they travel on has several mechanical issues, and the pair frequently has to stop and find their own way to Ellie's husband. On their comedic and screwball journey, Ellie and Peter eventually begin to fall in love.

It Happened One Night was a nightmare for Capra. He wanted neither Gable and Colbert to be involved in the production, but after several rejections by his first choices, he eventually agreed to cast them. During the 1930's, Hollywood was still under the Studio System, in which the five major studios controlled the actors involved with their films. All actors were under contract to do a certain amount of motion pictures with the same studio, but the studio could "loan" them out if there was no need for them at the time. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer did this with Clark Gable, and "loaned" him out to small-time studio Columbia Pictures for a minor profit. Claudette Colbert was cast by producer Harry Cohn, even though Colbert never wanted to work with Capra again after the disastrous For the Love of Mike. She accepted only with a gigantic salary and shortened production schedule.

Gable and Colbert became friends during the filming of the movie, initially hating the script together. However, after a few days of production, they eventually agreed that the movie could not be worse than some of their first films. Gable and Capra both played practical jokes on Colbert throughout filming to lighten her mood. And even though Colbert and Capra argued throughout filming, she eventually thanked her director after she won the Oscar.

The movie is influential for it's famous hitchhiking scene, in which Ellie flashes her leg to catch a ride. A double was supposed to perform the hiking-up of the pants, but Colbert was so furious with the double's performance that she did it herself. Also, the film featured a scene where Gable takes his shirt off to reveal he was not wearing an undershirt. His "bare chest" masculinity, according to legend, led to the brief decline in men's undershirt sales. Bus travel also skyrocketed after the movie was released. Other scenes, like the curtain between the beds and the abandoned wedding premise, have been used dozens of times since the movie's release to almost cliche effects.

The movie received mixed reviews during the initial release, with the two leads and director both expressing dissatisfaction with the final product. However, after a few weeks in theaters, audiences began to flock to the picture. It became a huge hit for both Columbia Pictures and Frank Capra.

It Happened One Night was nominated for five Oscars, sweeping "The Big Five": Best Picture (Frank Capra and Harry Cohn), Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actor (Clark Gable), Best Actress (Claudette Colbert), and Best Screenplay (Robert Riskin). After the 7th Academy Awards ceremony, and a late appearance by winner Colbert, Clark Gable gave his Oscar to a young boy. Gable promised that winning the award was much more important than the statue itself. The boy, several years later, gave the statue back to the Gable family after Clark's death.

Other nominees that year included Claudette Colbert's own Cleopatra (made before the Elizabeth Taylor version), Imitation of Life, and The Thin Man. With the exception of possibly The Thin Man, no other movie has stood the test of time as considerably as It Happened One Night. Today, the film is considered to be one of the best romantic comedies of all time, landing the number three spot on the American Film Institute's Ten Top Ten: Romantic Comedies of All Time. The movie also appears on AFI's lists of the greatest comedies, romances, and movies ever made.

A fun Oscar movie, and influential for it's "Big Five" win, It Happened One Night is an important milestone in Academy Award achievements. It's an enjoyable comedy that holds it's own against the best movies ever made. Be sure to check out this "Big Five" winner.

Join us on the next Flashback Friday for a look back at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, all leading up to the 85th Academy Awards, on Sunday, February 24 at 8 P.M. on ABC!

Oscar Categories and How to Choose Them

When you're filling out your Oscar ballots, you think you're doing great at the beginning. You fill out Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress with ease, remembering all those awards shows you've already watched and heard about. But as you keep going, and you keep filling out those bubbles, you get to those "scary" categories: Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film, and (gasp!) Best Animated Short Film. Well, fear no more- Movie Critic's Club has you covered. Today, we're going to take a look at the lesser known Oscar categories, and give you an insider's guide on how to choose them. We'll break down what each award means, and, hopefully, readers can use this guide as a tool for future Academy Awards ceremonies. Get ready to impress your friends, and win your next Oscar prediction party!

Best Animated Feature

The Best Animated Feature winners, 2001-2008

What It Means: Best Animated Feature is a recent award that was added, honoring the greatest animated film from the year.

How to Choose a Winner: Pick Pixar. If it's up for Best Animated Feature, it will almost certainly win. The biggest box-office animated smash of the year is also likely to take home the prize. Since Disney almost always trumps in this regard, they almost always win Best Animated Feature.

Best Foreign Language Film

What It Means: The award for Best Foreign Language Film is the prize for best film not in the English language and made outside the United States. It is given to the director of the movie. Unlike the other categories, the nominees for this category do not have to be released in America (though subtitles are required for eligibility).

How to Choose a Winner: Unfortunately, a lot of people are unable (and unwilling) to see the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. Therefore, there remains some confusion on who to choose as a winner here. The best indicator, especially prevalent in recent years, is to choose the film that has won other awards. Also, if a foreign movie has other nominations in addition to this category, it's almost certain to win here. But, try to see at least some of the more hyped foreign language films! They're usually incredible motion pictures.

Best Documentary Feature

What It Means: This award is given for a feature-length documentary, released in theaters during the cinematic year.

How to Choose a Winner: Again, follow the trends. The Academy will probably choose the popular documentary from that year. They used love movies about history, World War II especially. But in recent ceremonies, the prize has been given to films that have the cinematic elements like suspense and human appeal. If the documentary is both educational and entertaining, it's golden to win the big prize.

The Short Films: Live Action, Animated, and Documentary

What They Mean: These short films are 40 minutes or less in length, and are usually not released to the general public. The nominees are often recent graduates or current students of film schools, showcasing their work and establishing their careers with an Oscar win.

How to Choose a Winner: Unfortunately, there is no clear way to predict winners here. The patterns are diverse in terms of who takes Oscar gold, but try to find nominees who are students or part of small budget film companies. Outstanding technical achievements will take home the prize. If you have time and can find the nominees, check them out; you can tell which will win based on how good they look.

Best Adapted Screenplay/Best Original Screenplay

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, after their
1997 Best Screenplay Oscar win for Good Will Hunting

What They Mean: A movie's screenplay is the story, dialogue, and action of the film. It is the beginning of a movie's production, and provides the basis by which the film is made. The Academy Award has two subsections of Best Screenplay: Adapted and Original. Adapted screenplays are based on previously written material, like books, plays, and even other movies; original screenplays are completely new, and even though they may be based on actual events, the writing is original and creative.

How to Choose a Winner: Best Screenplay usually goes to the winner of Best Picture; since Best Picture is oftentimes based on literary works, Best Adapted Screenplay is almost the same as the big award. Best Original Screenplay, unless it correlates with a Best Picture frontrunner, is given to a creative work that's totally different from other movies. Also, the award is not usually given to a work otherwise un-nominated; the Oscars essentially come down to a few films, so if one film wins everything, expect it to take Best Screenplay as well. Look for a film that would be known for great dialogue and story development, and that will most likely be the winner.

Best Original Score/Best Original Song

What They Mean: Best Original Score and Best Original Song honor the music aspects of the Academy Awards. Best Original Score is given to the movie with the best instrumental soundtrack, while Best Original Song is awarded to a song written specifically for a movie.

Judy Garland performing the 1939 Best
Original Song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

How to Choose a Winner: These two awards pretty much go hand-in-hand, so if one wins/has a nomination, expect the other to win as well. Look for big-time composers, in addition to movies that rely heavily on the soundtrack (like silent films, or romantic dramas). For Best Original Song, look for winners that otherwise have no chance of winning an Oscar, like pop artists or popular bands. In addition, if a musical has an original song, expect it to take the gold.

Best Sound Editing/Best Sound Mixing

What They Mean: The sound categories at the Academy Awards are given to films that demonstrate superior and innovative sound achievements in a motion picture. Sound in a movie ranges from anything from dialogue, to objects touching the floor, to explosions and gunshots. Though they are two separate categories, the winners oftentimes coincide.

How to Choose a Winner: The special effects categories at the Oscars, by the end of the night, will typically go to the same movie team. Films that rely heavily on sound, like science fiction, superhero, and action thrillers, will usually walk away with these awards. Look for movies that are nominated in both of these categories; then, after they are narrowed down, look for films that have the most total nominations. These are probably your winners.

Best Production Design

2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring featured
a majority of hand-built sets

What It Means: Best Production Design is the award for the overall appearance of the film, much like art direction and set design. It is the background of a motion picture- the behind-the-action set pieces that blend seamlessly with the surrounding plot.

How to Choose a Winner: Movies that are historical epics, and other films that require a lot of set attention will take home this honor. Big-budget, sprawling scenery pieces are the most probable to win.

Best Cinematography

What It Means: Cinematography is how a movie is filmed, the angles and specific shots that make up a motion picture. This award honors the greatest achievement in filming a movie, and how the shots work together to tell a story.

How to Choose a Winner: The movie that wins Best Director will take home this prize, as direction and cinematography work together during the filming phase of moviemaking. Since Best Cinematography is presented first, choose a film that features big camera movements as the winner.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling/Best Costume Design

What They Mean: Each actor needs a costume and makeup in order to fully immerse themselves in their roles. These departments take care of that end, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Costume Design goes to the best visual achievements of character design.

2009 Best Costume Design winner The Young Victoria,
a common example of aristocratic, elaborate costumes

How to Choose a Winner: Best Costume Design is easy- they virtually always go to Victorian-era British films. Long, elegant costumes from the aristocratic era claim the prize year after year. Best Makeup usually goes to undeserving drama films; however, if a fantasy movie manages to receive a nomination here, they may take the award.

Best Film Editing

What It Means: After all the production for a movie is done, the editor sits in a room with all the filmed materials. During this stage of post-production, the editor puts together all the shots to make the final cut of a movie. They make the decisions on what to cut out, and in what order to put the film. The editing is important for making the movie have emotion and tone.

How to Choose a Winner: Go with the popular movie of the year (the one with the most nominations). Thrillers also get editing nods sometimes, because the editing is what makes the movie so suspenseful.

Best Visual Effects

Avatar won the 2009 Oscar for Best Visual Effects,
for its highly innovative 3-D technology and CGI characters

What It Means: Best Visual Effects is the award for the post-production team that creates the special effects in a film. Anything that shows up on screen after filming is considered special effects; the most well-known example today is CGI (Computer Generated Imaging), though visual effects are not just limited to this category.

How to Choose a Winner: If a movie is known for it's big-budget, CGI effects, it is likely to win on Oscar night. Choose a fan favorite film, like a commercially very profitable superhero film or science fiction movie. Also, if a film is innovative in either IMAX or 3-D technology, this award is for them.

Hope this breakdown helps, and good luck on your Oscar ballots!

Flashback Friday: Chicago (Marshall, 2002)

Remember our discussion about the importance of the Academy Awards? How the movie that wins Best Picture is oftentimes regarded as the best film of a given year, no matter what? 2002 is another example of that.  The Pianist was frequently regarded as the best film of the year, even winning Best Director for Roman Polanski (considered to be an apology of recognition to the on-the-run director from Hollywood). The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Tours, Gangs of New York, and the un-nominated Adaptation also stood strong in the great awards season of 2002. But another movie, the first musical win in over thirty years, took home Best Picture. Whether it deserved to win or not is up to you to decide. For today on Flashback Friday, we're taking a look at the 2002 winner of Best Picture. Today, we're heading to Chicago.

Chicago takes clear influences from screen musical legend Bob Fosse, who directed the 1972 Best Picture-nominated Cabaret. He was originally attached to direct Chicago before his untimely death in 1987. Rob Marshall eventually picked up the project, bringing his own sense of direction to famous show.

Chicago, based on the musical of the same name, is the story of Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger, nominated for her performance), a small-time singer with dreams of being famous. She has an affair with a man claiming to have connections in nightclubs, but after she discovers he lied about the whole thing, kills him in vengeance. Though Roxie's husband Amos (John C. Reilly, nominated) tries to defend her, Roxie ends up going to jail for murder.

While in jail, Roxie meets Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role), a murderess vixen who killed her husband and sister after she found them in bed together; and, "Mama" Norton (Queen Latifah, nominated), a deal-making prison warden who gets drugs and supplies for prisoners in exchange for money. Roxie's life is turned upside down, however, when she encounters the lawyer named Billy Flynn (Richard Gere)- a man considered "the best in town" for saving murderers on death row. 

Amos tries to convince Billy to take Roxie's case, which he eventually yet reluctantly agrees to do. Billy turns Roxie into a celebrity, making Chicago fall in love with her and turning her into an overnight success. Velma, however, grows jealous, and plots with "Mama" to overthrow Roxie. Velma wants the spotlight to shine on her again, like it was before Roxie came along. A satire on turning lawbreakers into celebrities, much like the world is doing today, Chicago turns a serious topic into a song-and-dance spectacle with fun performances.

If Moulin Rouge! (2001) modernized the movie musical, than Chicago solidified it. It's fun, fast-paced, and full of great music. Unlike other film musicals, where the plot of the story is interrupted by singing, Chicago boasts a musical stage performance that's frequently broken up by less-fun story bits. Roxie is trying to put on a musical for the audience, yet the movie keeps interrupting her show. It's a cool twist that makes Chicago different from the rest.

Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, and Queen Latifah all give inspired performances and demonstrate their talent in musical theater. However, they're all bumped from the screen by Catherine Zeta-Jones, who gives the belt-it-out performance of a lifetime. She deservedly won the Oscar for playing Velma Kelly, as anytime she walks into the frame the audience is instantly mystified. She's easily one of the greatest Best Supporting Actress winners of all time.

The songs in particular are, for the most part, great additions to the film. Standout numbers include "All That Jazz", "When You're Good to Mama", "We Both Reached for the Gun", and, of course, the "Cell Block Tango". Choreographed by director Rob Marshall, the dancing in the movie is top-notch and awesome to watch. Overall, Chicago is a lot of fun and deserving of recognition.

People claim it shouldn't have won Best Picture, however. Even though it and Moulin Rouge! (which was nominated for Best Picture in 2001, but lost to A Beautiful Mind) completely revamped and reengaged public interest in movie musicals, people still complain that another movie should have won.

Sure, Roman Polanski released a powerful Holocaust film the same year, and Adrien Brody deservedly won Best Actor in addition to Polanski's Best Director win. Nicole Kidman was awarded with Best Actress for The Hours after her snub for Moulin Rouge! to Monster's Ball's Halle Berry (which Berry rightfully deserved). Even Adaptation was recognized for Best Supporting Actor (Chris Cooper). There's no excuse for Gangs of New York, which was robbed all 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Director for Martin Scorsese.

Chicago, despite all this strong competition, still deserved to win. Also awarded for Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing, Chicago was the favorite at the 75th Academy Awards, but by no clear majority. The awards were properly spread around to several winners, equally distributing prizes to those who deserved it. 

The best film of 2002, to mostly everyone in the movie industry, remains Chicago. It's a non-controversial favorite, a risk-free choice that causes no real issues, except maybe that it remains "too" fun and not "artsy" enough. As for it's Oscar legacy, Zeta-Jones is one of my favorite Supporting Actress winners, and I'm glad the film won Best Picture despite worthy competition. It was the first musical to win since 1969's Oliver!, and the time for a musical win was way overdue. A film literally anyone can enjoy, Chicago remains one of those rare Academy Award-winners that's both bearable to watch and fun to enjoy on repeat viewings. If you're ever in the mood for an Oscar-winning, no thinking, catchy film, than Chicago is for you.