Double Gobble Oscar Picks

Here we go, Double Gobblers- we can’t believe that The Oscars are almost here! While we didn’t have the chance to see all of the shorts, we did see a good chunk of the films nominated this year. Below you will find our Oscar picks. For the bigger categories, we decided to pick the films that we want to win (From the Heart) and also the films we think The Academy is likely to choose (From the Head). We only included the categories that we have seen or have extensive knowledge in. Feel free to leave your own picks below!

Kristy’s Picks

Best Picture

From the Heart: 12 Years A Slave- I loved this film and I think that time will prove it to be one of the best films in American cinema. The acting is superb, the writing is fantastic, and if The Academy is going for true emotion and grit, they will pick this one.

From the Head: American Hustle – This film has it all; an all-star cast, great direction, a suspenseful storyline, and a steady momentum at the box office. While it’s not my personal favorite, I think The Academy will reward this film for it’s originality.

Best Actor

From the Heart: Chiwetel Ejiofor deserves this and I will honestly be upset if anyone else wins out over him.

From the Head: Public opinion can have a strong influence over any person or group, and The Academy is no exception. For this reason, I think that Leonardo DiCaprio might actually get that golden statue- not because he deserves it for this particular role, but because the internet has decided it is time for him to win.

Best Actress

From the Heart: I am unhappy with the situation that has come to light regarding Woody Allen, but I do believe that Cate Blanchett has the strongest performance out of this group.

From the Head: There are quite a few award show darlings in this category, and it is tough to decide where The Academy will go with this one. If American Hustle wins Best Picture, it might end up being Amy Adams’ time to shine.

Cavalcade- Best Picture Winner; 1933

The Basics – Cavalcade (1933) – Director, Frank Lloyd; starring Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O’Connor; Run Time – 112 mins. – Drama, Romance  “A cavalcade of English life from New Year’s Eve 1899 until 1933 seen through the eyes of well-to-do Londoners Jane and Robert Marryot.”

Prior Knowledge

Kristy – It’s about a British family, that’s all I know.

Koob – Once again, I saw this movie years ago but remember close to nothing about it except that it follows a British family through different events from turn of the century through World War I.

Fun Facts from IMDB

-Betty Grable, in one of her earliest film appearances played, with no screen credit, “Girl on couch.”

-The second most popular film of 1933.

 

-At present, this is the only Best Picture Oscar winner not to be available on DVD in the Region 1 territory. It can be bought as part of the 20th Century Fox 75th Anniversary Collection, but the studio has no plans to release it separately.

 

-The third war film within 6 years to win the Best Picture Academy Award, the others being Wings (1927) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930).

 

-Has the fewest IMDb votes out of all Best Picture Oscar winners as of April 2013 (less than two thousand).

Fish and Chips for “Cavalcade”

To better enjoy this British retrospective, we thought that we would make Britain’s official food: Fish and Chips!

Chips:

• 2-3 medium potatoes, skin-on, cut into French strips
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the potatoes in a medium bowl. Whisk together the canola oil, paprika, salt, pepper toss with the potatoes to evenly coat. Place the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until the potatoes are tender and starting to brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

Fish:

1 1/2 lbs. Cod