Awards season has kicked off already with the Golden Globes and Screen Actor’s Guild awards and London’s BAFTA Film Awards, but we’re still ramping up to the main event: the Oscars.
BAFTA Film
Alfonso Cuarón’s Sci-Fi drama Gravity topped the list of winners at this year’s BAFTA film awards, winning Best Director, Best British film and accolades for visual effects, cinematography, best sound and original music.
Meanwhile 12 Years a Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor won the best actor award while Cate Blanchett picked up best actress for her role in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine.
Golden Globes
This year’s Golden Globes were held on the twelfth of January, and were a great year for the critically acclaimed American Hustle, which won not just the award for best motion picture for comedy, best performance from an actress for Amy Adams, and best supporting actress for Jennifer Lawrence.
Christian Bale narrowly missed out on the award for best actor to Leonardo DiCaprio, who received his second Golden Globe ever for best actor in a comedy or musical for Wolf of Wall Street.
Screen Actors Guild
The glitz and glamour of American Hustle was praised once more at the Screen Actors Guild awards, receiving its top honour for outstanding cast, while Matthew McConaughey took the award for best actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club as an AIDS activist, and Cate Blanchett received best actress for Woody Allen’s newest film Blue Jasmine.
Unfortunately for Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese, the popular biopic Wolf of Wall Street didn’t receive any nominations, but a few weeks later they both took the Cinema Vanguard Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for significant contributions to film.
The Oscars
The Oscars are always the biggest part of the awards season, and are being held on the second of March this year in LA, and the question on everyone’s lips is whether Leo will finally get an Oscar, after all these years.
It’s amusing to say the least that of all films Mr. DiCaprio could have been up for an Oscar for, it’s the risky booze/ drugs and whatever else filled- Wolf of Wall Street that’s finally got him recognized by the academy. The film has also gone in for best picture, best director, best supporting actor and best screenplay, revealing that a much more eclectic variety of films are being recognized for achievements this year.
Not to be forgotten in that list is the eccentric 70’s themed heist American Hustle, featuring a comb over and pot belly you won’t forget on con man Christian Bale, and even a blackjack playing casino mobster in the form of the brilliant Robert De Niro (who’s small part is so convincing and amusing you’ll be wanting to start playing blackjack yourself just to learn the etiquette and lingo!)
Michael Wilkinson of the American Hustle team has been nominated for best costume design thanks to his seventies’ disco-themed attire dripping with cleavage and velvet, just one of the ten nominations waiting for American Hustle at the Academy Awards.
Other films which have done remarkably well include 12 Years A Slave which has been nominated for nine Academy Awards after winning best motion picture for a drama at the Golden Globes and outstanding female support actor at the Screen Actor’s Guild awards; Gravity which won best director at the Golden Globes as well as seven Critics Choice Awards; and Dallas Buyers Club, which won both Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards for its star Matthew McConaughey and supporting actor Jared Leto.
It’s all been building up to the Oscars which are just a few weeks away. But will it continue the impressive trend of wins for American Hustle, or will Leo finally get a look in? Place your bets now!