Oscars 2015: Predictions, Tweet Reviews and More

Courtesy: The Oscars

It’s that time of the year again! (Ah! It feels great to come out of my self-imposed hibernation after almost two years, by beginning the post with a cliché). I am very jaded, and this post will probably make you cringe. So I apologize and thank you in advance for putting up with this post.

The Oscars are around the corner, so now might be the perfect time to reflect upon some of the best movies and some of the best performances in the past year. When the nominations were announced on 15^th of January, the members of the Academy received criticism because of the lack of diversity in the nominations – not a single Black actor/actress was nominated in the main acting categories. This is the third instance in the past 20 years where no Black actor has been nominated in the four main acting categories – 1995 and 2011 were the other two instances when all the nominees were White actors. Nevertheless, throughout the awards season, many favorites have emerged but there are bound to be a few surprises when the awards are announced on Sunday.

The 87^th Academy Awards will take place on Feb 22, 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Neil Patrick Harris aka Barney wait-for-it Stinson will be hosting the awards for the first time, this year. Last year’s show, hosted by the super-hilarious Ellen DeGeneres, is famous for that iconic Oscar Selfie. NPH being equally talented and funny, we can surely expect some memorable moments when he hosts the awards this year.

Except one; I have watched all the movies nominated for Best Picture, this year. After watching each nominated movie, I review them in a series of tweets that nobody bothers to read. So, I decided it was a great idea to coalesce all those mundane tweets, and post them here - where no soul has stepped foot in almost two years. Genius, I say!

I initially intended to embed the tweets to this post, but that proved to be logistically infeasible. Hence I have posted only the screenshots. Please click on the name of each movie to read the complete review.

So, along with my tweet reviews, here are my predictions for the Oscars 2015:

Movie: Boyhood

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay.

My Prediction: 3 Wins - Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress

Although I loved Boyhood, it is not my favorite movie of the year. But it is the best-reviewed movie of the year, appears No. 1 on more critics’ annual “Best-of” lists in 2014 than any other movie, and in all probability, will go on to win Best Picture. Director Richard Linklater is tipped to win Best Director and he most probably will. The race for the Best Supporting Actress is between Patricia Arquette and Meryl Streep for Into the Woods – Patricia is tipped to win this race. In the Supporting Actor category, Ethan Hawke will probably lose out again, this time to the outstanding J.K. Simmons for Whiplash.

Movie: The Theory of Everything

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

My Prediction: 1 Win - Best Actor

The race for the Best Actor award is between Eddie Redmayne and Michael Keaton for Birdman. Redmayne has pretty much swept all the awards in that category, this season. So unless there is an upset, I expect him to take home the coveted Best Actor award for The Theory of Everything, this Sunday.

Movie: Still Alice

Nominated For: Best Actress

My Prediction: 1 Win – Best Actress

Julianne Moore has received widespread critical acclaim for her outstanding portrayal of a patient with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She has pretty much swept all the awards this season, and she’s going to win big at the Oscars too.

Movie: Whiplash

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay

My Prediction: 1 Win – Best Supporting Actor

Whiplash, in my opinion, is the best movie of the year. It deserves to win Best Picture, but it won’t. On the other hand, J.K. Simmons will go on to win Best Supporting Actor.

Movie: Selma

Nominated For: Best Picture and Best Original Song

My Prediction: 1 Win – Best Original Song

Selma was unfairly snubbed for Best Direction, and in the two main Acting categories. It is however a favorite to fetch an Oscar for both John Legend and Common for their song, “Glory.”

Movie: Birdman

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing.

My Prediction: Will win the technical awards but may lose out on the main ones.

Technically, this movie is brilliant. I especially expect it to win for Best Cinematography. But the main race is for the Best Director and Actor awards. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s direction is excellent; he deserves to win Best Director, but will probably lose this race to Richard Linklater. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Iñárritu wins it though. There’s probably a much closer race for Best Actor between Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne. And here too, Redmayne will probably pip Keaton. Edward Norton was fantastic in this movie, even overshadowing Keaton for the most part, but he too will lose out on the Best Supporting Actor trophy to J.K. Simmons.

Movie: The Imitation Game

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and other technical awards.

My Prediction: No Wins.

Benedict Cumberbatch acted his heart out in this insipid movie, but he is not tipped to win Best Actor. The movie might still win one or two awards in the technical category, but I am not expecting much.

Movie: American Sniper

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and other technical awards.

My Prediction: No Wins.

Considering the track records of the legendary director Clint Eastwood and the movie’s lead actor Bradley Cooper, American Sniper was always going to be nominated big. Also, it may go on to become the highest grosser at the domestic box office for the year 2014. But I don’t see Sniper winning any major awards.

Movie: Gone Girl

Nominated For: Best Actress

My Prediction: No Wins.

Rosamund Pike was absolutely brilliant in Gone Girl, deserves her nomination. The movie should have also been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, as it had won several awards in that category in various award functions, but it failed to get an Oscar nod.

Note: This obviously is not the most comprehensive post about the topic as I am yet to watch a couple of other nominated movies, and so my opinions are based solely on the movies I have watched so far.

Come Sunday, there will be the usual glitz and glamour associated with the Oscars with the who’s who of the entertainment industry assembled at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. There will be some amazing performances, many memorable moments, some heartbreaks, but mostly joy for the big winners of the night.

So, see you at the Oscars!

Not Just Another Cricket Match

Picture Courtesy: Google Images

I was looking forward to this day for the past three years. Of all the match-ups in the whole season, this was the only contest I really wanted to see. In 2011, this particular match was a complete washout because of the rain. Last year, I was not even in a position to walk when the match took place, but I was happy because we demolished them that day. This year, there were no obstacles, or so I thought when I booked the tickets to watch the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on the 20^th of April. One team in which my idol, Rahul Dravid, plays at present; versus the other which betrayed him. Nothing would make me happier than seeing my idol in person and him being the victorious captain of a team against his former team on his ‘home’ ground.

This day was special to me in more ways than one. Not only was I ecstatic to watch my idol live, but it was also going to be my first ever “Live” match. Yes, I know it sounds very shameful that I had never watched a cricket match in a stadium before, but there’s always a first for everything. My passion for my beloved cricket is unparalleled, but I always preferred watching the game from the comforts of my home rather than watching it live in the stadium. 

I never saw Dravid bat live in a Test Match in a stadium, which is probably my only regret as far as my beloved game is concerned. So, this particular match became all the more special as it might possibly be Dravid’s last competitive match on his home ground. He may not come back to play another season, although I said the same thing last year as well. So, there is a glimmer of hope of Dravid coming back next year, but it all depends on how he feels—mentally and physically. He would be 41 by then. Anyway, if this was going to be his swan song, then I had to be there at any cost.

There was a little drama even before the start of the match, nothing related to the Cricket of course. Because of the blasts that happened in Bangalore just three days before the match, the security was beefed up around the city, especially for this match. The stadium had turned into a fortress, almost.

The day finally arrived and I, along with my buddy Suraj, made my way to the stadium. My first experience inside a stadium was absolutely amazing. My excitement reached its peak when I saw my idol for the very first time. Dravid walked into the stadium in his training gear and started analyzing the pitch as he always does before the start of a match. There was a huge roar when he entered the stadium by a sparsely filled crowd.

My eyes were firmly set on him as I watched his every move. I was absolutely awestruck, as I couldn’t believe I was watching him live for the first time. The actual start of the match was still two hours away, while Dravid and his teammates continued their practising session. After analyzing the pitch, Dravid got his pads on and started hitting a few balls in the nets. Although he was practising at the far end of the stadium as compared to where I was seated, I could still feel his absolutely commendable work ethic. This wasn’t new to me; he has been doing that for the past 17 years. 

Even after retiring from international cricket a year ago, he still looked great physically. Dravid taking a break from his commentating duties after the recently concluded India-Australia Test series to prepare for this year’s IPL shows his commitment and determination. I was privileged to witness all that live for the very first time.

Virat Kohli won the toss and RCB chose to field first. Any team chasing always has a distinct advantage on this ground, and hence I was expecting RR to bat last, but it wasn’t to be. We needed a good start from Watson and Rahane but they fell very early in the innings. The run rate didn’t even touch six until the 8^th over. Dravid was struggling but was fighting it out. I finally got to witness my idol bat live, but at that moment, I was so involved in the match, I didn’t even realize it. 

The run rate was slowly starting to pick up, and Dravid also started to find his shots, which gave me immense joy and happiness. That feeling just can’t be described in words. His flicks, his straight drives, his cover drives, his backfoot punches down the ground—absolutely sublime. While many of those shots found the fielders, it was pure bliss to watch him play those shots. I was absolutely gutted when Dravid holed out for a fighting 35. It was an absolute privilege to witness my idol bat, and I was content with the fact that he fought it out in the middle when the going was tough and again came up with rock-solid innings. When Dravid fell, the score was 97 for 4, and the rest of the team just dramatically collapsed. We eventually holed out for an inadequate score of 117. I wanted to leave the field at that instant, but there was still some optimism left inside me. But honestly, I knew our fate was sealed.

In the second half, even though I knew what the result would be eventually, I still kept rooting for my team till the very end and made some RCB fans around me very angry. I observed Dravid field all the way through; he would mostly field in the first slip or the mid-off. I was keenly observing his mannerisms as I didn’t know if or when I would get that chance again. I learnt a lot of new things about my idol that day. Something that would stay with me for a long long time.

For many, it was just another cricket match. For me, it was something way beyond. Thank you, Rahul Dravid for all the memories.

Match Scorecard: RR vs RCB

The Eternal Fighter turns 2 - Blogoversary

To wish the love
of his life
on her birthday,
A naïve,
socially-awkward
and shy bloke,
decided to
create a blog.
He never hoped
she would ever read it,
but still managed
to pour his
heart out.

He never imagined
 he was even capable
of writing more
than four lines, 
Yet, gave blogging a shot.
He came up with a
spontaneously
ridiculous name, 
The Eternal Fighter,
The Ultimate Comeback Kid. 
A name which he is
now proud of,
A name which has
come to define him.

Initially, his friends
 encouraged him
to carry on.
A few ordinary posts,
odd comments,
few months later,
He seriously
considered himself
a “blogger”.
He also naively
considered himself
a “writer” at one point.

He got an opportunity 
to interact with
some of the
best bloggers
in the blogosphere,
through IndiBlogger.
Reading their
work regularly,
made him realize,
what “writing” 

actually is. 
Embarrassed with
the mediocrity he
has been
churning out,
He vowed to improve.

Inspiration mostly
 came from within.
Devastated with
health issues,
He chose to blog
about them.
 Slowly, he realized,
blogging about 
what he
“felt”,
made him
very happy.
Writing was one of the
few things which gave him
immense happiness,
during the most toughest
phase of his life.

He continued to do
 what made him happy,
despite his mediocre
writing skills.
He either
blogged
about himself,
or his idol,
Rahul Dravid.
Oh, he also
blogged
about cats.
To conceal his
limited writing skills,
He often resorted to
long bouts of absence.

Along the way, 
he made 
a few friends for life,
who stuck with him
since the very
beginning.
They read and
commented
on all his posts,
irrespective of
how sub-standard
they were.

He wishes to thank 
them from the bottom
of his heart,
for their continued support
and encouragement.
He has survived in the
blogosphere for two years,
only because of his
loyal readers
and friends.

I know, everyone will agree when I say this, one’s blog is not just a blog; it’s an extension of themselves, an important part of their life. I am no different; my dearest blog is a very important part of my life and will always continue to be. I will keep on blogging as long as I can, for it has given me so much, which I can never repay. 

Here’s wishing a very happy 2^nd birthday to my dear blog. Thank you for everything you have done to me.