Simon's Oscar Preview 2013: Special Feature Films

This week's schedule:
Monday - Art & Design, Music
Tuesday - Technical Achievements
Wednesday - Short Films, Special Feature Films
Thursday - Writing & Directing, Acting
Friday - Best Picture

Films I haven't seen are marked accordingly. 

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

Nominees: 5 Broken Cameras, The Gatekeepers (have not seen), How to Survive a Plague, The Invisible War, Searching for Sugar Man

Who Will Win: Searching for Sugar Man
Who Should Win: How to Survive a Plague

Searching for Sugar Man seems to have this one locked up, but there are still some other excellent docs here. How to Survive a Plague and The Invisible War are both effective, emotionally charged films that tackle important topics and benefit from powerful footage and interviews. I have yet to see The Gatekeepers, but reviews have been wildly positive. 5 Broken Cameras is the lone film that doesn't seem capable of carrying its own weight and I would have loved to see The Imposter in its spot instead. Either way, Sugar Man and its manipulative narrative will likely be taking home the award on Sunday. 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Nominees: Amour, Kon-Tiki, No, A Royal Affair, War Witch

Who Will Win: Amour
Who Should Win: Amour

This may be the most assured victory out of the entire field this year. Amour surprised everyone by hauling in five nominations, in the expected Foreign Language Film category, but also Screenplay, Actress, Director and Best Picture. Amour is a tremendous film and deserves all those accolades, but I do want to draw attention to some of the other worthy competitors from international cinema. No is another excellent film that you should all go see immediately. Even the largely ignored Kon-Tiki is worth a couple hours of your time. The Academy is slowly warming to international cinema and some strong films are getting rewarded as a result. 

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Nominees: Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Wreck-It Ralph

Who Will Win: Wreck-It Ralph 
Who Should Win: Wreck-It Ralph

It's Disney vs. Disney this year, as Brave and Wreck-It Ralph battle it out for the top prize. A few years ago, the idea of Pixar losing this award would have been laughable, but the venerable animation studio has faltered over the past two years. Disney's in-house studio, by contrast, has been picking up steam. Wreck-It Ralph is an adorable, fun and exceedingly intelligent family movie, full of in-jokes and Easter eggs amidst the kinetic animation. I think Ralph is going stomp all over the competition, but Brave is far from dead at this point.