Friday, February 22, 2008

My Oscar Predictions:

Sorry, but did you really expect the theatre major not to give his two cents about the upcoming Academy Awards? For a while there, I was very worried there wouldn't be any bald, expressionless, naked men (why on earth is THAT the award given for accomplishments in movies?) handed out this year, but, with the writer's strike ending a little over a week ago, it appears as if everything will go on as scheduled.

Best Supporting Actress:
*Cate Blanchett - I'm not There
*Ruby Dee - American Gangster
*Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
*Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
*Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

WHO WINS?: Blanchett. A solid choice, and Oscar voters LOVE Blanchett, but she appeared to be more of a caricature than a real person to me.
WHO SHOULD?: Ryan. Her portrait of a drug-addled woman fighting with addiction and the loss of her daughter is amazing.

Best Supporting Actor:
*Casey Affleck -The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
*Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
*Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
*Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
*Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

WHO WILL WIN?: Javier Bardem.
WHO SHOULD WIN?: Bardem. He plays a ruthless killer with a heart of stone, and he plays it to a T.

Best Actress:
*Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
*Julie Christie - Away from Her
*Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
*Laura Linney - The Savages
*Ellen Page - Juno

WHO WILL WIN?: Laura Linney. Linney's been close to a statue before, a couple times in fact. I think the Oscar voters give her a nod for another stellar performance.
WHO SHOULD WIN?: As much as I want to say Ellen Page (who I really wish would have MY out of wedlock babies), I'm going to have to say Cotillard's performance as Piaf was the best of the year. Of a couple years, actually.

Best Actor:
*George Clooney - Michael Clayton
*Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will be Blood
*Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
*Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
*Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

WHO WILL WIN?: This year is JAM PACKED with great candidates. I can't see them picking anyone but Daniel Day-Lewis, who is probably the best actor in a generation.
WHO SHOULD WIN?: As big of a fan of Johnny Depp as I am, I have to give it to Day-Lewis.

Best Director:
*Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
*Jason Reitman - Juno
*Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
*Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
*Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will be Blood

WHO WILL WIN?: Coen Brothers. They've been short-changed at the Oscars too many times to keep it going. I think The Academy gives them their due.
WHO SHOULD WIN?: Tony Gilroy. Michael Clayton was the movie nobody saw that had STELLAR performances out of everyone in the cast. The director is the one to thank for this.

Best Picture:
*Atonement
*Juno
*Michael Clayton
*No Country for Old Men
*There Will be Blood

WHO WILL WIN?: No Country for Old Men. This movie is everything the Academy voters look for in a movie, and more.
WHO SHOULD WIN?: Depends. If the category were "best made picture", I'd say There Will be Blood. If the category were "picture with best acting" it would be Michael Clayton. If the category were "most enjoyable picture" it'd be Juno. If it were "boring waste of time" it'd be Atonement.... that movie was terrible. Since the award is actually considered a mix of "best writing, directing, acting, and cinematography", I'd say No Country for Old Men is the hand's down winner.


Sorry, I know this post was about 5000 words too long, but somebody had to say it.
The Oscars air this Sunday at 8? Maybe 7? Eh, look it up.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ummm even though i don't agree with all your choices, you know i love the oscars so props for writing a great article!

Anonymous said...

just watched no country for old men, it's unassumingly unconventional yet (thankfully) never over-the-top. the Coen bros. deserve their Oscars; well done indeed.