OSCAR TIPS 2009
February 10th 2009 06:34
Category: No Category
An update discussion will follow after the awards.Best Motion Picture of the Year Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
• Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
• Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
• The Reader (2008): Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson
Here’s betting on the Slumdog. It’s confrontational, innovative and features a lovable underdog hero. Plus the voters will have actually sat all the way through it.
Danny Boyle and Dev Patel are clearly happy with themselves - with good reason
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:
• Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)
• Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)
• Sean Penn for Milk (2008)
• Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
• Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)
Brad wanted to prove he can also act when ugly (the jury is still out on that one, let’s just say it wasn’t quite Charlize Theron in Monster caliber performance), Sean did well, but if Mickey doesn’t get it there’s going to be a WWF protest and nobody wants that. It’s Mickey all the way. Go Mickey!
Mickey Rourke as The Wrestler: a face that speaks volumes
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Nominees:
• Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)
• Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)
• Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)
• Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)
• Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees:
• Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)
• Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)
• Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
• Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)
Philip got one for Capote, everyone loves Robert, Michael was a standout and Josh had a really bad haircut in Milk – something Hollywood loves to award as a sign of great acting as evidenced last year by Javier Bardem’s win for No Country for Old Men. Who can deny sorely missed Heath though, we’re all still in mourning and one thing’s for sure: Hollywood is sentimental.
Going out in style: Heath Ledger as the Joker will have the last laugh
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Nominees:
• Amy Adams for Doubt (2008/I)
• Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
• Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)
• Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
• Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)
Penelope is our wishful thinking dark horse bet here. She’s zesty and vivacious in Woody Allen’s film, but the laurels might get stolen by Amy, the Hollywood darling, or Marisa, who’s got an Oscar for My Uncle Vinny ages ago, but her performance opposite Rourke is affecting.
Best Achievement in Directing Nominees:
• Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
• Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)
• David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
• Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)
• Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)
Here’s thinking Danny will get it. But Gus has a good chance too, as the Academy likes to distribute the awards evenly between deserving films – the director can miss out if the film already got the best picture nod…
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Nominees:
• Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt
• Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh
• In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh
• Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black
• WALL•E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon
As above. The bet is on Milk, but WALL•E is a favourite and Mike Leigh could also steal the show.
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
• Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley
• Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan
• The Reader (2008): David Hare
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy
This is an eeny, meeny, miny, moe situation. But since the winner usually takes it all, the bet is on Slumdog.
Best Achievement in Cinematography Nominees:
• Changeling (2008): Tom Stern
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Claudio Miranda
• The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister
• The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle
Button has to go home with at least one award, overnominated as it is, and Miranda’s work is breathtaking and nuanced, especially in the early New Orleans scenes. All the nominations are strong here though.
Best Achievement in Editing Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
• The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith
• Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
• Milk (2008): Elliot Graham
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens
Button was under-edited as far as this reviewer is concerned, Frost/Nixon has a good chance but Slumdog has that millionaire tension going for it and the Boyle rhythm, so that’s our bet.
Best Achievement in Art Direction Nominees:
• Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
• The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
• The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway
• Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
Changeling does an amazing job of recreating the period and The Dark Knight draws us into the darkness and leaves us there, but Button will probably take it.
Best Achievement in Costume Design Nominees:
• Australia (2008): Catherine Martin
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Jacqueline West
• The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor
• Milk (2008): Danny Glicker
• Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky
Since Australia got snubbed out of everything else (see Baz, you cannot bribe them with Over the Rainbow), here’s hoping it’ll get a nod as a consolation prize. But costume dramas are notorious in this category, so Duchess has an advantage.
Best Achievement in Makeup Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Greg Cannom
• The Dark Knight (2008): John Caglione Jr., Conor O'Sullivan
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz
Who do you think was uglier: the Joker or the Button? Button it is. One thing is for sure, Hellboy will be ignored (but we love him anyway in all his hornlesness).
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Alexandre Desplat
• Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard
• Milk (2008): Danny Elfman
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman
• WALL•E (2008): Thomas Newman
Slumdog will probably take it, in one big sweep, unless it gets the award in the category below.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song Nominees:
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, ("O Saya")
• WALL•E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth")
Strangely enough it’s probably going to be WALL•E, against the odds. The Academy happens to loooove cartoon songs.
Best Achievement in Visual Effects Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron
• The Dark Knight (2008): Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin
• Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan
It’s going to be the Knight. Quite frankly it’s not such an interesting (or attractive) achievement to show us how Brad will age.
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year Nominees:
• Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard
• Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
• WALL•E (2008): Andrew Stanton
Where is the nomination for Igor I ask? The Panda was cuddly and Bolt featured one ferocious hamster, but it’s WALL•E that has the most heart and a pertinent message.
Watching the stars: WALL•E will be a bright light on Oscar night
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Nominees:
• Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)(Germany)
• Entre les murs (2008)(France)
• Revanche (2008)(Austria)
• Okuribito (2008)(Japan)
• Vals Im Bashir (2008)(Israel)
Waltz with Bashir has had the strongest distribution and exposure, so we are going with this one. Not the strongest category for the Academy.
Best Documentary, Features Nominees:
• The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (2008): Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath
• Encounters at the End of the World (2007): Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser
• The Garden (2008/I): Scott Hamilton Kennedy
• Man on Wire (2008): James Marsh, Simon Chinn
• Trouble the Water (2008): Tia Lessin, Carl Deal
It's a toss-up between Herzog and Man on Wire. Betting on the latter – pure cheekiness.
Ok, back to watching the stars. Tune in after they roll the red carpet back, for either a bitchfest or a gloatfest...
© Copyright P. Bieszk 2009
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Comment by Michelle Sweeney
Competition Queen
Always Learning
Cinema Voyage