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BEST PICTURE The Nominees: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood My Choice: Pretty solid nominees; I liked them all to some degree. The exception is Atonement, which has narrative issues but works for two-thirds of its running time. Michael Clayton is a basic legal thriller thankfully about its characters but not much more beyond its broad corporate indictment. Daniel Day-Lewis drives There Will Be Blood to a grand character study, but that's what the Best Actor category is about. I love Juno; that hasn't changed. Still, there's only one film I've been touting for months now, and No Country for Old Men deserves this award more than any of the Best Picture nominees in years. My Prediction: Atonement? Out. Has been for a while (the BAFTA doesn't mean much, especially considering it won Best Film but couldn't win Best British Film). Michael Clayton is as well, although with the directing nod for Tony Gilroy, it would have a better shot than Atonement. There Will Be Blood is one of only two nominees that have the seemingly required nominations in the director and editing category to pick up the top award, but almost an three-hour character study stands little chance. Juno is a dark horse, but after last year's win for a crime thriller, the Academy might think a comedy is in line. Perhaps I'm biased for it to win, but I'm going with No Country for Old Men to take it. The Winner: No Country for Old Men BEST
ACTOR The Nominees: 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 My Choice: George Clooney? Really, star power gets you that far? Johnny Depp is also on here for his star power and the fact that he sings and looks appropriately morose through the whole of the movie. I didn't care for the movie, but Tommy Lee Jones is functional in his role as a sad father (he deserves to be nominated in the Supporting Actor category for No Country for Old Men instead). Viggo Mortensen is also solid, and his fight scene alone is a fantastic physical performance. On the whole, the category is pretty weak, except of Day-Lewis, who owns There Will Be Blood, making it an enthralling character study and heightening its social commentary at once. My Prediction: There are perhaps only two sure-things in this year's awards, and Day-Lewis is one of them. The Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood BEST
ACTRESS The Nominees: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age; Julie Christie, Away from Her; Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose; Laura Linney, The Savages; Ellen Page, Juno My Choice: I'm not sure which I'm more confused by: Cate Blanchett or Laura Linney. Both are great actresses but don't belong here for their respective movies. Julie Christie gives a genuinely heartbreaking performance in Away from Her, and so does Marion Cotillard, whose portrayal of Édith Piaf is truly remarkable. I was going back and forth on my selection for a while (it's a pretty strong year in spite of the first two), but I can't ignore that Ellen Page's firecracker performance as the lovable Juno gets richer and richer, her vulnerability more tangible, with each subsequent viewing. My Prediction: Blanchett and Linney are probably here for their body of work. Cotillard has the misfortune of being in a foreign-language film. Christie has been on a roll with awards, and she's probably the safe bet. I'm thinking, though, that the Academy is going to go with Page; she's a new-comer, young, and has a promising career on the horizon. The Winner: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose BEST
SUPPORTING ACTOR The Nominees: 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 My Choice: These are all fine performances (not what I'd choose, but fine nonetheless). Hal Holbrook does a lot with his minimal screentime, and Tom Wilkinson helps putting a human face on a legal thriller. Casey Affleck is something of a revelation as the hero-worshipping murderer, and Philip Seymour Hoffman once again shines as a ne'er-do-well. It is, though, Javier Bardem whose performance leaves the biggest impression. Pure evil incarnate, he is, as Anton Chigurh, a killer with strange, strange principles. My Prediction: Hoffman just won a bit ago, and Charlie Wilson's War has had little to no momentum. Affleck's nomination is one of those that is a prize unto itself. Wilkinson or Holbrook could pull off a career award, but Bardem pretty much has it in the bag. The Winner: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men BEST
SUPPORTING ACTRESS The Nominees: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There; Ruby Dee, American Gangster; Saoirse Ronan, Atonement; Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone; Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton My Choice: I have forgotten Ruby Dee's performance. Nothing against her, but the slap is her big moment. Tilda Swinton is cunning and malicious, and Saoirse Ronan helps propel Atonement's best section. Amy Ryan is a discovery here as a mother both distraught and negligent. Blanchett is the best of the Dylan impersonators in I'm Not There, and her performance is one that goes beyond mere impersonation. My Prediction: Ronan is too young. Blanchett just won this award a few years ago. Swinton is a bit too much of an actress. With two left, I am torn. Part of me wants to say the Ryan will pull an upset, because the Academy loves emerging talent and roles like hers. Dee, though, has a long, distinguished career, a few important pre-Oscar awards, and momentum. The Winner: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton BEST
DIRECTOR The Nominees: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men; Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton; Jason Reitman, Juno; Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly My Choice: Another strong category. Gilroy's insistence on a human face to the legal thriller is appreciable, and Paul Thomas Anderson's out-of-character classical, sincere style is a big step for him. Julian Schnabel's telling of the story of a man with locked-in syndrome is downright ingenious, and Reitman is the unsung hero of Juno. Seriously, though, Joel and Ethan Coen deserve it for their spare, intelligent, bloody storytelling, let alone their body of work. My Prediction: Gilroy is a freshman; it's a good start for his career but not something that'll be awarded. Schnabel's film is up for Best Picture, a huge detriment to his chances. Reitman, even with a Juno upset, is, again, the unsung hero of the film and will probably remain so. Paul Thomas Anderson, the young maverick, has a good chance, depending on how well There Will Be Blood fares. It is the Coens, though, who have worked their long, hard toll and will get this probably no matter how Best Picture goes. The Winner: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men BEST
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM The Nominees: Beaufort, Israel; The Counterfeiters, Austria; Katyn, Poland; Mongol, Kazakhstan; 12, Russia My Choice: N/A My Prediction: Beaufort The Winner: The Counterfeiters BEST
ANIMATED FEATURE The Nominees: Persepolis, Ratatouille, Surf's Up My Choice: Ratatouille My Prediction: Ratatouille The Winner: Ratatouille BEST
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Nominees: Christopher Hampton, Atonement; Sarah Polley, Away from Her; Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men; Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood My Choice: No Country for Old Men My Prediction: No Country for Old Men The Winner: No Country for Old Men BEST
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The Nominees: Diablo Cody, Juno; Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl; Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton; Brad Bird, Ratatouille; Tamara Jenkins, The Savages My Choice: Juno My Prediction: Juno The Winner: Juno BEST
ART DIRECTION The Nominees: American Gangster, Atonement, The Golden Compass, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, There Will Be Blood My Choice: Atonement My Prediction: Atonement The Winner: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street BEST
CINEMATOGRAPHY The Nominees: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Atonement, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood My Choice: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly My Prediction: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford The Winner: There Will Be Blood BEST
SOUND MIXING The Nominees: The Bourne Ultimatum, No Country for Old Men, Ratatouille, 3:10 to Yuma, Transformers My Choice: No Country for Old Men My Prediction: No Country for Old Men The Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum BEST
SOUND EDITING The Nominees: The Bourne Ultimatum, No Country for Old Men, Ratatouille, There Will Be Blood, Transformers My Choice: No Country for Old Men My Prediction: Transformers The Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum BEST
ORIGINAL SCORE The Nominees: Atonement, Dario Marianelli; The Kite Runner, Alberto Iglesias; Michael Clayton, James Newton Howard; Ratatouille, Michael Giacchino; 3:10 to Yuma, Marco Beltrami My Choice: Atonement My Prediction: Atonement The Winner: Atonement BEST
ORIGINAL SONG The Nominees: "Falling Slowly" from Once; "Happy Working Song" from Enchanted; "Raise It Up" from August Rush; "So Close" from Enchanted; "That's How You Know" from Enchanted My Choice: "Falling Slowly" from Once My Prediction: "Falling Slowly" from Once The Winner: "Falling Slowly" from Once BEST
COSTUME DESIGN The Nominees: Across the Universe, Atonement, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, La Vie en Rose, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street My Choice: Atonement My Prediction: Elizabeth: The Golden Age The Winner: Elizabeth: The Golden Age BEST
EDITING The Nominees: The Bourne Ultimatum, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Into the Wild, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood My Choice: No Country for Old Men My Prediction: No Country for Old Men The Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum BEST
MAKEUP The Nominees: La Vie en Rose, Norbit, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End My Choice: La Vie en Rose My Prediction: La Vie en Rose The Winner: La Vie en Rose BEST
VISUAL EFFECTS The Nominees: The Golden Compass, Pirate of the Caribbean: At World's End, Transformers My Choice: The Golden Compass My Prediction: Transformers The Winner: The Golden Compass BEST
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE The Nominees: No End in Sight, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Sicko, Taxi to the Dark Side, War/Dance My Choice: Sicko My Prediction: No End in Sight The Winner: Taxi to the Dark Side BEST
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT The Nominees: "Freeheld," "La Corona" ("The Crown"), "Salim Baba," "Sari's Mother" My Choice: N/A My Prediction: "Sari's Mother" The Winner: "Freeheld" BEST
ANIMATED SHORT FILM The Nominees: "I Met the Walrus," "Madame Tutli-Putli," "Même les Pigeons Vont au Paradis" ("Even Pigeons Go to Heaven"), "My Love" ("Moya Lyubov"), "Peter & the Wolf" My Choice: N/A My Prediction: "I Met the Walrus" The Winner: "Peter & the Wolf" BEST
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM The Nominees: "At Night," "Il Supplente" ("The Substitute"), "Le Mozart des Pickpockets" ("The Mozart of Pickpockets"), "Tanghi Argentini," "The Tonto Woman" My Choice: N/A My Prediction: "At Night" The Winner: "Le Mozart des Pickpockets" ("The Mozart of Pickpockets") Predicted film with the most awards: No Country for Old Men Predicted number of awards: 6Film with the most awards: No Country for Old Men Number of awards: 4Copyright © 2008 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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