My Oscar Picks
I thought I should share my Oscar Picks. Everywhere I've read seems to have two lists - "who should win" and "who will win", because Oscar voters can be very very silly or naughty or both. I've decided to add an "Oh no they didn't" list. See Gwyneth Paltrow and Shakespeare in Love for evidence.
I'm only doing the big ones. Sorry technical fields.
Best Picture Nominees:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Should Win: No Country For Old Men or Juno
Will Win: Atonement or There Will Be Blood - both films could have used better editing and their lead actors should try to eat more. Why must Keira and Daniel insist on looking like holocaust victims?
Oh No They Didn't: Juno. This would make me so so so very happy and make me rethink my past hatred.
Best Actor Nominees
George Clooney -- Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis -- There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp -- Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones -- In The Valley Of Elah
Viggo Mortensen -- Eastern Promises
Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis because of all the spitting. Spitting, drooling and foaming of the mouth is the mark of a great actor. See My Left Foot for further evidence.
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Oh No They Didn't: Viggo Mortensen. Look, I thought he was awesome and I love Viggo, but fighting naked in a sauna ... I just don't think it sends the right message. Not that I would discourage Viggo from doing anything naked.
Best Actress 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
Should Win: Julie Christe/Ellen Page
Will Win: Cate Blanchett because they haven't forgiven themselves for the Gwyneth Paltrow blunder. They have a rare opportunity to right a wrong, but two wrongs don't make a right.
Oh No They Didn't: Marion Cotillard. I'm a huge Edith Piaf fan, but this performance was a bit one-dimensional for my tastes.
Best Director Nominees
Paul Thomas Anderson -- There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen -- No Country For Old Men
Tony Gilroy -- Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman -- Juno
Julian Schnabel -- The Diving Bell and Butterfly
Should Win: Joel and Ethan Coen
Will Win: Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Casey Affleck -- The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem -- No Country For Old Men
Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook -- Into The Wild
Tom Wilkinson -- Michael Clayton
Should Win: Javier Bardem - what other man could have made the Dorothy Hamil haircut cool?
Will Win: Casey Affleck - Oscar seems afflicted with Afflecks. Plus they want to encourage brother Ben to stay behind the camera by rewarding his film.
Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Cate Blanchett -- I'm Not There
Ruby Dee -- American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan -- Atonement
Amy Ryan -- Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton -- Michael Clayton
Should Win: Amy Ryan/Tilda Swinton
Will Win: Cate Blanchett - it's her year, and the voters are really really really so so so sorry about the Gwyneth thing. It was the wrong tall blond that won that night. Honest mistake.
Best Original Screenplay
Juno (Diablo Cody)
Lars And The Real Girl (Nancy Oliver)
Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
The Savages (Tamara Jenkins)
Should Win: Lars and The Real Girl - talking mouse, legal ethics, dysfunctional family, teen pregnancy - all done before. Man finally comes out of his shell and socializes now that he has an anatomically correct life-size doll as a girlfriend - that's new to me.
Will Win: Michael Clayton/Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement (Christopher Hampton)
Away From Her (Sarah Polley)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (Ronald Harwood)
No Country For Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen)
There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Should Win: Sarah Polley - she's Canadian. End of story.
Will Win: Atonement - because the book was an incoherent mess and the movie was less of an incoherent mess but a mess nonetheless, so clearly some hard work was involved. Such work must be rewarded. Plus Atonement will suck in the other categories.
Best Animated Film
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up
Should Win: Ratatouille. I hate the idea of surfing penguins just slightly more than I hate the idea of dancing penguins and I haven't seen Persepolis.
Will Win: Ratatouille.
Oh No They Didn't: Surf's up. I would have to stop watching the Oscars.
Best Cinematography
The Assassination Of Jesse James... (Roger Deakins)
Atonement (Seamus McGarvey)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (Janusz Kaminski)
No Country For Old Men (Roger Deakins)
There Will Be Blood (Robert Elswit)
Should Win: No Country For Old Men. Never has the barren Texas desert landscape ever looked so creepy and frightening.
Will Win: The Assassination of Jesse James - it's the Brangelina effect.
Best Costume Design
Across The Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie En Rose
Sweeney Todd
Should Win: Sweeney Todd. Johnny Depp channeling the bride of Frankenstein. Enough said. Why isn't 300 here? There is something to be said for the simplicity of the Spartan aesthetic (and the painted-on abs too).
Will Win: Elizabeth: The Golden Age - they spent more money on the costume and pageantry and Clive Owen's extensions (which he pulled out before the first day of shooting) that they didn't have enough left over for writing, direction and editing. That kind of sacrifice must be rewarded.
Best Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Into The Wild
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Should Win: The Bourne Ultimatum - of the five films here, it's the only one that seemed to have ANY editing at all.
Will Win: No Country For Old Men - the editors achieved the near impossible. They managed to make Tommy Lee Jones' character seem to actually matter to the plot. Mad skillz.
Oh No They Didn't: There Will Be Blood. If there was editing, I didn't notice it.
Best Original Song
Once ("Falling Slowly")
Enchanted ("Happy Working Song")
Enchanted ("So Close")
Enchanted ("That's How You Know")
August Rush ("Raise It Up")
Should Win:"Happy Working Song" That scene of sewer rats, dirty pigeons and roaches helping Amy Adams clean up the apartment was only tolerable because of the peppiness of this song. I should have like to have seen "Pop! Goes My Heart" in this category. This is a travesty!
Will Win: "Falling Slowly" If you haven't already, you should watch Once.
I'm only doing the big ones. Sorry technical fields.
Best Picture Nominees:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Should Win: No Country For Old Men or Juno
Will Win: Atonement or There Will Be Blood - both films could have used better editing and their lead actors should try to eat more. Why must Keira and Daniel insist on looking like holocaust victims?
Oh No They Didn't: Juno. This would make me so so so very happy and make me rethink my past hatred.
Best Actor Nominees
George Clooney -- Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis -- There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp -- Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones -- In The Valley Of Elah
Viggo Mortensen -- Eastern Promises
Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis because of all the spitting. Spitting, drooling and foaming of the mouth is the mark of a great actor. See My Left Foot for further evidence.
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Oh No They Didn't: Viggo Mortensen. Look, I thought he was awesome and I love Viggo, but fighting naked in a sauna ... I just don't think it sends the right message. Not that I would discourage Viggo from doing anything naked.
Best Actress 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
Should Win: Julie Christe/Ellen Page
Will Win: Cate Blanchett because they haven't forgiven themselves for the Gwyneth Paltrow blunder. They have a rare opportunity to right a wrong, but two wrongs don't make a right.
Oh No They Didn't: Marion Cotillard. I'm a huge Edith Piaf fan, but this performance was a bit one-dimensional for my tastes.
Best Director Nominees
Paul Thomas Anderson -- There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen -- No Country For Old Men
Tony Gilroy -- Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman -- Juno
Julian Schnabel -- The Diving Bell and Butterfly
Should Win: Joel and Ethan Coen
Will Win: Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Casey Affleck -- The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem -- No Country For Old Men
Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook -- Into The Wild
Tom Wilkinson -- Michael Clayton
Should Win: Javier Bardem - what other man could have made the Dorothy Hamil haircut cool?
Will Win: Casey Affleck - Oscar seems afflicted with Afflecks. Plus they want to encourage brother Ben to stay behind the camera by rewarding his film.
Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Cate Blanchett -- I'm Not There
Ruby Dee -- American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan -- Atonement
Amy Ryan -- Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton -- Michael Clayton
Should Win: Amy Ryan/Tilda Swinton
Will Win: Cate Blanchett - it's her year, and the voters are really really really so so so sorry about the Gwyneth thing. It was the wrong tall blond that won that night. Honest mistake.
Best Original Screenplay
Juno (Diablo Cody)
Lars And The Real Girl (Nancy Oliver)
Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
The Savages (Tamara Jenkins)
Should Win: Lars and The Real Girl - talking mouse, legal ethics, dysfunctional family, teen pregnancy - all done before. Man finally comes out of his shell and socializes now that he has an anatomically correct life-size doll as a girlfriend - that's new to me.
Will Win: Michael Clayton/Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement (Christopher Hampton)
Away From Her (Sarah Polley)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (Ronald Harwood)
No Country For Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen)
There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Should Win: Sarah Polley - she's Canadian. End of story.
Will Win: Atonement - because the book was an incoherent mess and the movie was less of an incoherent mess but a mess nonetheless, so clearly some hard work was involved. Such work must be rewarded. Plus Atonement will suck in the other categories.
Best Animated Film
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up
Should Win: Ratatouille. I hate the idea of surfing penguins just slightly more than I hate the idea of dancing penguins and I haven't seen Persepolis.
Will Win: Ratatouille.
Oh No They Didn't: Surf's up. I would have to stop watching the Oscars.
Best Cinematography
The Assassination Of Jesse James... (Roger Deakins)
Atonement (Seamus McGarvey)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (Janusz Kaminski)
No Country For Old Men (Roger Deakins)
There Will Be Blood (Robert Elswit)
Should Win: No Country For Old Men. Never has the barren Texas desert landscape ever looked so creepy and frightening.
Will Win: The Assassination of Jesse James - it's the Brangelina effect.
Best Costume Design
Across The Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie En Rose
Sweeney Todd
Should Win: Sweeney Todd. Johnny Depp channeling the bride of Frankenstein. Enough said. Why isn't 300 here? There is something to be said for the simplicity of the Spartan aesthetic (and the painted-on abs too).
Will Win: Elizabeth: The Golden Age - they spent more money on the costume and pageantry and Clive Owen's extensions (which he pulled out before the first day of shooting) that they didn't have enough left over for writing, direction and editing. That kind of sacrifice must be rewarded.
Best Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Into The Wild
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Should Win: The Bourne Ultimatum - of the five films here, it's the only one that seemed to have ANY editing at all.
Will Win: No Country For Old Men - the editors achieved the near impossible. They managed to make Tommy Lee Jones' character seem to actually matter to the plot. Mad skillz.
Oh No They Didn't: There Will Be Blood. If there was editing, I didn't notice it.
Best Original Song
Once ("Falling Slowly")
Enchanted ("Happy Working Song")
Enchanted ("So Close")
Enchanted ("That's How You Know")
August Rush ("Raise It Up")
Should Win:"Happy Working Song" That scene of sewer rats, dirty pigeons and roaches helping Amy Adams clean up the apartment was only tolerable because of the peppiness of this song. I should have like to have seen "Pop! Goes My Heart" in this category. This is a travesty!
Will Win: "Falling Slowly" If you haven't already, you should watch Once.