I love the Academy Awards. I realize there's a million reasons to hate them, and the "truly great" films never win, but there's just something awesome about the Awards for me. I enjoy watching all the montages of older films (that inevitably makes me want to watch all of them at that exact moment), and all of the clips they show of the newer movies makes me want to watch them all over again.
I'm only going to give my opinion on the main awards, because let's face it, Avatar is going to win every technical award and no one really cares about the Short Film (Live Action) category all that much. I'll put a little (*) by the films I've seen, and give my thoughts on what or who will win, and what or who I'd like to win. Pretty simple, eh? Let's work our way up...
For DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM, the nominees are...
Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
The Cove, Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
Food, Inc., Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
The Most Dangerous Man in America, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
Which Way Home, Rebecca Cammisa
What is going to win? Honestly, the only two films I've even heard of prior to this are The Cove and Food, Inc. I have no idea what's going to win, but Food, Inc. was a bestseller on Amazon for awhile so I'll pick that one.
What do I want to win? I have no idea.
For FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM, the nominees are...
Ajami, directed by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani
The Milk of Sorrow, directed by Claudia Llosa
A Prophet, directed by Jacques Audiard
The Secret in Their Eyes, directed by Juan José Campanella
The White Ribbon, directed by Michael Haneke
What is going to win? Again, the only films I know are A Prophet and The White Ribbon. I've read excellent things about both, but I've heard a lot more about The White Ribbon, which I think will win.
What do I want to win? I have no vested interest as I've never seen the films, although I loved Michael Haneke's Funny Games. However, the story of A Prophet seems closer to my interests in film, so I'll root for that one.
For ANIMATED FEATURE FILM, the nominees are...
Coraline, directed by Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog, directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
The Secret of Kells, directed by Tomm Moore
Up, directed by Pete Docter (*)
What is going to win? Up has been a critic and fan favorite all year, and another excellent outing for Pixar. Thus, I think Up will win.
What do I want to win? Normally, I'd root for Wes Anderson to win anything, but having personally experienced the magic of Up (and since I haven't seen Fantastic Mr. Fox), I can't root against it. Up it is.
For WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY), the nominees are...
District 9, written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (*)
An Education, written by Nick Hornby
In the Loop, written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche
Precious, written by Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air, written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (*)
Who is going to win? For every category except the writing categories, I have a clear front-runner that I think will win. For these two categories, I am not sure at all. I haven't looked at many predictions, so I don't even know who the "experts" think will win. I'll pick Precious, as it's been mentioned often this award season.
Who do I want to win? I'll be glad if either Up in the Air or District 9 win, as both were favorites of mine.
For WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY), the nominees are...
The Hurt Locker, written by Mark Boal (*)
Inglourious Basterds, written by Quentin Tarantino (*)
The Messenger, written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
A Serious Man, written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Up, written by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, and Tom McCarthy (*)
Who is going to win? I think Inglourious Basterds is too bizarre to win, so that leaves The Hurt Locker in the first of a few awards for the film on the evening.
Who do I want to win? I don't have an issue with any of the films. The three I have seen I liked, and the two I haven't seen I do want to see. But I'd probably have the biggest smile on my face if Quentin Tarantino got to give a speech. The dialogue (and overall story) in Basterds was pretty awesome, and I think the statue would look nice next to its Pulp Fiction counterpart.
For ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE, the nominees are...
Penélope Cruz for Nine
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (*)
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (*)
Mo'Nique for Precious
Who is going to win? I have not seen Precious, but the ten second clip I saw of Mo'Nique from the film at the SAG Awards was pretty convincing. I thought she'd win this award ever since then.
Who do I want to win? Anna Kendrick was a little ball of awesomeness in Up in the Air. She should win.
For ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE, the nominees are...
Matt Damon for Invictus
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (*)
Who is going to win? The first thing I thought when the credits started rolling for Inglourious Basterds was that it would be a crime if whoever played Hans Landa didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. At the time, I never thought he'd even be nominated because Basterds is such a bizarre film. But he's won everything prior to this, so March 7 will be Christoph Waltz's night.
Who do I want to win? Waltz all the way.
For ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE, the nominees are...
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
Helen Mirren for The Last Station
Carey Mulligan for An Education
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia
Who is going to win? As accomplished as both Mirren and Streep are, I don't think this will be their night. I hate saying this, because she generally makes shitty movies, but I think Sandra Bullock will win. I can't really believe she was nominated, despite the supposedly great performance she gave. Just look at her list of films on the IMDb. Most of her movies are fucking awful! Anyway, I think Gabourey Sidibe might be a close second, and could also win.
Who do I want to win? I have no real connection with any of these films, but I think I'd like Carey Mulligan to pull this out. No real reason, other than An Education looks like a great film.
For ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE, the nominees are...
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
George Clooney for Up in the Air (*)
Colin Firth for A Single Man
Morgan Freeman for Invictus
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (*)
Who is going to win? Jeff Bridges all the way.
Who do I want to win? I am a big fan of Clooney's work, but I really would like to see Jeremy Renner up there. Mostly it's because I really liked his quickly-canceled show The Unusuals, but he's still a good actor.
For DIRECTING, the nominees are...
James Cameron for Avatar (*)
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (*)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (*)
Lee Daniels for Precious
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (*)
Who is going to win? I'm going to go on a semi-Avatar rant in the next category, but I really think this comes down to the battle of the exes (Cameron and Bigelow used to be married). I think The Hurt Locker will win, though. And Bigelow will be the first woman to win best director. I think Tarantino has a small shot, but it's a long one.
Who do I want to win? Any one of Bigelow/Tarantino/Reitman works for me, but I think I'll pull most for Basterds. I really don't want to sound like a Tarantino mark (I don't think he's God), but I think he's a talented director and Basterds really shows that.
For BEST PICTURE, the nominees are...
Avatar, directed by James Cameron (*)
The Blind Side, directed by John Lee Hancock
District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp (*)
An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig
The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (*)
Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino (*)
Precious, directed by Lee Daniels
A Serious Man, directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Up, directed by Pete Docter (*)
Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman (*)
What is going to win? Rant time. I really enjoyed Avatar in theaters. It was a fun (albeit very predictable) film. The visuals were great, and it was an awesome cinema experience. However, when I found out the film was nominated for Best Picture, I about shit myself. Flashy visuals and James Cameron shouldn't get a film nominated. The story is the core of the picture, and while it's enjoyable, it's about as generic as it gets. Anyway, it's down to Avatar and The Hurt Locker. If Avatar wins, I think a brick will fly out of my anus. Because I don't want that to happen, I do (honestly) think The Hurt Locker will eek out a victory.
What do I want to win? District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Up, and Up in the Air were all in my top 10 list for 2009, so I'd be happy if any of those won. However, even though it wasn't my favorite film of the year, I'd love for District 9 to win. The fact that it looked awesome on such a low budget (well, 30 million isn't exactly low), and the story was excellent while also making a social statement was amazing. I'd flip shit if District 9 won.
So that's that. I think I'll compare my list to the actual winners Sunday to see how well I do. Until then...
I'm only going to give my opinion on the main awards, because let's face it, Avatar is going to win every technical award and no one really cares about the Short Film (Live Action) category all that much. I'll put a little (*) by the films I've seen, and give my thoughts on what or who will win, and what or who I'd like to win. Pretty simple, eh? Let's work our way up...
Burma VJ, Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
The Cove, Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
Food, Inc., Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
The Most Dangerous Man in America, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
Which Way Home, Rebecca Cammisa
What is going to win? Honestly, the only two films I've even heard of prior to this are The Cove and Food, Inc. I have no idea what's going to win, but Food, Inc. was a bestseller on Amazon for awhile so I'll pick that one.
What do I want to win? I have no idea.
Ajami, directed by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani
The Milk of Sorrow, directed by Claudia Llosa
A Prophet, directed by Jacques Audiard
The Secret in Their Eyes, directed by Juan José Campanella
The White Ribbon, directed by Michael Haneke
What is going to win? Again, the only films I know are A Prophet and The White Ribbon. I've read excellent things about both, but I've heard a lot more about The White Ribbon, which I think will win.
What do I want to win? I have no vested interest as I've never seen the films, although I loved Michael Haneke's Funny Games. However, the story of A Prophet seems closer to my interests in film, so I'll root for that one.
Coraline, directed by Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog, directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
The Secret of Kells, directed by Tomm Moore
Up, directed by Pete Docter (*)
What is going to win? Up has been a critic and fan favorite all year, and another excellent outing for Pixar. Thus, I think Up will win.
What do I want to win? Normally, I'd root for Wes Anderson to win anything, but having personally experienced the magic of Up (and since I haven't seen Fantastic Mr. Fox), I can't root against it. Up it is.
District 9, written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (*)
An Education, written by Nick Hornby
In the Loop, written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche
Precious, written by Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air, written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (*)
Who is going to win? For every category except the writing categories, I have a clear front-runner that I think will win. For these two categories, I am not sure at all. I haven't looked at many predictions, so I don't even know who the "experts" think will win. I'll pick Precious, as it's been mentioned often this award season.
Who do I want to win? I'll be glad if either Up in the Air or District 9 win, as both were favorites of mine.
The Hurt Locker, written by Mark Boal (*)
Inglourious Basterds, written by Quentin Tarantino (*)
The Messenger, written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
A Serious Man, written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Up, written by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, and Tom McCarthy (*)
Who is going to win? I think Inglourious Basterds is too bizarre to win, so that leaves The Hurt Locker in the first of a few awards for the film on the evening.
Who do I want to win? I don't have an issue with any of the films. The three I have seen I liked, and the two I haven't seen I do want to see. But I'd probably have the biggest smile on my face if Quentin Tarantino got to give a speech. The dialogue (and overall story) in Basterds was pretty awesome, and I think the statue would look nice next to its Pulp Fiction counterpart.
Penélope Cruz for Nine
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (*)
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (*)
Mo'Nique for Precious
Who is going to win? I have not seen Precious, but the ten second clip I saw of Mo'Nique from the film at the SAG Awards was pretty convincing. I thought she'd win this award ever since then.
Who do I want to win? Anna Kendrick was a little ball of awesomeness in Up in the Air. She should win.
Matt Damon for Invictus
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (*)
Who is going to win? The first thing I thought when the credits started rolling for Inglourious Basterds was that it would be a crime if whoever played Hans Landa didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. At the time, I never thought he'd even be nominated because Basterds is such a bizarre film. But he's won everything prior to this, so March 7 will be Christoph Waltz's night.
Who do I want to win? Waltz all the way.
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
Helen Mirren for The Last Station
Carey Mulligan for An Education
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia
Who is going to win? As accomplished as both Mirren and Streep are, I don't think this will be their night. I hate saying this, because she generally makes shitty movies, but I think Sandra Bullock will win. I can't really believe she was nominated, despite the supposedly great performance she gave. Just look at her list of films on the IMDb. Most of her movies are fucking awful! Anyway, I think Gabourey Sidibe might be a close second, and could also win.
Who do I want to win? I have no real connection with any of these films, but I think I'd like Carey Mulligan to pull this out. No real reason, other than An Education looks like a great film.
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
George Clooney for Up in the Air (*)
Colin Firth for A Single Man
Morgan Freeman for Invictus
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (*)
Who is going to win? Jeff Bridges all the way.
Who do I want to win? I am a big fan of Clooney's work, but I really would like to see Jeremy Renner up there. Mostly it's because I really liked his quickly-canceled show The Unusuals, but he's still a good actor.
James Cameron for Avatar (*)
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (*)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (*)
Lee Daniels for Precious
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (*)
Who is going to win? I'm going to go on a semi-Avatar rant in the next category, but I really think this comes down to the battle of the exes (Cameron and Bigelow used to be married). I think The Hurt Locker will win, though. And Bigelow will be the first woman to win best director. I think Tarantino has a small shot, but it's a long one.
Who do I want to win? Any one of Bigelow/Tarantino/Reitman works for me, but I think I'll pull most for Basterds. I really don't want to sound like a Tarantino mark (I don't think he's God), but I think he's a talented director and Basterds really shows that.
Avatar, directed by James Cameron (*)
The Blind Side, directed by John Lee Hancock
District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp (*)
An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig
The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (*)
Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino (*)
Precious, directed by Lee Daniels
A Serious Man, directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Up, directed by Pete Docter (*)
Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman (*)
What is going to win? Rant time. I really enjoyed Avatar in theaters. It was a fun (albeit very predictable) film. The visuals were great, and it was an awesome cinema experience. However, when I found out the film was nominated for Best Picture, I about shit myself. Flashy visuals and James Cameron shouldn't get a film nominated. The story is the core of the picture, and while it's enjoyable, it's about as generic as it gets. Anyway, it's down to Avatar and The Hurt Locker. If Avatar wins, I think a brick will fly out of my anus. Because I don't want that to happen, I do (honestly) think The Hurt Locker will eek out a victory.
What do I want to win? District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Up, and Up in the Air were all in my top 10 list for 2009, so I'd be happy if any of those won. However, even though it wasn't my favorite film of the year, I'd love for District 9 to win. The fact that it looked awesome on such a low budget (well, 30 million isn't exactly low), and the story was excellent while also making a social statement was amazing. I'd flip shit if District 9 won.
So that's that. I think I'll compare my list to the actual winners Sunday to see how well I do. Until then...
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