Oscar 2008: Picks and Predictions

Back to Home


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 AtonementThere 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: 6

Film with the most awards: No Country for Old Men

Number of awards: 4

Copyright © 2008 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved.

 

Buy Related Products

In Association with Amazon.com