PC02.5: Oscar Nominations and Predictions

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up In The Air

My reaction to this list was laughter, and disappointment that this was the year they expanded to 10 nominees. Even with that, there's the glaring absence of Star Trek and its replacement with (pick one of the following) District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and The Blind Side. I've seen the former two and greatly enjoyed both, but in terms of, well, just about everything, I found Star Trek to be a worthwhile and fulfilling experience. The Blind Side, put simply, sucks, and while I really do despise when someone makes a judgment like that before seeing a movie, it looks like standard "domesticity saves lives" schmaltz. Every other nom in this category is completely legitimate and logical, although I would say that Avatar, sight unseen, is there because it's innovative and not because of its script (see screenplay nominees below).

Also, I want to see An Education quite badly. Please take me to see it, you.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up In The Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

I loved Clooney's performance in Up in the Air, but Jeff Bridges at his best is better, and a grizzled old country/western singer seems like a perfect fit for him. I'm disappointed to say that among these, I've only seen Up in the Air.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Meryl Streep gets too much recognition to take this, and Bullock's been sweeping so far, so I can't see someone else getting it.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds


There is no possible way anyone but Waltz will be getting this award, which is the same for...

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up In The Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up In The Air
Mo'Nique, Precious

I was thrilled to see Kendrick on this list, and Farmiga as well, though that's less surprising. But Mo'Nique, again, has a high success rate so far, and I can't see that changing.

Best Director
James Cameron, Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up In The Air

Maybe this is wishful thinking.

Best Adapted Screenplay
District 9, Neil Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell
An Education, Nick Hornby
In The Loop, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
Precious, Geoffrey Fletcher
Up In The Air, Sheldon Turner & Jason Reitman

Up in the Air does deserve accolades for its originality, believability, and cleverness. It might be nice to see An Education win this one, though, or In The Loop, which seems overlooked in general.

Best Original Screenplay
The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger, Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
A Serious Man, Joel & Ethan Coen
Up, Bob Peterson, Pete Docter & Thomas McCarthy

The Brothers Coen have a history with this sort of thing, and I've heard this is one of their finest. However, The Hurt Locker and The Messenger both have an outside chance of swinging this one. I would love to see Up win this, though I doubt it will.

Best Foreign Language Film
Ajami (Israel, Dir. Scandar Copti & Yaron Shani)
The Secret In Their Eyes (Argentina, Dir. Juan José Campanella)
The Milk Of Sorrow (Peru, Dir. Claudia Llosa)
A Prophet (France, Dir. Jacques Audiard)
The White Ribbon (Germany, Dir. Michael Haneke)

I don't think any of these (save for maybe The White Ribbon) came through Grand Rapids, so I can't feel too bad about not seeing them. The White Ribbon has received a lot of accolades thus far and I don't think that's going to change.

Best Animated Feature
Coraline (Dir. Henry Selick)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Dir. Wes Anderson)
The Princess & The Frog (Dir. Ron Clements & John Musker)
The Secret Of Kells (Dir. Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey)
Up (Dir. Bob Peterson & Pete Docter)

I feel like this'll be a pseudo-apology to Peterson, Doctor, and John Lasseter. Having seen three of the five, I can confirm that it certainly deserves it among those.

Best Animated Short
French Roast (Dir. Fabrice O. Joubert)
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (Dir. Nicky Phelan & Darragh O'Connell)
The Lady & The Reaper (Dir. Javier Recio Garcia)
Logorama (Dir. Nicolas Schmerkin)
A Matter Of Loaf And Death (Dir. Nick Park)

Wallace & Gromit? Yes, please.

Best Documentary Feature
Burma VJ (Dir. Anders Østergaard & Lise Lense-Møller)
The Cove (Dir. Louie Psihoyos)
Food, Inc. (Dir. Robert Kenner & Elise Pearlstein)
The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg And The Pentagon Papers (Dir. Judith Ehrlich & Rick Goldsmith)
Which Way Home (Dir. Rebecca Cammisa)

The Cove, as far as documentaries go, is right up there with The King of Kong and Young@Heart for me.

Best Documentary Short
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears Of Sichuan Province (Dir. Jon Alpert & Matthew O'Neill)
The Last Campaign Of Governor Booth Gardner (Dir. Daniel Junge & Henry Ansbacher)
The Last Truck: Closing Of A GM Plant (Dir. Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert)
Music By Prudence (Dir. Roger Ross Williams & Elinor Burkett)
Rabbit A La Berlin (Dir. Bartek Konopka & Anna Wydra)

I assume this has something to do with Michigan. And I like Michigan.

Best Live-Action Short
The Door (Dir. Juanita Wilson & James Flynn)
Instead Of Abracadabra (Dir. Patrik Eklund & Mathias Fjellström)
Kavi (Dir. Gregg Helvey)
Miracle Fish (Dir. Luke Doolan & Drew Bailey)
The New Tenants (Dir. Joachim Back & Tivi Magnusson)

Guess what? I haven't seen any of these. Haven't heard of them, either. But I like the name "Miracle Fish."

Best Cinematography
Avatar, Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince, Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker, Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds, Robert Richardson
The White Ribbon, Christian Berger

I certainly know what won't win this, and that makes me a little sad inside. But I'm counting on Avatar to sweep a lot of the technicals.

Best Film Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

Best Art Direction
Avatar
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Best Costume Design
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

It's a musical, although The Young Victoria is a period piece, so this is sort of a toss-up.

Best Makeup
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Sigh.

Best Sound Editing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

I know it's not true, but I don't care.

Best Sound Mixing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Transformers is nominated for an Oscar? I know it's just Sound Mixing but ... this might be worse than Norbit.

Best Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

I won't even lie to myself this time. Avatar was created to win this award.

Best Song
"Almost There" by Randy Newman, The Princess & The Frog
"Down In New Orleans" by Randy Newman, The Princess & The Frog
"Loin De Paname" by Reinhardt Wagner & Frank Thomas, Paris 36
"Take It All" by Maury Yeston, Nine
"Weary Kind" by Ryan Bingham & T. Bone Burnett, Crazy Heart

I'm pretty surprised that they went with "Almost There" rather than "When We're Human," which I thought was a better song and sequence. Doesn't matter anyway.

Best Original Score
Avatar, James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami & Beck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes, Hans Zimmer
Up, Michael Giacchino


Please, Academy, don't make me cry.