The Bronze. 2008 Academy Award Hopes and Predictions

It's Oscar time and Parker and I have made some predictions. We are including both what we think will win and what we hope to win.

Best Documentary, Features

The Betrayal - Nerakhoon
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Adam's Take.

Heart-
My heart definitely goes for Encounters, one of my favourite films of the year, that just narrowly missed out on making my top 10 list. Herzog's documentaries continue to be one of the most consistent sources of invaluable insight and profound cinematic poetry.

Head-
My head says Man on Wire. It was one of the most well recieved films of the year, and the mere fact it onvolves the Twin Towers will capture the imaginations of American Oscar voters. Plus Mr. Oscar never show no love to Herzog.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
My Heart also goes out to Herzog's latest masterpiece, but I believe it is too beautiful for most people to appreciate and therefore take home the little gold man.

Head-
Man On Wire will almost certainly win this category to mind, as it is a great movie all about the indomitability of the human spirit, which the Academy will eat up.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
Entre Les Murs
Revanche
Okuribtio
Val Im Bashir

Adam's Take.

Heart-
My pick is Entre Les Murs, one of my top ten films of 2008, and a true human masterpiece.

Head-
My head says Val Im Bashir (or "Waltz with Bashir"), as it is an animated film which did not recieve a nom in that category, thus Oscar voters can kill two birds with one stone. And they loves them some bird killin'.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Entre Les Murs captured the different levels of interactions that happen in school in a way that no movie before has, making it my favourite for this category.

Head-
It will recieve some tough competition, but I still think Entre Les Murs will take it in the end.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-e

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Wall-E owns most movies of 2008, let alone other animated features.

Head-
Wall-E is an absolute shoe-in. But then again, Benjamin Button was nominated for best picture. Anything can happen.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
The little robot captured my heart like no other, so I vote Wall-E.

Head-
Wall-E. Straight up.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Adam's Take

Heart-
Tought one. Both Button and The Dark Knight make subtle use of CGI, which is admirable. But with The Dark Knight, it's nearly undetecable. Which is, to my mind, more impressive.

Head-
Benjamin Button will likely take this one.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
My heart is cast for The Dark Knight, in part because it deserves it and in part because It got shafted for a Best Picture nom.

Head-
Undoubtedly, Benjamin Button will win this and every other category it's nominated for.

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Wanted

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Dark Knight, no question. The sound was such an intrinsical part of the film

Head.-
Toss up but I'm going to say The Dark Knight.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Once again, voting on The Dark Knight.

Head-
I'm Going to stick with my initial reaction and say Dark Knight.

Best Achievement in Sound

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Wanted

Adam's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight for aformentioned reasons.

Head-
The Oscar people will love to further confuse the public with the two sound categories by splitting the winnings. Slumdog.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
My Heart goes out to Wall-E on this one.

Head-
It's a bit of a coin toss, but Wall-E will take it in the end.

Best Achivement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire)
O Saya (Slumdog Millionaire)
Down to Earth (Wall-E)

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Jai Ho is more lively and ultimately more impressive but O Saya has M.I.A. So O Saya it is.

Head-
Jai Ho.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
O Saya; You can't go wrong with an M.I.A. Breakdown.

Head-
I have a sneaky suspicion that "Down to Earth" will sneak out of nowhere to assassinate the others.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Slumdog by far. The music was so alive and it always set the tone for the film.

Head-
Slumdog. It is the best, but also the score that stands out most.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Bright and Vibrant, Slumdog Millionaire is an all around and amazing soundtrack.

Head-
Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Achievement in Makeup

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Adam's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight. While Benjamin Button is more technically impressive, TDK has the brilliant reinvention of the Joker which is enough for me.

Head-
Benjamin Button will take it.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight Succeeds on a smaller scale, with impressive details like make up on the Jokers hands to add additional depth to the film.

Head-
Hollywood won't miss the chance to give Benjamin Button Another oscar, even when it is at least deserving in this category.

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Benjamin Button certainly impresses me the most out of the nominees, but I have to wonder how The Dark Knight missed out.

Head-
Benjamin Button most certainly.

Parker's take.

Heart-
More subtle than the other nominees perhaps, but Revolutionary Road captured the feeling of an era in a quiet, impressive way.

Head-
Benjamin Button or The Duchess, but an edge to Benjamin.

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

Adam's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight took Chicago and made it Gotham. No film had a more impressive mise-en-scene.

Head-
Benjamin Button will take it, and it is a deserving victor.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight is most definitely deserving of this award.

Head-
Benjamin Button.

Best Achievement in Editing

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Forst/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

Adam's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight's editing was so unique, and made a huge overall contribution the the feel of the film.

Head-
An extremely tight race bewteen TDK, Slumdog and Button. I'm going to say Slumdog though.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Slumdog's editing created a feeling of movement that I really enjoyed.

Head-
Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Achievement In Cinematography

Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Adam's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight. The cinematography was masterful.

Head-
Tight, but Wally Pfister's work on The Dark Knight was clearly the best and I think the Academy will recognize that.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
The Dark Knight will take it home.

Head-
The Dark Knight, for being amazing.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth & Robin Swicord
Doubt - John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan
The Reader - David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Certainly not Eric Roth's script, which is devoid of substance. Not Slumdog, as it's the directorial aspects of that film that impress me. It's a toss up between the other 3, and I'll settle on Shanley's adaptation of his play, Doubt.

Head-
Slumdog. Happy endings, yay!

Parker's Take.

Heart-
I'll take Doubt, not because it's great, but because it's the best choice.

Head-
For giving the world something it has already seen, Eric Roth for his work on Benjamin Button.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Frozen River - Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh
In Bruges - Martin McDonagh
Milk - Dustin Lance Black
Wall-E - Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter & Jim Reardon

Adam's Take.

Heart-
McDonagh's immensely rich masterpiece of a script for In Bruges by far.

Head-
Frozen River is too small. Happy-Go-Lucky and In Bruges are too not American. Wall-E has a shot, but I think this is how the Academy will honour Milk.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
In Bruges was my pick for best movie of the year, so I'll stick with it here.

Head-
Milk will probably have this in the end.

Best Achievement in Directing

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry for The Reader
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant for Milk

Adam's Take.

Heart-
With Milk, Gus Van Sant managed to find a happy medium between his more artsy work and his Hollywood outings. His use of stock footage was brilliant as well.

Head-
Danny Boyle's excellent work in Slumdog will be rewarded deservedly.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Danny Boyle's energetic directing captured my attention from the begining to the end.

Head-
Slumdog Millionaire will take the gold.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams for Doubt
Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis for Doubt
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

Adam's Take.

Heart-
It's 50/50 between Adams and Tomei for me. If I have to choose, I'll say Tomei, because she contributed to a better film.

Head-
Viola Davis created an incredible scene in Doubt, and I think it earned her an Oscar.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
I have to go for Marisa Tomei for creating an amazing character.

Head-
I do believe Viola Davis has it on the strength of her one scene.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Josh Brolin for Milk
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Adam's Take.

Heart-
It's great to see Shannon nominated but there is absolutely no contest here. Heath Ledger's iconic master performance

Head-
Shoe-in for the late Ledger. If any other nominee won they would be ashamed to take the stage.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Heath Ledger in no contest.

Head-
Heath Ledger, for one of the best performances I have ever seen.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie for Changeling
Melissa Leo for Frozen River
Meryl Streep for Doubt
Kate Winslet for The Reader

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Had Kate Winslet been nominated for Revolutionary Road, it would be an easy pick. It's tight between Hathaway and Winslet, but Winslet was the overall best actress of 2008.

Head-
Kate Winslet. Nazis.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Anne Hathaway in one of my favorite performances of the year and of the past few as well.

Head-
Unfourtunately, Hathaway will lose out to Kate Winslet. Weddings just can't compare to naked Nazis.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn for Milk
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Adam's Take.

Heart-
Mickey Rourke, no question. Penn was brilliant though.

Head-
3 way toss up between Penn/Pitt/Rourke. I'm counting on the Academy to make the right choice. Mickey Rourke.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
I'm all for Mickey Rourke. Brilliant.

Head-
Sean Penn for a deservedly amazing job.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Adam's Take.

Heart-
This dissapointing group of nominees is nowhere near being a representation of 2008's best films. Only one movie here was on my top ten list and thats Milk. However, there are 7 films I'd rather win.

Head-
Slumdog Millionaire. Happy ending. Classic love story. Undeniably fun. Undeserved.

Parker's Take.

Heart-
Not the years best, but I'll take Milk over the others any day,

Head-
Slumdog Millionaire. The perceived underdog will win.

Prepare yourselves for Wolverine's no holds-barred Oscar night on Feb. 22

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump

It appears the video I posted has been taken down. I apologize.

You can find the same video here


The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos

Oscar Disappointment

Eric Roth has convinced the Academy once again that he has written a story with actual content, that is actually substantial.

Only one film from my top ten list was nominated for best picture.

The best female performance of the year wasn't nominated.

Bill Irwin's endearing turn as a loving father in Rachel Getting Married was forgotten, although I'm sure the voting was tight.

The best original song of the year, that actually won at the Golden Globes, is not even nominated.

Kate Winslet's inferior performance in The Reader is nominated, rather than her work in Revolutionary Road. I guess it's because The Reader has Nazis.

Leonardo DiCaprio's career best was not honoured.

The Dark Knight is pretty much snubbed. I thought it to be a natural step for the Oscars to allow a comic book film to be nominated, after giving Lord of the Rings so many awards.

There are things for me to be happy about, however.

In Bruges is nominated for best screenplay.

The brilliant french film Entre Les Murs is nominated for best foreign film.

I will get to see Mickey Rourke win best actor.

Heath Ledger will win, although who knows if it's for the right reasons anymore. Doesn't matter because he deserves it.

Richard Jenkins is nominated.

Michael Shannon is nominated.

The documentary Encounters at the End of the World, which was about 2 spots short from making my top ten, is nominated.

Anyways, there are some bright points, but overall I'm disappointed. In a big way. Especially after the Oscars were so satisfying the last few years. Now I get to live through one of the weaker Best Picture categories I can recall.

Here is a complete list of noms:

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall

Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner

Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks

The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)

Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)

Sean Penn for Milk (2008)

Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)

Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)

Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)

Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Amy Adams for Doubt (2008/I)

Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)

Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Achievement in Directing

Nominees:

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)

Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Nominees:

Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh

In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh

Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black

WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord

Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan

The Reader (2008): David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Nominees:

Changeling (2008): Tom Stern

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Claudio Miranda

The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister

The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Achievement in Editing

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith

Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill

Milk (2008): Elliot Graham

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Nominees:

Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Nominees:

Australia (2008): Catherine Martin

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Jacqueline West

The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor

Milk (2008): Danny Glicker

Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky

Best Achievement in Makeup

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Greg Cannom

The Dark Knight (2008): John Caglione Jr., Conor O'Sullivan

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Alexandre Desplat

Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard

Milk (2008): Danny Elfman

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman

WALL·E (2008): Thomas Newman

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Nominees:

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam("O Saya")

WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth")

Best Achievement in Sound

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

The Dark Knight (2008): Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

WALL·E (2008): Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt

Wanted (2008): Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Nominees:

The Dark Knight (2008): Richard King

Iron Man (2008): Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Tom Sayers

WALL·E (2008): Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood

Wanted (2008): Wylie Stateman

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

The Dark Knight (2008): Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin

Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Nominees:

Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard

Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne

WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Nominees:

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)(Germany)

Entre les murs (2008)(France)

Revanche (2008)(Austria)

Okuribito (2008)(Japan)

Vals Im Bashir (2008)(Israel)

Best Documentary, Features

Nominees:

The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (2008): Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath

Encounters at the End of the World (2007): Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser

The Garden (2008/I): Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Man on Wire (2008): James Marsh, Simon Chinn

Trouble the Water (2008): Tia Lessin, Carl Deal

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

Nominees:

The Conscience of Nhem En: Steven Okazaki

The Final Inch: Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant

Smile Pinki: Megan Mylan

The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306: Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde

Best Short Film, Animated

Nominees:

La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio Kato

Ubornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya (2007): Konstantin Bronzit

Oktapodi (2007): Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand

Presto (2008): Doug Sweetland

This Way Up (2008): Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

Best Short Film, Live Action

Nominees:

Auf der Strecke (2007): Reto Caffi

Manon sur le bitume (2007): Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont

New Boy (2007): Steph Green, Tamara Anghie

Grisen (2008): Tivi Magnusson, Dorthe Warnø Høgh

Spielzeugland (2007): Jochen Alexander Freydank

I Drink Your Milkshake! I Drink It Up! (The Oscar Noms Are In)

(to understand you have to see There Will Be Blood, Click the pic to go to a site I have been posting at of late. But only if you've seen the movie, Spoiler Alert!)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced this year's Oscar nominations. It used to be that the Oscar nominee list would be very close to the Golden Globe list, but for the past few years, the Academy has gone in different directions. And in each case, the right one. The Golden Globes are a bit of a joke to me, whereas I think you can trust the Academy's picks. Part of that is because of how the Academy works, check it out at Wikipedia.

I would say the Oscars are the one of the only award shows truly doing their job, which is honouring the best. Most award ceremonies try to please everyone, hence compromising their decisions. Anyways, this year is no different, The 80th Annual Academy Award nominations are superb. I'm not going to list everything. If you want to see a complete list go here.

Leading the pack is There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men with 8 nominations each. P.T. Anderson was ignored by the Golden Globes, but he picks up nominations for Direction, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Juno, the best movie of the year, has 4 well deserved nominations. One nomination proves the Academy's intelligence as the animated film Ratatouille was nominated for Best Screenplay. Another smart move was honouring Atonement far less than the Globes did. The lead actor and actress were deservedly shut down.

The one disappointment to come out of the announcement was one I was already aware of. Jonny Greenwood's original score for There Will Be Blood was not eligible due to some technicality (check it out here). However, if it was, I bet There Will Be Blood would be leading the Oscars with 9 nominations.

The Academy Award winners will be announced on February 24th. I was planning on posting Oscar predictions but this year is really hard to guess. With two movies with 8 nominations, it's hard to tell who they'll favour.