Sunday, February 22, 2009

Meditations....On my final Oscar Predictions Part 1 & 2



Well, they're finally here. Tonight, millions, well maybe not millions, of americans and foreign audiences will sit down on their couches and watch the Academy Awards which I believe are in their 8oth year. Though there may seem to be hardly any suspense in the categories which list Slumdog as a nominee, I think that we could indeed end up seeing a suprise or two tonight, and I'm not talking about the telecast's format either, which in itself is also creating some palpable excitement from Oscar watchers around the world. So without further adu here are my final Oscar predictions for each and every category. - Tyler j. Pratt "The Oscar Hut"

Live Action Short Film:

Auf der Strecke

Manon on the Asphalt

New Boy

The Pig

Toyland

I unfortunately have not seen any of these short films this year, so I have to go with what title looks most likely to called tonight. My Prediction: Toyland, What Could Win: The Pig

Best Animated Short:

La Maison en Petits...

Lavatory Lovestory

Oktapodi

Presto

This Way Up

Having seen Presto and This Way Up, I feel much more confident in predicting this award. For some reason many people are predicting La Maison en Petits... to the award which begs the question: Did you see Presto ? Hands down, the best animated short I think I've ever seen, Presto is nearly perfect, never hitting a false note. My Prediction: Presto, What Could Win: La Maison en Petits...

Best Documentary Short:

The Conscience of Nhem En

The Final Inch

Smile Pinki

The Witness From the Balcony of Room 306

I really have nothing to say about this category so...My prediction: The Witness From the Balcony of Room 306, What could win: The Final Inch

Best Documentary:

The Betrayal

Encounters at the End of the World

The Garden

Man on Wire

Trouble The Water

I've seen Encounters, Man on Wire and Trouble the water, which leads me to confidently say that the best of these nominees is Werner Herzog's Encounters at the End of The World which I loved. But it wont win, it wont even come in second in this vote. My Prediction: Man on Wire, What could win: Trouble the Water, What Should win: Encounters at the End of the World

Best Animated Feature aka: The Pixar Award:

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

Wall-e

With a masterpiece in Wall-e this year and Up next year, I think we will be seeing a threepeat not seen since Michael Jordan led my hometown Chicago Bulls to two threepeats during their dynastic decade of the 90's. Wall-e is without a doubt, for me, Pixar's best work yet, and it will win this in a landslide. My Prediction: Wall-e, What Could Win: I'm sticking with Wall-e, What Should Win: Wall-e

Best Foreign Film:

Austria-Revanche

France-The Class

Germany-Der Baader Meinhof Komplex

Israel-Waltz With Bashir

Japan-Departures

This is the first year that I have ever seen all the nominees for this category, and with that said, The class should be the victor here but it faces some extreme competition with the also excellent Waltz With Bashir. There have been rumblings that Japan's Departures could take it but I highly doubt it. My Prediction: The Class, What Could Win: Waltz With Bashir, What Should Win: The Class

Best Makeup

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Hellboy 2

This is a kind of tough category to call. Button features great aging makeup, The Dark Knight created an iconoclastic new version of the Joker, and Hellboy 2 was a makeup artists wet dream. So who wins here ? I'm gonna go with the movie that involves a ton of aging and de-aging. My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, What Could Win: The Dark Knight, What Should Win: Benjamin Button

Best Visual F/X:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Iron Man

This is another tough one because any one of these could win, and deserves to win. Unfortunately for the super heroes, Button features the most innovative effects since Jurrasic Park scared the shit out of litttle kids everywhere *cough cough*. My Prediction: The Curious of Button, What Could Win: The dark Knight, What Should Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Sound Editing:

The Dark Knight

Iron Man

Slumdog Millionaire

WALL-E

Wanted

Slumdog Millionaire's inclusion here is a joke, it does not deserve either award but I have a feeling that it could win if there is indeed a sweep, (Which I predicted back when the BAFTA nominees were announced so dibs) but I cannot in good conscience predict a film this undeserving so, My Prediction: The dark Knight, What Could Win: Slumdog "ughh" Millionaire, What Should Win: The Dark Knight or Wall-e

Best Sound Mixing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Slumdog Millionaire

WALL-E

Wanted

Read Sound Editing. My Prediction: The Dark Knight, What Could Win: Slumdog Millionaire, What Should Win: Wall-e

Best Original Song:

"Jai Ho"-Slumdog Millionaire"

"O Saya"-Slumdog Millionaire"

"Down to Earth"-WALL-E

I am disowning this category for its exclusion of The Boss, Slumdog will win. My Prediction: Jai Ho, What Could Win: O Saya, What Should Win: The Wrestler, I am pretending it was nominated

Best Original Score:

Curious Case-Desplat

Defiance-Howard

Milk-Elfman

Slumdog Millionaire-Rahman

WALL-E-Newman

This is another race full of deserving nominees that will ultimately be shut out by Slumdog Millionaire which was a good movie with good direction, nothing more. I hated that soon to be Oscar winning score. My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire, What Could Win: Wall-e, What Should Win: Any nominee but Slumdog

Best Costume Design:

Australia

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Duchess

Milk

Revolutionary Rd

I can only go by what I thought looked good, I dont know much about costumes. My Prediction: The Duchess, What Could Win: Benjamin Button, What Should Win: Benjamin Button

Best Art Direction

Changeling

Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

The Duchess

Revolutionary Road

All of these films had excellent Art Direction, but none measure up to the excellence in design showcased in Button. My Prediction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, What Could Win: The Duchess, What Should Win: Button

Best Cinematography:

Changeling

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

This year featured good cinematography, but nothing on par with last years excellent examples like There Will Be Blood and The Assassination of Jesse James. However, these nominees are all at least worthy of the prize and I could see any of them winning if it were not for Slumdog's inclusion. My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire,What Could win: The Dark Knight, What Should Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight or Changeling

Best Film Editing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Frost/Nixon

Milk

Slumdog Millionaire

Why waste time writing an intro to this, Slumdog wins. My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire, What Could Win: The Dark Knight, What Should Win: The Dark Knight

Best Original Screenplay

Frozen River by Courtney Hunt

Happy-Go-Lucky by Mike Liegh

In Bruges by Martin McDonagh

Milk by Dustin Lance Black

Wall-e by Andrew Stanton & Others

This category is for me the hardest of the night to predict. While many blogs have chalked this one up to Milk, the frontrunner which won a screenplay award last night at the Spirit Awards, I feel that if there is to be an upset tonight it will come here. Wall- e is the closest competition to Milk, and a very popular film that is basically 100 % scene and action description. In Bruges, my favorite of the group and probably the best written of the screenplays as well has won many precursors but can it overcome the one-two powerouse of Milk and Wall-e? The same question goes for Frozen River, which has no shot, and Happy-Go-lucky, the darjhorse of the group.

My Prediction: Milk by Dustin Lance Black

What Could Win: Wall-e by Andrew Stanton

What Should Win: In Bruges by Martin McDonagh (PLEASE LET THIS HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Best Adapted Screenplay

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

This is the antithesis of the original screenplay race, Slumdog Millionaire is the frontrunner by a mile, and the only film with a shot to unseat it is Ben Button which we all know wont happen.

My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

What Could Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

What Should Win: The Reader

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams forDoubt

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

Many are describing this race a 5 women competition implying that anyone could win. I 100 percent agree, anyone of these gals could end up on stage tonight which makes this a hard to spot race. I think the weakest link is obviously Amy Adams, even though I prefered her to Viola Davis who is going head to head with Penelope Cruz for frontrunner status. Taraji benefits for being in a BP nominee and Marisa Tomei bared her soul (among other things) on screen in the truest supporting performance of the year.

My Prediction: Peneope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Who Could Win: Viola Davis for Doubt

Who Should Win: Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor:

Josh Brolin for Milk

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder

Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

All I have to say is this: I feel sorry for the man who ends up beating Heath tonight, even though that wont happen, that would not be a good sitch to be in.

My Prediction: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Who Could Win: N/A

Who Should Win: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Best Actress:

My Prediction: Kate Winslet for The Reader

Who Could Win: Meryl Streeep for Doubt

Who Should Win: Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Actor:

My Prediction: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Who Could Win: Sean Penn for Milk

Who should Win: Mickey Rourke

I blazed through these because we have a mere 30 minutes until the redcarpet cut off, my rational for these two picks is basically, they deserve it and both were phenominal.

BEST PICTURE/BEST DIRECTOR:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Why? Because the movie is decent and a deserving winner, and because who are the Academy to upset an awards season sweep not seen since Schindler's List stormed into the Oscars way back in 93'

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