We are just a couple of hours from knowing who the winners of the 2008 Oscars will be. The ceremony which mostly annoys me has actually surprised me this year by their rather solid list of nominees.
Usually I have seen very few of the films in question, but this year thanks to a rather fantastic cinema pass, it has allowed me to take risks on films I wouldn't have normally sat through.
So since I've just started this blog and I want to write some things, where better to start than with the film world's biggest night.
Here are my predictions as to what and who will win and (more importantly) who I would like to see win...
Best Picture -
What will win: There Will Be Blood
What I would like to win: There Will Be Blood
This is quite controversial, but I think those sourpusses at the Academy will give it to Paul Thomas Anderson's epic. 'No Country' is the odds-on favourite, but I think the violence might turn some of the older voters off. Atonement also has a great chance thanks to its Bafta success. I would like to think that Juno doesn't have a chance (As I thought it was one of the more overrated films of the year) however you never know, Crash won a couple of years ago...
Best Actor
Who will win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Who I would like to win: Daniel Day-Lewis
This is the surest award out of the bunch. Day-Lewis completely makes the haunted character of Daniel Plainview his own. His acting at times is scary and I was completely spellbound by his performance. He has won every award coming to him and he will add a second Oscar to that total.
Best Actress
Who will win: Marion Cotillard
Who I would like to win: Marion Cotillard
Yet another award that I think is a near certainty. The voters sometimes like to go with a newcomer and Christie (who is the only other rival) has angered some recently with her off the cuff remarks about Hollywood (being crap) and Alzheimers ('If i've forgotten anyone it's just that i'm still in character'). I think that Cotillard completely took the role of Edith Piaf and made it her own. She WAS the 'Little Sparrow' and was absolutely mesmerizing at the same time.
Best Supporting Actor
Who will win: Javier Bardem
Who I would like to win: Casey Affleck
Affleck was somebody that I found bloody irritating. Like his bloody annoying brother. He annoyed me in a really crap film called 'Soul Survivors' and so I thought that he would be completely miscast as Robert Ford, a haunted individual who idolized Brad Pitt's Jesse James. His performance was so good that I completely forgot about all the horrid films and that he is the brother of a rather terrible actor. Bardem will however win because he is the favourite and the voters seem to have liked him. This is coming despite the fact that I thought Tommy Lee Jones was a much more rounded character in No Country for Old Men.
Best Supporting Actress
Who will win: Amy Ryan
Who I would like to win: Saorise Ronan
This is a tough one for me as I haven't seen 'I'm Not There' or 'Gone Baby Gone', but I thought that Ronan was great in 'Atonement'. Amy Ryan however has won all the awards up to this, so she will probably get the Oscar too. However don't count out Ruby Dee who seems to have been winning some awards recently and maybe even Tilda Swinton who won the Bafta for Michael Clayton. So really its a complete crapshoot. Glad I didn't put any money on it!
Best Director
Who will win: Julian Schnabel
Who I would like to win: Julian Schnabel
Another controversial selection here, but I think that the Golden Globe voters have nailed this one when they selected Schnabel as director of the year. Having seen him speak after a screening of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last month I found him utterly compelling and also a fantastic artist. His film is quite simply amazing and I think that the voters may spread the awards out this year meaning that Schnabel will get the nod in a crowded field.
Best Original Screenplay
Who will win: Diablo Cody for Juno
Who I would like to win: Tamara Jenkins for The Savages
Everyone is saying that Cody, a former blogger, stripper (worst person in the world according to 'The Mail on Sunday) will win this award easily and I'm inclined to agree especially as I don't think it will win anything else at the awards. However I would love to see Jenkins win for The Savages as I thought it was one of the most moving films of the last year. I saw it at the same time as Juno at the London Film Festival and it was by far the better film with the better dialogue. Honest to Blog!
Best Adapted Screenplay
Who will win: Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men
Who I would like to win: Sarah Polley for Away From Her
Again with such a strong field of competition this year, I think the Coen's will get their award for their adapted screenplay. The only thing stopping it being the best film of the year (for me) is the fact that it pretty much copies the Cormac McCarthy book exactly, at times word for word, with the occassional Coen quirk thrown in. There is no denying it is a great film, but I think Polley's contribution to 'Away From Her' was that much greater. Plus it's a hell of an achievement for someone so young. Ronald Harwood might win too as the voters seem to like him and if he does, I think it would be funny to see Schnabel's reaction. Schnabel said at the Q&A that he never spoke to Harwood and that he changed his original script quite a bit... He even said he would win an Oscar and looked quite pained at that assessment!
Best Cinematography
Who will win: Roger Deakins for No Country For Old Men
Who I would like to win: Roger Deakins for The Assassination of Jesse James
Deakins' work was by far the most memorable this year with both of these films stunning examples of cinematography. Whilst No Country will win the award, I would love for Jesse James to get the love it so richly deserves with it being my favourite of the two. Although realistically I found all of these nominees highly compelling and wouldn't be disappointed if any of them won.
Best Editing
Who will win: Dylan Tichenor for There Will Be Blood
Who I would like to win: Christopher Rouse for The Bourne Ultimatum
Bourne was a great action film, one of the best examples in recent memory however it doesn't strike me as one that the academy would necessarily like. Blood was my favourite film of the year, but I felt that Bourne's editing was that little bit more frantic and more deserving of the Oscar.
Best Original Score
Who will win: Dario Marianelli for Atonement
Who I would like to win: Michael Giacchino for Ratatouille
Ratatouille was in my three favourite films of last year and I loved the music. I have also been a huge fan of Giacchino for years, following his wonderful scores for the 'Medal of Honor' game series and for Alias and Lost. He really does deserve recognition, but I think they will probably give the award to Atonement, because of the novel use of typewriters into the score, which is probably seen as innovative...
Best Animated Film
What will win: Ratatouille
What I would like to win: Ratatouille
Next to Day-Lewis' award this is easiest to predict. Simply a wonderful film and I really believe it to be Pixar's best film to date. I haven't seen Persepolis, but I hear it is stunning. Still I think the voters will give it to an American production. USA-a OK!
Best Foreign Film
What will win: The Counterfeiters
What I would like to win: The Counterfeiters
A really strange list of films, since the best ones were not selected due to eligibility rules. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days struck me as one of the finest films of recent times, but the thought was that its pro-abortion stance was a bit too difficult for the voters to accept. (Especially next to the pro-life Juno). The Counterfeiters was the only film out of the list I saw and the voters will probably give it to the gritty concentration camp drama.
Best Documentary Feature
What will win: No End in Sight
What I would like to win: No End in Sight
I only saw this and Sicko, but I thought this was the better of the two features. Moore might get his message across due to his celebrity alone, but I think that the issues in No End were conveyed much better. Plus I think Hollywood is now officially allowed to be more political and disapproving of Bush and his cronies. Therefore its my lock to win.
So there you have it! All my major predictions on my brand spanking new blog. Feel free to comment away if you agree or disagree or even if you want to shout at me for being so wrong!
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