Oscar Predictions
Oscar nominations were announced today, with some fairly surprising inclusions and omissions in a few categories. Of particular note is that the Dark Knight was not nominated for best picture, because the Academy apparently wants to make itself as irrelevant and boring as humanly possible. Anyway, I’ve already given my rundown of what I considered the best in film this year, so I won’t bother rehashing who should and should not have been nominated. But before I read anybody else’s predictions, I am going to lay down my own for the major categories. We’ll see how poorly I do when the Oscars are presented on February 22nd.
My predictions for winner appear in bold. I feel most confident about Heath Ledger getting the Best Supporting Actor win and Anne Hathaway getting the Best Actress win, and I feel pretty confident about Mickey Rourke getting Best Actor, though Sean Penn could pull that one out. Best Picture is a little trickier – if Hollywood is feeling like showing off its progressiveness, it might pick Milk, and there’s always a decent chance it just goes by default with the most epic and conventional nominee, and this year that looks like Benjamin Button. But I think Slumdog has the most enthusiasm around it, so I’m going with that. Everything else is pretty much a guess.
BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
Gus Van Sant (Milk)
Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
Sean Penn (Milk)
Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Kate Winslet (The Reader)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin (Milk)
Robert Downey, Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams (Doubt)
Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Viola Davis (Doubt)
Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)
BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED)
Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)
Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon)
David Hare (The Reader)
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL)
Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon (Wall-E)
Comment by kevin on 22 January 2009 at 3:29 pm:
I can’t believe they excluded TDK . . . what a travesty.
Comment by Brian Pierce on 23 January 2009 at 8:58 am:
Another travesty: Bruce Springsteen’s song for The Wrestler was not nominated for Best Song. This is absurd.