I am reposting my Oscar predictions that I made on October 22. I have bolded the predictions that were correct. And just for fun, I am giving myself 1 point for every nomination I got right, and 1/2 point for every "Other Contenders" that were nominated.
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Oscar Nomination Predictions
Here are my predictions for the 2009 Oscar nominations that will be announced in January. Note that I have seen only one of the films listed here (UP) so this is based on pure buzz. There could be a lot of potential to make fun of me come January! But for those of you looking for some good flicks, most of these will be released in theatres during the next 2 months.
Best Picture
1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up in the Air
3. Nine
4. Inviotus [sic]
5. Precious
6. Up
7. An Education
8. A Serious Man
9. Bright Star
10. A Prophet
Other Contenders:
Where the Wild Things Are
The Informant
Star Trek
Inglorious Basterds
A Single Man
Best Actor
1. Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
2. Colin Firth - A Single Man
3. George Clooney - Up in the Air
4. Matt Damon - The Informant
5. Morgan Freeman - Inviotus [sic]
Other Contenders:
Nicolas Cage (Honestly!) - Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Daniel Day-Lewis - Nine
Best Actress
1. Hillary Swank - Amelia
2. Marion Cotillard - Nine
3. Carey Mulligan - An Education
4. Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
5. Vera Farminga - Up in the Air
Other Contenders:
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Gabby Sidibe - Precious
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
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Total points: 13/20 or 65% Not bad considering this was over 3 months ago! I completely missed "The Avatar" factor though.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
OMG: The Oscar Noms!
List of Nominees
Best Picture
1. "Avatar"
2. "The Hurt Locker"
3. "Precious"
4. "Up in the Air"
5. "Inglorious Basterds"
6. "Up"
7. "The Blind Side"
8. "District 9"
9. "An Education"
10. "A Serious Man"
Thoughts: No big surprises here. It does appear that the Academy's strategy of expanding the nomination list to 10 pictures this year worked: there is a healthy mix of mainstream films (e.g., "The Blind Side," "Avatar," "Up," and "District 9") along with the perrenial independent films. I am glad that movies that were clearly made to grab an Oscar nom did not make the cut this year (I am talking about you "Invictus"!).
Despite the big pool of nominees, the race essentially comes down to "Up in the Air," "The Hurt Locker," and "Avatar."
And a shout out to the Minnesotan connections: Joel and Ethan Coen's "A Serious Man" made the cut, along with "Up in the Air," which is based on the book written by Minnesotan Walter Kim.
Best Direction
1. "Avatar," James Cameron
2. "The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow
3. "Inglourious Basterds," Quentin Tarantino
4. "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire," Lee Daniels
5. "Up in the Air," Jason Reitman
Thoughts: Again no big surprises. There are two former winners in the list (James Cameron, of course, for "Titanic" and QT for "Pulp Fiction"). Jason Reitman was previously nominated for "Juno," while this is the first nomination for Kathyrn Bigelow and Lee Daniels.
The big race here will be between former spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. Personally, I hope the ex-wife wins. It's nice to see Lee Daniels nominated for the difficult "Precious," which was only his second film he has ever directed. Jason Reitman is also a relative newcomer to Hollywood, but has already made three fantastic films with "Up in the Air," "Juno," and "Thank you for Smoking." QT has not been nominated since "Pulp Fiction," and I think that "Inglorious Basterds" is his personal best.
Best Actor
1. Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart”
2. George Clooney, "Up in the Air”
3. Colin Firth, "A Single Man”
4. Morgan Freeman, "Invictus”
5. Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker”
Thoughts: These nominees have been carved in stone for months now. Jeff Bridges is a lock to win the award. Sorry George - not this year.
Best Actress
1. Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side”
2. Helen Mirren, "The Last Station”
3. Carey Mulligan, "An Education”
4. Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire”
5. Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia”
Thoughts: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, these nominees were all predicted to be nominated. It will come down to Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. Its refreshing that both of these actresses were nominated for roles in films that many people saw. Traditionally, this category went to women in little-seen independent films.
Best Supporting Actor
1. Matt Damon, "Invictus”
2. Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger”
3. Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station”
4. Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones”
5. Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds”
Thoughts: This category does have some suprises, particularly Stanley Tucci, and to a lesser extent, Woody Harrelson. Sadly, Alfred Molina was not nominated despite his terrific performance in "An Education." There is no way that Christoph Waltz will not win. His performance was perhaps the single best performance by any actor or actress this year.
Best Supporting Actress
1. Penélope Cruz, "Nine”
2. Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air”
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart”
4. Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air”
5. Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire”
Thoughts: Yeah for Maggie! "Crazy Heart" had not been getting much Oscar buzz until relatively recently, so Maggie is a bit of a surprise. Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, and Mo'Nique (no last name) were all locks for nominations. Penelope Cruz has really turned into a hell of actress in the past few years. She won this category last year for "Vicky Christina Barcelona." She was the only actress to be nominated for "Nine," which at one time, was considered to be an Oscar front-runner in all the major categories. Let the debate begin on whether her role was supporting or lead.
Mo'Nique will win.
Best Animated Film
1. "Coraline”
2. "Fantastic Mr. Fox”
3. "The Princess and the Frog”
4. "The Secret of Kells”
5. "Up”
Thoughts: What the heck is "the Secret of Kells"? I LOVED "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "Coraline" so I hope one of these films beats up Best Picture nominee "Up."
Documentary
1. "Burma VJ”
2. "The Cove”
3. "Food, Inc.”
4. "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
5. "Which Way Home”
Thoughts: I have not seen any of these movies, although I do have "The Cove" on DVD just waiting for me to view it. I am a little surprised that "Tyson" and "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" did not make the cut. I will not be watching "Food, Inc." since I am happy with my current diet thank you very much!
Foreign Language Film
1. "Ajami," Israel
2. "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," Argentina
3. "The Milk of Sorrow," Peru
4. "Un Prophète," France
5. "The White Ribbon," Germany
Thoughts: Again, I have not seen any of these movies, and I wouldn't be surprised if none of them have even made it to the Twin Cities yet. I do plan on seeing "The White Ribbon" this weekend though.
What are your thoughts? Predictions? Surprises? People/Movies that you thought were robbed this year?
Best Picture
1. "Avatar"
2. "The Hurt Locker"
3. "Precious"
4. "Up in the Air"
5. "Inglorious Basterds"
6. "Up"
7. "The Blind Side"
8. "District 9"
9. "An Education"
10. "A Serious Man"
Thoughts: No big surprises here. It does appear that the Academy's strategy of expanding the nomination list to 10 pictures this year worked: there is a healthy mix of mainstream films (e.g., "The Blind Side," "Avatar," "Up," and "District 9") along with the perrenial independent films. I am glad that movies that were clearly made to grab an Oscar nom did not make the cut this year (I am talking about you "Invictus"!).
Despite the big pool of nominees, the race essentially comes down to "Up in the Air," "The Hurt Locker," and "Avatar."
And a shout out to the Minnesotan connections: Joel and Ethan Coen's "A Serious Man" made the cut, along with "Up in the Air," which is based on the book written by Minnesotan Walter Kim.
Best Direction
1. "Avatar," James Cameron
2. "The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow
3. "Inglourious Basterds," Quentin Tarantino
4. "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire," Lee Daniels
5. "Up in the Air," Jason Reitman
Thoughts: Again no big surprises. There are two former winners in the list (James Cameron, of course, for "Titanic" and QT for "Pulp Fiction"). Jason Reitman was previously nominated for "Juno," while this is the first nomination for Kathyrn Bigelow and Lee Daniels.
The big race here will be between former spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. Personally, I hope the ex-wife wins. It's nice to see Lee Daniels nominated for the difficult "Precious," which was only his second film he has ever directed. Jason Reitman is also a relative newcomer to Hollywood, but has already made three fantastic films with "Up in the Air," "Juno," and "Thank you for Smoking." QT has not been nominated since "Pulp Fiction," and I think that "Inglorious Basterds" is his personal best.
Best Actor
1. Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart”
2. George Clooney, "Up in the Air”
3. Colin Firth, "A Single Man”
4. Morgan Freeman, "Invictus”
5. Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker”
Thoughts: These nominees have been carved in stone for months now. Jeff Bridges is a lock to win the award. Sorry George - not this year.
Best Actress
1. Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side”
2. Helen Mirren, "The Last Station”
3. Carey Mulligan, "An Education”
4. Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire”
5. Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia”
Thoughts: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, these nominees were all predicted to be nominated. It will come down to Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. Its refreshing that both of these actresses were nominated for roles in films that many people saw. Traditionally, this category went to women in little-seen independent films.
Best Supporting Actor
1. Matt Damon, "Invictus”
2. Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger”
3. Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station”
4. Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones”
5. Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds”
Thoughts: This category does have some suprises, particularly Stanley Tucci, and to a lesser extent, Woody Harrelson. Sadly, Alfred Molina was not nominated despite his terrific performance in "An Education." There is no way that Christoph Waltz will not win. His performance was perhaps the single best performance by any actor or actress this year.
Best Supporting Actress
1. Penélope Cruz, "Nine”
2. Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air”
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart”
4. Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air”
5. Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire”
Thoughts: Yeah for Maggie! "Crazy Heart" had not been getting much Oscar buzz until relatively recently, so Maggie is a bit of a surprise. Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, and Mo'Nique (no last name) were all locks for nominations. Penelope Cruz has really turned into a hell of actress in the past few years. She won this category last year for "Vicky Christina Barcelona." She was the only actress to be nominated for "Nine," which at one time, was considered to be an Oscar front-runner in all the major categories. Let the debate begin on whether her role was supporting or lead.
Mo'Nique will win.
Best Animated Film
1. "Coraline”
2. "Fantastic Mr. Fox”
3. "The Princess and the Frog”
4. "The Secret of Kells”
5. "Up”
Thoughts: What the heck is "the Secret of Kells"? I LOVED "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "Coraline" so I hope one of these films beats up Best Picture nominee "Up."
Documentary
1. "Burma VJ”
2. "The Cove”
3. "Food, Inc.”
4. "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
5. "Which Way Home”
Thoughts: I have not seen any of these movies, although I do have "The Cove" on DVD just waiting for me to view it. I am a little surprised that "Tyson" and "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" did not make the cut. I will not be watching "Food, Inc." since I am happy with my current diet thank you very much!
Foreign Language Film
1. "Ajami," Israel
2. "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," Argentina
3. "The Milk of Sorrow," Peru
4. "Un Prophète," France
5. "The White Ribbon," Germany
Thoughts: Again, I have not seen any of these movies, and I wouldn't be surprised if none of them have even made it to the Twin Cities yet. I do plan on seeing "The White Ribbon" this weekend though.
What are your thoughts? Predictions? Surprises? People/Movies that you thought were robbed this year?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Roger Ebert's Wrap-Up of Sundance
Roger Ebert just posted his wrap-up of his favorite movies at 2010's Sundance Film Festival. Of the movies he reviewed, I am downright giddy for the Joan Rivers documentary. Lately, I have been on a documentary kick (but I will not be seeing Cane Toads - disgusting!) Are there any Sundance movies you are looking forward to seeing?
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