Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
MY HOPE: Slumdog Millionaire
MY PREDICTION: Slumdog Millionaire
AND THE WINNER IS: Slumdog Millionaire
I don’t think that there’s anybody who didn’t want Slumdog to win this one. Of course, now it’s only a matter of time before the backlash begins, so everyone enjoy it while you still can!
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
MY HOPE: Sean Penn
MY PREDICTION: Sean Penn
AND THE WINNER IS: Sean Penn
Most people wanted and predicted the Rourke was going to win this one. It would have been the perfect end to a great Hollywood comeback story, but personally, I though Penn’s performance was a little stronger. I really hope people don’t start making the claim that Penn only won because of the films politics (that’s what the Best Original Screenplay category is for.) Congratulations to him for a truly inspirational performance.
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
MY HOPE: Meryl Streep
MY PREDICTION: Kate Winslet
AND THE WINNER IS: Kate Winslet
Giving credence to the old joke that any film about the holocaust wins an Oscar, Winslet takes home the gold for her performance in the Reader (which wasn’t as good as her performance in Revolutionary Road, btw). I would have preferred it if this one had gone to Streep or Hathaway.
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
MY HOPE: Heath Ledger
MY PREDICTION: Heath Ledger
AND THE WINNER IS: Heath Ledger
Its okay internet, we can call off the riot, he won. R.I.P and congratulations on one of the most memorable performances in years.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams for Doubt
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis for Doubt
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler
MY HOPE: Taraji P. Henson
MY PREDICTION: Penélope Cruz
AND THE WINNER IS: Penélope Cruz
Haven’t seen the movie. That being said, all of the other performances were amazing, so good for her.
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
MY PREDICTION: Danny Boyle
AND THE WINNER IS: Danny Boyle
Yes! One of the best and most creative directors working today gets the recognition he deserves. I couldn’t be happier with this result.
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Courtney Hunt for Frozen River
Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh for In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black for Milk
Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter for Wall-E
MY PREDICTION: Milk
AND THE WINNER IS: Milk
Well, they had to, didn’t they? Congradulations Hollywood on assuaging your guilt. It’s a shame, because Bruges was so great…oh well.
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley for Doubt
Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon
David Hare for The Reader
Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire
MY HOPE: Doubt
MY PREDICTION: Slumdog Millionaire
AND THE WINNER IS: Slumdog Millionaire
I love Slumdog Millionaire (in case I hadn’t made it clear by now), but I honestly don’t know if the screenplay deserved this win. That film was defined by the editing, cinematography, soundtrack and of course the brilliant direction. Still, I’m never going to begrudge Slumdog an award.
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL·E
MY HOPE: WALL-E
MY PREDICTION: WALL-E
AND THE WINNER IS: WALL-E
What? You thought it was going to go to Bolt?! WALL-E may be Pixar's best film, and that's saying something.
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (Germany)
Entre les murs (France)
Revanche (Austria)
Okuribito (Japan)
Vals Im Bashir (Israel
MY PREDICTION: Vals Im Bashir
AND THE WINNER IS: Okuribito (Departures)
Along with Penn, this is the only real upset of the night. Most people, including myself, thought Vals Im Bashir, the animated documentary from Israel, was a shoe in (and for the record it should have been nominated for Best Animated Feature as well.) Okuribito is about a cellist who looses his job and gets a job preparing bodies for funerals. I’m sure I’ll get around to seeing it eventually. Oh, and just so everyone knows how awesome I am, this is the only major pick I've gotten wrong. High five!
Best Documentary, Features
The Betrayal - Nerakhoon
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
MY HOPE: Man on Wire
MY PREDICTION: Man on Wire
AND THE WINNER IS: Man on Wire
The only nominated documentary I’ve seen was pretty much guaranteed win in this category. I can’t recommend Man on Wire enough.
If you're not interesting in the minor awards, skip to the end of the post to see a brief summary of the nights proceedings.
MINOR & TECHNICAL AWARDS
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Slumdog Millionaire A.R. Rahman, Gulzar ("Jai Ho")
Slumdog Millionaire A.R. Rahman, M.I.A ("O Saya")
WALL·E Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman ("Down to Earth")
MY HOPE: “O Saya”
MY PREDICTION: “Jai Ho”
AND THE WINNER IS: “Jai Ho”
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Alexandre Desplat for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard for Defiance
Danny Elfman for Milk
A.R. Rahman Slumdog for Millionaire
Thomas Newman for WALL·E
MY HOPE: Slumdog Millionaire
MY PREDICTION: Slumdog Millionaire
AND THE WINNER IS: Slumdog Millionaire
Why are you still reading this instead of going out and buying the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack!
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Tom Stern for Changeling
Claudio Miranda for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister for The Dark Knight
Roger Deakins, Chris Menges for The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire
MY HOPE: The Dark Knight
MY PREDICTION: The Dark Knight
AND THE WINNER IS: Slumdog Millionaire
As amazing as the Slumdog Cinematography was…The Dark Knight was simply epic.
Best Achievement in Editing
Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lee Smith for The Dark Knight
Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill for Frost/Nixon
Elliot Graham for Milk
Chris Dickens for Slumdog Millionaire
MY HOPE: Slumdog Millionaire
MY PREDICTION: Slumdog Millionaire
AND THE WINNER IS: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Achievement in Art Direction
James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis for Changeling
Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando for The Dark Knight
Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway for The Duchess
Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt for Revolutionary Road
AND THE WINNER IS: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
AND THE WINNER IS: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Catherine Martin for Australia
Jacqueline West for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor for The Duchess
Danny Glicker for Milk
Albert Wolsky for Revolutionary Road
Best Achievement in Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
AND THE WINNER IS: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
AND THE WINNER IS: Slumdog Millionaire
Just keep piling them on...
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL·E
Wanted
About frickin' time!
Best Documentary, Short Subjects
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306
Best Short Film, Live Action
Auf der Strecke
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland
AND THE WINNER IS: Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Best Short Film, Animated
Ubornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up
AND THE WINNER IS: La Maison en Petits Cubes (The House of Small Cubes)
So here’s how the cards fall:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button only manages to win three out of a total of thirteen nominations. Slumdog Millionaire takes eight out of nine (ten counting two nominations for Best Song), only missing out on Sound Editing (and frankly, does anyone even know what that is?) Despite nominations for Screenplay, Director, Actor and Picture, Frost/Nixon goes home with nothing, and The Reader only gets one out of five. The disappointments are that The Dark Knight only gets two (Sound Editing and Best Supporting Actor) out of a possible eight, and The Wrestler and Doubt both get zip.
Oh, and Wanted didn’t win anything either. Shame.
