I used to be way into the Oscars. I know oodles of Oscar history. One of the best birthday presents I've ever received was the 60 Years of the Oscar. Tom and I used to throw Oscar parties for years in Chicago and out here in LA. But, over the past few years, my interest has waned. Maybe it started when Crash won over Brokeback Mountain. I'm way more invested on Carla winning Top Chef next week than Milk squeaking out a dark horse win for Best Picture. I dunno. But, in keeping with the season, I'll dole out who I think should win in each of the main Oscar Categories.
[Note: I have not seen Frost/Nixon, The Reader, or The Wrestler. Just FYI.]
KEY: An asterisk (*) marks who I think should win, while a tilden (^) notes who I think will win.
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk *
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire ^
I've seen three of these, and the best one of the bunch is Milk. So brilliant, so great, so moving. Slumdog is very good as well, and probably will win, and Benjamin Button can go jump off a cliff.
Best Actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk *
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler^
Sean Penn gave the best performance of his career as Milk, but Rourke's personal life/film character parallels will probably be too rich for the Academy to pass up. That and the passing of his damn little dog. Still, Sean Penn deserves this award. I'm hoping he'll win, but I'm not holding my breath.
Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River *
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader ^
Winslet as the momentum, and she was brilliant in Revolutionary Road. But Leo owned that character in Frozen River. You can't imagine anyone else playing that role. While Streep did a great job in Doubt (and I wouldn't mind if she won), my heart is with Leo. Apparently, there are some rumblings that she may pull an upset. I'm not getting my hopes up about it.
Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight *^
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Okay, I'm in a bit of a pickle here. I'd be totally fine if either Brolin or Downey won. Brolin brought a lot of layers to the role of Dan White and as an actor who specializes in comedy, it would be nice for a comedic role to win an Oscar again. But, my heart is with Ledger. When I was doing my SAG Award ballot, I asked myself "Would I vote for Heath Ledger if he was still alive?" And my answer was (and is) yes. He took what was an iconic character and took it into places I couldn't conceive, and did it with skill and panache. It's a fantastic performance and I think he deserves it.
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt *
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona ^
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Penelope Cruz has the critical momentum and was the highlight of a very overrated film. But Amy Adams was the heart and soul of Doubt. You saw her character make subtle changes throughout, and her work was done with such specificity. She's turning into one of my favorite actresses. Love her.
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 ^
Danny Boyle will win, and that's fine. Gus Van Sant did the best film of his career, and I honestly don't see how he can top it, and really deserves it. I'm kinda pulling for a tie. Anyone else?
For the rest of the categories, I'm pulling for Wall-E for Best Animated Feature and Best Score, Milk for Best Original Screenplay, Slumdog for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song (for "Jai Ho"), Iron Man for Best Visual Effects, and The Dark Knight for anything else.
Maybe Sunday's ceremony will rekindle my love for Oscar. I dunno. All is know is that Carla should whip Hosea and Stefan's bald asses on Wednesday's Top Chef finale.
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