My 2008 Oscar Winning Predictions

Everyone and their brother/sister are making Oscar predictions, so why not me? Well, maybe because like so many others, 2007 was a difficult time financially. (Ticket prices are about $7 here or try over $11 in LA.) Or perhaps it is because, as usual, I haven't seen any of the nominated films. Or possibly it is because I haven't watched the Oscars since I was (much) younger and I had dreams of being nominated (but have since been quashed when I left the theater and movies behind me). But why should that stop me from putting in my two cents?

Douglas Fairbanks, then Academy President, presented the first Oscars on May 16, 1929 in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. There were 270 people in attendance at this banquet style ceremony and tickets cost $5. (That was a lot of money then, but nowhere in comparison to today's tickets which can fetch anywhere from $350 to $30,000.) The banquet style ended in 1942 due to the increased attendance and the war. (Pesky things, wars. But they didn't seem to stop the ceremonies. Priorities, priorities.)

So, here are my predictions for who will come away with that coveted little statuettes on this 80^th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards. (Hey, you want one, don't you?)

Lets start out with the littler ones first. For Best Screenplay (Original), I think this one will end up going to Diablo Cody for Juno. It is an artsy film about an outspoken sixteen year old (is there any other kind?) who is pregnant and spends time with the people she decides to let adopt the baby. The Academy will probably want to make sure it gets recognized somewhere, since it won't make any of the bigger prizes.

For Best Screenplay (Adapted), I'm going out on a limb and say it will go to Christopher Hampton for Atonement. It is also an artsy film and is also centered on a young teen girl.

Visual Effects is a tough one to call because all three films are stunning in that department. But between The Golden Compass, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Transformers (which I actually got to see because I watched on cable), I think this one will more than likely go to Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood for The Golden Compass. It has the distinction of being a little artsy (adapted from a book by Phillip Pullman) and is not a cartoon or popular culture thing.

The Sound Mixing award will probably go to Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe for 3:10 To Yuma because it is so hard to make believable sound tracks in the open spaces that are supposed to be pre-everything.

Under the heading of Sound Editing (which is way way different form Sound Mixing), I would have to go with Transformers just because there is so much going on, both visually and audibly, it would have to take a genius to get all these right on the money.

For Best Short Film (Live Action), even though Tanghi Argentini is such a funny concept, I think that three women in a cancer hospital talking about life has to have the Academy's full "oh yeah" factor. So I think this one will go to Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth for At Night.

Best Short Film (Animated), this one will definitely go to Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse for Even Pigeons Go To Heaven (my font wouldn't handle the French text, so this is the English translation).

Best Music (Song) will most likely go to "Raise It Up" Music and Lyric by Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack and Tevin Thomas from the movie August Rush (even though Enchanted has three of the five songs nominated in this category).

For Best Music (Score), I think this one will go to Alberto Iglesias for Kite Runner. It is artsy, foreign and has a pretty decent score. Academy types eat this type up.

For Best Makeup, I think this should go to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, but it will more than likely go to Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald for the artsy flick La Vie En Rose.

Under Best Foreign Film I am going with the Polish entrant Katyn, directed by Andrzej Wajda. Hey, all the nominations are foreign and artsy, so it was just a toss up.

Best Film Editing should go to Dylan Tichenor for There Will Be Blood.

Best Documentary Short will go to James Longley for Sari's Mother because t is an election year and this movie is about Iraq and AIDS.

Best Documentary Feature will in all likelihood go to Michael Moore for Sicko as it deals with another "hot button" for Hollywood in this political season.

Best Directing, Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood.

Best Costume Design should be a no-brainer, even for Holloywood types; Alexandra Byrne for Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Best Cinematography, Robert Elswit for There Will Be Blood.

Best Art Direction will go to Sarah Greenwood (Art Direction); Katie Spencer (Set Decoration) for Atonement.

Best Animated Feature Film, Brad Bird for Ratatouille.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role will go to Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton.

Best Actress in a Leading Role will be won by Laura Linney in The Savages. This will definitely shock most people, but most shocked will be Laura Linney herself.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role should belong to Phillip Seymour Hoffman for his part in Charlie Wilson's War. Mostly because Hoffman is good, but also as the Academy's nod to this film.

Even though I think the world of Tommy Lee Jones' immense talent, I think the Academy will ignore him and the Best Actor in a Leading Role will (no surprise) go to Daniel Day-Lewis for his work in There Will Be Blood.

And the Best Picture Oscar will go to (drum roll please) JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers for There Will Be Blood.

So that's my picks. Yes, I know there are a multitude of other, more technical awards, but these are the ones that are the most popular. So, you grab the popcorn and I'll grab the napkins and I'll see you at the movies.

Sources:
OSCAR.com - 80th Annual Academy Awards
http://www.oscar.com/