Amy's Robot

Oscar Picks

OK everyone, it's time to imagine that you're a member of the Academy. Maybe you were the props master for Big Trouble in Little China, the sound mixer for Tootsie, or Karl Malden. How do you think the Academy will vote? Ballots are due Tuesday.

Here are all the nominees for the Oscars. Our picks of who we think will (not should) win are below.

Here's the NY Times poll, where you can vote for what you want to win even though you know deep down those bastards are going to give the Oscar to Benjamin f'ing Button. They'll score your ballot during the awards on Feb. 22.

Through a miraculous set of circumstances, I am going to attend the Oscars this year. So far, the to-do list includes sitting next to Jack Nicholson (so I'll get on TV all one thousand times the camera cuts to him cackling in the front row), doing keg stands with Wesley Snipes at Prince's afterparty, and making out with any combination of the following: Clive Owen, Amy Adams, Mickey Rourke, and Werner Herzog.

Please add your own picks in the comments.

Nominees are:

Actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor"
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn in "Milk"
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" [Amy] He's had some practice delivering acceptance speeches now, so this one might be less rambling and weird, but I still can't wait to hear it.
[Cushie] I think Mickey should win and probably will, even though he was arguably playing himself and maybe Sean Penn's Milk was a harder role.

Actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt"
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" [Amy] This would be a really interesting race if Heath Ledger hadn't died. [Cushie] He can't lose.
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road"

Actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" [Cushie] She deserves it, I think, but might only get it because of strange vote splitting. Awards voters do love Streep and Winslet.
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling"
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep in "Doubt"
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" [Amy] If enough voters bumped her up to Best Actress from Supporting, I think she's got it.

Actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Doubt"
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" [Amy] This is a really strong category this year. The Academy loves mentally unstable supporting actresses, so I think she'll get it.
Viola Davis in "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler" [Cushie] Tough call but who can resist the stripper with a heart of gold. In an Aronofsky movie. Played by the delightful Marisa Tomei.

Animated feature film
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"WALL-E" [Amy] [Cushie] Beauty and the Beast got nominated for Best Picture, and this one didn't?!

Art direction
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" [Amy] Anyone who could remind us all of what Brad Pitt looked like when he was 23 deserves an Oscar as far as I'm concerned.
"The Dark Knight" [Cushie] Doesn't everyone love this crazy dystopian Gotham?
"The Duchess"
"Revolutionary Road"

Cinematography
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight" [Amy]
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire" [Cushie]

Costume design
"Australia"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" [Amy]
"The Duchess"
"Milk" [Cushie] [Cushie loves tight jeans. -Amy]
"Revolutionary Road"

Directing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" David Fincher
"Frost/Nixon" Ron Howard
"Milk" Gus Van Sant [Amy] Anything that isn't Slumdog is a long shot, but I think the Academy might throw a bone to Gus Van Sant since he won't win Best Picture, and as a sort of Proposition 8 protest
"The Reader" Stephen Daldry
"Slumdog Millionaire" Danny Boyle [Cushie]. This is Danny Boyle's big moment.

Documentary feature
"The Betrayal"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"The Garden"
"Man on Wire" [Cushie] So the producers don't have to embarrassingly cut to Samuel L. Jackson and Debbie Allen in the audience when the Black Documentary wins.
"Trouble the Water" [Amy] Oh yeah, they're going to cut to Sam Jackson and Lou Gossett, Jr, alright. This one is the popular favorite, though Man On Wire is the best nominee.

Documentary short subject
"The Conscience of Nhem En"
"The Final Inch"
"Smile Pinki"
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306" [Amy] I have no idea, but I went to the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis last year, and who's gonna argue with a MLK doc? [Cushie]

Film editing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"Slumdog Millionaire" [Amy] There sure were a lot of cuts in this movie! Remember: for the Academy, "Best Editing" is usually the same as "Most Editing".[Cushie] Since Slumdog gets no acting awards it has to pad its numbers.

Foreign language film
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" Germany
"The Class" France [Cushie] I really don't know.
"Departures" Japan
"Revanche" Austria
"Waltz with Bashir" Israel [Amy] What a great movie.

Makeup
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" [Amy]
"The Dark Knight" [Cushie]
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army"

Music (score)
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Defiance"
"Milk"
"Slumdog Millionaire" [Amy][Cushie]
"WALL-E"

Music (song)
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E" Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
"Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" A.R. Rahman and Gulzar
"O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire" A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam [Amy] M.I.A. on stage will be this year's Three 6 Mafia. Especially if she just gave birth a couple of hours earlier! [Cushie] It will be funniest if she is still pregnant.

Best picture
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire" [Amy] I wish it was Milk. Oh well. [Cushie]

Animated short film
"La Maison en Petits Cubes"
"Lavatory - Lovestory" [Cushie] No idea but I had to be different from Amy.
"Oktapodi"
"Presto" [Amy]
"This Way Up"

Live action short film
"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" [Amy] Got a chance to watch these, and this was the best one. Really great little movie.
"Manon on the Asphalt"
"New Boy"
"The Pig" [Cushie]
"Spielzeugland (Toyland)"

Sound editing
"The Dark Knight" [Amy]
"Iron Man"
"Slumdog Millionaire" [Cushie]
"WALL-E"
"Wanted"

Sound mixing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Slumdog Millionaire" [Amy][Cushie]
"WALL-E"
"Wanted"

Visual effects
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight" [Amy][Cushie]
"Iron Man"

Adapted screenplay
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Doubt" [Amy]
"Frost/Nixon"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire" [Cushie]

Original screenplay
"Frozen River"
"Happy-Go-Lucky" [Amy] Maybe my favorite category this year--I'd be happy for any of these to win. Though the consolation prize that Gus Van Sant wins could be this one instead of Best Director.
"In Bruges"
"Milk" [Cushie]
"WALL-E"

categories: Movies
posted by amy at 10:41 AM | #