BEST PICTURE
AVATAR <----- Will win
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS <----- Should win
PRECIOUS
UP IN THE AIR
UP
AN EDUCATION
A SERIOUS MAN
DISTRICT 9
THE BLIND SIDE
Of these, Basterds is by far my favorite. I was iffy on the 10 nominees, but I like at least half of them. I'm hoping against hope that this award will go to The Hurt Locker, but not holding my breath. I think this might Cameron's second big win. Just give it to him and let's be done with it.
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges - CRAZY HEART <----- Will win
George Clooney - UP IN THE AIR
Colin Firth - A SINGLE MAN
Morgan Freeman - INVICTUS
Jeremy Renner - THE HURT LOCKER <----- Should win
Haven't seen Crazy Heart, but I can't complain about Jeff Bridges getting an Oscar. He's certainly earned it. How did George Clooney get a nomination just for doing his best George Clooney imitation? Jeremy Renner was amazingly understated and weighty though. I'd give it to him.
BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep - JULIE & JULIA
Carey Mulligan - AN EDUCATION <----- Should win
Gabourey Sidibe - PRECIOUS
Sandra Bullock - THE BLIND SIDE <----- Will win
Helen Mirren - THE LAST STATION
I fucking hate Sandra Bullock and haven't/won't ever watch The Blind Side, but she's definitely gonna win. Carey Mulligan was fantastic though. If only it were about skill...
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS <----- Will win/Should win
Woody Harrelson - THE MESSENGER
Christopher Plummer - THE LAST STATION
Stanley Tucci - THE LOVELY BONES
Matt Damon - INVICTUS
Easily the biggest/most deserved lock of the ceremony.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vera Farmiga - UP IN THE AIR
Anna Kendrick - UP IN THE AIR <----- Should win
Mo'nique - PRECIOUS <----- Will win
Penelope Cruz - NINE
Maggie Gyllenhaal - CRAZY HEART
I'm indifferent toward this category, not only because there's no way Mo'nique won't win. But I thought Anna Kendrick was really good.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
UP <----- Will win
CORALINE
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
THE SECRET OF KELLS
THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX <----- Should win
I love Pixar as much as the next guy, but Fox too good to deny. Fox for the upset!
BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow - THE HURT LOCKER
James Cameron - AVATAR <----- Will win/Should win
Quentin Tarantino - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Jason Reitman - UP IN THE AIR
Lee Daniels - PRECIOUS
I have a truckload of issues with Avatar, but nobody worked harder for this award than James Cameron.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Nick Hornby - AN EDUCATION
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell - DISTRICT 9
Jesse Armstrong and Armando Iannucci - IN THE LOOP <----- Should win
Geoffrey Fletcher - PRECIOUS
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner - UP IN THE AIR <----- Will win
Man, if In the Loop won this award I would be soooo happy. Up in the Air is a lock though.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS <----- Will win/Should win
Mark Boal - THE HURT LOCKER
Pete Docter and Bob Peterson - UP
Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon - THE MESSENGER
Joel and Ethan Coen - A SERIOUS MAN
The second biggest no brainer of the year.
BEST ART DIRECTION
AVATAR
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS <----- Will win
SHERLOCK HOLMES <---- Should win
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
NINE
Loved Holmes' set design.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE HURT LOCKER <----- Will win/Should win
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
THE WHITE RIBBON
AVATAR
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
If they give it to anything but The Hurt Locker they need their eye-meat checked. How the fuck did Avatar get this nomination?
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSSUS
BRIGHT STAR
NINE
COCO BEFORE CHANEL <----- Will win/Should win?
I haven't seen any of these... but it's a movie about Coco Chanel. Logic dictates that the Oscar goes to...
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
FOOD, INC.
THE COVE <---- Will win/Should win
BURMA VJ
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA
WHICH WAY HOME
God, The Cove is fucking disturbing. But this is just a guess.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
"China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
"Music by Prudence"
"Rabbit a la Berlin"
"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
"The Last Truck: The Closing of a GM Plant"
BEST EDITING
AVATAR <---- Will win
THE HURT LOCKER <---- Should win
DISTRICT 9
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A PROPHET
THE WHITE RIBBON <----- Will win/Should win
AJAMI
EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS
THE MILK OF SORROW
Haven't gotten a chance to see this, but Haneke deserves an Oscar.
BEST MAKEUP
STAR TREK <----- Will win/Should win
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
IL DIVO
This might be a shot in the dark, but otherwise Trek's going away with nothing. I bet they'll sneak this one in. Plus, Nero looks badass.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
AVATAR
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
THE HURT LOCKER
SHERLOCK HOLMES <----- Should win
UP <----- Will win
Not a huge fan of any of these. But I liked the jaunty tunefulness of Holmes' score.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Almost There" - THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
"Down in New Orleans" - THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
"Loin de Panama" - PARIS 36
"Take It All" - NINE
"The Weary Kind" - CRAZY HEART
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
"French Roast
"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty"
"The Lady and the Reaper"
"Logorama"
"A Matter of Loaf or Death
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
"The Door"
"Instead of Abracadabra"
"Kavi"
"Miracle Fish"
"The New Tenants"
BEST SOUND EDITING
AVATAR <----- Will win
DISTRICT 9
STAR TREK <----- Should win
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
UP
BEST SOUND MIXING
AVATAR <----- Will win
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
STAR TREK <----- Should win
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
I know all the tech stuff is going to Avatar, but I love, love, love the sound design of Trek.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
AVATAR <----- Will win/Should win
DISTRICT 9
STAR TREK
