Oscars '08

[Hakeem]

It's too bad Javier Bardem wasn't nomintated for Best Actor, because I have to say he played one of the most riveting characters I ever watched in cinema. I would put his performance, up there with the caliber of Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, and Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty.

Bardem is nominated, but as a supporting actor. his character was not the lead of the movie.

 

[Sir Calumn]

Be thankful, in the supporting actor character he has an excellent chance of winning, whereas had he been up against Depp, Day Lewis etc for actor he would have been a rank outsider.

And ShiftyPowers, I actually totally agree that Borat should have had some academy recognition.

 

[King]

Is it just me or did 90% of those movies come out in the last 3 month? Anyway, the nominations are crap anyway. Where is Smockin' Aces? The Kingdom? Spiderman? 300? Really, not even for Best Costume or Best Makeup?

Smockin Aces (2006)? The Kingdom? They were both way below average. Poor perhaps. Spiderman was average but could have gone for Visual Effects and 300 was great and could have gone for visual effects and costume maybe, but still Transformers would have easily beat em in visual effects. Nominating Norbit was just stupid......don't know how it found its way in.


Also, What happened to American Gangster?!!!!!

 

[SlayerDeuS]

Smockin Aces (2006)? The Kingdom? They were both way below average. Poor perhaps. Spiderman was average but could have gone for Visual Effects and 300 was great and could have gone for visual effects and costume maybe, but still Transformers would have easily beat em in visual effects. Nominating Norbit was just stupid......don't know how it found its way in.


Also, What happened to American Gangster?!!!!!

It seemed to me that American Gangster just wasn't very original. It jumped around with two different stories and neither of them built up enough of the respective character for me to give a **** at the end.

 

[Help?]

Smockin Aces (2006)? The Kingdom? They were both way below average. Poor perhaps. Spiderman was average but could have gone for Visual Effects and 300 was great and could have gone for visual effects and costume maybe, but still Transformers would have easily beat em in visual effects. Nominating Norbit was just stupid......don't know how it found its way in.


Also, What happened to American Gangster?!!!!!

That's personal preferences, but not talking of Smockin' Aces and Kingdom, 300 and Spiderman obviously should have had at least some kind of recognition. As you pointed out at least in costume and visual effects. According to these nominators, its harder to make a man look like a fat women, then to create a whole army of people dressed in ancient clothes. Not to mention the warrior-freaks. Xerxes' costume alone should win that award.

 

[Hakeem]

And ShiftyPowers, I actually totally agree that Borat should have had some academy recognition.

Wasnt Borat nominated for best original screenplay?

 

[Hakeem]

It seemed to me that American Gangster just wasn't very original. It jumped around with two different stories and neither of them built up enough of the respective character for me to give a **** at the end.

American Gangster has always been a contender, especially after the BAFTA nomination, just didnt make it. but its always been named as an alternative for that 5th place in the noms.

 

[Sir Calumn]

I dont personally think American Gangster was anywhere near good enough for a best picture nomination, especially against this year's competition. The only place I thought it had an outside chance for a decent nom was for Denzel as best actor.

I think you're right about Borat getting the screenplay nom actually, which is something I guess, but in my opinion Cohen should have had an acting nomination also.

 

[Hakeem]

yeah, I think he was in contention for a while but the Academy decided to go with Will Smith (for The Pursuit of Happyness) in the comedic slot.

and correcting myself, Borat was actually nominated for adapted screenplay, not original.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I dont personally think American Gangster was anywhere near good enough for a best picture nomination, especially against this year's competition. The only place I thought it had an outside chance for a decent nom was for Denzel as best actor.

I think you're right about Borat getting the screenplay nom actually, which is something I guess, but in my opinion Cohen should have had an acting nomination also.

A lot of Borat was improvised. Did the script just say "Go to Atlanta: Sasha does something funny"??? How is that a winning screenplay?

 

[Hakeem]

WGA Awards were tonight, No Country won Adapted and Juno won Original. this will repeat at the Oscars for sure.

btw, Sicko lost Taxi to the Dark Side.

 

[Sir Calumn]

If it was anyone but the Coen brothers I would actually fancy a bet on Schabel for best director after seeing his masterpiece. You never know, maybe the academy will see sense and not use Best Director as a lifetime achievement award two years in a row.

 

[Hakeem]

Atonement won best pic at the BAFTA tonight but the awards were too split between all the movies to mean anything. Day-Lewis won, Cotilliard won best actress which is great (and btw, she's really beautiful), Bardem and Winton were the supporters. Directors were the Coens and screenplays went to Juno and Diving Bell. Best british film went to We Are England which I saw a few ago and its a very good movie

 

[Hakeem]

time to predict the winners.

Im going with No Country for pretty much everything except Cinematography cause Roger Deakins will cancel himself out with his other nom for Jesse James, so There Will Be Blood will take it.

my other big prediction is that no old actor will win this year (Christie, Holbrook or Ruby Dee). Page, Bardem and Amy Ryan (over Blanchett), will win.

and then Im going with Transformers in everything its nominated for, though Bourne could win the sound ones too but Im going with the robots.

*** My Predictions ***

BEST PICTURE
No Country for Old Men

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTRESS
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

BEST DIRECTOR
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Ratatouille

BEST ART DIRECTION
Atonement

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
There Will Be Blood

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Atonement

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Sicko

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Freeheld

BEST EDITING
No Country for Old Men

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
The Counterfeiters (Austria)

BEST MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
''Falling Slowly,'' Once

BEST SOUND EDITING
Transformers

BEST SOUND MIXING
Transformers

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Transformers

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Peter & the Wolf

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
At Night

 

[Sir Calumn]

My final predictions mirror yours, except I'm going for Christie for best actress and Blanchett for best supporting.

I would dearly love to see Schabel take best director, but dont think it will happen.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I'm going to make one prediction:

Best Documentary: Taxi to the Dark Side

Way more anti-Bush than Sicko, deals with a much scarier topic.

 

[Hakeem]

yesp, Taxi To The Dark Side does seem like its a better documentary so it has a shot but Sicko is too big I think.

 

[$teauA]

My predictions:


THE 2008 OSCAR NOMINEES

BEST PICTURE
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Brad Bird, Ratatouille
Diablo Cody, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sarah Polley, Away From Her

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

BEST ART DIRECTION
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James…
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd

BEST DOCUMENTARY
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari’s Mother

BEST EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Beaufort (Israel)
The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Katyn (Poland)
Mongol (Kazakhstan)
12 (Russia)

BEST MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
''Falling Slowly,'' Once
''Happy Working Song,'' Enchanted
''Raise It Up,'' August Rush
''So Close,'' Enchanted
''That's How You Know,'' Enchanted

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Peter & the Wolf

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
At Night
Il Supplente (The Substitute)
Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I'm going to make one prediction:

Best Documentary: Taxi to the Dark Side

Way more anti-Bush than Sicko, deals with a much scarier topic.

He shoots he scores!

 

[ShearerM4]

Glad for the Cotillard. She looked stunning as ever.