My Oscar Hopefuls

The Oscar nominations have been released for 2009 and this is the first time in a while where I was pretty happy with most of the Academy's choices overall. My biggest complaint would be the inclusion of THE BLIND SIDE and any of its cast and/or crew. This is the nomination where the Academy was trying to appeal to the mindless side of their audience.

Now, onto my hopefuls. These aren't my predictions for who will win, because God knows the last year I predicted most awards correctly was when LORD OF THE RING: RETURN OF THE KING was nominated. These are merely people/productions that I hope win. Also, I'm not going to get into all the technical awards, the short films (I haven't seen them), the documentaries (haven't seen them), or the foreign films (once again, not released for me to see).

You can find all the nominations at: http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees

Writing (Original Screenplay):


For me, this category is no contest. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is Tarantino's best screenplay since PULP FICTION. The mixture of his signature dialogue, the way the story is told (classic Tarantino), how Hans Landa was realized, and that climax! Man, what a climax! It all adds up to my favorite original screenplay from 2009.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay):


My choice for this category would be UP IN THE AIR. I haven't read the novel, but I've read the comparisons and know of the changes Reitman made in his version of the story. I feel like he made the right choices for the cinematic retelling. I loved the "Can, sir?" reference to a certain storyline in the book, but I'm glad that's the only mention of it.

Visual Effects:


This category, in my opinion, is the only one AVATAR should be nominated for. The effects are breathtaking, especially in IMAX 3D, and they certainly have changed the game on how one works on an effects heavy picture.

Music (Original Song):


CRAZY HEART's "The Weary Kind" is such a beautiful song to me. Jeff Bridges does a hell of a job performing the thing and I like this a lot more than any of the other choices.

Music (Score):


I'm going to have to give this one to Hans Zimmer for his score on SHERLOCK HOLMES. If you didn't like the movie (I enjoyed it highly) you have to at least give kudos to Zimmer for capturing the spirit of Holmes through his music. It's a lot of fun.

Film Editing:


DISTRICT 9 deserves this one seeing how flawlessly the film goes from mockumentary to narrative with ease. You hardly notice the change while you're watching.

Directing:


This is going to be the year. I can feel it in my bones. We will finally have a female film director taking home the gold and I can't wait to see it happen! So, obviously, I'm pulling for Kathryn Bigelow and her film THE HURT LOCKER. She deserves it.

Cinematography:


Following my choice for Directing, I'm going to give this category to THE HURT LOCKER as well. The documentary style works tremendously, throwing the viewer into this tense experience that Jeremy Renner's character absolutely loves. You almost start to see why.

Animated Feature Film:


I was really hoping A TOWN CALLED PANIC would get nominated for this (does it being foreign disqualify it?), but I'm really hoping FANTASTIC MR. FOX will get this one. That's just a hell of a film that tends to be more for us hipster adults than kids. I loved UP, but Pixar already has a ton of gold statues and I feel it's one of their weaker films. CORALINE is amazing, but FOX beats it for best stop motion this year. It's old school and has a love for the subject matter that was unmatched.

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Mo'Nique is hands down the absolute best choice for this award. She put everything into her role in PRECIOUS and she deserves it. I actually really like Mo'Nique because of the image and message she gives to women. She has a great voice in the feminist movement and I really hope she pulls this off.

Actress in a Leading Role:


Sandra Bullock really puts her all into her role of Leigh Anne Tuohy as a white woman who must show a black kid how to live his life properly in white suburbia. Seeing the film makes me wish all black kids could have a white woman in their lives to show them how to live. This is why Bullock deserves it for THE BLIND SIDE.


All kidding aside, I really want Gabourey Sidibe to win this award. This is her first film and she shows herself to be a hell of force to be reckoned with. Seeing her in interviews and realizing how sweet of a person she is and then watching PRECIOUS and seeing the kind of character she portrays proves her incredible acting ability.

In reality, though, Sandra Bullock will probably win. It upsets me, but it's a harsh, idiotic world we live in sometimes and I have to come to terms with it now rather than be upset later.

Actor in a Supporting Role:


Christoph Waltz, no contest. Have you seen INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS? Then you know he deserves this sucker. No explanation needed.

Actor in a Leading Role:



This is the first award where I'm really torn. On one hand, you have the incredible Jeff Bridges giving his best performance since The Dude in CRAZY HEART. On the other hand, you have Jeremy Renner blowing everyone away with his role in THE HURT LOCKER. I'll be happy for either of them to win, but I'm secretly hoping Bridges will be the one taking it home.

Best Picture:


In my opinion, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS was the best film of the year (spoiler alert for my top movies of 2009 list!). However, I would be happy if that film, THE HURT LOCKER, DISTRICT 9, or UP IN THE AIR pulled out with the win. They're all great films that deserve it.

There you have it. My hopefuls for the Oscars this year. Who knows who will actually grab the gold in each category, but I always have fun creating my list.

Who do you think/hope will win these awards?