March 5, 2007

Year in Advance Oscar Predictions

Gimme a break. I'm bored and I'm feeling crazy.

Of course nobody knows anything at this stage (/cliche) but this is just my random-completely-for-fun predictions. There are some high profile movies that I'm neglecting in the major categories (Sweeney Todd, The Kite Runner - name one movie Marc Forster has directed that's any good?), while tipping some smaller films that have gotten attention (yes, even Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone. Gotta be a little crazy at these things). Of course, there will be some titles that slip into 2008, or titles that slip back from '08 to 2007 (3.10 to Yuma for example). There are also some titles that are hanging in limbo at the moment. Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth for instance. I'm just going to ignore that title as of right now because it's Francis Ford Freakin' Coppola. Who knows when it will be completed.

And obviously the technical categories are a ridiculous arena to predict. But who cares. It's sorta fun. Gotta give props to Kris over at InContention (yes, yes) for his rundown of titles. I'm not going to add commentary to these because, I figure, at this stage there's no point rationalising my predictions and explaining my thought process (essentially, because there is one). Nor am I doing "alternates" or "sixth placers" because, really, that list would be long. We really don't know a single thing.

BEST PICTURE
American Gangster
Atonement
Charlie Wilson's War
Gone, Baby, Gone
Reservation Road

BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck, Gone, Baby, Gone
Susanne Bier, Things We Lost in the Fire
Mike Nichols, Charlie Wilson's War
Ridley Scott, American Gangster
Joe Wright, Atonement

BEST ACTOR
James McAvoy, Atonement
Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Benicio del Toro, Things We Lost in the Fire
Joaquin Phoenix, Reservation Road
Denzel Washington, American Gangster

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, The Golden Years
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose (aka La Môme)
Julianne Moore, Savage Grace
Natalie Portman, The Other Boleyn Girl

(I know I said no alternates, but I really want to predict Keira Knightley for Atonement. Especially considering I'm predicting it elsewhere and if she was (deservedly) nommed for the also Joe Wright directed P&P why not this? Hmm.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Sasha Baron Cohen, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ed Harris, Gone, Baby, Gone
Mark Ruffalo, Reservation Road
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, Charlie Wilson's War
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bette Midler, Then She Found Me
Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement
Susan Sarandon, In the Valley of Elah

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Cynthia Mort, Bruce Taylor & Roderick Taylor, The Brave One
Stephen Knight, Eastern Promises
James C Strouse, Grace is Gone
Noah Baumbach, Margot at the Wedding
Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava, Ratatouille

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Sarah Polley, Away from Her
Alan Sorkin, Charlie Wilson's War
Terry George & John Burnham Schwartz, Reservation Road
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

BEST EDITING
American Gangster
Atonement
Charlie Wilson's War
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
My Blueberry Nights
The Other Boleyn Girl
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST ART DIRECTION
Across the Universe
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alexandra Byrne, The Golden Age
Arthur Rowsell & Rita Ryack, Hairspray
Sandy Powell, The Other Boleyn Girl
Penny Rose, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Collen Atwood, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST MAKE-UP
Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Stardust
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

(So, I originally had Norbit down. But I don't even think these guys will nominate that? Surely... right?

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
I Am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spiderman 3

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement
Gone Baby Gone
Manolete
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Enchanted
Hairspray
Hairspray
Ratatouille
Reign Over Me

BEST SOUND MIXING
3.10 to Yuma
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spiderman 3
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST SOUND EDITING
American Gangster
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Ratatouille
Spiderman 3

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

(Yeah, no Shrek the Third, okay!)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
China
France
India
Italy
Poland

(how random are those?)


I have no idea why I seemed to have completely snubbed certain movies while predicting other ones (especially the supporting actress category. no way in hell is that lineup occuring)

5 comments:

adam k. said...

Yeah, how totally random. If I do these, I will do them on April 1st, like Nathaniel.

I don't think there's logic in predicting a snub for Depp but noms for his costars. I mean... Depp will get nominated before they will. Look at Pirates and especially Finding Neverland. Except here, he has the very famous title role going for him, too. I dunno, I guess it could happen if it turns out Depp is the only one in the cast who can't sing.

Damn, I really want this movie to be good. If Burton couldn't give me Meryl Streep/Imelda Staunton/Toni Collette as Mrs. Lovett, the least he can do is just make the film good.

Also, it's The Golden AGE, not The Golden Years. This isn't about Queen Elizabeth's retirement and pension spending (!).

Glenn Dunks said...

lol, whatever (about Elizabeth).

The reason for the Depp snub is that I just don't think they'll go for him here ala Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor. Sure, he seems pretty solid for a globe nod and win, but, well, so were Gere (who had "overdue" status in a Best Picture contender, soon to be winner).

Plus, Best Actor actually looks really strong this year. American Gangster could pull of a rarity and have two nominees (although Russell Crowe will surely have a less showy, and as such a less-nominatable, role)

I don't think there's any reason to not expect Washington, Phoenix and Day-Lewis to show up (along with Depp they're probably the standard predictions at this stage), but since when do all the early bird assumptions make it? So, I predicted a Depp shutout. I really think McAvoy will break through this year and Del Toro was just a random entry I thought I'd play with.

...so... yeah. There ya go. Explanation.

RC said...

a depp shutout...

we shall see! I can totally see it...i mean, it's a burton/depp project. how many of those have yielded depp noms?

i'm very shocked by the pre-love many have for reservation road. there's a lot of choices out there at this point and in someways it feels pretty loved.

but ok.

gone baby gone is a fun choice...you're right...you've gotta be fun.

i could see cohen getting the nod here...there's a little more flex in the supporting nods for sure.

and i think your dead on with a ratoille screenplay nod.

--RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com

Glenn Dunks said...

It sounded really good. I was very close to, strangely, predicting Mira Sorvino for a Supporting Actress nod. Just for shits and giggles, ya know?

Glenn Dunks said...

(i should mention I was talking about Reservation Road)