KMIR 6 - Palm Springs News, Weather, SportsManny the Movie Guy's Fearless, Complete 2010 Oscar Predictions!
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It's shaping up to be a battle between "The Hurt Locker" and "Avatar" at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards! Both films lead the pack with 9 nominations each including Best Picture, but only one will remain victorious.
From Best Short Film to Best Actor, here are my complete, humble but truly fearless Oscar predictions.
BEST PICTURE
* "Avatar" James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
* "The Blind Side" Nominees to be determined
* "District 9" Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
* "An Education" Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
* "The Hurt Locker" Nominees to be determined
* "Inglourious Basterds" Lawrence Bender, Producer
* "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire" Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
* "A Serious Man" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
* "Up" Jonas Rivera, Producer
* "Up in the Air" Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"The Hurt Locker" – The thrilling Iraq War drama from director Kathryn Bigelow not only topped all the major guild awards including the Directors Guild, but it was also voted the Best Film at the 2010 British Academy Awards (BAFTA).
Oscar frontrunner "Avatar" will win all the technical awards including best visual effects, best sound editing, and best sound mixing.
BEST DIRECTOR
* "Avatar" James Cameron
* "The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow
* "Inglourious Basterds" Quentin Tarantino
* "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire" Lee Daniels
* "Up in the Air" Jason Reitman
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker" – Bigelow created one of the most thought-provoking films of 2009 with a very weighty Iraq War subject. After Lina Wertmuller in 1975's "Seven Beauties," Jane Campion in 1993's "The Piano," and Sofia Coppola in 2003's "Lost in Translation," Bigelow is only the fourth woman director to ever be nominated. And guess what? She will make history as the first ever woman director to win the award!
BEST ACTOR
* Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"
* George Clooney in "Up in the Air"
* Colin Firth in "A Single Man"
* Morgan Freeman in "Invictus"
* Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
Jeff Bridges will nab the award for his Oscar-ready performance as a down-and-out country singer in "Crazy Heart." My heart belongs to Clooney, but it's Bridges' time and the actor already won the Screen Actors Guild award. Plus, the Academy loves hard drinking country singer performances. Case in point is Robert Duvall's 1984 Best Actor win for "Tender Mercies" where he played, you guessed it, a hard drinking country singer.
BEST ACTRESS
* Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
* Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
* Carey Mulligan in "An Education"
* Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire"
* Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
Sandra Bullock will win for her do-gooder performance in "The Blind Side." I'm not joining the Sandra Bullock for Oscar bandwagon but the actress already won support from her peers with a Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actress.
With "The Blind Side" and "The Proposal," 2009 was Bullock's year, and her possible Oscar win signifies that the actress is being honored for her body of work, "All About Steve" notwithstanding.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
* Matt Damon in "Invictus"
* Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger"
* Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"
* Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones"
* Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
Christoph Waltz – He simply gave the year's most memorable performance as the ruthless Col. Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds." Waltz has also been winning kudos from all the award-giving bodies including the Screen Actors Guild.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
* Penélope Cruz in "Nine"
* Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air"
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
* Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
* Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire"
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
Mo'Nique for her unforgettable role as an abusive mother in "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire." Like Waltz, Mo'Nique has been winning all the acting awards including one from the Screen Actors Guild.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
* "District 9" Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
* "An Education" Screenplay by Nick Hornby
* "In the Loop" Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
* "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire" Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
* "Up in the Air" Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Up in the Air" – Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner already won this category at the Writers Guild Award and that's a great sign! Plus, the script is so well-written that we connected with Clooney's character as the man who couldn't connect.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
* "The Hurt Locker" Written by Mark Boal
* "Inglourious Basterds" Written by Quentin Tarantino
* "The Messenger" Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
* "A Serious Man" Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* "Up" Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"The Hurt Locker" – Scriptwriter Mark Boal wrote from experience as he was a freelance writer who was embedded with a bomb squad. With "Avatar's" script not even considered good enough for a nomination, this category belongs to Boal's "The Hurt Locker." And like "Up in the Air," Boal already won the Writers Guild Award.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
* "Coraline" Henry Selick
* "Fantastic Mr. Fox" Wes Anderson
* "The Princess and the Frog" John Musker and Ron Clements
* "The Secret of Kells" Tomm Moore
* "Up" Pete Docter
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Up" – The Academy loves Pixar, you love Pixar, and I love Pixar! Besides, of all the films nominated, "Up" is the only one that truly made me cry, twice!
BEST ART DIRECTION
* "Avatar" Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* "Nine" Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* "Sherlock Holmes" Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* "The Young Victoria" Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Avatar" hands down! It's the most beautiful film of 2009!
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
* "Avatar" Mauro Fiore
* "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Bruno Delbonnel
* "The Hurt Locker" Barry Ackroyd
* "Inglourious Basterds" Robert Richardson
* "The White Ribbon" Christian Berger
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
This is a tough one. "The White Ribbon" beat "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" in the American Society of Cinematographers Awards. But the Academy has to honor "Avatar" somehow, so I think it will win this category. Plus, like what I said earlier, it's simply the most beautiful film of 2009, even though it's mostly made using computer-generated images.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
* "Bright Star" Janet Patterson
* "Coco before Chanel" Catherine Leterrier
* "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Monique Prudhomme
* "Nine" Colleen Atwood
* "The Young Victoria" Sandy Powell
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"The Young Victoria" – Oh those period costumes! The ornate outfits that Emily Blunt wore in the film beats the raggedy but original costumes in "Bright Star."
BEST DOCUMENTARY
* "Burma VJ" Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
* "The Cove" Nominees to be determined
* "Food, Inc." Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* "Which Way Home" Rebecca Cammisa
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"The Cove" – it's a tense-filled documentary about the shameless, unnecessary killings of dolphins in a little cove in Japan. While I love "Food, Inc." as well, "The Cove" will stay with you for years to come.
BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
* "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
* "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner" Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* "Music by Prudence" Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* "Rabbit à la Berlin" Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" – I'm so glad to have caught this film on HBO. It's timely, it's emotional, it's riveting, the kind of recipe that makes Academy voters cry and vote!
BEST FILM EDITING
* "Avatar" Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* "District 9" Julian Clarke
* "The Hurt Locker" Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* "Inglourious Basterds" Sally Menke
* "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push' by Sapphire" Joe Klotz
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
Once again, "The Hurt Locker" was chosen by the American Cinema Editors for their ACE Eddie Awards. But then, "Avatar" has a bigger chance in the Academy, because, like I've said, they must honor "Avatar" somehow. But I'll side with the ACE folks here and choose "The Hurt Locker" as the winner! Those tense-filled scenes were mostly done in the editing room.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
* "Ajami" Israel
* "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" Argentina
* "The Milk of Sorrow" Peru
* "Un Prophète" France
* "The White Ribbon" Germany
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Un Prophète" – Of all the films nominated in this category, the French "Un Prophete" is the best movie of the bunch!
BEST MAKEUP
* "Il Divo" Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
* "Star Trek" Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
* "The Young Victoria" Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Star Trek" – Are we even going to argue with this?
BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
* "Avatar" James Horner
* "Fantastic Mr. Fox" Alexandre Desplat
* "The Hurt Locker" Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* "Sherlock Holmes" Hans Zimmer
* "Up" Michael Giacchino
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Up" – The music montage early in the film is one of the most profound, touching scenes I saw last year. Yes, I cried!
BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
* "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* "Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* "Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
* "Take It All" from "Nine" Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" – this song captures Bridges' character in the film, and so it goes, Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett will take home the Oscar!
BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
* "French Roast" Fabrice O. Joubert
* "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
* "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)" Javier Recio Gracia
* "Logorama" Nicolas Schmerkin
* "A Matter of Loaf and Death" Nick Park
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"A Matter of Loaf and Death" – Working for Nick Park – the Academy loves him, he already collected three Oscars for his "Wallace & Gromit" films. Working Against Nick Park – he already collected three Oscars! The Academy may say it's an embarrassment of riches! So, look for "Logorama," a brilliant f-you to corporate America for an upset.
BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
* "The Door" Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
* "Instead of Abracadabra" Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
* "Kavi" Gregg Helvey
* "Miracle Fish" Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
* "The New Tenants" Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Kavi" – this touching slave trade film set in India has remnants of "Slumdog Millionaire." And you know, that little movie stole Academy voters' hearts last year. So this film will win, even though I enjoyed the quirkiness of "Abracadabra," the suspense of "Miracle Fish," the isolation of "The Door," and the banter bent of "The New Tenants." I just love short film, period.
BEST SOUND EDITING
* "Avatar" Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
* "The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson
* "Inglourious Basterds" Wylie Stateman
* "Star Trek" Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
* "Up" Michael Silvers and Tom Myers
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Avatar" – Motion Pictures Sound Editors honored Cameron's masterpiece already at the Golden Reel Awards, BUT, and here's a big but, "The Hurt Locker" was also honored by the Cinema Audio Society. See? They're all torn as well, so when everything else fails, especially in the technical department, look for "Avatar" to take home the gold!
BEST SOUND MIXING
* "Avatar" Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
* "The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
* "Inglourious Basterds" Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
* "Star Trek" Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
* "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Avatar" – it's usually a pair, whichever film wins Best Sound Editing usually wins Sound Mixing. And "Avatar" sounds gorgeous, doesn't it?
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
* "Avatar" Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
* "District 9" Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
* "Star Trek" Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton
AND THE OSCAR WILL GO TO:
"Avatar" – definitely! The film will be remembered for years to come as the movie that changed special effects forever!
