Tonight is the Oscars, and as a self anointed cinemaphile, I would be foolish to not lay my opinions on the line. This year feels a bit like a non-starter to me, mostly because it has the feel of a coronation ceremony, and a not that interesting one at that. With Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle, and Heath Ledger having all but locked up their respective categories, the two actress categories being pretty boring (Kate Winslet in the Reader was the best performance by an actress this year...seriously?) and mediocre years, really, we're left with just a few things to look forward to.
-One of the most competitive Best Actor categories ever
-M.I.A. performing (plus another song from Slumdog, hell yes!)
-In Bruges in the position to take the dark horse win as Best Original Screenplay
Really, it's all about the Best Actor category. With Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn in a dead heat going in to tonight for Best Actor, and the deadly duo of Frank Langella and Richard Jenkins both giving incredible performances to put them in contention to steal it if the votes are split too hard on Rourke/Penn, the Best Actor category is rife with intrigue. For those wondering, there is no fifth candidate - I will not reference the fact that the Academy chose Brad Pitt's blaise performance over Clint Eastwood's one in Gran Torino.
Anyways, see below for my choices:
Best Picture:
Will win and should win: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director:
Will win and should win: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire (huzzah Danny Boyle!)
Best Actor:
Will win: Sean Penn, Milk
Should win: Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Best Actress:
Will win: Kate Winslet, the Reader
Should win: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Best Supporting Actor:
Will win and should win: Heath Ledger, the Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress:
Will win: Ummmmmm....uhhhh...
Should win: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Original Screenplay:
Will win and should win: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Will win and should win: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Documentary feature:
Will win and should win: Man On Wire
Best Animated feature:
Will win and should win (and should be nominated for Best Picture): Wall-E
There you have it. Check back later to see how horrifically wrong I am, when the Reader and Milk dominate all categories and I prove how incredibly bad at this I really, really am.