Thursday, January 22, 2009

....And The Winner Is....I'm Hoping..

The Oscar nominations have been made. There were a few surprises, but here is where the fun begins. The Optimist and The Cynic are looking forward to finding out who will win this year and the best way to make it even more enjoyable is by making our own predictions as to who will win. So, lets get started. ...And The Winner Is.....

Some tough choices when it comes to Best Actor in a Leading Role, but I think that i'm gonna have to go with Sean Penn for Milk. This man has been snubbed before with "I Am Sam" and "Into The Wild", but this year he DESERVES the award for his portrayal of Harvey Milk as he took the movie and made it more about the man and not just a GAY man.

Next up is Best Actor in a Supporting Role, while I think that Robert Downey Jr. had a great year and should be hailed as the comeback king of '08, i'm gonna have to to give this one to Heath Ledger for the Dark KnightHe WAS the Joker, hands down better than past incarnations. No one in the near future will be able to do a better job.

Best Actress in a Leading Role, should go to Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married. Seeing her play a recovering addict returning home for her sister's wedding was a surprise for me. After being typcast as the funny girl she took a chance and tried a dramatic role and pulled it of flawlessly.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a tough category. I liked all the nominees in their roles, but i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I think Marisa Tomei will win for The Wrestler. As the stripper who just seems too old (in the patrons eyes) to be doing what she's doing, but you also understand it because she has a child. The budding relationship between her and Mickey Rourke is quite memorable.

Best Animated Feature Film! My kinda category! I loved all the nominees in this category and although I LOVED Bolt, Wall-E will win. Great animation yet again by Pixar about a lonely trash compacting robot who finds love in another robot named EVE. Beautifully done with a solid story that brought out the kid in us all.

Best Art Direction will go to The Curious of Benjamin Button. The movie story of a man living his life literally backwards as he was born old and steadily gets younger as his life goes on. The sets and style of the film made you believe that this was actually possible, that it really happened.

Best Cinematography should go to Changeling. The 1920's never looked so well. Lighting and settings set the flow of this dramatic story of a woman that mysteriously loses her child and is forced to come to grips and listen to the LAPD as they try to cover up their own mistakes as they seem to look for her child.

Best Costume Design should go to Australia. I don't know if Hugh Jackman in a half opened shirt qualifies as a costume, but it gets my vote! Seriously, Kidman's outfits and Jackman's rugged look fit well into the film that was being represented.

Best Directing,  I believe should go to Slumdog Millionaire. A story so good that it could only be told on the big screen. As the tale unfolded you find yourself really getting involved with each character.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) goes to yet again...Slumdog Millionaire. From book to screen it transfers beautifully. A story of a young man doing all that he can to find the girl that he loves is depicted wonderfully on the big screen.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay) goes to one of my favorite movies last year, Happy-Go-Lucky. A look at a few chapters in the life of a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.

Now, onto the biggest honor of them all....

Best Picture will go to Slumdog Millionaire. The story of the life of an impoverished Indian teen who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?", wins, and is then suspected of cheating.

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