Oscar Week: My Predictions

Okay, okay, I bet you are wondering who I am picking? Well I am picking 8 catagories, last year I was 6 for 8 missing only missing Best Supporting Actor (Damn you George Clooney!) and Best Director. So with out any further ado (by the way what is it like to have further ado?)

Lets do this backwards ending with Best Picture

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Children Of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes On A Scandal

My prediction: Children Of Men
Notes: I really really hope Borat doesn't win.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen
Nominees

Babel
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
El Labertino Del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth)
The Queen

My prediction: Little Miss Sunshine
Notes: Although I love Little Miss Sunshine, I would really really like to see Pan's Labyrinth win.

Best Achievement In Directing
Nominees

Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima)
Stephen Frears (The Queen)
Paul Greengrass (United 93)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)

My Prediction: Martin Scorsese
Notes: Although Scorsese deserves it solely on The Departed, I think he will get it as a kind of lifetime achievement award. Eastwood is always a dark horse though.

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role
Nominees

Adrianna Barraza (Babel)
Cate Blanchett (Notes On A Scandal)
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Jennifer Hudson (Dream Girls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)

My Prediction: Jennifer Hudson
Notes: I haven't seen Dream Girls so Hudson may deserve the buzz she is getting. Out of the three performances I saw, I would be happy to see Breslin or Kikuchi win it. Kikuchi was mesmerizing when she was on the screen, and Breslin (and Alan Arkin) stole the who movie.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role
Nominees

Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond)
Eddie Murphy (Dream Girls)
Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)

My Prediction: Eddie Murphy
Notes: Murphy along with Jennifer Hudson is getting the Buzz. I would like to see Arkin win.

Best Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role
Nominees

Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes On A Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Pears Prada)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)

My Prediction: Helen Mirren
Notes: I think this is the safest category to predict, Mirren has seemed to have it sewn up since before the nominations, but this is the Oscars and the front runners don't always win.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role
Nominees

Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond)
Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
Peter O'Toole (Venus)
Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Forrest Whitaker (The Last King Of Scotland)

My Prediction: Forest Whitaker
Notes: I still can't believe DiCaprio was nominated for Blood Diamond and not The Departed. O'Toole has a Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond type chance but I think it is slim. Why is the word Happyness misspelled?

Best Motion Picture Of The Year
Nominees

Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

My prediction: The Departed

Notes: Like last year I have seen all five of these movies. The Departed is the best picture out of all five. But here are the arguments for the other four. Babel, like Crash last year, is a multiple storyline ensemble movie that pulls together pretty good, though not as good as Crash, so it probably won't win. Letters From Iwo Jima is a solid story and is compelling. Little Miss Sunshine is a good film, until the last fifteen minutes where is becomes a fantasic film, but comedies rarely win. The queen is basically 2 hours of people talking on telephones and looking pensive, but despite all that, it keeps you interested. Saying all that, The Departed is still the best out of all of them.

So there you have it, what do you think?