By law, every movie blog must make Oscar predictions … so here goes:
Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire” – The feel good, internationally prescient movie of the year. And, frankly, no other film has the mojo to beat it.
Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk.” Let’s do the math. 1. Penn is great in the role, period. 2. It’s a biopic – that’s Oscar catnip. 3. The vote will earn feel-good points toward Proposition 8 detractors.
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married” – The night’s longshot, but worth the call. Winslet would have one in another year, but too many people had mixed emotions about her film, “The Reader.”
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight” – Great performance. Great movie. Sentimental pick fo the obvious, tragic reasons.
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” – Hollywood has loved Cruz for years, even after she made clunker after clunker stateside. But in “VCB” she speaks in both English and Spanish, and she’s terrific in both languages.
Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire” – Boyle’s ability to bounce from genre to genre, his humble approach to his craft, and the controlled chaos of his latest hit will be too much to ignore.
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So you think Boyle will walk away with Best Director and Best Picture? I’m not so sure. I have a hunch about Best Director – Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon.” But I may be way off track.
I agree with many of your predictions, especially Sean Penn. I’d like to see Rourke win, because I loved “The Wrestler,” but I don’t think Hollywood’s elite is ready to give him the ultimate award.
I have to admit I haven’t seen “Rachel Getting Married,” and Hathaway has done so many silly films, I also admit that I do not take her as seriously as I probably should. I really believe Winslet will win this year – I think “it’s her turn.”
I’m counting down the minutes until show time!