XDA

The yearly Oscar Predictions will not take place this year due to lack of interest.

Labels: Oscar Picks

The secret to accurate prediction here is 'best' means 'the choice most academy members think will put them in the best light among their peers.' So here we go with the top 10.

Best Picture--The Hurt Locker (it could be Avatar--it comes down to $1.8 Billion versus $40,000,000 in box office but in a serious recession, the big draw will be seen as gauche by Hollywoodians)

Best Director--Katherine Bigelow

Best Actress--Sandra Bullock (it could be Meryl Streep but Bullock won the SAGs--this one is close)

Best Actor--Jeff Bridges (for his body of work)

Best Supporting Actress--Mo'Nique

Best Supporting Actor--Christopher Waltz

Adapted Screenplay--Up In the Air

Original Screenplay--The Hurt Locker (it could be Inglourious Basterds)

Best Song--The Misery Kind from Crazy Heart

Best Foreign Film--The White Ribbon

Wild ass guesses:

Animated Feature Film: Up (why wasn't Avatar in this category?)

Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, Film Editing--Avatar (and it deserves all of them but Film Editing which should go to The Hurt Locker)

Original Score: Up (but probably Avatar)

Costume--Coco before Chanel (but it could be The Young Victoria)

Documentary Feature--The Cove (I normally would have picked Food, Inc. but for the dolphins)

Documentary Short--Rabbit a la Berlin (like anyone has seen any of these)

Make Up--Star Trek

Animated Short--French Roast (like anyone has seen any of these, Oh, I said that already)

Live Action Short--Miracle Fish (ditto--why do they even have this category--it's not like they play them in between the repeats of the main movie any more)

Labels: Oscar Picks

There appears to be a great unanimity regarding who will win the big Oscars tonight, so almost certainly there will be a series of inexplicable surprises. Still, here are the mainstream predictions, as I see it.

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men

Best Actress: Julie Christie

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Supporting Actress: (Difficult--Ruby Dee won the SAG, is black, has had a long career and her husband died; Cate Blanchett plays a man and is the most convincing of a series of Dylan impressionists; Tilda Swinton actually did the best work, so of course I go with Amy Ryan, just because she's on The Wire, which all the real cognoscenti like a lot).

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem

Best Director: Coen Brothers

Best Adapted Screenplay: Coen Brothers

Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody

Best Long Documentary: No End in Sight

Best Song: Falling Slowly

Best Foreign Film: The Counterfeiters

Best Animated Feature: Ratsomething

Best Cinematography: No Country for Old Men

The rest are wild ass guesses--

Best Short Documentary: Sari's Mother

Best Film Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Sound Mixing: No Country for Old Men

Best Sound Editing: No Country for Old Men

Best Original Score: Atonement

Best Makeup: Pirates of the Caribbean 3

Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean 3

Best Animated Short: I Met the Walrus

Best Live Action Short: Tanghi Argentini

Best Art Direction: Sweeney Todd

Best Costumes: Atonement

Labels: Oscar Picks