Unofficial Thread for the 80th Academy Awards (Oscars!)

[Paka]

I'm surprised at the lack of discussion on this subject, provided the ceremony itself is 4 days away...

[MerXAN]

I love "That's How You Know" more.

[dvdjunkie]

I know this is a Disney forum, but we have to understand that there are other movies out there besides Disney that we need to look at.

Here's my own personal likes and who I think will win the Oscar this year. Last year I was seven for eight, so I have a pretty good insight into the movies.

Best Picture: The winner is "No Country For Old Men", although I really liked "There Will Be Blood".

Best Actor: If Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't win, it will be a crime. His performance in "There Will Be Blood" is totally mezmerizing. He deserves this more than any other nominee.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: I really would like to see Hal Holbrook for "Into the Wild", but I honestly think that Javier Bardem will win for his performance in "No Country For Old Men".

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: My favorite, although it really is ony a cameo role is Ruby Dee for "American Gangster", but I am really rooting for Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There", but I wouldn't be unhappy if Amy Ryan won for "Gone Baby Gone".

Best Actress: My favorite is Ellen Page for "Juno", but I am predicting a win for Julie Christie for "Away From Her".

Best Animated Film: "Ratatouille" wins this one easily.

Best Director: The Coen Brothers should walk away with this for "No Country For Old Men".

Best Song: Should be one of the three from "Enchanted" although I am leaning towards "So Close", but this is my only real questionable category.

[castleinthesky]

Who Will Win:

Picture: No Country for Old Men
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Actress: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Supporting Actress: Tossup, by my gut goes with Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

Who Should Win (of the nominees):

Picture: There Will Be Blood
Drector: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Actress: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Supporting Actress: Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)

Who should win out of all films:
only difference in the above would be Romola Garai for Supporting Actress and Bardem in for Affleck in supporting actor (since Affleck is lead, not supporting)

[AwallaceUNC]

Red Font = My preferred winner
Blue Font = My predicted winner
Green Font = My preferred & predicted winner

(Where there is a blue and no red, I don't really have a strong preference in that category)

ACTOR -- LEADING
George Clooney - MICHAEL CLAYTON
Daniel Day-Lewis -
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Johnny Depp - SWEENEY TODD
THE DEMON BARBER
OF FLEET STREET
Tommy Lee Jones - IN THE VALLEY
OF ELAH

ACTOR -- SUPPORTING
Casey Affleck - THE ASSASSINATION OF
JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD
ROBERT FORD
Javier Bardem - NO COUNTRY FOR
OLD MEN
Philip Seymour Hoffman -
CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
Hal Holbrook - INTO THE WILD
Tom Wilkinson - MICHAEL CLAYTON

ACTRESS -- LEADING
Cate Blanchett - ELIZABETH:
THE GOLDEN AGE
Julie Christie - AWAY FROM HER
Marion Cotillard - LA VIE EN ROSE
Laura Linney - THE SAVAGES
Ellen Page - JUNO

ACTRESS -- SUPPORTING
Cate Blanchett - I’M NOT THERE
Ruby Dee - AMERICAN GANGSTER
Saoirse Ronan - ATONEMENT
Amy Ryan - GONE BABY GONE
Tilda Swinton - MICHAEL CLAYTON

ANIMATED FEATURE
PERSEPOLIS
RATATOUILLE
SURF’S UP

CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES
BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
ATONEMENT
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

COSTUME DESIGN
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
ATONEMENT
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
LA VIE EN ROSE
SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER
OF FLEET STREET

DIRECTING
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
JUNO
MICHAEL CLAYTON
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
NO END IN SIGHT
OPERATION HOMECOMING:
WRITING THE WARTIME EXPERIENCE
SICKO
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
WAR/DANCE

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BEAUFORT
THE COUNTERFEITERS
KATYŃ
MONGOL
12

ORIGINAL SCORE
ATONEMENT
THE KITE RUNNER
MICHAEL CLAYTON
RATATOUILLE
3:10 TO YUMA

ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" - ONCE
"Happy Working Song" - ENCHANTED
"Raise It Up" - AUGUST RUSH
"So Close" - ENCHANTED
That’s How You Know" - ENCHANTED

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
FREEHELD
LA CORONA (THE CROWN)
SALIM BABA
SARI’S MOTHER

ART DIRECTION
AMERICAN GANGSTER
ATONEMENT
THE GOLDEN COMPASS
SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER
OF FLEET STREET
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

MAKEUP
LA VIE EN ROSE
NORBIT
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
AT WORLD’S END

FILM EDITING
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
INTO THE WILD
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

VISUAL EFFECTS
THE GOLDEN COMPASS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
AT WORLD’S END
TRANSFORMERS

SOUND EDITING
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
RATATOUILLE
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
TRANSFORMERS

SCREENPLAY -- ADAPTED
ATONEMENT
AWAY FROM HER
THE DIVING BELL
AND THE BUTTERFLY
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

SCREENPLAY -- ORIGINAL
JUNO
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
RATATOUILLE
THE SAVAGES

SOUND MIXING
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
RATATOUILLE
3:10 TO YUMA
TRANSFORMERS

SHORT FILM -- LIVE ACTION
AT NIGHT
IL SUPPLENTE (THE SUBSTITUTE)
LE MOZART DES PICKPOCKETS
(THE MOZART OF PICKPOCKETS)
TANGHI ARGENTINI
THE TONTO WOMAN

SHORT FILM -- ANIMATED
I MET THE WALRUS
MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI
MÊME LES PIGEONS VONT
AU PARADIS
(EVEN PIGEONS GO TO HEAVEN)
MY LOVE (MOYA LYUBOV)
PETER & THE WOLF


BEST PICTURE
ATONEMENT
JUNO
MICHAEL CLAYTON
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

(But I'll be happy if TWBB or NCFOM win too).

-Aaron

[Paka]

Aaron, did you even see all of the nominated shorts? Or did you just pick those two because they had French titles?

Pigeons is okay, but I think Moya lyubov or Peter and the Wolf stand a better chance. Tutli-Putli was too bizarre, imo - and Walrus was quirky and cool, but not really enough for a win.

The live action shorts are harder to predict; it's a fairly even selection this year. Mozart has the cute kid factor going for it, but Tanghi Argentini is the most lighthearted and enjoyable of them all - I have a feeling it may hook a win. Om natten is very well-produced too - kind of the polar opposite of Argentini in mood. Il Supplente is another "cute funny" short, though it doesn't dominate the selections. Tonto Woman is good, though I don't see it winning, unless voters are on a "Western epic" kick from No Country and Blood.

Anyhoo, if I had to predict winners, I'd say Moya lyubov and Tanghi Argentini, but it could go anywhere this year.

[AwallaceUNC]

Aaron, did you even see all of the nominated shorts? Or did you just pick those two because they had French titles?

No, I didn't see any of them, Lindsay. That's why I made predictions but did not pick preferences. It has nothing to do with French titles, but merely the little that I have read about the shorts. I don't have a lot to go on, obviously, just making predictions for the fun of it.

-Aaron

[castleinthesky]

I predicted all categories except 4. I feel pretty good about myself.

I got Editing, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing wrong. I thought No Country would sweep those, but instead Bourne, my alternate won.

I thought Atonement would win Costume Design, but instead Elizabeth: The Golden Age won.

[AwallaceUNC]

I only got about half... still, not a bad show all around. Stewart was funny at times but a pretty weak host. I hope to see a classic host (Crystal or Goldberg, please) return next year. I was sad to see Ellen Page lose Best Actress but happy that Juno won Best Original Screenplay. No surprises with No Country... and no surprise with Day-Lewis, even if I wanted to see Johnny Depp stage an upset.

-Aaron

[slave2moonlight]

I love "That's How You Know" more.

That's my fave song from Enchanted and I wanted it to win. The performance during the show was awful though. Should have used Amy Adams.

[Skellington or Sparrow]

is it just me --i haven't read a single post in this thread, but i was just thinking about this and feel like i need to say it-- or does it seem like for the past couples years, the films that win academy awards are the films nobody will remember in a year or two from now, and that the films that win or get recognized for the big awards are the films critics enjoy, rather than audiences and critics alike?

i haven't seen no country for old men or there will be blood (or last years departed) but none of those films interest me, and the same can be said for most people (teenagers and adults) i know. i saw million dollar baby (did that film win in 2004 or 2005?) and thought it was definately a good film, but i hardly remember what it was about.

sorry if this is a redundant post, or in any of your opinions a ridiculous and ignorant post, but i just needed to put it somewhere.


on another note, i'm also really dissapointed johnny depp didn't win, but not at all surprised. (if he didn't win for jack sparrow in 2003, he wouldn't have won for sweeney todd).

[castleinthesky]

is it just me --i haven't read a single post in this thread, but i was just thinking about this and feel like i need to say it-- or does it seem like for the past couples years, the films that win academy awards are the films nobody will remember in a year or two from now, and that the films that win or get recognized for the big awards are the films critics enjoy, rather than audiences and critics alike?

What you said is the exact opposite of what will happen. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood will be remembered as masterpieces fifty years from now, while films like Transformers and Pirates of the Carribbean 3 will be all but forgotten.

There Will Be Blood has been compared to being the next Citizen Kane, which is usually called one of the best films of all time. No Country for Old Men will also go down in the same categories. Other films that will be remembered because of their greatness are: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Atonement, and possibly Zodiac and Sweeney Todd. While some people may have never heard of them today, they will gain traction. Films like these may not do well originally, but gain strength as the years go on, and will be known as great films.

The public used to love Oscar films, movies like Terms of Endearment, Rain Man, Silence of the Lambs, Ordinary People, Kramer vs. Kramer, The Godfather, and most others of those times were box office hits and won best picture. During that time the public favored quality.

Since Jaws came out, the idea of the blockbuster has become more prevelant. While Jars, Star Wars and other early blockbusters were good movies, and some current blockbusters continue to be, the trend has caused the problem of quality vs quantity.

The public would rather watch 20 mediocre, poor, or downright awful "blockbusters" that have tons of action and little plot instead of watching a film that has plot and all the key qualities of a great film.

The Academy has not lost touch with the common people, the common people have lost touch with the Academy, and have lost touch with what is really good, and instead lean towards shallow jokes and non-stop action.

[Skellington or Sparrow]

honestly have no doubt in my mind that will happen to transformers, at least. i hated that film with a passion.

possibly in fifty years no country for old men and there will be blood will be classics, but i don't know. like EVERY film nowadays, they all lack what once made hollywood so good.

i so agree that the public seems to no longer favor quality.

what i think i was meaning to say is exactly what you DID say, only a little reversed: i just think it's a shame that the public and the academy have lost it's commen ground. and it's not like no country for old men or there will be blood don't deserve their oscars, i just think it's sad that these are films i would have never heard of and forgotten of, had they not been promoted as oscar nominees.

[Dottie]

I actually think in a way the Academy has lost its sense of reality and does not realize that movies are also supposed to entertain and not only depress or make you sad or gross you out or just leave you feeling like "okay, good movie, but not one I'd watch like 50 times again". The Acdemy in the last years has tended to give the Best Picture Oscar to a movie that is artistically good, but does not entertain in a way that would make you feel good after finishing it. They honor movies that you need to really want to see and make you feel weird but you probably don't get that feeling of satisfaction when you watch a movie that just has it all. The Oscar voters go more and more for depressing, instead for, what movies were created to do, entertain. And what is wrong about a movie that makes you feel good? Or what is wrong with comedies? Can anyone remember when the last real comedy won?
What I mean is that, everybody still remembers Pirates of the Caribbean, it's become a modern classic or at least is becoming one, but who's still talking about "Crash"?
I'm not saying that "No country for old men" or "There will be blood" are bad movies and they may become classics, but never in the sense that a "Forrest Gump" will, because this movie touched many and had a wide appeal despite its length, its extreme scenes, and actually pretty tragic story. Making great movies used to be more than weird music and lack of dialogue or transforming an actress into some ugly bat, but it was about putting your heart in it and in the end making people happier, satisfied. Does "One Million Dollar Baby" really do that for you?
Dramas like "No country..." can be a classics and be considered a great, I just think there is something lacking in all these new "masterpieces"
Just my two cents.

[Skellington or Sparrow]

thank god for you, dottie!
that is EXACTLY what i mean.
thanks for putting it in words the way i meant to.

[Dottie]

You're welcome. I am glad there are other people who think so.