{"id":5190,"date":"2010-03-06T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-06T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box1047.bluehost.com\/~sonicci2\/wordpress\/?p=5190"},"modified":"2015-08-22T13:23:48","modified_gmt":"2015-08-22T13:23:48","slug":"2009-final-oscar-predictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/2010\/03\/2009-final-oscar-predictions\/","title":{"rendered":"2009 Final Oscar Predictions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Snooch to the Nooch!<\/p>\n<p>Well, with the Oscars finally happening on Sunday, it&#8217;s now time for my final look at the nominees, and a look at my final predictions (all nominations listed in order of preference), and whether they&#8217;ve changed in the past month.<\/p>\n<p>Before I get to the festivities, though, an update on where my Top 10 Best and Favorites for 2009 stand now.<\/p>\n<p><b>Brian&#8217;s 10 Favorite Films of 2009<\/b><br \/>\n1. <i>&#8220;Up&#8221;<\/i> (Pete Doctor)<br \/>\n2. <i>&#8220;The Hangover&#8221;<\/i> (Todd Phillips)<br \/>\n3. <i>&#8220;(500) Days of Summer&#8221;<\/i> (Marc Webb)<br \/>\n4. <i>&#8220;Star Trek&#8221;<\/i> (J.J. Abrams)<br \/>\n5. <i>&#8220;The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus&#8221;<\/i> (Terry Gilliam)<br \/>\n6. <i>&#8220;Knowing&#8221;<\/i> (Alex Proyas)<br \/>\n7. <i>&#8220;Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince&#8221;<\/i> (David Yates)<br \/>\n8. <i>&#8220;Watchmen&#8221;<\/i> (Zack Snyder)<br \/>\n9. <i>&#8220;Cookies &amp; Cream&#8221;<\/i> (Princeton Holt)<br \/>\n10. <i>&#8220;Drag Me to Hell&#8221;<\/i> (Sam Raimi)<\/p>\n<p><b>Brian&#8217;s 10 Best Films of 2009<\/b><br \/>\n1. <i>&#8220;Red Cliff&#8221;<\/i> (John Woo)<br \/>\n2. <i>&#8220;Up&#8221;<\/i> (Pete Doctor)<br \/>\n3. <i>&#8220;Moon&#8221;<\/i> (Duncan Jones)<br \/>\n4. <i>&#8220;Precious&#8221;<\/i> (Lee Daniels)<br \/>\n5. <i>&#8220;The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus&#8221;<\/i> (Terry Gilliam)<br \/>\n6. <i>&#8220;(500) Days of Summer&#8221;<\/i> (Marc Webb)<br \/>\n7. <i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i> (James Cameron)<br \/>\n8. <i>&#8220;Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans&#8221;<\/i> (Werner Herzog)<br \/>\n9. <i>&#8220;Knowing&#8221;<\/i> (Alex Proyas)<br \/>\n10. <i>&#8220;Drag Me to Hell&#8221;<\/i> (Sam Raimi)<\/p>\n<p>Viva la Resistance!<\/p>\n<p>Brian Skutle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sonic-cinema.com\">www.sonic-cinema.com<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/brianskutle\">www.myspace.com\/brianskutle<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/cinemanouveau\">www.myspace.com\/cinemanouveau<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Best Picture<\/b><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Up&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Precious&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Up in the Air&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Inglourious Basterds&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;The Hurt Locker&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;An Education&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;District 9&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;A Serious Man&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;The Blind Side&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Moon\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Precious\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u009d(500) Days of Summer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Knowing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Drag Me to Hell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: &#8220;Up&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i>. There are a few reasons I&#8217;m going with James Cameron&#8217;s $700 million hit over &#8220;The Hurt Locker.&#8221; The recent controversy about a producer for the indie drama who emailed Oscar voters to get them to vote for his film is one (though not the main one). The record-breaking box-office is the big one. Plus, it&#8217;ll be a way for them to honor the groundbreaking epic since they&#8217;ll be honoring &#8220;Locker&#8221; in other places.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Director<\/b><br \/>\nKathryn Bigelow, <i>&#8220;The Hurt Locker&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nLee Daniels, <i>&#8220;Precious&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nQuentin Tarantino, <i>&#8220;Inglourious Basterds&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nJames Cameron, <i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nJason Reintman, <i>&#8220;Up in the Air&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: John Woo, &#8220;Red Cliff&#8221;; Duncan Jones, &#8220;Moon&#8221;; Kathryn Bigelow, &#8220;The Hurt Locker&#8221;; Terry Gilliam, &#8220;The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus&#8221;; Alex Proyas, &#8220;Knowing&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: Kathryn Bigelow, &#8220;The Hurt Locker&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>Kathryn Bigelow<\/i>. Cameron could upset if &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sweeps, and honestly, I can see Tarantino sneaking in if &#8220;Basterds&#8221; gets some real love. But I&#8217;d expect Bigelow to be the first woman to ever win Best Director for her tense and gripping work for &#8220;Locker.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Actor<\/b><br \/>\nJeff Bridges, <i>&#8220;Crazy Heart&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nGeorge Clooney, <i>&#8220;Up in the Air&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nColin Firth, <i>&#8220;A Single Man&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nJeremy Renner, <i>&#8220;The Hurt Locker&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nMorgan Freeman, <i>&#8220;Invictus&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: Matt Damon, &#8220;The Informant!&#8221;; Jeff Bridges, &#8220;Crazy Heart&#8221;; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, &#8220;(500) Days of Summer&#8221;; Sam Rockwell, &#8220;Moon&#8221;; Joaquin Phoenix, &#8220;Two Lovers&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: Jeff Bridges, &#8220;Crazy Heart&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>Jeff Bridges<\/i>. It&#8217;s the Dude&#8217;s time to abide. There&#8217;s not a film fan out there that won&#8217;t tell you it&#8217;s time.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Actress<\/b><br \/>\nGabourey Sidibe, <i>&#8220;Precious&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nCarey Mulligan, <i>&#8220;An Education&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nMeryl Streep, <i>&#8220;Julie &amp; Julia&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nSandra Bullock, <i>&#8220;The Blind Side&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nHelen Mirren, <i>&#8220;The Last Station&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: Gabourey Sidibe, &#8220;Precious&#8221;; Saoirse Ronan, &#8220;The Lovely Bones&#8221;; Carey Mulligan, &#8220;An Education&#8221;; Meryl Streep, &#8220;Julie &amp; Julia&#8221;; Jace Nicole, &#8220;Cookies &amp; Cream&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: Gabourey Sidibe, &#8220;Precious&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>Sandra Bullock<\/i>. As great as Sidibe and Mulligan are, these newcomers are in the &#8220;just honored to be nominated&#8221; race this year with Streep and Bullock. Streep is still catagorically in it for her third Oscar, but Bullock is the one to beat for her entertaining and dramatically-surprising performance in the hit film &#8220;Blind Side.&#8221; The Best Picture nomination for &#8220;Side&#8221; also helps.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Supporting Actor<\/b><br \/>\nChristoph Waltz, <i>&#8220;Inglourious Basterds&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nWoody Harrelson, <i>&#8220;The Messenger&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nStanley Tucci, <i>&#8220;The Lovely Bones&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nChristopher Plummer, <i>&#8220;The Last Station&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nMatt Damon, <i>&#8220;Invictus&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: Christoph Waltz, &#8220;Inglourious Basterds&#8221;; Souleymane Sy Savane, &#8220;Goodbye Solo&#8221;; Jackie Earl Haley, &#8220;Watchmen&#8221;; Christopher Plummer, &#8220;The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus&#8221;; Peter Capaldi, &#8220;In the Loop&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: Christoph Waltz, &#8220;Inglourious Basterds&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>Christoph Waltz<\/i>. The closest competitor is Harrelson, whose soul-wrenching turn is a career-best for the actor, but let&#8217;s be honest, &#8220;Basterds'&#8221; deviously brilliant Waltz was in a class by himself this year as the most enjoyable villain since Hannibal Lecter. He gets the golden boy in a landslide.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Supporting Actress<\/b><br \/>\nMo&#8217;Nique, <i>&#8220;Precious&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nVera Farmiga, <i>&#8220;Up in the Air&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nAnna Kendrick, <i>&#8220;Up in the Air&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nMaggie Gyllenhaal, <i>&#8220;Crazy Heart&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\nPenelope Cruz, <i>&#8220;Nine&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: Mo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Nique (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Precious\u00e2\u20ac\u009d); Melanie Laurent (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inglourious Basterds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d); Ali Larter (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Obsessed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d); Leslie Mann (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Funny People\u00e2\u20ac\u009d); Samantha Morton (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Messenger\u00e2\u20ac\u009d)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: Mo&#8217;Nique, &#8220;Precious&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>Mo&#8217;Nique<\/i>. Just don&#8217;t think about it. If you disagree, you haven&#8217;t seen her performance. It&#8217;s a lock.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Original Screenplay<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Pete Doctor, Bob Peterson, Thomas McCarthy)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inglourious Basterds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Quentin Tarantino)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Mark Boal)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Messenger\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Serious Man\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Joel &amp; Ethan Coen)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Moon\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Nathan Parker, Duncan Jones); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Knowing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Ryne Pearson, Juliet Snowden, Stiles White, Stuart Hazeldine); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Invention of Lying\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Pete Doctor, Bob Peterson, Thomas McCarthy); \u00e2\u20ac\u009d(500) Days of Summer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Up&#8221; (Pete Doctor, Bob Peterson, Thomas McCarthy)<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;Inglourious Basterds&#8221;<\/i>. Here&#8217;s the thing. Yes, &#8220;Hurt Locker&#8221; won the Writer&#8217;s Guild, and in the event of a sweep by &#8220;Locker,&#8221; I can definitely see it winning. But I think love for &#8220;Basterds&#8221; will run deep, and Tarantino- for his sharpest original script since &#8220;Pulp Fiction&#8221;- will take home his second screenwriting Oscar.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Adapted Screenplay<\/b><br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Precious\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Geoffrey Fletcher)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153An Education\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Nick Hornby)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153District 9\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the Loop\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up in the Air\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Precious\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Geoffrey Fletcher); &#8220;An Education&#8221; (Nick Hornby); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Informant!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Scott Z. Burns); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Watchmen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (David Hayter, Alex Tse); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Precious&#8221; (Geoffrey Fletcher)<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;Up in the Air&#8221;<\/i>. &#8220;Up in the Air&#8221; will win this for the simple fact that it&#8217;s the best chance for the Academy to reward the one-time front-runner.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Original Score<\/b><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Up&#8221;<\/i> (Michael Giacchino)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fantastic Mr. Fox\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Alexandre Desplat)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sherlock Holmes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Hans Zimmer)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (James Horner)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Marco Beltrami &amp; Buck Sanders)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Michael Giacchino); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Lovely Bones\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Brian Eno); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Informant!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Marvin Hamlisch); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Coraline\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Bruno Coulais); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Michael Giacchino)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Up&#8221; (Michael Giacchino)<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;Up&#8221;<\/i>. In reality, one can think of scenarios in which each of these scores can win (maybe except for &#8220;Holmes,&#8221; despite it being one of Zimmer&#8217;s finest). But I think Giacchino will win his first Oscar for a score that&#8217;s just as important to the film as the writing and acting.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Original Song<\/b><br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Weary Kind\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Crazy Heart\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Take It All\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nine\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Maury Yeston)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Down in New Orleans\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Princess and the Frog\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Randy Newman)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Almost There\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Princess and the Frog\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Randy Newman)<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Loin de Paname\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Faubourg 36\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Reinhardt Wagner, Frank Thomas) (Haven&#8217;t Heard)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: &#8220;The Weary Kind&#8221; from &#8220;Crazy Heart&#8221; (T-Bone Burnett &amp; Ryan Bingham); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All Is Love\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where the Wild Things Are\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Karen O &amp; Nick Zinner); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dynomite\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Dynamite\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Adrian Younge); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dove of Peace\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Br\u00c3\u00bcno\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Sascha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer, and Jeff Schaffer); \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Spirit of Adventure\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Michael Giacchino)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;The Weary Kind&#8221; from &#8220;Crazy Heart&#8221; (T-Bone Burnett &amp; Ryan Bingham)<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;The Weary Kind&#8221;<\/i>. This song just lives within you after you&#8217;ve heard it. Is there a better example of a great song than that? Look for this instant classic- the best song nominated for an Oscar in years- to win.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Animated Feature<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Coraline\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fantastic Mr. Fox\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Princess and the Frog\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Secret of Kells\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Seen)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Coraline\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fantastic Mr. Fox\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ponyo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Princess and the Frog\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Up&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;Up&#8221;<\/i>. I think there&#8217;s a bigger potential for a &#8220;Coraline&#8221; or &#8220;Fantastic Mr. Fox&#8221; upset than most pundits (the industry loves &#8220;Coraline&#8221; director Henry Selick, and &#8220;Fantastic Mr. Fox&#8221; is a genuine original), but I&#8217;d be very surprised if Pixar didn&#8217;t win its&#8217; third Oscar in this category in a row.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Foreign Language Film<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Das weisse Band \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Germany)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ajami\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Israel) (Haven&#8217;t Seen)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153El secreto de sus ojos\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Argentina) (Haven&#8217;t Seen)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Un proph\u00c3\u00a8te\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (France) (Haven&#8217;t Seen)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153La teta asustada\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Peru) (Haven&#8217;t Seen)<\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; &#8220;The White Ribbon&#8221;; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Gamorrah\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thirst\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rudo y Cursi\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Das weisse Band \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i>. Known as &#8220;The White Ribbon&#8221; in the US, a potential upset is there for France&#8217;s acclaimed &#8220;A Prophet&#8221; (which just opened in Atlanta), but the black-and-white drama of &#8220;Ribbon&#8221; is too filled with shades of gray for Oscar to ignore.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Documentary Feature<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Cove\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Food, Inc.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Burma VJ: Reporter i et lukket land\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Seen)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Seen)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Which Way Home\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Seen)<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Michael Jackson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s This Is It\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Cove\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tyson\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Food, Inc.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Earth\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;The Cove&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;The Cove&#8221;<\/i>. It&#8217;s just too heartbreaking, and too important, to ignore this thrilling look at activism at its&#8217; most urgent.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Visual Effects<\/b><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;District 9&#8221;<\/i><br \/>\n<i>&#8220;Star Trek&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Top Three: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153District 9\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i>. You&#8217;re just crazy if you think they&#8217;re going to pick something else.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Sound<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inglourious Basterds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Coraline\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i>. Is it just me or does &#8220;Revenge of the Fallen&#8221; just feel out of place with the other five? Doesn&#8217;t matter. In the beginning of the back-and-forth with &#8220;Hurt Locker,&#8221; &#8220;Avatar&#8221; wins the first battle.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Sound Editing<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inglourious Basterds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Drag Me to Hell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153District 9\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;The Hurt Locker&#8221;<\/i>. Expect those tension-packed diffusing scenes to take &#8220;Locker&#8221; over the top here.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Cinematography<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inglourious Basterds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Das weisse Band \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Lovely Bones\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Dynamite\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Drag Me to Hell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153District 9\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar&#8217;s Pick: <i>&#8220;Avatar&#8221;<\/i>. Again, it&#8217;s more &#8220;Locker&#8221; vs. &#8220;Avatar&#8221; here, and while &#8220;Hurt Locker&#8221; shined in this area, &#8220;Avatar&#8221; pushed the envelope for what&#8217;s possible with 3-D. It wins this round.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Film Editing<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153District 9\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inglourious Basterds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Precious\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Drag Me to Hell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Knowing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;The Hurt Locker&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hurt Locker\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i>. Some say this will determine what Best Picture will be. I say it&#8217;s more a miracle all five nominees are actually in the big race also (that doesn&#8217;t always happen). If anything but &#8220;Locker&#8221; wins this, I&#8217;d seriously question the Academy&#8217;s judgement&#8230;not that I don&#8217;t do so already.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Art Direction<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sherlock Holmes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Young Victoria\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nine\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Watchmen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inglourious Basterds\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Lovely Bones\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Avatar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i>. Oh how I&#8217;d love to see Gilliam&#8217;s brilliant &#8220;Parnassus&#8221; win this. But &#8220;Avatar&#8221; created a new world before our eyes&#8230;even if none of it was real. It wins here.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Makeup<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Young Victoria\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Il Divo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Haven&#8217;t Seen)<\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Three: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Drag Me to Hell\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thicker Than Water: The Vampires Diaries- Part 1\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;Star Trek&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Star Trek\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i>. Yes, Trekkies, your franchise will win an Oscar. Don&#8217;t get too excited in your parent&#8217;s basement now&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Costume Design<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Young Victoria\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Coco Before Chanel\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nine\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bright Star\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Haven&#8217;t Seen)<\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Top Five: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Red Cliff\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Lovely Bones\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Watchmen\u00e2\u20ac\u009d; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Black Dynamite\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Brian&#8217;s Pick: &#8220;The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>&#8220;The Young Victoria&#8221;<\/i>. It&#8217;s a really pretty film to look at. Or maybe I was just thinking about Emily Blunt. No matter. &#8220;Victoria&#8221; wins over other period choices.<\/p>\n<p><i>Here are the three awards those most devoted to movies care about. I haven&#8217;t seen many of these, so all these are just guesses.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Best Short Film- Live Action<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Door\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ist\u00c3\u00a4llet f\u00c3\u00b6r abrakadabra\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kavi\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Miracle Fish\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The New Tenants\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Door\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Best Short Film- Animated<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wallace and Gromit in \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA Matter of Loaf and Death\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i> (Have Seen)<br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153French Roast\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Granny O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Grimm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Sleeping Beauty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153La dama y la muerte\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Logorama\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Matter of Loaf and Death\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i>. Wallace &amp; Gromit win Oscar again for their latest delightful adventure.<\/p>\n<p><b>Best Documentary Short Subject<\/b><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153China\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kr\u00c3\u00b3lik po berlinsku\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Music by Prudence\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Oscar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Pick: <i>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Snooch to the Nooch! Well, with the Oscars finally happening on Sunday, it&#8217;s now time for my final look at the nominees, and a look at my final predictions (all nominations listed in order of preference), and whether they&#8217;ve changed in the past month. Before I get to the festivities, though, an update on where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-news-general"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5811,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5190\/revisions\/5811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonic-cinema.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}