Tomorrow morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will announce their annual nominees for everyone’s favorite film award show. Allow me to throw out my best guess at which those nominations may be for each of the big categories.
Best Supporting Actress
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Amy Adams, Doubt
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
While really more of a lead in this movie, the Academy will definitely make Winslet’s 7th nomintion an award winner, much like the Golden Globes did as well. Tomei was amazing in the Wrestler as was Cruz in Barcelona. Adams and DeWitt are guesses but Adams is red hot still and I think Rachel Getting Married might be the underdog looming for this whole show.
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Ralph Fiennes, In Bruges
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
This award is becoming more of a “lock” everyday for the late-great Mr. Ledger. I really can’t see this one going anywhere else, especially stemming from his Golden Globe. Brolin should also be a lock for Milk, a movie that I really enjoyed. Hoffman, like Winslet, is more of a lead but the Academy has a habit of nominating people out of distinct principle. Fiennes and Shannon are guesses. I would really like to see Robert Downey Jr. be nominated for Tropic Thunder because he was that good. Also, James Franco deserves to be nominated for Pineapple Express, or even Milk, as he was fantastic in both.
Best Actress
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Streep is back for another go. Her, Hathaway, and Winslet have to be considered solid locks for a nomination. All were exceptionally powerful performances. Hawkins has a ton of buzz around her role so I will throw her in there. Jolie is a bit trickier. She should have been nominated last year for A Mighty Heart, so I think the Academy will reward her with a nomination this time around? If I had to pick a winner? Winslet if she doesn’t win Supporting or Hathaway if Winslet does get the Supporting. I can’t see the Academy pulling a Golden Globes and giving Winslet both awards.
Best Actor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Benicio Del Toro, Che
This is a weird category given the exceptional talent 2008 produced in cinema. Penn, Langella, and Rourke are all guaranteed sing-on-the-dotted-freakin-line nomination locks. I think Pitt will get in just on Button being a heavily nominated film this year (and also think it will be the biggest disappointment in awards won). And then finally I think the Academy will award Toro a nomination for his deep portrayal of one of history’s most intriguing men. Toro did a ton of research for the role and the Academy looks to push foreign influence. Other possibilities are Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, Richard Jenkins in The Visitor, possibly Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road, or maybe something awesome like Josh Brolin in W. The pick? Rourke has to be the favorite for his powerful portrayal as Randy ‘The Ram’ but I’m going with Sean Penn in Milk. Film was money baby.
Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire has all the buzz moving into the nominations. With Button being presumably nominated big Fincher is in. And I would say Aronsky has been so acclaimed that he’ll be in as well. Van Sant might be a stretch but I really, really liked Milk so I am going to throw him in there. And then there is Nolan, I am putting him in there as well because of how much, top to bottom, I enthusiastically enjoyed his latest Batman flick. The pick?Button will continue to disappoint. Boyle is probably the favorite but the Academy might couple Rourke with Aronofsky so I’ll go with him. But I think Van Sant and Nolan were better.
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Dark Knight
I think Button and Slumdog are locks. The others I am being more hopeful that precise. Doubt, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Wall-E (How awesome would that be?) and maybe another two or three movies could also be in there. I am going with The Dark Knight because as I said before, it really was a top-to-bottom sensational movie. I hope the Academy doesn’t write-off the film as a ‘comic book movie’ by rewarding the movie with a nomination. Milk didn’t get a Golden Globe nomination and hasn’t made much money but it was, maybe, my favorite film of the year so far. I think Frost/Nixon will sneak in over some of the others as a tribute to a really good movie without much hype. It certainly would be deserving, but don’t expect it to be in. I think Button will continue to disappoint. Leaving Slumdog. My beef? I enjoyed Slumdog a Millie very much, but we should all get honest. This movie’s outcome was determined in the first five minutes. Cute movie? Yes. Brings to light the very real underbelly of Indian social life? Yes. Amazing acting by kids? Yes. Favorable main character? Yes. Love story? Yes.
It doesn’t do enough to warrant a ‘Best Picture’ award. I think it will probably build on its Golden Globe win but again, my pick is Milk. With the combination of Penn, Brolin, Franco, Hirsch, and Van Sant you really can’t go wrong. Especially with the amazing true story and California’s recent Prop 8 vote to correlate the past with the present.
We’ll see tomorrow how brilliant or silly I am.
