BEST PICTURE
The Nominees
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
The Acamedy’s decision to expand its list of best picture nominees brought with it some welcome surprises (District 9; Up) and some truly bad decisions (The Blind Side). Yet despite the range of choices, look for the night to come down to Avatar v. The Hurt Locker.
Who Was Snubbed
With two sci-fi films in the running, it seems that the Academy could not stomach the thought of StarTrek in its final ten, and shame on them. Where the Wild Things Are also deserved a spot.
Who Will Win
With Kathryn Bigelow taking best director honours, look for The Hurt Locker to win best film.
Who Should Win
Although The Hurt Locker was indeed a fine film, it is Avatar which should be crowned Best Picture for not only its magnificent display of innovative filmmaking, but also for its standing as a spiritually uplifting and imaginative cinematic experience.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
The Nominees
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
George Clooney (Up in the Air)
Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)
No surprise here, with all 5 actors on top of many critic and trades lists, topping a strong field of lead performances by the men.
Who Was Snubbed
It is hard to imagine any of the top 5 giving up their spots, although it would have been nice to see Viggo Mortensen (The Road) or Sam Rockwell (Moon) get nominations.
Who Will Win
Jeff Bridges has the momentum and the love coming into the ceremony, and is an almost lock to win his first Oscar after 6 nominations. I say almost, because it is not wise to count Academy favourite George Clooney and newcomer Jeremy Remmer.
Who Should Win
Jeff Bridges. Not only is he due, but he deserves the Oscar for his portrayal as broken down, alcoholic country singer Bad Blake.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
The Nominees
Matt Damon (Invictus)
Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Really, what we have here is a sure thing (Waltz) surrounded by window dressing. Not to say that the talent present is not strong: far from it, with the supporting actor field just as broad and deep as the leading category. Still, some competition would have been appreciated if the following two were included....
Who Was Snubbed
Although critically lauded, both Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) and Christopher McKay (Me & Orson Welles) were ignored. Exactly why Matt Damon was nominated is a mystery: although good, Damon can hardly be said to have given a better performance than the two previously mentioned thesps. Me thinks name recognition triumphed over credibility in this case.
Who Will Win
Christoph Waltz. Had The Lovely Bones as a film matched the brilliance of Stanley Tucci’s performance, then maybe he could have swung some votes his way. But even in that case, Waltz is sure to come up aces.
Who Should Win
Christoph Waltz. He gave the most entertaining performance of the year, and had he not been in Inglourious Basterds it would not be half the film it is.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
The Nominees
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
Meryl Streep in (Julie & Julia)
Sandra Bullock’s nomination still remains a mystery for such a sub-par performance in a TV quality picture. It is nice to see newcomers Casey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe acknowledged for heir fine turns, and veterans Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren are always welcome.
Who Was Snubbed
Had Abbie Cornish been given the proper recognition for her compelling performance in Jane Campion’s Bright Star, then this category would have been that much stronger, and not the novelty which Bullock’s nomination has made it out to be. Also of note is Rachel Weisz’s wickedly funny turn in the crime caper The Brothers Bloom, but then again that films luke warm reception did not do her any favours.
Who Will Win
Sandra Bullock has all of the momentum going her way, yet so did Eddie Murphy a couple of years ago for Dreamgirls, yet a Razzie nomination stopped his awards onslaught dead in its tracks. I fear the same fate will await newly crown Razzie winner Bullock, with Meryl Streep taking away her third Oscar for her turn as Julia Childs in Julie & Julia.
Who Should Win
Casey Mulligan, the last billed yet first remembered star of cautionary drama An Education. If the Oscars were indeed about performance as opposed to marketing, than Mulligan would no doubt be the favourite to win. As it stands, she is likely to be the next in a long line of Oscar casualties.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
The Nominees
Penélope Cruz (Nine)
Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)
Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
Mo’Nique in (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
A field of mostly first time nominees makes up this supporting actress category, with last years winner Penelope Ccruz making another appearance for her sizzling turn in the underrated musical Nine.
Who Was Snubbed
Marion Cotillard delivered two excellent supporting turns in Public Enemies and Nine, yet failed to garner a nomination for either performance. Julianne Moore to was left behind, despite receiving much love from critic bodies for her performance as a drunken divorcee in A Single Man.
Who Will Win
Monique has annihilated the competition for her monstrous performance as an abusive mother in the hard as nails coming of age drama Precious. An Oscar statue is a lock for her (sure to be crowded) mantle.
Who Should Win
Monique played her role very well, yet Anna Kendrick from Up in the Air deserves the Academy Award for her delightful turn as a young corporate go-getter, pulling off annoying, endearing, wise, ignorant, and sympathetic at ease and often at the same time, while stealing scenes from the ever charismatic George Clooney.
DIRECTING
The Nominees
James Cameron (Avatar)
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
The five strongest films are represented in the best director field, which boasts an unexpected battle of the exes with Kathryn Bigelow taking on King of the World and ex-hubby James Cameron.
Who Was Snubbed
J.J. Abrams made the impossible possible with his Star Trek reboot, and deserved all of the accolades to be thrown his way, including a best director nomination. Same goes with John Woo’s return to form with his battle spectacular Red Cliff.
Who Will Win
Kathryn Bigelow is set to make history as the first female to win the best director award for her work in The Hurt Locker.
Who Should Win
While a best female director winner is overdue, James Cameron is the one who should be going home with the gong for his groundbreaking work on Avatar.
ANIAMTED FEATURE FILM
The Nominees
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up
A solid group of nominees round out one of the strongest categories of the year. It is nice to see hand drawn animation represented by two films (The Princess and the Frog; The Secret of Kells), ditto with stop motion animation (Coraline; Fantastic Mr. Fox).
Who Was Snubbed
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs deserved some praise for its visually imaginative animation and ethically rich story, yet with such a strong group of nominees it is understandable why it was not nominated.
Who Will Win
Up. It is one of Pixar’s finest works, and its use of an elderly protagonist is sure to appeal to the Oscar brass.
Who Should Win
Up. For its first 15 min alone.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Nominees
Ajami (Israel)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
A Prophet (France)
The Secret in Their Eyes ( Argentina)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Who Was Snubbed
Australian (or should I say, indigenous Australian) entry Samson & Delilah deserved a spot in this year’s foreign language category.
Who Will Win
The White Ribbon has all of the momentum going its way, so look for Michael Haneke to win his first Oscar.
Who Should Win
The White Ribbon is deserving of the prize, as is French entry A Prophet.
DOCUMENTARY
The Nominees
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home
Who Was Snubbed
Academy rules denied worthy entries Anvil: The Story of Anvil and Tyson to eve be nominated. Something needs to change. Quick.
Who Will Win
Look for The Cove to win the award, with strong competition from Food Inc.
Who Should Win
The Cove.
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
The Nominees
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (District 9)
Nick Hornby (An Education)
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche (In the Loop)
Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air)
Who Was Snubbed
Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers deseverd a nomination for transforming Maurice Send’s children tale Where the Wild Things Are into a thoughtful and compelling motion picture.
Who Will Win
Jason Reitman is prime to win his first Oscar for Up in the Air.
Who Should Win
Nick Hornby’s deft adaptation of Lynn Barber’s memoirs deserves the win for An Education.
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
The Nominees
Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman (The Messenger)
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (A Serious Man)
Bob Peterson & Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy (Up)
Who Was Snubbed
Comedy was no given the proper respect, with (500) Days of Summer, The Hangover, and I Love You, Man all left on the wayside.
Who Will Win
Quentin Tarantino may be the fan favourite, but look for Mark Boal to win for The Hurt Locker.
Who Should Win
The crack writing team behind Up should win for its fearlessness in its approach to death and promises unfulfilled, in an animation film no less.
And the rest...
ART DIRECTION
The Nominees
Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
(The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith (Avatar)
Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim (Nine)
Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer (Sherlock Holmes)
Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray (The Young Victoria)
Who Was Snubbed
Public Enemies; Star Trek
Who Will Win
Avatar
Who Should Win
Avatar
CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Nominees
Mauro Fiore (Avatar)
Bruno Delbonnel (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker)
Robert Richardson (Inglourious Basterds)
Christian Berger (The White Ribbon)
Who Was Snubbed
Lu Yae and Zhang Li for Red Cliff; Greg Fraser for Bright Star.
Who Will Win
Christian Berger for The White Ribbon.
Who Should Win
Christian Berger for The White Ribbon.
COSTUME DESIGN
The Nominees
Janet Patterson (Bright Star)
Catherine Leterrier (Coco before Chanel)
Monique Prudhomme (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
Colleen Atwood (Nine)
Sandy Powell (The Young Victoria)
Who Was Snubbed
Tim Yip for Red Cliff
Who Will Win
Sandy Powell for The Young Victoria
Who Should Win
Sandy Powell (The Young Victoria)
FILM EDITING
The Nominees
Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron (Avatar)
Julian Clarke (District 9)
Bob Murawski and Chris Innis (The Hurt Locker)
Sally Menke (Inglourious Basterds)
Joe Klotz (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
Who Was Snubbed
Robert A. Ferretti; Angie Lam ; & Yang Hong Yu (Red Cliff)
Who Will Win
Bob Murawski and Chris Innis for The Hurt Locker
Who Should Win
Bob Murawski and Chris Innis for The Hurt Locker
MAKE-UP
The Nominees
Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano (Il Divo)
Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow (Star Trek)
Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore (The Young Victoria)
Who Was Snubbed
Not so much snubbed, but this category needs to be expanded to 5 nominations to adequately award those in its industry.
Who Will Win
Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow for Star Trek
Who Should Win
Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow for Star Trek
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
The Nominees
James Horner (Avatar)
Alexandre Desplat (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders (The Hurt Locker)
Hans Zimmer (Sherlock Holmes)
Michael Giacchino (Up)
Who Was Snubbed
Christopher Young for Drag Mme To Hell
Who Will Win
Michael Giacchino for Up
Who Should Win
Michael Giacchino for Up
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
The Nominees
“Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from Paris 36 Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from Nine Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from Crazy Heart Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Who Was Snubbed
"Fallin’ & Flyin’" from Crazy Heart Music and Lyric by Stephen Bruton and Gary Nicholson
Who Will Win
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from Crazy Heart Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Who Should Win
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from Crazy Heart Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
SOUND EDITING
The Nominees
Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle (Avatar)
Paul N.J. Ottosson (The Hurt Locker)
Wylie Stateman (Inglourious Basterds)
Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin (Star Trek)
Michael Silvers and Tom Myers (Up)
Who Was Snubbed
Public Enemies
Who Will Win
Wylie Stateman (Inglourious Basterds)
Who Should Win
Paul N.J. Ottosson (The Hurt Locker)
SOUND MIXING
The Nominees
Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson (Avatar)
Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett (The Hurt Locker)
Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano (Inglourious Basterds)
Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin (Star Trek)
Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
Who Was Snubbed
Beau Borders, Ed Novick, and Kevin O’Connell for Public Enemies
Who Will Win
Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett for The Hurt Locker
Who Should Win
Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson for Avatar
VISUAL EFFECTS
The Nominees
Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones (Avatar)
Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken (District 9)
Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton (Star Trek)
Who Was Snubbed
Much like best Make-up, this category needs to be expanded to 5 nominations to adequately award those in its industry.
Who Will Win
Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones for Avatar
Who Should Win
Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones for Avatar
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