81st Annual Academy Awards

The 81st Annual Academy Awards are coming up and I thought I’d share my thoughts on the matter of my predictions, who I think should win and who, if anybody, got snubbed for the category.

Actor In A Leading Role

Nominees: Richard Jenkins: The Visitor, Frank Langella: Frost/Nixon, Sean Penn: Milk, Brad Pitt: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Mickey Rourke: The Wrestler.

My Prediction: Mickey Rourke: The Wrestler

Who Should Win: This is a tough decision to make, all of these performances were excellent and top notch. Richard Jenkins was touching in The Visitor. Frank Langella was excellent as Richard Nixon, Sean Penn was inspirational in Milk, Brad Pitt was fantastic as Benjamin Button and Rourke gave an amazing performance in The Wrestler. I feel that the person who most deserves it is, in a very close decision for me, Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler. This truly is a comeback performance about a man trying to make a comeback. He was moving and magnificent in this movie.

Snubs: Even though he was nominated for supporting actor, I feel Philip Seymour Hoffman should have been nominated for Lead Actor for his performance in Doubt. The movie centers around his character. Robert Downey Jr.: Iron Man.

Actor In A Supporting Role

Nominees: Josh Brolin: Milk, Robert Downey Jr.: Tropic Thunder, Philip Seymour Hoffman: Doubt, Heath Ledger: The Dark Knight, Michael Shannon: Revolutionary Road.

My Prediction: Heath Ledger: The Dark Knight

Who Should Win: While Heath Ledger’s performance was amazing and he deserves it for the interrogation scene alone in Dark Knight, I feel him winning it will be mostly because he died shortly after filming it. I feel that Robert Downey Jr. Gave an absolutely amazing performance, he’s an American actor playing an Australian actor playing a black Vietnam American soldier. Simply brilliant.

Snubs: Take your pick, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell and Kevin Bacon in Frost/Nixon, all were fantastic. Oh, and I can’t forget Tom Cruise’s amazing performance in Tropic Thunder. Lastly, but certainly not least, James Franco in either Pineapple Express or Milk, both performances were amazing.

Actress In A Leading Role

Nominees: Anne Hathaway: Rachel Getting Married, Angelina Jolie: The Changeling, Melissa Leo: Frozen River, Meryl Streep: Doubt, Kate Winslet: The Reader.

My Prediction: Kate Winslet: The Reader.

Who Should Win: Meryl Streep gave an absolutely amazing performance as a woman who strongly believes her instincts and tries to fight a world and organization run by men in Doubt.

Snubs: Cate Blanchett was great in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.

Actress In A Supporting Role

Nominees: Amy Adams: Doubt, Penelope Cruz: Vicky Christina Barcelona, Viola Davis: Doubt, Taraji P. Henson: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Marisa Tomei: The Wrestler.

My Prediction: Taraji P. Henson: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Who Should Win: Taraji P. Henson was very touching and gave such an emotional performance as Benjamin Button’s adoptive mother. Really truly amazing.

Snubs: Gwyneth Paltrow in Iron Man

Animated Feature Film

Nominees: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E

My Prediction: Wall-E

Who Should Win: Wall-E was so good that I would almost say it should be nominated for Best Picture.

Snubs: None

Art Direction

Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Duchess, Revolutionary Road.

My Prediction: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Who Should Win: Close call on this one too between Benjamin Button and Dark Knight, both were beautiful but I’m gonna say Dark Knight because they had to design the entire city of Gotham, and they did an amazing job.

Snubs: None

Cinematography

Nominees: Changeling, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.

My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

Who Should Win: The cinematography in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button was so well done that many of the scenes looked like they were filmed in the time period they took place. So very beautifully done.

Snubs: The Spirit looked so artistic.

Directing

Nominees: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire

My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

Who Should Win: David Fincher did a perfect job of directing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Snubs: Jon Favreau for Iron Man and Christopher Nolan for Dark Knight.

Documentary Feature

Nominees: The Betrayal, Encounters At The End Of The World, The Garden, Man On Wire, Trouble The Water.

My Prediction: Man On Wire

Who Should Win: Man On Wire was a brilliant and inspirational documentary.

Snubs: Religulous

Film Editing

Nominees: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog Millionare

My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

Who Should Win: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, the editing was beautiful.

Snubs: None

Makeup

Nominees: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

My Prediction: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Who Should Win: The makeup in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button was amazing, just see the movie and you’ll understand.

Snubs: None

Music (Song)

Nominees: “Down To Earth”: Wall-E, “Jai Ho”: Slumdog Millionaire, “O Saya”: Slumdog Millionaire.

My Prediction: “Jai Ho”: Slumdog Millionaire

Who Should Win: “Down To Earth”: Wall-E

Snubs: The biggest snub at the Oscars this year is not nominating “The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen for The Wrestler. This song was simply amazing.

Short Film (Animated)

Nominees: La Maison En Pettits Cubes, Lavatory – Lovestory, Oktapodi, Presto, This Way Up
My Prediction: Presto

Who Should Win: Presto is another hit from the great people at Pixar.

Snubs: None

Visual Effects

Nominees: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Iron Man

My Prediction: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Who Should Win: Tough decision between Benjamin Button and Iron Man but I have to go with Benjamin Button for the amazing effects provided in that movie, they really managed to make a 7 year old look like an 80 year old Brad Pitt. Again, see the movie.

Snubs: None

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Nominees: The Curious Case Of Banjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire

My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

Who Should Win: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. I was really nervous about them adapting a short story into a three hour movie but they did, and the outcome was amazing.

Snubs: Iron Man, Dark Knight.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Nominees: Frozen River, Happy Go Lucky, In Bruges, Milk, Wall-E

My Prediction: Happy Go Lucky

Who Should Win: In Bruges was an amazing movie, extremely well written.

Snubs: None

Best Picture

Nominees: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire.

My Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

Who Should Win: Most of these movies were great but in my opinion The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button was an amazing movie, absolutely perfect.

Snubs: (After seeing Slumdog Millionaire)The Wrestler, Doubt, Gran Torino, The Dark Knight, Wall-E, In Bruges, Run Fatboy Run, Choke, W., Changeling, Iron Man, Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, Burn After Reading, Synecdoche New York.