 Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Hubert Kounde, Danny Huston
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Year Of Release: 2005
Plot: After his wife is murdered in Kenya, diplomat Justin Quayle starts to investigate. In flashbacks we see them meet, marry, and fall in love; we follow her in the teeming streets and clinics of Nairobi, usually accompanying Arnold Bluhm, a Black doctor with whom she spent the night before her murder, and who is one of the prime suspects. In his own investigation, Justin must face his memories, colleagues, local police, hired thugs, and a nasty corporate CEO. |
I’m cheating today, skipping ahead a film just so we can get to another Oscar-winning movie (Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Weisz), so that I can shoehorn in yet another article about the Academy Awards before the ceremony on Sunday. Well, I had to, didn't I? However, we’ll return to The Comancheros on Monday, if you’re interested.
While I’ve previously looked at Oscar records, whether it’s worth campaigning for an award and those who’ve continually lost out on Oscars, today is much simpler. I’m going to give you my tips for this year’s awards, and then you can laugh at me on Monday when I’ve got them all wrong. BTW, these are what I think will win, rather than what should win, because with the Oscars the two are rarely the same. So here goes...
(Oh, and click here to see Movie Muser reviewer Mike Martin’s picks for Oscar glory)
Best Picture Nominees:
‘Avatar’ James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
‘The Blind Side’ Nominees to be determined
‘District 9’ Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
‘An Education’ Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
‘The Hurt Locker’ Nominees to be determined
‘Inglourious Basterds’ Lawrence Bender, Producer
‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’ Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
‘A Serious Man’ Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
‘Up’ Jonas Rivera, Producer
‘Up in the Air’ Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers
Tim’s Pick: The Hurt Locker
It’s got the momentum and the fuss surrounding improper campaigning and whether it’s an accurate look at modern war have probably come too late. If you look across this year’s other awards ceremonies, The Hurt Locker is the clear favourite. Although many are saying Avatar will win, I severely doubt it, as it’s won none of the awards where there’s a crossover with Oscar voters (e.g. the Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild and Producer Guild). In fact the only Best Film award it’s won was the Golden Globe, which is voted for by less than a hundred journos. In fact, even if The Hurt Locker loses, I reckon Inglourious Basterds has a better shot than Avatar, particularly considering the new preferential voting system.
Directing Nominees:
‘Avatar’ James Cameron
‘The Hurt Locker’ Kathryn Bigelow
‘Inglourious Basterds’ Quentin Tarantino
‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’ Lee Daniels
‘Up in the Air’ Jason Reitman
Tim's Pick: Kathryn Bigelow
Even if Avatar does win Best Picture, I still expect Bigelow to pick up Best Director. There’s a feeling she deserves it and also that a female director is long overdue the award. Although her ex-hubby James Cameron is a possibility, I’d be surprised if he wins.
Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:
Jeff Bridges in ‘Crazy Heart’
George Clooney in ‘Up in the Air’
Colin Firth in ‘A Single Man’
Morgan Freeman in ‘Invictus’
Jeremy Renner in ‘The Hurt Locker’
Tim’s Pick: Jeff Bridges
It has to be, doesn’t it? While Clooney picked up a few critics awards and Colin Firth got the BAFTA, Bridges has won virtually other major award going. There’s the sense that this year is his time, and that he should win as much as a mark of respect for his entire career as for Crazy Heart itself. Plus, he is fantastic in the film.
Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees:
Matt Damon in ‘Invictus’
Woody Harrelson in ‘The Messenger’
Christopher Plummer in ‘The Last Station’
Stanley Tucci in ‘The Lovely Bones’
Christoph Waltz in ‘Inglourious Basterds’
Tim’s Pick: Christoph Waltz
If Waltz doesn’t win, it’ll be a travesty. He is utterly magnificent in Tarantino’s film and deserves the gong far more than anyone else. I’d say there’s an outside chance for Christopher Plummer, simply because he’s never won before and might get the sympathy vote after a long and distinguished career, but I severely doubt it.
Actress in a Leading Role Nominees:
Sandra Bullock in ‘The Blind Side’
Helen Mirren in ‘The Last Station’
Carey Mulligan in ‘An Education’
Gabourey Sidibe in ‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’
Meryl Streep in ‘Julie & Julia’
Tim’s Pick: Sandra Bullock
I haven’t seen The Blind Side, but it does seem Bullock has the momentum to take home the win. However it does appear she’ll win more by being the most prominent nominee in the biggest film, because it’s a strong field across the board with no outright front-runner. Gabourey Sidibe is a possibility, but I just can’t see it.
Actress in a Supporting Role Nominees:
Penélope Cruz in ‘Nine’
Vera Farmiga in ‘Up in the Air’
Maggie Gyllenhaal in ‘Crazy Heart‘
Anna Kendrick in ‘Up in the Air’
Mo’Nique in ‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’
Tim’s Pick: Mo’Nique
Although I’m not a big fan of Precious and I felt Mo’Nique’s character in the film was a blatant movie contrivance, there’s little doubt she’s superb in the role. In fact it’s to her credit that she almost papers over the cracks in the film simply by being so convincing as a monster. If not her then Anna Kendrick, but I think Mo’Nique is a pretty safe bet.
Animated Feature Film Nominees:
‘Coraline’ Henry Selick
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ Wes Anderson
‘The Princess and the Frog’ John Musker and Ron Clements
‘The Secret of Kells’ Tomm Moore
‘Up’ Pete Docter
Tim’s Pick: Up
Sorry, but even though many are campaigning for Coraline or Fantastic Mr. Fox, it ain’t going to happen. The Oscar is going to Up. After all, its Best Picture nomination should already tell you the way the Academy is thinking.
Art Direction Nominees:
‘Avatar’ 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
‘Nine’ Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
‘Sherlock Holmes‘ Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
‘The Young Victoria’ Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
Tim’s Pick: Avatar
Cinematography Nominees:
‘Avatar’ Mauro Fiore
‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ Bruno Delbonnel
‘The Hurt Locker’ Barry Ackroyd
‘Inglourious Basterds’ Robert Richardson
‘The White Ribbon’ Christian Berger
Tim’s Pick: The Hurt Locker
This is a tough category, as it really is a tossup between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. Although I’ve gone for Hurt Locker, I do have a sneaking suspicion Avatar might clean up across the technical awards, simply because the Academy is going to want to honour such a massive movie as much as possible, even if they don’t want to give it any of the big awards.
Costume Design Nominees:
‘Bright Star’ Janet Patterson
‘Coco before Chanel’ Catherine Leterrier
‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ Monique Prudhomme
‘Nine’ Colleen Atwood
‘The Young Victoria’ Sandy Powell
Tim’s Pick: Bright Star
Documentary (Feature) Nominees:
‘Burma VJ’ Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
‘The Cove’ Nominees to be determined
‘Food, Inc.’ Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
‘The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers’ Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
‘Which Way Home’ Rebecca Cammisa
Tim’s Pick: Burma VJ
To be honest, I have no idea what will win here, as the Best Documentary is one of the most random categories, where the winner often seems to be picked more by drawing one of the nominees out of a hat than by anyone genuinely looking for the best movie. However Burma VJ is a remarkable movie and deserves to win.
Film Editing Nominees:
‘Avatar’ Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
‘District 9’ Julian Clarke
‘The Hurt Locker’ Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
‘Inglourious Basterds’ Sally Menke
‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’ Joe Klotz
Tim’s Pick: Avatar
Again, I reckon Avatar’s gonna do well in the technical awards and so it’s likely to get this one, even though in genuine terms, District 9, The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds are all better examples of the art of editing.
Foreign Language Film Nominees:
‘Ajami’ Israel
‘El Secreto de Sus Ojos’ Argentina
‘The Milk of Sorrow’ Peru
‘Un Prophète’ France
‘The White Ribbon’ Germany
Tim’s Pick: A Prophet
It’s a toss-up between the A Prophet and The White Ribbon. The latter may have its Cannes victory under its belt, but recently A Prophet has built up a huge amount of love and will probably win.
Music (Original Score) Nominees:
‘Avatar’ James Horner
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ Alexandre Desplat
‘The Hurt Locker’ Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
‘Sherlock Holmes’ Hans Zimmer
‘Up’ Michael Giacchino
Tim’s Pick: Up
Music (Original Song) 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
Tim’s Pick: The Weary Kind
Sound Editing Nominees:
‘Avatar’ Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
‘The Hurt Locker’ Paul N.J. Ottosson
‘Inglourious Basterds’ Wylie Stateman
‘Star Trek’ Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
‘Up’ Michael Silvers and Tom Myers
Tim’s Pick: Avatar
Sound Mixing Nominees:
‘Avatar’ Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
‘The Hurt Locker’ Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
‘Inglourious Basterds’ Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
‘Star Trek’ Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson
Tim’s Pick: Avatar
Visual Effects Nominees:
‘Avatar’ Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
‘District 9’ Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
‘Star Trek’ Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton
Tim’s Pick: Avatar
If ever there was a shoo-in for an award where they might as well have dispensed with having other nominees, it’s this one. However, I’d absolute love it if something else won – particularly the low-budget District 9 – just to see the expression on James Cameron’s face.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Nominees:
‘District 9’ Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
‘An Education’ Screenplay by Nick Hornby
‘In the Loop’ Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’ Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
‘Up in the Air’ Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Tim’s Pick: Up In The Air
The screenplay categories often seem to be used to honour movies that aren’t likely to win elsewhere, but the Academy feels ought to get at least one award. I feel this is likely to be the case with Up In The Air. It’s certainly got the momentum from other award ceremonies and is likely to be the movie’s only Oscar win.
Writing (Original Screenplay) Nominees:
‘The Hurt Locker’ Written by Mark Boal
‘Inglourious Basterds’ Written by Quentin Tarantino
‘The Messenger’ Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
‘A Serious Man’ Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
‘Up’ Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy
Tim’s Pick: Inglourious Basterds
This one could well go to The Hurt Locker, as it’s been much praised for being the first film that’s successfully managed to deal with Iraq while remaining entertaining. However I just have a feeling Tarantino’s going to walk away with it. It’s certainly the most writerly movie among the nominees (if you know what I mean), with a screenplay that’s more central to its overall success. I may be wrong, but I reckon Quentin’s going to get his second Oscar.
So there they are. Those are the movies I reckon will win. So check back on Monday and see whether I got them right, and then laugh that I thought The Hurt Locker would win Best Picture, when it turns out District 9 has walked off with the award (and wouldn’t it be something if it did?).
TIM ISAAC
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