Here we are again – time for the Oscars. Time to squeeze in as many nominated films as possible before the big day on the couch so that you can feel comfortable in your power to boo the misawarded winners. Time to make your predictions for who will win based on the latest awards trends that beat Oscar to the punch. Time for critics to jump on the band wagon and/or pretentiously make their picks for reasons that sound all too much like everybody else's reasons. In the spirit of this ticking clock, here're my quick & dirty thoughts on my preferences:
BEST MOTION PICTURE
A tight race between No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, but the Coen Bros. masterpiece edges out PTA's more convoluted film due to its clean delivery and steady metaphor.
DIRECTING
A great group to choose from, but the Coen. Bros. deserve to get their first Directing Oscar for their ability to direct such nuanced performances that do not rely on wordy dialogue to express an idea in No Country for Old Men.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
A tough choice from such a worthy group (Roger Deakins two-times over), and I would be happy for anyone to win (except perhaps Atonement). However, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's DP Janusz Kaminski discovered a beautiful way to illustrate the viewpoint of a paralyzed man with one good one.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
It may seem trendy to jump aboard the Juno train, but hell, Diablo Cody deserves it for her hip, joyful, intelligent script which I fell in love with immediately.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Again, their talents rely on doing so much with so little, and the beauty of the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men screenplay falls to powerful efficiency.
ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood. This is no exaggerated build-up; he is the real thing.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
I will not be upset when Javier Bardem wins for his powerful portrayal, but Casey Affleck deserves it for delivering such a frighteningly desperate portrayal in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
ACTRESS
I rarely make awards proclamations at the time of first viewing a film, but I immediately thought Marion Cotillard was worthy in her dizzying portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
No drag performance, Cate Blanchett impressively slides into Dylan's skin without anybody noticing in I'm Not There.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
I don't feel qualified to choose a film based on only viewing 2 out of 5 (both of which were good but not obvious winners). My random guess is 12.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
In this category, I have only seen 3 of 5. (Yes, I am ashamed) From those I've seen, it's a tough choice of whistleblowers, but No End in Sight was most thorough in its investigation of the truth.
BEST SHORTS (x3)
I have only seen 2 amongst all three categories, but I would be amazed if there is something in the LIVE ACTION SHORT category better than "The Tonto Woman" -- an absolutely beautiful piece of film, short or otherwise.
Random pick for ANIMATED SHORT:
"Peter & the Wolf"
Random pick for DOC SHORT:
"Freeheld"
ANIMATED FEATURE
OK, I'm falling into a bad streak -- only 1 out of 3 here. But no matter how impressive the individual hairs are on Ratatouille, I'm gonna stick with the lovely animation and wonderful storytelling of Persepolis.
FILM EDITING
A terribly difficult job that is tricky to assess -- Is the storytelling clear? Do the images work together? The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was a complicated film to tie together, and Juliette Welfling deserves credit.
VISUAL EFFECTS
I believe organic effects are much harder to master than robotic machinery, so I am going to back the boys from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End -- John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson & John Frazier.
ART DIRECTION
Not just a matter of appropriately applying the time period, the artistic design has to fit the story and the mood consistently. There Will Be Blood (Art, Jack Fisk; Set, Jim Erickson) is very subtle, but effective.
COSTUME DESIGN
Colleen Atwood has always been able to beautifully tap into Tim Burton's dark side, and does so again in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
MAKEUP
Over the top or aging gracefully? I choose the latter for Didier Lavergne & Jan Archibald from La Vie en Rose.
ORIGINAL SCORE
Out of those available, Dario Marianelli's simple score for Atonement still haunts me.
ORIGINAL SONG
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova's "Falling Slowly" from Once, without question. So sweet and pure -- I can't wait to see them perform it.
SOUND EDITING
Subtle sounds for a sometimes subtle film -- There Will Be Blood, Matthew Wood
SOUND MIXING
Hmm...How about Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff & Peter Kurland for No Country for Old Men?