With the exception of 1992 when Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture (the first animated film to be nominated in a Best Picture category), most Best Picture nominees were R-rated films. Since Oscar season is a season I look forward to with breathless anticipation (ok, it's not really a season but it should be... spring, summer, fall, winter, Oscar), not being "of age" to see the nominees I so desperately needed to see in order to properly fill out my ballot nearly killed me... until 2002 when I turned 17.
Since Academy Awards 20o2 when A Beautiful Mind took home the golden statue for Best Picture, I am proud to say that my Oscar predictions exceed my amateur critic status as I have been legally and loyally enjoying (or despising) every nominated film for the past (almost) decade.
So without further ado, here are my 82nd Annual Academy Awards predictions:
BEST PICTURE
Avatar
*Avatar deserves this win, however, wouldn't it make for an entertaining awards night if a low-budget film like The Hurt Locker took home the Oscar in this category over the highest-grossing film of all time? Indeed!
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique (Precious)
BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
*Even though I think James Cameron should win for his ground-breaking technology, my vote goes to Bigelow who picked up a Director's Guild award for her war drama in January and is the clear favorite to become the first female winner ever in this category!
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The White Ribbon (Germany)
CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Hurt Locker
VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar
SOUND MIXING
Avatar
SOUND EDITING
Avatar
*With the exception of last year, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing awards are usually given to the same recipient.
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
The New Tenants
*With its Tarantinoesque banter, I think it might have an edge over Kavi, a story about a boy born into slavery in modern India.
MAKEUP
Star Trek
FILM EDITING
The Hurt Locker
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Music by Prudence
*A story about a disabled singer from Zimbabwe is a clear winner over other nominees such as The Last Truck, about a GM plant in Ohio.
ORIGINAL SONG
"The Weary Kind" (Theme from Crazy Heart), music and lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
ORIGINAL SCORE
Avatar, music by James Horner
*An apology to my sister for this one. Allison, I know Ann Marie Calhoun, the violinist in the Sherlock Holmes score, is one of your artists but I think James Horner will take home the gold for this category since he took home the prize for Titanic, his last James Cameron collaboration.
COSTUME DESIGN
The Young Victoria
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Cove
*If The Cove moved Academy members like it moved me (I bought a "Save Japanese Dolphins" bracelet after seeing this doc!), then it's a sure winner.
ANIMATED FEATURE
Up
ANIMATED SHORT
A Matter of Loaf and Death
*Four-time winner Nick Park is a safe bet for his new Wallace & Gromit claymation.
ART DIRECTION
Avatar
Well, there you have it folks! The Amateur Critic's picks for the 2010 Academy Awards! So on Sunday, March 7, gather with friends and family, grab that glass of champagne to toast the winners (unless you're a moron who gave up alcohol for Lent like I did!), and tune in to watch Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin co-host the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on ABC at 5:00pm.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first comment on your oscar blog, horray for me. I would say....
ReplyDeletePicture: Avatar-will probably win due box office receipts alone, yet most people would agree that Hurt Locker was the superior movie, but a $15 million theatrical run all but completely eliminates it. Had Avatar made, say $200 or $300 million as opposed to $700 million, it would be a lot further down the Oscar chart. It would also be the first movie to win Best Picture without winning any of the Writers Guild, Directors Guild, or Screen Actors Guild awards, so that might hurt Avatar as well.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow-a) to make up for the fact that Hurt Locker will probably lose the Best Picture Oscar and b) because she'll be the first woman ever to win, and Oscars love politics.
Actor: Bridges
Supporting Actor: Probably Christoph Waltz, but if there's one thing Academy voters love to do it's to give it to the older guy who hasn't won anything, almost like a lifetime achievement award, in this case being Christopher Plummer. Think Paul Newman, John Wayne, James Coburn, and Alan Arkin who all won much later in their careers and arguably for not too great performances. Peter O'Toole on the other hand...
Best Actress: As much as it pains me, Sandra Bullock will probably win for her extremely hyped yet terribly exaggerated performance in probably the most overrated Best Picture nominated film since Chocolat. I still can't get over the fact that Blind Side was nominated for anything, let alone BEST PICTURE!
Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, if not for the sole reason that two Up in the Air nominees are going to split the votes.
Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for Up in the Air
Original Screenplay: Mark Boal for the Hurt Locker.