Oscars 2009

Its funny how sometimes you desperately look for 30 minutes or so to jot down some quick thoughts, in this case, the predictions for the 2009 Oscar nominations, and you simply can't find it, lost in a mountain of pressing needs. This has been one of those weekends. It can be immensely frustrating, as many may be well aware, to have all those words and wonderful thoughts to convey, and yet not be able to find the time of the day to pen them down.

Its been an interesting year with a good mix of pure drama coupled with serious entertainers. Dark Knight provided proof for one which combined both effectively.

So without further ado and flourishes here are my predictions of possible Oscar nominations which shall be announced within the next 5-6 hours. Definitely too close for comfort or to allow for any form of review, corrections etc.

Best Film -

1) Slumdog Millionare - Feel good, crowd favorite. Slumdog is top dog at the moment.
2) Frost/Nixon - well made ron howard special
3) Revolutionary Road - haven't seen. positive reviews
4) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - crowd pleaser, excellent direction
5) The Wrestler - Indie fav

* Will Oscar go against the grain and give Wall-E the nod? Dark Knight? We have to consider how the Academy will treat the two blockbusters of last year since that will have a big say in determining the major categories. Both these movies were beyond doubt the best movies of the year - critics and the folks loved it and it made plenty of money at the box office. So why aren't they automatic locks for the best picture category? What intangible standards, in the most likely scenario, have these two movies fail to meet? I think this should be a year the Academy decide to implement a sort of measure of public response to a certain movie, and merit the result of such measures while deciding the nominees.

Best Actor in a leading role -

1) Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon - Solid performance
2) Leo Di Caprio - Revolutionary Road - positive reviews
3) Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler - heartwrenching
4) Brad Pitt - The Curious case of Benjamin Button - On the button
5) Sean Penn - Milk - positive reviews

* Ignored by Oscar - Benicio Del Toro in Che, clint Eastwood in Gran Torino

Best Actress in a leading role -
1) Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting married
2) Angelina Jolie - Changeling
3) Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road - could be her year
4) Meryl Streep - Doubt
5) Sally Hawkins - Happy go Lucky - likely contender

*can't see too many surprises here. But will the academy overlook Meryl Streep which will pave way for Melissa Leo in the frozen river. I rather have Melissa Leo over Angelina Jolie.

Best Actor in a supporting role -
Very interesting category as always -

1) Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight - Lock to win
2) Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
3) Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
4) Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
5) Josh Brolin - Milk

* two supporting awards for tropic thunder? Eddie Marson for Happy go Lucky & Michael Sheen for Frost/Nixon? Both Brits, both possibly unlucky. Ralph Fiennes overrated in The Reader.

Best Actress in a supporting role -
1) Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2) Amy Adams - Doubt
3) Kate Winslet - The Reader
4) Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
5) Taraji.B.Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

* Viola Davis for Doubt maybe.

Best Director
1) Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
2) David Fincher -The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3) Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road
4) Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
5) Darren Aronfosky - The Wrestler

* Honorable mentions - Stephen Daldry for The reader, Andrew Stanton for Wall-E, Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight

Tune in a few hours for the actual nominations-

Good Night

Nav

P.S. So it turns out the actual Oscar nominations are to be announced on the 22nd. And in hindsight some of my nominees would probably not have been picked if I hadn't been in a rush to publish before sunrise. I have this strange feeling Christopher Nolan will be nominated for best director. But I shall leave them un-touched for now.