2010: Oscar Nominations Predictions

Oscar nominations will be announced early tomorrow. For the past 3 years I’ve being going through this exercise where I predict the nominations ahead of the actual announcement and see how close my choices were.

Writing, talking and analyzing about the Academy awards used to be such a fun thing for me. But over the past few years its becoming more a chore and my excitement levels have been mostly blah.

Last year was truly a snooze fest and personally if not for the all the buzz surrounding Slumdog Millionaire & A R Rahman I would skipped the event all together.

No such buzz this year as none of the potential nominations have roused either my interest or passion. To make matters worse the academy have come up with this brilliant plan (note the sarcasm) to nominate not the usual the 5, but 10 films for the coveted Best picture category, thereby diluting the once sacred sanctum of best picture nominations. Especially in a year where the quality of films have not quite hit the benchmark set of a few years ago.

Anyhow lets give a shot –

Best Picture-

1)Up in the Air
2)A serious Man
3)The Road
4)The Hurt Locker
5)Avatar
6)Inglorious Basterds
7)Fantastic Mr Fox
8)Up
9)Precious
10)A Single Man


Give it Avatar and be done with it. I mean it has afterall grossed over $2 billion worldwide and counting. And the film has set a benchmark, for years to come, in terms of Visual effects, pioneering 3D & gross earnings.

Two other possible candidates -District 9 & 500 days of summer

Best Actor
1)George Clooney - Up in the Air
2)Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
3)Viggo Mortensen - The Road
4)Morgan Freeman - Invictus
5)Jeff Bridges - A Crazy Heart - Winner

Possible candidate - Colin Firth – A single Man


Best supporting actor
1)Christoph Waltz - The Inglorious Basterds - Hands down winner
2)Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
3)Matt Damon - Invictus
4)Woody harelson - The Messenger
5)Alfred Molina – An Education


Best actress
1)Meryl Streep - Julia & Julia
2)Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
3)Carey Mulligan - An Education
4)Emily blunt - Young Victoria
5)Penelope Cruz - Broken Embraces - Likely winner. As long as Sandra Bullock doesnt win.


Best Supporting actress
1)Soirase Ryan - The Lovely Bones
2)Monique - Precious - Throwing a dart blind folded.
3)Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
4)Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
5)Diane Kruger - The Inglorious Basterds

Director
1)Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
2)James Cameron - Avatar - Deserves to win. Probably the first time in the history of oscar that an ex-husband & wife are going against each other in any major category
3)Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
4)Lee Daniels - Precious
5)Quentin Tarantino - The Inglorious Basterds

Best Original screenplay
1)Inglorious Basterds - Should win. Comon everybody loves QT.
2)Avatar
3)500 days of summer
4)Up
5)A Serious Man

Best Adapted Screenplay
1)Crazy Heart
2)Up in the Air
3)Precious
4)District 9
5)Fantastic Mr.Fox - Should win


Thats the word. Enough said about this non-event. I'm off to sleep.

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