Live Oscar Blog-o-Thon!

Throughout the night.... I'll be updating the winners as they are announced. The winners will be in green. If my prediction is wrong, then my pick will be in red, and the actual winner in green.

Best Picture
- Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director
- Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Lead Actor
- Sean Penn for Milk
-Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Lead Actress
- Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Supporting Actor
- Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress
- Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Adapted Screenplay
- Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Screenplay
- Dustin Lance Black for Milk
- Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Doctor for WALL-E

Best Foreign Film
- Okuribito - Japan
- The Class - France

Best Animated Feature
- WALL-E

Best Art Direction
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- The Dark Knight

Best Cinematography
- Slumdog Millionaire
- The Dark Knight

Best Sound Mixing
- Slumdog Millionaire
- WALL-E

Best Sound Editing
- The Dark Knight
- WALL-E

Best Original Score
- A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Song
- "Jai Ho"- A.R. Rahman and Sampooran Singh Gulzar for Slumdog Millionaire
- "O Saya" - A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Costume Design
- The Duchess
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Documentary Feature
- Man on Wire

Best Documentary Short Subject
- Smile Pinki
- The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Film Editing
- Slumdog Millionaire
- The Dark Knight

Best Make Up
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Animated Short
- La maison en petits cubes
- Presto

Best Live Action Short
- Toyland (Spielzeugland)

Best Visual Effects
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Oscar Predictions

With the Oscars fast approaching, I'm going to take this time to lock in my predictions.

Last year I was 50% (it was my best score in 5 years). These are nothing more than educated guesses. Also, for what it's worth, I went only 25% with last year's sports championships (my only correct pre-playoff pick was NBA, and I went all the way with Celtics taking the Lakers).

I listed out the nominees for the major categories, my pick in green.

Best Picture
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director
- David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon
- Gus Van Sant for Milk
- Stephen Daldry for The Reader
- Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Lead Actor
- Richard Jenkins for The Visitor
- Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
- Sean Penn for Milk
- Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Lead Actress
- Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
- Angelina Jolie for Changeling
- Melissa Leo for Frozen River
- Meryl Streep for Doubt
- Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Supporting Actor
- Josh Brolin for Milk
- Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
- Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
- Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress
- Amy Adams for Doubt
- Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona
- Viola Davis for Doubt
- Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

Best Adapted Screenplay
- Eric Roth and Robin Swicord for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- John Patrick Shanley for Doubt
- Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon
- David Hare for The Reader
- Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Screenplay
- Courtney Hunt for Frozen River
- Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky
- Martin McDonagh for In Bruges
- Dustin Lance Black for Milk
- Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Doctor for WALL-E

Best Foreign Film
- The Baader Meinhoff Complex - Germany
- The Class - France
- Departures - Japan
- Revanche - Austria
- Waltz With Bashir - Israel

Best Animated Feature
- Bolt
- Kung Fu Panda
- WALL-E

Best Art Direction
- The Dark Knight

Best Cinematography
- The Dark Knight

Best Sound Mixing
- WALL-E

Best Sound Editing
- WALL-E

Best Original Score
- A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Song
- "O Saya" - A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Costume Design
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Documentary Feature
- Man on Wire

Best Documentary Short Subject
- The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Film Editing
- The Dark Knight

Best Make Up
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Animated Short
- Presto

Best Live Action Short
- Toyland (Spielzeugland)

Best Visual Effects
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


Tune in on Sunday for a Live Blog-o-thon as I update you with the winners as they are announced! Fun for all.

Concerning the Oscars

So the Oscar Nominees were announced, and as someone who is, as some would say, "a fan of movies" (which if you do actually know me, that's putting as lightly as one could possibly put it), and as someone who has been to and experienced the Oscar blitz (not as a nominee, as a fan) I should weigh in.

Not speaking as a fanboy... not speaking as someone who doesn't really know how the Oscars operate (and there are several on the message boards I regularly visit)... I say this with as much authority as a 23 year old film critic can... WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!

The Dark Knight was more or less shut out. That movie more than deserved the 8 nominations it got (7 in technical categories, more on the eight later). But it deserved Picture, Director, Writing and Supporting Actor, as well.

I'm not going to claim that I've seen all the nominees, or even all of the eligible films. But for The Dark Knight to go relatively unnoticed in the artistic categories, it's an insult. And it really shows how out of touch the Academy is with mainstream audiences.

Now, mainstream films often are out of tune with what is generally considered "Award Worthy". And I in no way consider, Paul Blart, last week's box office champ, Oscar Worthy, in any category. So it's not a "mainstream vs. indie" argument on my part. It's on their part. The Academy's near reluctance to recognize mainstream films for major awards is a history that is long and storied.

Think about it, remove the fact that it's Batman, look at The Dark Knight as a straight crime saga. It's up there. The performances and the execution were great.

Unfortunately when they do go for a mainstream film, it turns out that film is Rocky, winning best picture over Network, Taxi Driver and All The President's Men. Really? WTF? Don't get me wrong... Rocky is a great film. Better than those other three? Certainly not.

Same with Wall-E. Point of fact, the only animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture was Beauty and the Beast (and deservedly so). But with the recent addition of the "Best Animated Film" category, the liklihood of that ever happening again significantly dropped. With Wall-E not making the cut, I doubt it will ever happen again.

Those two films were widely considered the very best of the year. From highly respected critics to bloggers like me. And the box office receipts proved it. Instead the Academy opted for the generally safe historical dramas. Nothing against Frost/Nixon, as I have yet to see it, but what could it possibly bring to the filmmaking table that The Dark Knight did not? It's a dramatization of TV interviews. You could pretty much Youtube about half the movie.

I guess Ron Howard is a good standby, as opposed to going for directors who experiment and explore the boundaries of filmmaking. No nods for Darren Aaronofsky or Christopher Nolan for The Wrestler and The Dark Knight, respectively.

There is no greater proof of that than Howard over Peter Jackson in 2001 for A Beautiful Mind over The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Or in 2004, Clint Eastwood over Martin Scorsese for Million Dollar Baby over The Aviator.

I'm not going to say that they're political, though they have made "I'm sorry" choices in the past, like Scorsese finally getting that ever ellusive (unless you're name is Clint Eastwood) Best Director Oscar for The Departed. Sure it was well deserved, but Scorsese's Best Director Oscar has been well deserved for over 30 years.

And while it may be Robert Downey, Jr., I'm glad to see them finally recognize mainstream comedic work for acting (Best Supporting Actor for Tropic Thunder). When it comes to recognizing comedies, the Academy will slide more in the line of "dark comedy," "black comedy," or "dram-edy." It's a trend the've missed going on many years. Perhaps the first major missed opportunity is Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And now they've nominated Downey for Tropic Thunder. They've certainly come a long way, but I agree with most critics and bloggers... James Franco in Pineapple Express, anyone?

I of course will still watch. I of course will still enjoy and severely geek out. But... they really need to look beyond the usual Oscar fair. Recognize the great films. Not just what is deemed Oscar worthy.

Because quite frankly, "Oscar worthy" is quickly becoming a sub-genre, rather than an honour.

On the flip side... major kudos for Slumdog Millionaire. Totally deserves it.

Oscar Winners

Brodie Fanns!

FINAL RESULTS ARE IN!

Tonight... going on right now, I am bringing my blogs (blogspot, myspace and broadcasteverywhere) to you live. With live updates.

Why? It's Oscar night, that's why. It's my Super Bowl. I locked in my predictions yesterday, and today, I will be bringing you live updates on winners. If my prediction matches the winner, the entry will be listed in green. If not, then the entry will be in red, with the winner in green next to it.

First up for the night... WHY IS MILEY GORRAM CYRUS BEING INTERVIEWED FOR THE PRE-CEREMONY BARBARA WALTERS SPECIAL?! That's the burning question of the interview.

Best Picture- No Country For Old Men
Best Director- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men
Best Actor- Daniel Day Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Best Actress- Julie Christie for Away From Her (Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose)
Best Supporting Actor- Javier Bardem for No Country For Old Men
Best Supporting Actress- Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone (Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton)
Best Original Screenplay- Diablo Cody for Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay- Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men
Best Animated Feature- Ratatouille
Best Foreign Language Film- Die Falscher from Austria
Best Documentary Feature- Sicko (Taxi to the Dark Side)
Best Documentary Short- Salim Baba (Freeheld)
Best Short Film Animated-Peter and the Wolf
Best Short Film Live-Action- The Mozart of Pickpockets
Best Cinematography- The Assassination of Jesse James... (There Will Be Blood)
Best Editing- No Country For Old Menm (The Bourne Ultimatum)
Best Art Direction- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Costume Design- Across The Universe (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Best Make-Up- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (La Vie en Rose)
Best Original Score- 3:10 to Yuma (Atonement)
Best Original Song- "Falling Slowly" from Once
Best Sound Mixing- Transformers (The Bourne Ultimatum)
Best Sound Editing- Transformers (The Bourne Ultimatum)
Best Visual Effects- Transformers (The Golden Compass)


Peace out fanns!

-Brodie Mann