Photo courtesy of Henryblogs.
After a year of hits, misses, and scandals the 81st Annual Academy Awards are finally upon us. Below I will give my picks for the "Big Five" categories (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture) as well as my picks for the actors, actresses, and films that should have been nominated. Remember to go here for the official nominee listings.
Best Supporting Actress:
Nominees: Amy Adams, “Doubt”; Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”; Viola Davis, “Doubt”; Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
My Pick: While I thoroughly enjoyed Amy Adam's and Marisa Tomei's performances, I really think that the true gem of this category is Penelope Cruz. Her raw emotion and linguistic flexibility really gave her the advantage here.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Debra Winger from "Rachel Getting Married." I honestly don't know why Winger's portrayal of the uninterested and cruelly irresponsible mother was passed over by the academy. I guess she just was "edgy" enough.
Best Actress:
Nominees: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”; Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”; Meryl Streep, “Doubt”; Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
My Pick: Kate Winslet is definitely the outlier in this category. Her performance as the illiterate ex-Schutzstaffel was excellent and very well recieved by the academy.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Michelle Williams from "Wendy and Lucy." While I found the overall film to be lackluster, Williams still gave a heartfelt performance that at least warranted a nod from the academy.
Best Supporting Actor:
Nominees: Josh Brolin, “Milk”; Robert Downey, Jr., “Tropic Thunder”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”; Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”; Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”
My Pick: Heath Ledger. Say what you will about Ledger's death and acting history, he still played an amazing Joker and deserves the award.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Javier Bardem from "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Sure he won the award for this category last year after his chilling performance in No Country for Old Men, but that shouldn't count against his nomination this year.
Best Actor:
Nominees: Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
My Pick: My vote goes to Rourke on this one. His sorrowful portrayal of the "out of his time" professional wrestler was genuine and emotionally driven. It also didn't hurt that he kind of looks like a beaten up old wrestler. It will be interesting to see what happens here, though, because Sean Penn's performance as the openly gay Harvey Milk has been widely acclaimed by the critics. I have to wonder how much of that hinges on the context of the film though.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Clint Eastwood from "Gran Torino." I have yet to understand why Gran Torino was so completely and utterly snubbed by the academy this year, but I do know that Eastwood definietly deserved a nomination. For shame academy. For shame.
Best Picture:After a year of hits, misses, and scandals the 81st Annual Academy Awards are finally upon us. Below I will give my picks for the "Big Five" categories (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture) as well as my picks for the actors, actresses, and films that should have been nominated. Remember to go here for the official nominee listings.
Best Supporting Actress:
Nominees: Amy Adams, “Doubt”; Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”; Viola Davis, “Doubt”; Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
My Pick: While I thoroughly enjoyed Amy Adam's and Marisa Tomei's performances, I really think that the true gem of this category is Penelope Cruz. Her raw emotion and linguistic flexibility really gave her the advantage here.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Debra Winger from "Rachel Getting Married." I honestly don't know why Winger's portrayal of the uninterested and cruelly irresponsible mother was passed over by the academy. I guess she just was "edgy" enough.
Best Actress:
Nominees: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”; Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”; Meryl Streep, “Doubt”; Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
My Pick: Kate Winslet is definitely the outlier in this category. Her performance as the illiterate ex-Schutzstaffel was excellent and very well recieved by the academy.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Michelle Williams from "Wendy and Lucy." While I found the overall film to be lackluster, Williams still gave a heartfelt performance that at least warranted a nod from the academy.
Best Supporting Actor:
Nominees: Josh Brolin, “Milk”; Robert Downey, Jr., “Tropic Thunder”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”; Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”; Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”
My Pick: Heath Ledger. Say what you will about Ledger's death and acting history, he still played an amazing Joker and deserves the award.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Javier Bardem from "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Sure he won the award for this category last year after his chilling performance in No Country for Old Men, but that shouldn't count against his nomination this year.
Best Actor:
Nominees: Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
My Pick: My vote goes to Rourke on this one. His sorrowful portrayal of the "out of his time" professional wrestler was genuine and emotionally driven. It also didn't hurt that he kind of looks like a beaten up old wrestler. It will be interesting to see what happens here, though, because Sean Penn's performance as the openly gay Harvey Milk has been widely acclaimed by the critics. I have to wonder how much of that hinges on the context of the film though.
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Clint Eastwood from "Gran Torino." I have yet to understand why Gran Torino was so completely and utterly snubbed by the academy this year, but I do know that Eastwood definietly deserved a nomination. For shame academy. For shame.
Nominees: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire”
My Pick: Slumdog Millionaire has this one in the bag. This film has been widely adored and it has every other major award to prove it. It is finally time to complete the collection.
What Should Have Been Nominated: "Gran Torino." Like I said before, Clint Eastwood's film has been majorly snubbed in all respects by the academy (it did not recieve a single nomination) and it is a shame to see such a great picture, and actor, treated this way.
So that's it. All that is left is to tune in to ABC tonight at 5PT/8ET. I'll see you all there.
No comments:
Post a Comment