You Can Take the Slumdog Out the Slums...

Photo thanks to cbc.ca

But you better give him an Oscar for the trouble. Eight Oscars to be exact. Yes, Slumdog millionaire won an Oscar for almost every category it was nominated in (though I think Best Song was unfair because it got nominated twice there and "Down to Earth" from Wall-e was amazing).

Overall, I really liked Hugh Jackman's Oscar setup this year. It was definitely a lot more intimate, with previous Best Actor, Actress, etc. winners coming out to introduce each nominee, but it still had a few big performances. The only problem I had with the show was that they didn't show a clip of the roles the Best Actor, Actress, etc. nominees were nominated for. I think that really took away from the gravity of their nominations. It was kind of like they decided to say "I hope you saw the movie" to all of the viewers.

So yeah, the Oscars are done (I went four out of five on my predictions even though I still think that Mickey Rourke deserved Best Actor) and we can all go back to watching films just because we want to and not because of all the buzz. Right?

Tonight's the Night

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:

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.

And The Nominees Are...

It's that time of year again. The nominations for the Oscars were released just last week and it the competition is as stiff as ever this year. I have seen quite a few of the nominated films already, and I am trying to see as many more as I can before the February 22nd event. Anyways, I hope everyone gets the chance to see some of the films up for awards and I hope that you tune in for the show!

The link for the full list of nominations can be found here. I would list them myself, but the official list is just so nice.

1/27/2009: I found another list for the OFTA (Online Film & Television Association) with a side bar of the tallied number of nominations for each film. Notice how Let The Right One In (which I reviewed late last year and gave it well deserved praise) is up for two categories!