Match the actors with the roles that won them their Oscars:
1. Denzel Washington
2. Morgan Freeman
3. Jennifer Connelly
4. Frances McDormand
5. Audrey Hepburn
a. Alicia Nash
b. Alonzo
c. Ann
d. Marge Gunderson
e. Eddie Dupris
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Best Supporting Actress
"Two-time Oscar-winner Marissa Tomei."
That has a nice ring to it.
Yes, I'm picking Marisa Tomei to win another Oscar for Supporting Actress - and she'll win for the same reasons that earned her her first statuette. In the Supporting Actress category, I always look for the lead actress with supporting screen time. She was nearly the only woman on screen in My Cousin Vinny, technically making her the lead actress. Same goes for Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind and Kim Bassinger in L.A. Confidential, just to name a few.
This year, Amy Adams was overshadowed by Meryl Streep in Doubt and Viola Davis only had the one scene in that same movie. Taraji P. Henson is second in Benjamin Button to Cate Blanchett and Penelope Cruz is dynamic, but shares the screen with a whole cast of women. Marissa Tomei, on the other hand, is the female lead in The Wrestler. Her performance may not have the same intensity as Davis's or Henson's, but she shows a raw, gritty vulnerability. If Kate Winslet had been nominated here instead of Lead Actress, I would have picked her, but it's all to Tomei's advantage. Hopefully this will quiet those who felt her first Oscar was a mistake.
That has a nice ring to it.
Yes, I'm picking Marisa Tomei to win another Oscar for Supporting Actress - and she'll win for the same reasons that earned her her first statuette. In the Supporting Actress category, I always look for the lead actress with supporting screen time. She was nearly the only woman on screen in My Cousin Vinny, technically making her the lead actress. Same goes for Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind and Kim Bassinger in L.A. Confidential, just to name a few.
This year, Amy Adams was overshadowed by Meryl Streep in Doubt and Viola Davis only had the one scene in that same movie. Taraji P. Henson is second in Benjamin Button to Cate Blanchett and Penelope Cruz is dynamic, but shares the screen with a whole cast of women. Marissa Tomei, on the other hand, is the female lead in The Wrestler. Her performance may not have the same intensity as Davis's or Henson's, but she shows a raw, gritty vulnerability. If Kate Winslet had been nominated here instead of Lead Actress, I would have picked her, but it's all to Tomei's advantage. Hopefully this will quiet those who felt her first Oscar was a mistake.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Technical Awards
The safe bet with the two Sound categories is to give them to the same film. Sound engineers do the nominating, but it's mostly actors (who don't necessarily know the difference between the two awards) who do the voting, so they usually pick the same film twice. For the record, "Sound Editing" involves just the effects, while "Sound Mixing" awards the total blend of music, effects, and dialogue. This year, there are four films that overlap in these categories, so we can eliminate Iron Man from Sound Editing and Benjamin Button from Sound Mixing. That leaves The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, WALL-E, and Wanted.
The other thing to keep in mind here is that while the Academy loves to honor prestige films, this is the place where big loud blockbusters get rewarded. If they have the opportunity to award a big loud blockbuster with prestige and critical acclaim behind it, all the better. That's how The Bourne Ultimatum and The Matrix won their Oscars. This year, the film that fits that bill is The Dark Knight - the highest grossing movie of the year, critically acclaimed, thought-provoking, good acting, and lots of noisy action.
As for Visual Effects, voters usually look for a film where the effects aren't there for their own sake, but are integrated into the storytelling in a meaningful way. In this case, I think that Benjamin Button's more subtle, character-transforming use of computer elements will trump the flashiness of Iron Man and The Dark Knight, which had more traditional action-film effects.
In the Film Editing category, voters have the option of awarding the stolid workmanship and good storytelling of dramas, (Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Milk) or flashier high-energy films (Slumdog and The Dark Knight). Guess which ones usually win? While it's possible that The Dark Knight could approach a sweep in the technical categories (like The Matrix did in '99) or that Benjamin Button could pick one up on its road to a sweep, I'm going to pick Slumdog Millionaire. It straddles the best of both worlds: fast-paced action and suspense that expertly cuts between time periods while including dramatic moments with breathtaking transitions. And it has dance numbers. Shiny, happy dance numbers.
The other thing to keep in mind here is that while the Academy loves to honor prestige films, this is the place where big loud blockbusters get rewarded. If they have the opportunity to award a big loud blockbuster with prestige and critical acclaim behind it, all the better. That's how The Bourne Ultimatum and The Matrix won their Oscars. This year, the film that fits that bill is The Dark Knight - the highest grossing movie of the year, critically acclaimed, thought-provoking, good acting, and lots of noisy action.
As for Visual Effects, voters usually look for a film where the effects aren't there for their own sake, but are integrated into the storytelling in a meaningful way. In this case, I think that Benjamin Button's more subtle, character-transforming use of computer elements will trump the flashiness of Iron Man and The Dark Knight, which had more traditional action-film effects.
In the Film Editing category, voters have the option of awarding the stolid workmanship and good storytelling of dramas, (Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Milk) or flashier high-energy films (Slumdog and The Dark Knight). Guess which ones usually win? While it's possible that The Dark Knight could approach a sweep in the technical categories (like The Matrix did in '99) or that Benjamin Button could pick one up on its road to a sweep, I'm going to pick Slumdog Millionaire. It straddles the best of both worlds: fast-paced action and suspense that expertly cuts between time periods while including dramatic moments with breathtaking transitions. And it has dance numbers. Shiny, happy dance numbers.
Nominations
It has begun! Another Oscar season has kicked off and it looks like there will be a good mix of runaway favorites and neck-and-neck races.
Benjamin Button got the most nominations (13) with Slumdog Millionaire close behind with 10 (two of which are for Best Song). The big shocker was that Revolutionary Road, which was expected to make a big showing, ended up under-represented with only three nominations - none of them for lead acting, directing, writing, or picture. Instead, surprisingly, The Reader made a surprise showing, not only for Kate Winslet (up for Lead Actress, tdespite her campaigning in the Supporting category) but for Picture and Director, among others. Lots of people were rooting for The Dark Knight, which collected an impressive eight nominations, mostly in artistic and technical categories.
Two little independent films snuck in the door: the immigration drama Frozen River (up for two including Best Actress for Melissa Leo) and the excellent film The Visitor, which earned Richard Jenkins a nod for Best Actor.
As for the breakaways, Best Actor looks like Mickey Rourke's game to loose and Heath Ledger is poised to earn the second-ever posthumous acting Oscar. WALL-E is a shoo-in for Animated Feature, and Israel's Waltz With Bashir is poised to walk away with Foreign Language Film.
Benjamin Button got the most nominations (13) with Slumdog Millionaire close behind with 10 (two of which are for Best Song). The big shocker was that Revolutionary Road, which was expected to make a big showing, ended up under-represented with only three nominations - none of them for lead acting, directing, writing, or picture. Instead, surprisingly, The Reader made a surprise showing, not only for Kate Winslet (up for Lead Actress, tdespite her campaigning in the Supporting category) but for Picture and Director, among others. Lots of people were rooting for The Dark Knight, which collected an impressive eight nominations, mostly in artistic and technical categories.
Two little independent films snuck in the door: the immigration drama Frozen River (up for two including Best Actress for Melissa Leo) and the excellent film The Visitor, which earned Richard Jenkins a nod for Best Actor.
As for the breakaways, Best Actor looks like Mickey Rourke's game to loose and Heath Ledger is poised to earn the second-ever posthumous acting Oscar. WALL-E is a shoo-in for Animated Feature, and Israel's Waltz With Bashir is poised to walk away with Foreign Language Film.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Oscarwatch 2008
After nominations are announced on the morning of January 22, I'll be dedicating this blog to the Academy Awards!
I hope you'll come back throughout Oscar season to read my reviews and predictions and to test your Oscar knowledge with my Big Oscar Quiz. Please feel free to leave comments. Happy Oscar Season!
I hope you'll come back throughout Oscar season to read my reviews and predictions and to test your Oscar knowledge with my Big Oscar Quiz. Please feel free to leave comments. Happy Oscar Season!
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