Can Wolverine save the Oscars? It seems a rather odd request for an X-Man, but after mixing it up with a variety of comedic hosts (Letterman, Martin, Stewart) and being met with increasingly dwindling ratings, the awards show will need a superhero to rescue it this year. The question is: Is Hugh Jackman’s plan of hosting a “more intimate” Oscar ceremony what is needed?
First, there is not really a blockbuster of the bunch (Benjamin Button is the highest grosser, but it's hard to find someone who really loved the film).
Second, the nation's largest economic recession in decades hardly feels like a time to celebrate the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. ("Hmmm... can I feed my children and myself tomorr...oooh, is she wearing Versaci?")
Third, no disrespect to Jackman, but how intimate can a bloated, three-plus hour extravaganza soaking in Hollywood excess be?
He has a Herculean task tomorrow, and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science president Sid Ganis’s proclamation of a “truly different” ceremony does little to allay fears (Rob Lowe dancing with Snow White was certainly “different”). As done in the past, I will break the main categories in what will win and what should win.
BEST PICTURE
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
What will win: Slumdog has been on a roll, and it's the plucky underdog story that seems to dominate the awards of late (see the entirely overrated Juno and the sweet-but-marginal Little Miss Sunshine).
What should win: Honestly, none of these choices are truly worthy of being called the best film of the year, but for sheer visionary achievement, Benjamin Button is deserving for its epic sweep, seamless CGI, and thematic heft.
BEST ACTRESS
- Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
- Angelina Jolie, Changeling
- Melissa Leo, Frozen River
- Meryl Streep, Doubt
- Kate Winslet, The Reader
Who will win: Winslet's Golden Globe win ups her chances for Oscar glory, and her winless streak combined with two strong 2008 performances should increase her chances here.
![Slumdog Millionaire [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51s6y0y84tL._SL120_.jpg)
![Frozen River [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nw7C0Z55L._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - No Longer Silent
Milk is the most important cultural happening outside of the Obama Presidency this year.
How can you deny the impact this will have on this nation? This is the end of the right-wing rule over our lives!
2 - El Bicho
"Winslet's Golden Globe win ups her chances for Oscar glory"
I don't understand your reasoning here. The SAG award went to Meryl Streep and the acting body is the biggest wing in the Academy. Many of the members crossover, so I don't see how a Golden Globe decided by foreign journalists matters.
3 - Rob
Here you go, Bicho. From that rag called the UK Independent:
"Strangely enough, the Globes are a slightly more reliable indicator of who will be the Oscars' best actress than they are for the best actor. The Globes have largely matched the Oscars in the actress category for yonks - as far back as 1944, when Jennifer Jones won both for The Song of Bernadette, through to 1972, when Jane Fonda reaped both for Klute. In the last five years, there has been only one mismatch, when Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom) and Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge) won Globes, but Halle Berry took the Oscar for Monster's Ball."
Enjoy the show...
4 - handyguy
Different nominations at the SAG awards: Winslet won for The Reader in the supporting category, and was nominated for Revolutionary Road in the lead. [And don't forget last year's results: Julie Christie won the SAG, and Marion Cotillard got the Oscar.]
I love Kate in general, but I'd prefer to see Anne Hathaway be recognized. Rachel Getting Married is very good, and she is phenomenal in it. Melissa Leo will probably win the Independent Spirit award the night before the Oscars.
5 - suvro
Hi,
My vote for the best movie goes to Slumdog.Awesome movie with magnificient music and backgound score.I have seen the movie several times.