Prediction: Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Preference: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, and Pete Docter, WALL·E
Best Adapted Screenplay: The buzz train of Slumdog Millionaire will be unstoppable here and it deserves it for the amount of gritty detail of the Indian slums that it ties to the multitude of story threads as in a Dickensian fable and finally a very satisfying, classical Hollywood-styled entertainment (even though it is penned and directed by Brits). I only hope that the Academy does not consider the outside possibility of giving The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a consolation prize here, although more people seem to realize how hollow and unambitious the screenplay is. Also, that fake YouTube trailer showing side-by-side comparisons (read: rip-offs) between Forrest Gump and this movie (both written by Eric Roth) cannot help matters. If Roth ends up on the Oscar podium, he will have to put his feet to the flame for this in his speech. But he almost certainly will not be up there and he should not be ahead of Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire this year.
Prediction: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Preference: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Feature: Well, the Annie Awards threw a real whopper in late January when they shut out WALL·E completely and embraced Kung Fu Panda instead. Maybe they thought that Dreamworks does not frequently make very good animated features and decided to give it to them when one came along. But I am pretty certain the Academy will not make the same mistake of overlooking the superior WALL·E, particularly since it has other significant nominations to boot, including screenplay, and was also speculated as a potential Best Picture contender. If any other movie gets up there, there might actually be some puzzled, head-scratching looks in the audience.
Prediction: WALL·E
Preference: WALL·E
Predictions in the remaining categories:
- Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
- Best Costume Design: The Duchess
- Best Film Editing: The Dark Knight
- Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
- Best Original Song: “Down to Earth,” WALL·E (I may be off in predicting this over “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire but I have a sneaky feeling that the composer, Thomas Newman may get his long due here like his cousin, Randy Newman since A.R. Rahman will likely win Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire).
- Best Sound: Slumdog Millionaire
- Best Sound Editing: WALL·E
- Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire
- Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir
![The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lR-IXa8wL._SL120_.jpg)
![Frost/Nixon [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M9MZS0sgL._SL120_.jpg)
![The Reader [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Nca8H1tNL._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - handyguy
Milk a conventional biopic?? Too lionizing of its subject? I think you saw a different movie than I. Harvey Milk's political machinations [not always pretty] and his questionable taste [in at least one case] in boyfriends provide a fair amount of the movie's plot.
Both Milk [Gus Van Sant] and Benjamin Button [David Fincher] are brilliantly and innovatively directed by two of the best filmmakers now working.
Slumdog is entertaining, and also extremely well directed, but it's a bit predictable and manipulative and superficial, eh? I agree it's likely to win, but then, so did Crash and A Beautiful Mind and other movies that were far from their years' best.
2 - Jordan Richardson
I didn't like Benjamin Button at all, but I'm pretty sure it'll scoop the top prize. The BAFTA's aren't all that good of an indication, as Atonement was the big winner there last year.
I do like Slumdog Millionaire quite a bit and prefer it to any of the nominees. Frost/Nixon would be my second choice.
Agree on Melissa Leo as Best Actress, she was incredible and that whole film was excellent. I would rather have seen Winslet get nominated for Revolutionary Road. Surprised at the Jolie nomination, really, and annoyed that Sally Hawkins wasn't nominated.
Also hoping for a Mickey Rourke Oscar win. Actually, I'm pretty much hoping for anyone but Brad Pitt. I have a sneaking suspicion that Pitt will win it, though.
ALL of the Best Supporting Actor nominees were great this year. No way Ledger doesn't win, though. Best Supporting Actresses were all also excellent, but I'd like to see Penelope Cruz pull this one off. It's a longshot, but I think she was superb.
Best animated flick is WALL-E even though Kung-Fu Panda was also excellent.
Best director should go to Danny Boyle, although I'd rather have seen nominations for Mike Leigh, Sam Mendes, Darren Aronofsky, Tomas Alfredson, Werner Herzog, and Woody Allen (I know, I know...I live in a dream world).
Best documentary (and one of the absolute BEST films of the year) is Herzog's Encounters at the End of the World. Best foreign language film will probably be Waltz with Bashir, although the best movie of 2008, Let the Right One In, should have been nominated. To me, that's the biggest oversight at this year's Oscars.
Adapted screenplay should go to Doubt, while original screenplay should go to Happy-Go-Lucky.
3 - John
I agree with you that "Let the Right One In" was one of the best films last year but unfortunately it was not the official submission from Sweden to the Best Foreign Language Film category (as per policy, there is only one allowed for submission and it was "Everlasting Moments," which did not end up getting nominated). I would have liked to see the movie at least get recognized for Best Adapted Screenplay (and it is better than any of the actual nominees in the category) but the Academy did not have enough reach for that.
4 - Jordan Richardson
Ah, I knew there had to be a reason. Thanks for clearing that up, John!