2009 Oscar Winners - Who Will They Be?

When everything seems so predictable, do you trust the Academy enough to go along with the crowd? I don't know. I really don't know. In one week, I expect upsets, however, the question is: "where?" I could've played it all safe, but I feel that I'd lose out and kick myself later. I'm going out on a limb in some cases here. I'm very stressed out.

Take note: I will announce who I think is going to win and who I want to win - not to be confused with who deserves it most or who was my favorite.


BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

WHO WILL WIN? Slumdog Millionaire
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? The Reader
WHO WON? SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

WHO WILL WIN? Sean Penn
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Richard Jenkins
WHO WON? SEAN PENN


BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader

WHO WILL WIN? Kate Winslet
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Kate Winslet
WHO WON? KATE WINSLET


BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger -The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

WHO WILL WIN? Heath Ledger
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Robert Downey, Jr.
WHO WON? HEATH LEDGER


BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P Henson - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

WHO WILL WIN? Penelope Cruz
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Amy Adams
WHO WON? PENELOPE CRUZ


BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

WHO WILL WIN? Stephen Daldry
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Stephen Daldry
WHO WON? DANNY BOYLE


BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

WHO WILL WIN? Waltz With Bashir
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? The Class
WHO WON? DEPARTURES


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button;
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
David Hare - The Reader
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

WHO WILL WIN? Simon Beaufoy
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? John Patrick Shanley
WHO WON? SIMON BEAUFOY


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter - WALL-E

WHO WILL WIN? Dustin Lance Black
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Martin McDonagh
WHO WON? DUSTIN LANCE BLACK


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

WHO WILL WIN? WALL-E
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? WALL-E
WHO WON? WALL-E


BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

WHO WILL WIN? The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Revolutionary Road
WHO WON? THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

WHO WILL WIN? Slumdog Millionaire
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WHO WON? SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

WHO WILL WIN? The Dark Knight
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Wanted
WHO WON? SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

WHO WILL WIN? WALL-E
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Iron Man
WHO WON? THE DARK KNIGHT


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
Defiance - James Newton Howard
Milk - Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman
WALL-E - Thomas Newman

WHO WILL WIN? AR Rahman
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? AR Rahman
WHO WON? AR RAHMAN


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Down To Earth from WALL-E - Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman and Gulzar
O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

WHO WILL WIN? Jai Ho
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? O Saya
WHO WON? JAI HO


BEST COSTUME
Australia
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

WHO WILL WIN? The Duchess
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? The Duchess
WHO WON? THE DUCHESS


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters At The End Of The World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

WHO WILL WIN? Man on Wire
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Man on Wire
WHO WON? MAN ON WIRE


BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness - From The Balcony Of Room 306

WHO WILL WIN? The Witness
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Smile Pinki
WHO WON? SMILE PINKI


BEST FILM EDITING
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

WHO WILL WIN? Slumdog Millionaire
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Milk
WHO WON? SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


BEST MAKE-UP
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

WHO WILL WIN? The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WHO WON? THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON


BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

WHO WILL WIN? Presto
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Lavatory - Lovestory
WHO WON? LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES


BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Auf Der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon On The Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

WHO WILL WIN? Toyland
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? The Pig
WHO WON? TOYLAND


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

WHO WILL WIN? The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WHO DO I WANT TO WIN? Iron Man
WHO WON? THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON


Dane's Total = 18/24 = 75%
Jennie's Total = 19/24 = 79% <--- WINNER

The Films & Grades of 2008

Before I go ahead with my list of films and grades of 2008, I want to acknowledge Keira Knightley for her excellent performance in "The Duchess." If I could redo my Best Actress list, she would be #7, after Michelle Williams, knocking out Cate Blanchett.

Like I said before, I think 2008 was one of the best years on cinema of my life (c. 1985) and so, I tried to be harsh for the first 11 months, but I saw so many amazing movies in December and January that I can't help but give away A's like candy. Anyways, here are all the movies I've seen of '08 according to grade and in alphabetical order from there on out.


A+

Doubt
Let the Right One In
Slumdog Millionaire


A

The Dark Knight
Man on Wire
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
WALL-E
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler


A-

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Iron Man
The Reader
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Visitor


B+

The Counterfeiters
The Duchess
Funny Games
Paranoid Park
Pineapple Express
Revolutionary Road
Snow Angels
Transsiberian
The Wackness


B

Appaloosa
Australia
Changeling
The Fall
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Hamlet
Stop-Loss
Tropic Thunder
Zack and Miri Make a Porno


B-

Burn After Reading
Eagle Eye
Frost/Nixon
Get Smart
Hancock
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Strangers


C+

Bolt
Marley & Me
Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist
Quantum of Solace
The Ruins
Smart People
Wanted


C

The Happening
The Incredible Hulk
Mamma Mia!
The Other Boleyn Girl
Saw V
Untraceable


C-

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Step Brothers


D+

Role Models
The Tracey Fragments


D

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian


D-

The Love Guru
Yes Man


F

Speed Racer