Early Oscar Predictions: Nominees and Winners for the 85th Academy Awards

So here are my early predictions for next year's Oscar race. I'd like to see Moonrise Kingdom, but I think it will get by on a Best Original Screenplay nod.

BEST PICTURE

ANNA KARENINA

BRAVE

DJANGO UNCHAINED

THE GREAT GATSBY

THE HOBBIT

LES MISERABLES

LIFE OF PI

LINCOLN

THE MASTER (Winner)

THE SURROGATE

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson for THE MASTER (Winner)

Tom Hooper for LES MISERABLES

Baz Lurhman for THE GREAT GATSBY

Steven Spielberg for LINCOLN

Quentin Tarantino for DJANGO UNCHAINED

BEST ACTOR

Daniel Day-Lewis in LINCOLN

Leonardo DiCaprio in THE GREAT GATSBY

John Hawkes in THE SURROGATE (Winner)

Philip Seymour Hoffman in THE MASTER

Hugh Jackman in LES MISERABLES

BEST ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard in LOWLIFE

Helen Hunt in THE SURROGATE (Winner)

Keira Knightley in ANNA KARENINA

Carey Mulligan in THE GREAT GATSBY

Andrea Riseborough in SHADOW DANCER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Russell Crowe in LES MISERABLES

Leonardo DiCaprio in DJANGO UNCHAINED (Winner)

William H. Macy in THE SURROGATE

Joaquin Phoenix in THE MASTER

Aaron Tveit in LES MISERABLES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams in THE MASTER (Winner)

Samantha Barks in LES MISERABLES

Annette Bening in IMOGENE

Sally Field in LINCOLN

Anne Hathaway in LES MISERABLES

Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actor

Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actor

Honestly, I am just happy enough with my list of 10 men. Unlike the women of '08, the guys proved to show high caliber but less quantity - save a few. My list of ten actors was insanely weak until December rolled around.

In the list, most of the guys are newcomers to top ten-class acting - at least to my 23 year-old eye. Colin Farrell surprised many with his dark, comedic turn in "In Bruges". He's lovable, pitiful, and insanely irritating - also known as brilliance. I'm glad he gained recognition and a Golden Globe for his performance. Though I kind of despise "Frost/Nixon" for many reasons, I love it for Frank Langhella's sacrosanct work as Richard Nixon. His voice, his hair, his gestures, his attitude all make the movie great - I hate saying that. In "The Reader," newcomer David Kross had to learn English, turn 18, and shoot explicit nude scenes with the goddess that is Kate Winslet. Though he was surely terrified, Kross perfected his character's voice and tone, keeping every flinch and word close to the novel. His scene when he realizes his lover is being tried is heart-wrenching and stunning to unravel. Mickey Rourke, as you may have heard, has this think known as a come-back in "The Wrestler." Though I've never seen him in anything other than "Sin City," Rourke serves muscle and heart in the sinisterly real drama. Playing a passively introvertent professor who turns into a bongo-banging illegal immigrant ally, Richrad Jenkins conveys the most level-headed performance of the year in "The Visitor." He's true and compassionate, showing the true meaning of a 180 degree transition. Also, in "The Wackness," Ben Kingsley dishes out a role I would've never cast him as - a pot-smoking, depressed psychologist. Never sticking out in my mind before, Kinglsey gave one of the funniest roles of the year.

Two men appearing once in my Supporting Actor list and here are Brad Pitt for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Robert Downey, Jr. for "Iron Man." In one of his best performances to date, Pitt strives to capture a man's entire life, only it's all to be done backwards. A shapeshifting role, the man shows that he's not just some guy in the tabloids. Downey, Jr., beneath Tina Fey, had the most incredible year. He struck stars with critics for "Iron Man," playing the dangerously narcissistic Tony Stark, then a couple months later gained instant Oscar buzz for "Tropic Thunder." The man deserves a pat on the back! In the superhero phenonmenon, he translates a new version of the genre, regrouping the shambles "Spiderman 3" and the X-Men trilogy left us in. "The Dark Knight" didn't hurt either.

Then, we have two of my favorite contemporary actors. Leonardo DiCaprio goes head-to-head with Winslet in "Revolutionary Road." Winslet stuck out more for me, but DiCaprio shouldn't be forgotten. He provided the realism sided with hope, while Kate's character just wanted to escape everything. I would've enjoyed this role more if "Mad Men" didn't exist - too many similarities. Finally, Sean Penn will recruit you as Harvey Milk. In Van Sant's terrifically spliced "Milk," Penn becomes the title role. Forgetting who Sean Penn is or was, you become captivated with the character and purely want him to live freely. One of the best performances of the decade.

Conclusively, the final list of 2008's Top 10 Performances by a Leading Male are:

10. Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark in IRON MAN

9. Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Wheeler in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

8. Ben Kingsely as Dr. Squires in THE WACKNESS

7. Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

6. David Kross as Michael Berg in THE READER

5. Colin Farrell as Ray in IN BRUGES

4. Frank Langhella as Richard Nixon in FROST/NIXON

3. Richard Jenkins as Professor Walter Vale in THE VISITOR

2. Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in THE WRESTLER

1. Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in MILK

Oscar Predictions 2008 - November vs. March

Taking a hiatus on my Top 100 (too much work for a teacher), here's an update on Oscar happenings:

Best Picture
March:
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Revolutionary Road
The Road

November:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road

My List So Far:
The Dark Knight
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
WALL-E


Best Actor
March:
Benicio Del Toro - Che
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
Jamie Foxx - The Soloist
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Synecdoche, New York
Sean Penn - Milk

November:
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

My List So Far:
Christian Bale - The Dark Knight
Javier Bardem - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Robert Downey, Jr. - Iron Man
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
Ed Harris - Appaloosa


Best Actress
March:
Angelina Jolie - The Changling
Nicole Kidman - Australia
Julianne Moore - Blindness
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

November:
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

My List So Far:
Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Scarlett Johansson - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Naomi Watts - Funny Games


Best Supporting Actor
March:
Josh Brolin - Milk
Ralph Finnes - The Reader
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
John Malkovich - Burn After Reading
Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon

November:
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
James Franco - Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

My List So Far:
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Jason Butler Harner - Changeling
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Viggo Mortensen - Appaloosa
Michael Pitt - Funny Games


Best Supporting Actress
March:
Amy Adams - Doubt
Kathy Bates - Revolutionary Road
Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Amy Ryan - The Changeling
Kate Winslet - The Reader

November:
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 List So Far:
Abbie Cornish - Stop-Loss
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Ari Graynor - Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist
Clemence Poesy - In Bruges
Amy Ryan - Changeling