By: Mark Ziemer, Matt Braddick and Gray Chapman
The winners of the 81st Academy Awards will be announced this Sunday, live on ABC at 8 p.m., and the film world is abuzz with excitement over the annual tradition. To celebrate, a few of our staff had these predictions to offer for the coming night. Got some predictions of your own? Leave us a comment!
Mark’s Picks:
Best Picture: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Slumdog Millionaire” is the movie I want to win; an engaging, excellent story. Atlantic Station has it for a few weeks, so you can still go see it if you haven’t. But “Benjamin Button” is the kind of movie the Academy loves: long, epic films with big-time stars. Plus, it got the most nominations, which means it’s loved.
Best Director: Danny Boyle for “Slumdog Millionaire”
This movie has the Golden Globe momentum and has to win something. They could do worse with Best Director.
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler”
I haven’t seen “The Wrestler,” but everyone I know who has loves it. The Oscars love a comeback story. If not him, than Frank Langella should win for his well-acted turn as Richard Nixon.
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway for “Rachel Getting Married”
I haven’t seen any of these movies, so I’m choosing Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married,” the movie whose plot isn’t completely boring.
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight”
It’s a battle of the method actors here, with Heath Ledger versus Robert Downey Jr. Ledger is all but destined to take this, though. His crazy (awesome) portrayal of the Joker made the three-hour “Dark Knight” endurable through even the slow parts.
Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. Henson for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Again, haven’t seen any of these movies, though I really wanted to see “Benjamin Button,” so that decision is made for me.
Bonus Round:
Best Original Screenplay: “WALL-E”
Yeah, we all know it’s going to win Best Animated Feature, but how good would it feel to see this Pixar gem (the best sci-fi film in a long while) beat such Oscar fare as “Milk” and “Happy-Go-Lucky”?
Matt’s Picks:
Best Picture: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Look out for “Milk” as a dark horse, in case votes are split between “Button” and “Slumdog.”
Best Director: David Fincher for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Since 1980, in 21 out of the 27 years, the Best Picture and Best Director awards went to the same film. Some things never change.
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler”
In 2003, Sean Penn won an Oscar going up against Bill Murray, who like Rourke played in a role that was pretty much written specifically and only for him. It’s entirely possible for Penn to repeat this scenario, but Rourke is a lost sheep who has returned home, and the Academy eats that stuff up.
Best Actress: Kate Winslet for “The Reader”
At first I was sure Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”) would win, however I discovered Winslet is a six-time nominee, with no wins in the actress categories. The Academy will rectify this ghastly mistake on Sunday.
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight”
Two reason why he wins: A.) A large majority of the American populace would rise up and overthrow the Academy if they gave it to someone else. B.) Giving away only the second posthumous win in history is the Academy’s way of saying sorry for not nominating “The Dark Knight” for Best Picture.
Best Supporting Actress: Taraii P. Henson for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Though Viola Davis (“Doubt”) is far more deserving in my eyes, Henson will take this home, as the amount of time she is on screen and the role that she plays is so pivotal to the film as a whole. Also, it’s not often that a film wins Best Picture and doesn’t have at least one win in the acting categories.
Bonus Round:
Best Cinematography: “The Dark Knight”
Shooting in two formats, 35 mm and IMAX, was a tremendous gamble that the public might not fully appreciate. The decision may turn out to be revolutionary for the industry.
Gray’s Picks
Best Picture: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
There’s little doubt in my mind that this haunting tale is this year’s best film. Every aspect of the film was superb, and an Oscar would be well-deserved, but I would really like to see “Milk” win too.
Best Director: Gus Van Sant for “Milk”
Gus Van Sant did an outstanding job delivering real emotions (and more) to the audiences. Though I didn’t have the first clue about gay rights history, Van Sant’s directing drew me in.
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke for “The Wrestler”
After seeing this, I couldn’t imagine any other possible actor in the role of Randy “The Ram” Robinson.
Best Actress: Meryl Streep for “Doubt”
Though in my mind, Meryl Streep can do no wrong, this particular role was a dead ringer for an Oscar win. Streep makes you shake in your little Catholic school oxfords without recycling any of her previous terrifying characters (i.e. “The Manchurian Candidate,” “ The Devil Wears Prada”).
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight”
Yes, Ledger will win and yes he deserves it. While it may sound like bandwagon-hopping, Ledger’s performance was so bone-chilling, so raw and so freaking scary, an Oscar is surely deserved.
Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Henson’s performance hit the nail on the head. Easily the strongest of the nominees, with her perfect ‘Naw-lins’ accent and sassy tough-as-nails attitude.
Bonus Round:
Best Documentary Feature: “Man on Wire”
I fell in love with the spritely, pixie-like Phillipe Petit and his high-wire antics. Petit danced on a high-wire above the streets of New York City between the World Trade Center towers in 1974 and this documentary covers the whole event. The story is even better set to the musical score of composer Michael Nyman.