We Need the Eggs

UPDATE: Glad to see that my preferences won in the actress categories and that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won for “Once,” my favorite film of the year.

It’s Oscar time! Luckily the WGA-strike has ended and we get a real Academy Awards ceremony. After the pitiful and painful Golden Globe Awards “press briefing” I find myself looking forward to a longer show. This has been such a strong year for film and I feel that the awards will certainly be well deserved ones.

Now, my annual predictions and preferences. (Note: I still have have yet to see The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, I’m Not There, and The Savages)

BEST PICTURE
Nominees:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Will Win: No Country for Old Men

Should Win: Um…I honestly don’t know. This is the first year I can actually say that I love (that’s right, love) all of these films. They are all on different plains, with broad themes, humor, drama, and strong characters. If pushed I’d say There Will Be Blood, but that should in no way diminish the high quality and craftsmanship of the other nominees.

BEST DIRECTOR
Nominees:
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Will Win: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Should Win: Joel and Ethan Coen AND Paul Thomas Anderson. Any chance of a tie this year? These three men certainly all deserve Oscars for their latest films. I would say that both No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood are two of the strongest movies released by Hollywood in the 2000s thus far and although the chance of a tie for an Oscar is very small, I’ll say a pray.

BEST ACTOR
Nominees:
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Will Win and Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood; Do I even need to write anything? If you’ve seen this movie you know why. And if you haven’t, get to before I drink your milkshake.

BEST ACTRESS
Nominees:
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

Will Win: Julie Christie, Away From Her

Should Win: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose; Christie is the frontrunner and certain winner. Her performance in Away From Her was brilliant, but I felt a much stronger connection to Cotillard’s performance of Edith Piaf. Overall, Away From Her is definitely the “better made” film, but Cotillard showed more range in her interpretation and transformation.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Nominees:
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Will Win and Should Win: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men; His role as evil incarnate was one of the best this year. Creepy, a character who was actually horrifying. You can see from his eyes the Bardem completely transformed his entire self into Anton Chigurh. Terrifyingly impressive.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Nominees:
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Will Win: ???; Honestly, I have no idea. Neither Ruby Dee or Amy Ryan deserve to win, but I’m certain one of them will. Flip a coin, your guess is as good as mine.

Should Win: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton; Swinton’s role as a cooperate lawyer was one of my favorites of the year. She brought such depth and subtlety to a character who may have been flat in anyone else’s hands. The scene in Michael Clayton where she rehearses her “lines” for a settlement meeting is one that I can’t wait to watch over and over again on DVD. That being said, I wish that Allison Janney had been nominated for her role as the mother in Juno. She was and is wonderful.

The 80th Annual Academy Awards can be seen Sunday evening at 8pm on ABC. Tune in for Jon Stewart’s second time as host and to see how my predictions play out.