[IMG:L]Tomorrow’s the big day. But we don’t have to wait. We already know who’ll win – well, almost. Here’s where we’re putting our money!
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon, Button and Slumdog are guaranteed, which leaves two spots open. We pick the biopic Milk, which will most likely make the cut for its overall appeal. And if the Academy members were smart, they’d go with Dark Knight as well, to gain more eyeballs to the Oscars telecast (last year’s was its lowest ratings ever).
Also for your consideration: It’s awfully gritty and violent, but The Wrestler, powered by Best Actor shoo-in Mickey Rourke, could have a shot. So could the terribly morose Revolutionary Road, although it’s had mixed reactions from critics.
KEEP READING: Best Actor …
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Best Actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
These four are a lock: Langella as the disgraced ex-Pres. Richard M. Nixon; Penn as the optimistic and tenacious Harvey Milk; Pitt as the man who ages gracefully younger; Rourke as the down-and-out pro wrestler trying to find his place in the world. As for the final nominee, we’ve gone out on a limb and picked character actor Jenkins for his turn as a lonely college professor who finds friends from the oddest of sources …
Also for your consideration: … but the fifth spot could easily go to Clint Eastwood for his grizzled performance in Gran Torino. Yes, we’ve dare to vote against the Academy titan that is Eastwood, but we stand by our choices. Leonardo DiCaprio may also sneak in for his tortured portrayal of a man with limited choices in Revolutionary Road.
KEEP READING: Best Actress …
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Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
We stand pat with Hathaway as the troubled women dealing with her dysfunctional family; Streep as the big, bad nun trying to ruin a progressive priest; and Winslet as a depressed ‘50s suburban housewife. The other two spots could shift, but we are pretty confident Brit Hawkins will snag her first nom as the Happy-Go-Lucky title character, especially after her Golden Globe, as well as Jolie for her turn as a desperate mom looking for her missing son.
Also for your consideration: Melissa Leo’s searing performance as a single mom trying to make ends meet in Frozen River, and Kristin Scott Thomas as a convict returning home to her small village in I’ve Loved You So Long.
KEEP READING: Best Supporting Actor …
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Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
The Academy tends to reward comedic performances in the supporting categories, hence Downey Jr. for his hilarious turn as a “dude disguised as another dude playing another dude.” Joining him is Hoffman as said progressive priest, Shannon as a mentally unstable neighbor and Patel as the wide-eyed but successful game show contestant. But the real shoo-in is the late Ledger, who is not only guaranteed a spot for his turn as the maniacal Joker but who will most likely win the award posthumously. Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan should be polishing his speech now.
Also for your consideration: We know Shannon is a bit of a stretch, since most of the other lists tag Josh Brolin as the fifth nominee for his portrayal as the beleaguered assassin Dan White in Milk. And don’t completely discount Tom Cruise for his fat, balding, foul-mouthed movie mogul in Tropic Thunder.
KEEP READING: Best Supporting Actress …
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Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Another very solid list. Cruz should get a nod as a highly volatile but oh-so-sensuous ex-wife. Davis and Henson should both get recognition for playing two very different kind of mothers, but who both care deeply for their sons. Winslet will probably get a second nomination this year as a German woman whose deep, dark past catches up to her. That leaves the fifth spot open — which will most likely go to Tomei as a stripper with a heart of gold.
Also for your consideration: Amy Adams might show up on the list for her performance as a young nun caught in the middle in Doubt. As could Rosemarie DeWitt, for her turn as THE Rachel in Rachel Getting Married, who just wants to have one day without worrying about her crazy sister.
KEEP READING: Best Director …
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Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
A mixture of veteran and newbies to the whole Oscar race: Oscar-winning Howard will almost certainly gain a spot for his compelling work with talking heads on Frost/Nixon, while former Best Screenplay nominee Nolan may just get his shot for his foreboding but exciting The Dark Knight. Boyle and Fincher should see their first nods for delicately handling dark material, but Aronofsky is our only wild card for his unflinching look at the end of a pro-wrestler’s life.
Also for your consideration: Gus Van Sant’s appealing view of Harvey Milk in Milk could easily knock off one of those guys, as could Mike Leigh for his positivity in Happy-Go-Lucky; Sam Mendes for his relentless view on stifled suburban life in Revolutionary Road; and even possibly Andrew Stanton for his entirely delightful WALL-E.
Check our past Oscar Watches:
Best Picture
Best Actors
Best Actresses
