2010 Oscar Predictions!
The 82nd Academy Awards take place this Sunday 7th March, here are my predictions for the night!
The 82nd Academy Awards takes place in Hollywood on Sunday 7th March, and it's looking to be a battle between Avatar and The Hurt Locker.
The latter has picked up the most gongs in the run-up, nabbing the Producers and Directors guild awards, the BAFTAs, and pretty much every US critics' choice. However, the Oscars love to reward success, like they did with James Cameron's previous epic Titanic.
Take a look at my predictions and wishes for the night below, and if you're in the UK tune into Sky Movies Premiere from about 1am Monday morning! (Or find a sneaky stream somewhere)
BEST PICTURE:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up In The Air
Prediction: A pretty dreadful category considering they'd opened it up to ten films - instead of welcoming magnificent films in other genres, it's still the same old "worthy" Oscar-bait. Knock Precious, The Blind Side and An Education off, and replace with Moon, A Single Man and Star Trek please. Deserves to win? District 9. Will win? I honestly think The Hurt Locker is going to upset Avatar - it's scooped every US award bar the Golden Globes, which are a bit of a joke anyway.
BEST DIRECTOR:
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
Lee Daniels – Precious
James Cameron – Avatar
Jason Reitman – Up In The Air
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Prediction: If Kathryn Bigelow doesn't win, there will be a mighty upset. No one bar Tarantino comes close to deserving it this year, as Inglourious Basterds and The Hurt Locker are the only films on the list that aren't solely dependent on a strong performance, a smart script or special effects for their success, i.e. pure director's vision. This is Bigelow's time, and I'm honestly confident we're going to see history made on Sunday night.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up In The Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick – Up In The Air
Mo’nique – Precious
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Matt Damon – Invictus
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Prediction: We all know Mo'Nique and Waltz are in the bag.
BEST ACTOR:
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
George Clooney – Up In The Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker
Prediction: It's between Bridges and Firth, the latter winning the BAFTA recently. But the feeling in Hollywood is that Bridges is ready for his career Oscar. I know he's a loveable guy, but his washed-up, alcoholic musician in Crazy Heart was an "easy" role, in that it's not hard for an actor to find it. Whereas Firth was, in my opinion, the stand-out this year, finding power in subtlety. The humility of his bereaved professor lingers to this day, while Bridges' bumbling is long-forgotten. I pray he upsets the favourite as Sean Penn in Milk did with Mickey Rourke's Wrestler.
BEST ACTRESS:
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia
Prediction: It's a weak year for lead actresses personally, as all the performances that have blown me away have been in male-dominated films (District 9, Moon, The Hurt Locker). I'm going to completely contradict myself above and say Sandra Bullock deserves it for being generally awesome, and she will win it because Hollywood agrees.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess & The Frog
The Secret Of Kells
Up
Prediction: Will be Up, no competition.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – A Serious Man
Mark Boal – The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Pete Docter – Up
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman – The Messenger
Prediction: A pretty open one, this, between Up, Inglourious and The Hurt Locker, but the latter shouldn't even be in here. I'm going for Up.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell – District 9
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin and Tony Roche – In the Loop
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner – Up in the Air
Nick Hornby – An Education
Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious
Prediction: Of all the things my beloved District 9 should be Oscar-nominated for, script isn't one of them. Okay, maybe it deserves it for "don't you point your fookin' tentacles at me", but I bet that was one of Sharlto Copley's improvised lines. In The Loop deserves this more than any other film this year, for a script so sharp I had to keep stopping and rewinding to take in every wonderful vile line. Have a horrible feeling Up in the Air will swipe the Oscar on the night though.
BEST FOREIGN FILM:
Ajami
The White Ribbon
A Prophet
The Secret of Her Eyes
The Milk of Sorrow
Prediction: The White Ribbon is the most deserving, and probably will win, if its biggest threat A Prophet doesn't cause an upset.
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Avatar – Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
Nine – Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
Sherlock Holmes – Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Young Victoria – Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
Prediction: Think this will be Avatar's win, but I loved the look of Sherlock Holmes, so that gets my personal vote.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Avatar – Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker – Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds – Robert Richardson
The White Ribbon – Christian Berger
Prediction: Maybe I'm stupid, but I'm not comfortable with a film created mainly on a computer being up for cinematography, and I also don't think Avatar is a dead cert for this. It should be The White Ribbon, but I have a sneaky feeling The Hurt Locker might do it.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Bright Star
Coco before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria
Prediction: I'm going for The Young Victoria.
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home
Prediction: The Cove has had the biggest buzz this year.
BEST EDITING:
Avatar – Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
District 9 – Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker – Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
Inglourious Basterds – Sally Menke
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire – Joe Klotz
Prediction: If the overlong snoozefest Avatar gets this it will be a travesty. The Hurt Locker's tension was built on its editing, and hopefully the Academy will recognise this.
BEST MAKEUP:
Il Divo – Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
Star Trek – Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
The Young Victoria -Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore
Prediction: Would love Star Trek to get this, but think Young Victoria will.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Avatar – James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker – Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes – Hans Zimmer
Up – Michael Giacchino
Prediction: Michael Giacchino is a shoo-in, and I will be happy because he makes me cry every damn week with Lost.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
“Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog, Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog, Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from Paris 36, Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from Nine, Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from Crazy Heart, Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Prediction: Rarely an exciting category, apart from last year's Slumdog takeover, I think Crazy Heart's theme will get this.
SOUND EDITING:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Prediction: Personally, Star Trek deserves this, but think Avatar will get some gongs.
VISUAL EFFECTS:
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek
Prediction: Okay, I suppose Avatar might deserve this one.
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