Oscar Predictions: The Countdown begins
The 82nd Academy awards are just two weeks away (March 7th at 8 pm on ABC). This year the Academy is returning to its roots when up until 1943 there were 10 best picture nominations (Casablanca won that year). There are 10, unlike the traditional 5, nominations for best picture. Sadly, this didn't turn out to be the year for 10, there are simply not enough good movies out there. However, there are still a few standouts and more so in individual performances. Here are our picks for what should happen for the most watched categories when the Oscars are awarded.
Best Actor: Leading Role
What a tough year to pick a leading actor! Each performance was stellar - Jeff Bridges as a washed up country singer Bad Blake in Crazy Heart, Colin Firth playing a gay man in the 60s in A Single Man, Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Invictus and a subtle Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker. But noone does it better than George Clooney this year who outshined himself in Up in the Air. Playing a man who has to fire people for a living, he lives the life of a nomad. He feels happy with his life, yet when the failure of a relationship brings him down, we see an incredibly vulnerable side to this man who preaches hope to others. Clooney's talent is in threading lightly, so that you see this person through his eyes and completely forget he is acting. Just thinking about his character brings the emotion out of you. This Oscar belongs to Clooney.
Best Actor: Supporting Role
I have never been a fan of Stanley Tucci. Well, this past year he has proven me very wrong. He takes on each character as a chameleon and you believe him a 100%. From the conniving serial killer in The Lovely Bones to the doting husband in Julie & Julia, he is just on fire this past year! The competition is stiff, however, and there can be an upset, but I believe that Stanley Tucci deserves this year's Oscar.
Best Actress: Leading Role
Each of the leading ladies did something different this year; they truly came out of their comfort zone to become the new person. The one that did it best is Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia. She basically became Julia Child, with all the mannerisms, the mix of confidence and self-doubt. She made it a joy to watch the movie. Isn't there anything that Meryl Streep can't do?
Best Actress: Supporting Role
Maggie Gylenhaal embraced the young girlfriend to Jeff Bridges' Bad Blake in Crazy Heart but as good as it is, that was not a supporting part that stood out. Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air touches on a unique note of what it's like to be living a double life and be OK with it no matter what. There are a few levels about her performance of Alex Goran, a business traveler tangled up with George Clooney's character, and you start seeing them even more once the movie is over. I hope there are more leading parts for Vera Farmiga, and this Oscar should certainly be hers this year.
Best Picture
70 years ago there was an amazing array of excellence in this category - Wizard of Oz, Gone with the WInd, Stagecoach. There were still be plenty of pictures to enjoy in 2009, yet I think few of them are great for posterity, which is what the hallmark of the best picture usually is. Up was amazingly uplifting and beautiful, a warm-your-heart kind of animation, but it is too positive to win an Oscar. Up In the Air turned touching performances from Clooney, Kendrick and Farmiga, but the end result just didn't mold into a great film. Avatar sold millions of dollars around the world and it was unique in many ways, yet preachingly ordinary in others. However, I think it is the simple grit and story behind The Hurt Locker that will push that one over the top. It is the movie for the ages and the story you want to remember.
