My Life In Technicolor

Photo Post
What The Oscar Nominations Should Be I’ve been giving my predictions for who I think WILL be nominated one week from today, but today I will go through who I think SHOULD be nominated come January 22nd. I’ll give a little explanation and my pick for winner. Best Picture: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Dark Knight In Bruges Rachel Getting Married Wall-E The Winner: The Dark Knight It’s pretty hard to find 5 films that are this different.  The only thing I changed was I felt Iron Man as a whole, just doesn’t scream OSCAR to me, though I still think its an awesome movie.  My 6th place slot would go to Milk. The winner here is obvious to anyone who knows me. I’ve been waiting for this film for 3 years, and somehow it beat all my expectations and all that hype and in all honesty because of the entire Heath Ledger saga, it just gave this film that extra lift into becoming my favorite film of all time.  Best Director: David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight Jonathan Demme - Rachel Getting Married Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler The Winner: Christopher Nolan I think this is a nice mix of directors in different genres of film. Aronofsky and Demme use a very simplistic, Dogme style to their films, while Boyle and Fincher lift their respective films to new heights by stepping out of their comfort zones and embracing each films’ strengths.  And one only have to watch 1 of the making of documentaries on The Dark Knight to see why Christopher Nolan deserves every inch of that statue. Best Actor: Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Colin Farrell - In Bruges Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man Sean Penn - Milk Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler The Winner: Mickey Rourke I found this was a shallow year for actors as a pool, but the likes of Penn and Rourke really delivered in their roles, and for me, it was neck and neck. Rourke is the reason to see The Wrestler, without his development of that role, that film is not even half as good. Best Actress: Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Meryl Streep - Doubt Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married Kate Winslet - The Reader Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road The Winner: Anne Hathaway You thought the Actors were a shallow pool? Winslet deserves both nominations (The Reader is lead, though I’m sure she will get the Support Nom for it), however much I believe she deserves about 3 Oscars by now, I don’t love either performance enough to take it away from Hathaway who deserves it for her career best portrayal of a recovering addict forced to deal with long standing family issues. Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges Ralph Fiennes- In Bruges Emile Hirsch - Milk Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road The Winner: Heath Ledger Like I have to explain myself. Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Viola Davis - Doubt Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel Getting Married Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona Evan Rachel Wood - The Wrestler The Winner: Taraji P. Henson This was my hardest category to decide with all the women giving very interesting, moving performances. It came down to Wood and Henson and I went with Henson because I think I just enjoyed her character more; she is the heart of that film. Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Christopher & Jonathan Nolan - The Dark Knight Matt Holloway - Iron Man Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire Michael Brandt - Wanted The Winner: The Dark Knight Heavy on the comic book/graphic novel adaptation, but I just didn’t like a lot of the other eligible films (Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Revolutionary Road) specifically because of the screenplays. The Dark Knight is the obvious choice. Best Original Screenplay: Jason Segel - Forgetting Sarah Marshall Martin McDonagh - In Bruges Jenny Lumet - Rachel Getting Married Andrew Stanton - Wall-E Richard Seigel - The Wrestler The Winner: Rachel Getting Married This was a great year for original works, that found a nice blend of comedy and drama. I thought about going with Forgetting Sarah Marshall because of my brotherly love for Jason Segel, but Rachel Getting Married was to honest a portrayal of family life and recovery from addiction to ignore. Best Original Song: Dracula’s Lament - Jason Segel (From Forgetting Sarah Marshall) Gran Torino Theme - Jamie Cullum (From Gran Torino) Jaiho - A.R. Rahman (From Slumdog Millionaire) Once In A Lifetime - Beyonce Knowles (From Cadillac Records) The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen (From The Wrestler) The Winner: The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen I think this may be the best year for Original song in a long time, probably since the last time Bruce won for “Streets of Philadelphia” back in 1993. Early on I would have went with Dracula’s Lament, but then a great wave of music came in and it was a neck and neck race between Jamie Cullum and the Boss, and this time, you had to go to The Boss for his best song in a couple of years. Well there you have it; my picks for what was the best of 2008 in the big categories. I would love to hear what you have to say.

What The Oscar Nominations Should Be

I’ve been giving my predictions for who I think WILL be nominated one week from today, but today I will go through who I think SHOULD be nominated come January 22nd. I’ll give a little explanation and my pick for winner.

Best Picture:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

In Bruges

Rachel Getting Married

Wall-E

The Winner: The Dark Knight

It’s pretty hard to find 5 films that are this different.  The only thing I changed was I felt Iron Man as a whole, just doesn’t scream OSCAR to me, though I still think its an awesome movie.  My 6th place slot would go to Milk.

The winner here is obvious to anyone who knows me. I’ve been waiting for this film for 3 years, and somehow it beat all my expectations and all that hype and in all honesty because of the entire Heath Ledger saga, it just gave this film that extra lift into becoming my favorite film of all time. 

Best Director:

David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight

Jonathan Demme - Rachel Getting Married

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler

The Winner: Christopher Nolan

I think this is a nice mix of directors in different genres of film. Aronofsky and Demme use a very simplistic, Dogme style to their films, while Boyle and Fincher lift their respective films to new heights by stepping out of their comfort zones and embracing each films’ strengths.  And one only have to watch 1 of the making of documentaries on The Dark Knight to see why Christopher Nolan deserves every inch of that statue.

Best Actor:

Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Colin Farrell - In Bruges

Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man

Sean Penn - Milk

Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

The Winner: Mickey Rourke

I found this was a shallow year for actors as a pool, but the likes of Penn and Rourke really delivered in their roles, and for me, it was neck and neck. Rourke is the reason to see The Wrestler, without his development of that role, that film is not even half as good.

Best Actress:

Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Meryl Streep - Doubt

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Kate Winslet - The Reader

Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

The Winner: Anne Hathaway

You thought the Actors were a shallow pool? Winslet deserves both nominations (The Reader is lead, though I’m sure she will get the Support Nom for it), however much I believe she deserves about 3 Oscars by now, I don’t love either performance enough to take it away from Hathaway who deserves it for her career best portrayal of a recovering addict forced to deal with long standing family issues.

Best Supporting Actor:

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges

Ralph Fiennes- In Bruges

Emile Hirsch - Milk

Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

The Winner: Heath Ledger

Like I have to explain myself.

Best Supporting Actress:

Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Viola Davis - Doubt

Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel Getting Married

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona

Evan Rachel Wood - The Wrestler

The Winner: Taraji P. Henson

This was my hardest category to decide with all the women giving very interesting, moving performances. It came down to Wood and Henson and I went with Henson because I think I just enjoyed her character more; she is the heart of that film.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Christopher & Jonathan Nolan - The Dark Knight

Matt Holloway - Iron Man

Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Michael Brandt - Wanted

The Winner: The Dark Knight

Heavy on the comic book/graphic novel adaptation, but I just didn’t like a lot of the other eligible films (Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Revolutionary Road) specifically because of the screenplays. The Dark Knight is the obvious choice.

Best Original Screenplay:

Jason Segel - Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Martin McDonagh - In Bruges

Jenny Lumet - Rachel Getting Married

Andrew Stanton - Wall-E

Richard Seigel - The Wrestler

The Winner: Rachel Getting Married

This was a great year for original works, that found a nice blend of comedy and drama. I thought about going with Forgetting Sarah Marshall because of my brotherly love for Jason Segel, but Rachel Getting Married was to honest a portrayal of family life and recovery from addiction to ignore.

Best Original Song:

Dracula’s Lament - Jason Segel (From Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Gran Torino Theme - Jamie Cullum (From Gran Torino)

Jaiho - A.R. Rahman (From Slumdog Millionaire)

Once In A Lifetime - Beyonce Knowles (From Cadillac Records)

The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen (From The Wrestler)

The Winner: The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen

I think this may be the best year for Original song in a long time, probably since the last time Bruce won for “Streets of Philadelphia” back in 1993. Early on I would have went with Dracula’s Lament, but then a great wave of music came in and it was a neck and neck race between Jamie Cullum and the Boss, and this time, you had to go to The Boss for his best song in a couple of years.

Well there you have it; my picks for what was the best of 2008 in the big categories. I would love to hear what you have to say.


To Tumblr, Love Metalab