star guessing

It’s just a few days to go before Oscars and I know my friend ‘a movie fan’ is watching out for my posting regarding the event. He/she must be waiting for whatever I’d be babbling about, specially if I will dare make any bets on the nominees.

At first I thought of not saying anything, just wait for the winners to be announced and jump into it with my commentaries. Coz except for Elizabeth the Golden Age which I reviewed in my previous posting, I haven’t had the chance to see any of the films headlining the nominations this year.

But Oprah just featured a few of the nominees in her episode shown by MBC4 tonight. Then I said, ah, what the heck, let me play some guessing game here and see how it turns out. If you want, you can play along with me. Let’s see who better approximates Madam Auring! Hahahaha!

Best Picture Nominees

Atonement – A period movie set in the 1930’s about two sisters and their housekeeper's son. Starring Kiera Knightly and James McAvoy. Directed by Joe Wright

Juno – The season’s surprise hit film, both in the box office and in Oscar nominations. It’s a film about teenage pregnancy starring Ellen Page. Directed by Jason Reitman.

Michael Clayton – Starring George Clooney, directed by Tony Gilroy. A film about the drama behind law firms, lawyers and lawsuits.

No Country for Old Men – Directed by the Coen brothers Ethan and Joel, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. A story about drugs, money and dead bodies in the barren West Texas range.

There Will be Blood - A story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Daniel Day Lewis.

My Bet: It’s a toss between No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood. Though looking at Oscars history, only three western films have won Best Pic (Cimarron in 1930, Dances With Wolves in 1990 and Unforgiven in 1992, while drama has dominated most of the Best Pic winners. Which gives There Will Be Blood an edge.

Best Actor Nominees

George Clooney for Michael Clayton

Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will be Blood

Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tommy Lee Jones for In The Valley of Elah

Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises

My Bet: Daniel Day-Lewis. He already won the Golden Globe and to most Oscars observers, the Globe has always been a preview to the Oscars. I would be surprised if George Clooney takes home the Oscar. Based on the clips shown for these nominees, George is the least impressive among the five. Maybe his role is not as challenging as that of the others.

Best Actress Nominees

Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth The Golden Age

Julie Christie for Away from Her

Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose

Laura Linney for The Savages

Ellen Page for Juno

My Bet : Marion Cotillard. I know I’ve said I’d vote for Cate if I were a voting member of the AMPAS. But for reasons I stated on the same posting, I’d guess she’ll never be given the trophy this year. Besides, Marion’s role seems to be more challenging and her performance more impressive.

Best Supporting Actor Nominees

Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James

Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilson’s War

Hal Holbrook for Into the Wild

Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton

My Bet : Javier Bardem. His character is said to be the most frightening villain in recent years and touted to be as chilling as Sir Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. He has also bagged the Globe for the same category.

Best Supporting Actress Nominees

Cate Blanchett for I’m Not There

Ruby Dee for American Gangster

Saoirse Ronan for Atonement

Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone

Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton

My Bet: Ruby Dee. Come on guys, the lady’s 83 and still packing a 2-minute exposure with emotions more forceful than a full-length role (that was the trailer shown in Oprah). I’d say give her the little guy so she can have a smile on her way out.

There you go. Just predictions. Though I’m not good in guessing. I’ll just wait till the 24th and see how I fared.