Roads to Awards

Roads to Awards Is Now Film Examiner!

2009-03-09T08:20:00.002-04:00

Our new site is now www.filmexaminer.com. Come check us out and update your bookmars/rss feeds!

It's Coming...

2009-03-01T22:57:00.002-05:00

As promised, we have updates on our new site. The site should launch within a week, with the address being posted here as soon as it is up an running. It's going to be a lot more professional with a lot more content and updates. We're very excited about the changes and we hope you are too.

Oscar Thoughts...

2009-02-23T12:00:00.007-05:00

Well another Oscar year is over and a boring one at that. I will say that the Oscar telecast was very entertaining, I enjoyed the format and presentation, and I found it to be entertaining and classy. However, the lack of surprises and suspense left the awards pretty bland overall.

As most know, we're doing a complete overall that everyone will hopefully like. We'll update our progress as it goes along. I'll make sure it's ready in time for the beginning of film season.

On another note, we got 16 of the 24 categories correct. Not our best score. However, there were no upsets in the major categories and some weird ones in the minor categories. But, excuses aside, we'll do better next year.

This coming film season looks amazing, much better than this year. Some films to look out for are: Nine, Shutter Island, The Human Factor, The Tree of Life, Funny People, Inglorious Basterds, Brothers, The Soloist, and others I can't think of at the moment.

Personal Favorite Live Action and Animated Shorts

2009-02-22T16:45:00.005-05:00

I just finished watching all of the nominated Live Action and Animated Shorts. I usually see them all earlier, but at least I was able to see them all before the awards tonight. I have now officially seen everything nominated tonight; you can argue if that's a good or bad thing. So hear are my favorites, listed in order of most to least:

Live Action
1) The Pig
2) New Boy
3) Toyland
4) Manon On Asphalt
5) On the Line

Animated
1) This Way Up
2) Octapodi
3) Presto
4) Lavatory - Love Story
5) La Maison En Petits Cubes

I should mention that I really enjoyed every one of them. I recommend you purchase them from iTunes or go see them in theaters as they are all worth watching.

So, "What Were We Thinking"?

2009-02-21T12:19:00.008-05:00

Now that our Oscar predictions have been up a little while, we wanted to explain our thought process.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

This is pretty obvious I'm sure. If Slumdog doesn't win Best Picture tomorrow night it would be a major surprise (I'm talking Crash level). Most seem to be picking Benjamin Button to be the most likely to upset, but Milk seems like the better choice lately.

Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle is definitely the clear favorite and we couldn't pull-the-trigger and claim an upset here. But I have a weird suspicion an upset could occur. Stephen Daldry is loved and this is his third nomination; more than all other nominees. Will he go 0-3?

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

It would be a shame if Rourke lost this as it's clearly the best performance of the year. However, Penn has won more awards throughout the precursors so he is definitely a strong choice. However, he has won recently which works in Rourke's favor. I know most are picking Langella as the surprise, but watch out for Pitt if Rourke and Penn split votes.

Best Actress: Melissa Leo - Frozen River

I know, I know, we look crazy. But, there is strong opposition against Kate Winslet and her character. Some finding the character unsympathetic and others finding this to not be either Kate's or the year's best performance. While I agree with this thought, Winslet is still quite good in the role and it is a shame she has never won as of yet. But a vote split between her and Streep is looking likely; and with many big time actors and critics campaigning for Leo, it may happen.

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

No way this doesn't happen. However, if it doesn't, it's because the Academy doesn't like being told what to do.

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This is the most difficult category to choose as I can see every one of the nominees winning. However, Cruz had the most support besides Winslet, who is now in the Lead Category.

Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black - Milk

He has won the most awards of all the nominees, including the WGA. However, this could be a makeup to WALL-E. Or could they split and In Bruges slips in? That would be awesome.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Don't see anyone else really winning here. Unless they love Benjamin Button more than everyone thinks or they want to give it one major award.

Final Oscar Predictions!

2009-02-19T22:22:00.008-05:00

Here are our final Oscar predictions in total. We'll go over our thought process on the next update.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Alternate: Milk

Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Alternate: Stephen Daldry - The Reader

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Alternate: Sean Penn - Milk (I can see Brad Pitt winning here too)

Best Actress: Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Alternate: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Alternate: Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Alternate: Viola Davis - Doubt

Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Alternate: Andrew Stanton - WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
Alternate: Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

==========================
Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Costume Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Feature: WALL-E
Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song: Slumdog Millionaire - "Jai Ho"
Best Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight
Best Sound Editing: WALL-E
Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
Best Documentary Feature: Man On Wire
Best Documentary Short: Smile Pinki
Best Short Film Live Action: New Boy
Best Short Film Animated: Presto

Final Predictions Tonight!

2009-02-19T11:37:00.003-05:00

Roads to Awards will be posting their final Oscar predictions tonight! Stay tuned to see ridiculous choices we'll end up making.

Best Acting Awards!

2009-02-15T23:04:00.005-05:00

With the final week until the Oscar's starting up, we'll begin with our top acting performances of the year. In case you haven't noticed, we don't separate lead and supporting categories. This makes things a little more fair in our opinion but it always leads to be people wishing their favorite performance was on the list.

Best Actor
1) Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
2) Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
3) Colin Farrel - In Bruges
4) Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
5) Sean Penn - Milk
6) Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
7) Eddie Marsan - Happy-Go-Lucky
8) Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
9) Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10) Josh Brolin - Milk

Honorable Mention: James Franco - Pineapple Express, Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino, Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt, Viggo Mortensen - Appaloosa

Best Actress
1) Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
2) Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
3) Kate Winslet - The Reader
4) Meryl Streep - Doubt
5) Melissa Leo - Frozen River
6) Viola Davis - Doubt
7) Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
8) Amy Adams - Doubt
9) Angelina Jolie - Changeling
10) Michelle Williams - Wendy & Lucy

Honorable Mention: Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky, Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road, Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long, Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke with Charlie Rose

2009-02-14T16:25:00.004-05:00

I'm a bit late on posting this. But if you haven't watched it, you should, it's a great interview.

We're Changing For the Better!

2009-02-14T13:36:00.007-05:00

I just wanted to keep everyone in the loop. Roads to Awards is going to be re-done and revamped for the better in the coming months. With a new look and updates everyday. We also will have a name change which I will post on a later date. I know our name changed recently for legal reasons, but I hate it and want to have something I didn't come up with in 30 seconds.

I'll update everyone more on this in the coming weeks, once I have more concrete details. In the mean time, we'll post our top acting choices tomorrow night.

Oscar Winner Predictions!

2009-02-06T20:38:00.004-05:00

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire

I would love an upset here, but so far it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Best Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

I'm not as certain about this one, but right now it looks like the clear choice. I will bring up that Stephen Daldry has the most nominations of the group (3) and still no wins. Could he upset?

Best Actor
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

This is pretty wide open. I can honestly think of a scenario where any of the nominees could win. But to be honest, it's likely between Rourke, Penn, and Langella.

Best Actress
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Streep and Hathaway could both upset here, but that would be a huge surprise. I think Winslet will finally be an Oscar winner.

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

This only doesn't happen if the Academy feels like it's being told what to do.

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Any of the women could win here, but Cruz seems to have the most support.

Best Original Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black - Milk

I have a feeling this will be the films only award.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Probably doesn't deserve the win, but if you were a part of Slumdog you seem to be locked.

New Winner Predictions Tonight

2009-02-05T12:53:00.001-05:00

Sorry Everyone, I've been a little busy the last week. I'll post up some new predictions and a new poll later tonight.

SAG Awards Winners!

2009-01-26T11:50:00.003-05:00

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

SEAN PENN Harvey Milk "MILK" Focus Features

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

MERYL STREEP Sister Aloysius Beauvier "DOUBT" Miramax Films

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

HEATH LEDGER Joker "THE DARK KNIGHT" Warner Bros. Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

KATE WINSLET Hanna Schmitz "THE READER" The Weinstein Company

Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Motion Picture

"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" Fox Searchlight Pictures

RUBINA ALI Youngest Latika
TANAY HEMANT CHHEDA Middle Jamal
ASHUTOSH LOBO GAJIWALA Middle Salim
AZHARUDDIN MOHAMMED ISMAIL Youngest Salim
ANIL KAPOOR Prem
IRRFAN KHAN Police Inspector
AYUSH MAHESH KHEDEKAR Youngest Jamal
TANVI GANESH LONKAR Middle Latika
MADHUR MITTAL Oldest Salim
DEV PATEL Older Jamal
FREIDA PINTO Older Latika

What the ....

2009-01-22T10:49:00.004-05:00

...OK...well the Oscar nominations sure are out. Well it looks like the Academy is back to being their usual stupid selves. These nominations are pretty bad. Where to start:

1) The Dark Knight not getting a Best Picture or Best Director nomination.

There is one reason, and one reason only for this, it's a superhero movie. I don't care what the Academy members say to justify this, the old farts in the Academy just couldn't nominate a superhero film.

2) The love for The Reader and dislike for Revolutionary Road

Many projected The Reader as a surprise nominee for Best Picture, but with directing and screenplay nominations as well it was obviously really loved. Also, Kate Winslet getting nominated in the lead actress category for The Reader was interesting. I guess it really wasn't a supporting part. The only major nomination for Revolutionary Road was for Michael Shannon, who was very good and was one of the nice surprises.

3) Bruce Springsteen not nominated for Best Original Song???

This one is just ridiculous, Springsteen has basically had universal praise for his song. This snub is the same as if Slumdog Millionaire had not been nominated for Best Picture.

Well, I can't say I loved the nominations this year. The last few years, the Academy has done a really good job, but they missed the ball this year. I probably would have been a lot better if just The Dark Knight had been nominated, but overall this is not a good job by the Academy.

Oscar Nominees Announced!

2009-01-22T08:19:00.007-05:00

BEST PICTURE
1)The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2)Frost/Nixon
3)Milk
4)The Reader
5)Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
1)David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2)Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
3)Gus Van Sant - Milk
4)Stephen Daldry - The Reader
5)Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR
1)Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
2)Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
3)Sean Penn - Milk
4)Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5)Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
1)Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
2)Angelina Jolie - Changeling
3)Melissa Leo - Frozen River
4)Meryl Streep - Doubt
5)Kate Winslet - The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1)Josh Brolin - Milk
2)Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
3)Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
4)Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
5)Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1)Amy Adams - Doubt
2)Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
3)Viola Davis - Doubt
4)Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5)Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1)Frozen River
2)Happy-Go-Lucky
3)In Bruges
4)Milk
5)WALL-E

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
1)Benjamin Button
2)Doubt
3)Frost/Nixon
4)The Reader
5)Slumdog Millionaire

My Personal Top Ten Films

2009-01-21T21:49:00.023-05:00

10) Milk

I didn't know much about the life of Harvey Milk before this film. I have seen footage of Harvey afterward and Sean Penn is scary close to becoming him. The film is fascinating and provocative, however slightly formulaic. It deserves the accolades it's receiving and is definitely one to see.

9) Tropic Thunder

The second best comedy of the year. It had me laughing from beginning to end and had the parodies to make it something deeper. The performances are all great, especially Downey Jr. and Cruise. Ben Stiller deserved some Best Director talk for this as well, but it never came.

8) Vicky Cristina Barcelona

VCB was a great little film. It was refreshing and unique. The characters all have depth and the film blends their differences beautifully. If it wasn't for the stupid narrator, this would be much higher.

7) Gran Torino

This was a somewhat disappointing year for Clint. While his two films that released this year were good, they weren't the masterpieces he's made of late. The better of the two was Gran Torino, which, while flawed, was a moving and entertaining film. It also featured a great performance from Clint that we haven't seen from him in sometime.

6) In Bruges

In Bruges beats out Tropic Thunder as my favorite comedy of the year; if you can call it a comedy. In Bruges is insane, and very hard to explain. It's even harder to explain why it's so good, it just is. The performances are all top notch and if the film hadn't come out so early it may have been a heavier Oscar contender.

5) Let the Right One In

Let the Right One In is the best vampire film ever made. It's manages to be touching, genuine, terrifying, and gory throughout. It's what Twilight should be and and what other monster movies should strive to be.

4) Revolutionary Road

The performances in Revolutionary Road are so good, and so powerful that this film works. The film hinges on everyone being believable, someone you can identify with. The tension that is always around is built in the performances of the characters, especially Leo and Kate's characters. This is a powerful film and the best family drama since American Beauty.

3) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Benjamin Button was not a masterpiece, but it was a captivating and beautiful piece of cinema. A story destined to be a tragedy, but with fun, thrilling and sometimes epic sequences throughout. And if anyone says the film could be shorter, they're an idiot, no discussion. I guess we should remove a good chunk of his life because people can't focus for another 45 minutes? Get over it and watch a great film.

2) WALL-E

WALL-E is the best Pixar film ever made. I used to reserve that crown to Monsters, Inc., however there is a new king. WALL-E was touching, thought-provoking and very funny. The ending is the only thing holding this back from being a perfect film and number one on my list. (SPOILER ALERT) I know people like happy endings, but if WALL-E had forgotten everything and been wandering around from then on not knowing what he had done for the world, that would have been a great ending. Heart-breaking yes, but it would have made an impression that never left.

1) The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is my favorite film of the year for many reasons. It's smart, engrossing, superbly acted and paced to perfection. There are very few films that have captivated me so thoroughly, and in a mediocre film year a real gem emerged.

Honorable Mentions: Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, and The Visitor

Final Oscar Predictions!

2009-01-20T17:36:00.003-05:00

Alright, here are my final predictions for Oscar nominations this year. I have some interesting choices in here, that even surprise me. But, these are my gut feelings and they've worked before. We'll see on Thursday!

BEST PICTURE
1) Slumdog Millionaire
2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3) Milk
4) The Dark Knight
5) Gran Torino

Alternate: Frost/Nixon, WALL-E (tie)
Left-Field Chance: In Bruges

BEST DIRECTOR
1) Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
2) David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3) Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
4) Gus Van Sant - Milk
5) Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler

Alternate: Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Left-Field Chance: Woody Allen - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST ACTOR
1) Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
2) Sean Penn - Milk
3) Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
4) Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
5) Colin Farrell - In Bruges

Alternate: Richard Jenkins - The Visitor, Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (tie)
Left-Field Chance: Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road

BEST ACTRESS
1) Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
2) Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
3) Meryl Streep - Doubt
4) Melissa Leo - Frozen River
5) Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

Alternate: Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Left-Field Chance: Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1) Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
2) Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
3) Josh Brolin - Milk
4) Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
5) Eddie Marsan - Happy-Go-Lucky

Alternate: Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Left-Field Chance: James Franco - Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1) Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2) Kate Winslet - The Reader
3) Viola Davis - Doubt
4) Amy Adams - Doubt
5) Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Alternate: Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Left-Field Chance: Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel Getting Married

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1) Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2) WALL-E
3) In Bruges
4) Milk
5) Rachel Getting Married

Alternate: The Visitor
Left-Field Chance: Synecdoche, New York

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
1) Slumdog Millionaire
2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3) Doubt
4) Frost/Nixon
5) The Dark Knight

Alternate: The Reader, Revolutionary Road (tie)
Left-Field Chance: Appaloosa

BEST ART DIRECTION
1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2) Changeling
3) The Dark Knight
4) Revolutionary Road
5) The Duchess

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1) The Dark Knight
2) Slumdog Millionaire
3) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4) Australia
5) Revolutionary Road

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
1) Revolutionary Road
2) Changeling
3) The Duchess
4) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5) Australia

BEST FILM EDITING
1) Slumdog Millionaire
2) The Dark Knight
3) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4) Milk
5) Frost/Nixon

BEST MAKEUP
1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2) Hellboy II: The Golden Army
3) The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
1) A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
2) Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3) Thomas Newman - WALL-E
4) James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer - The Dark Knight
5) Danny Elfman - Milk

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
1) The Wrestler - The Wrestler
2) Down to Earth - WALL-E
3) I Thought I Lost You - Bolt
4) Gran Torino - Gran Torino
5) Jaiho - Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SOUND MIXING
1) WALL-E
2) The Dark Knight
3) Iron Man
4) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5) Quantam of Solace

BEST SOUND EDITING
1) WALL-E
2) The Dark Knight
3) Iron Man
4) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5) Quantam of Solace

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2) The Dark Knight
3) Iron Man

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
1) Waltz with Bashir
2) The Class
3) Revanche
4) Everlasting Moments
5) The Baadar Mienhof Complex

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
1) Man on Wire
2) Standard Operating Procedure
3) Trouble the Water
4) I.O.U.S.A.
5) Made in America

Golden Globe Winners!

2009-01-11T23:03:00.002-05:00

Best Picture, Drama: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Picture, Comedy Musical: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
Best Animated Feature: WALL·E
Best Actor, Musical/Comedy: Colin Farrell
Best Actress, Musical/Comedy: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Original Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millonaire
Best Original Song: Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
Cecil B. DeMille Award: Stephen Spielberg

Critics Choice Awards!

2009-01-09T09:25:00.004-05:00

BEST PICTURE
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Sean Penn - Milk

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Tie: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married | Meryl Streep - Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Kate Winslet - The Reader

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Winner: Milk

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)
Winner: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: WALL-E

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)
Winner: Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Winner: The Dark Knight

BEST COMEDY MOVIE
Winner: Tropic Thunder

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Winner: John Adams

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: Waltz With Bashir

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: Man On Wire

BEST SONG
Winner: "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) - The Wrestler

BEST COMPOSER
Winner: A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

Source: bfca.org

New Predictions!

2009-01-08T19:35:00.008-05:00

Now that the PGA, WGA, and DGA nominees are announced, I decided to update all categories. And Here. We. Go.

Best Picture

1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2) Slumdog Millionaire
3) Milk
4) Frost/Nixon
5) The Dark Knight

Alternate: WALL-E

Best Director

1) David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2) Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
3) Gus Van Sant - Milk
4) Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
5) Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Alternate: Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler

Best Actor

1) Sean Penn - Milk
2) Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
3) Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
4) Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5) Richard Jenkins - The Visitor

Alternate: Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino

Best Actress

1) Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
2) Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
3) Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
4) Meryl Streep - Doubt
5) Angelina Jolie - Changeling

Alternate: Melissa Leo - Frozen River

Best Supporting Actor

1) Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
2) Josh Brolin - Milk
3) Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
4) Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
5) Eddie Marsan - Happy-Go-Lucky

Alternate: Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Supporting Actress

1) Kate Winslet - The Reader
2) Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
3) Viola Davis - Doubt
4) Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5) Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Alternate: Amy Adams - Doubt

Best Original Screenplay

1) Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2) Burn After Reading
3) The Visitor
4) Milk
5) The Wrestler

Best Adapted Screenplay

1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2) Slumdog Millionaire
3) Doubt
4) The Dark Knight
5) Frost/Nixon

DGA Nominations!

2009-01-08T13:14:00.003-05:00

This is likely the Top 5 for the Best Picture race. The Best Picture race has become more predictable than it looked like it would. Although, there's always one surprise!

1) David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2) Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
3) Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
4) Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
5) Gus Van Sant, Milk

Writers Guild Awards!

2009-01-07T15:24:00.003-05:00

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

The Dark Knight, Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures

Doubt, Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films

Frost/Nixon, Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play, Universal Pictures

Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Written by Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker, InterPositive Media
Chicago 10, Written by Brett Morgen, Roadside Attractions
Fuel, Written by Johnny O’Hara, Greenlight Theatrical / Intention Media
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Screenplay by Alex Gibney, From the Words of Hunter S. Thompson, Magnolia Pictures
Waltz with Bashir, Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics

The Dark Knight gets an unexpected boost from the WGA. If it gets a DGA nomination it's likely in.

Producers Guild Nominations!

2009-01-05T14:44:00.003-05:00

The Producers Guild Nominations

1) Slumdog Millionaire
2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3) Milk
4) Frost/Nixon
5) The Dark Knight

Huge boost for The Dark Knight, it needed this badly. The rest were expected and are likely nominations. TDK needs a DGA nomination as well to make it a likely nomination.

The Wrestler Review!

2009-01-01T22:05:00.007-05:00

The Wrestler has been a film very high on my list to see and I finally got a chance to this week. All I've been hearing is how phenomenal Mickey Rourke's performance is, which is dead-on, and how great the film is, which is not quite accurate.

I'm a big Darren Aronofsky fan. Requiem for a Dream still sits in my top ten films list. Suffice to say, I was really looking forward to his best reviewed film yet and had very high expectations. That said, the film didn't wow me, I found it good but not great. It seemed like pretty standard affair for the most part; struggling athlete and the end of his career who has given everything he had to his profession and left his loved one's behind him. This has been done before, and the film follows the template pretty closely.

The film does have its moments, the graphic depiction of the wrestling really hits hard, and shows what these men put themselves through. But, really, it's the absolutely magnificent performance by Mickey Rourke that makes the film rise above an average one. Rourke absolutely becomes his character showing depth in every nuance of his performance. It's easily one of the best performances of all time and should be watched closely.

The Wrestler is not a bad film, it's merely OK. I realize I'm in the minority here and urge people to see the film, even just to see Rourke's performance. Rourke's the star, the film lags behind.

SCORE: 8.0

Potential Oscar Categories:
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Director

Gran Torino Review!

2008-12-31T11:57:00.006-05:00

I liked Gran Torino a lot more than I thought I would. For it's flaws it's a very touching, funny, suspenseful film that really stuck with me.

Gran Torino is a story about an old-school man coming at the end of his days, living alone after his wife dies. He does not like all the Asian people moving into his neighborhood, but begins to become fond of the family next door and gets wrapped up in the violent world they're in.

I'll start by saying, Clint Eastwood was really quite good and I would not be upset if he got a Best Actor nomination (even though it's pretty crowded already). The other actors are only OK, Bee Vang (Thao) being the second best. Some of the other acting seemed a little forced, but that could also be the language barrier. Eastwood did a nice job of directing, but nothing Oscar worthy in my opinion.

Overall, the film is very entertaining and I liked it much more than Changeling. I don't know if it's Best Picture worthy, but I also don't think I'd be too upset if it was nominated. Gran Torino is a tough film to figure out, the film seems flawed, with a few plot holes here and there, but I really enjoyed it as a whole. And I think that's really what matters.

SCORE: 8.9

Potential Oscar Categories:
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Adapted Screenplay