Oscar 2008 Results
Well, the results are in and a can happily say that after a 50% prediction hit rate last year, this year I managed…….50%. Twelve out of 24. That’s actually not bad if you consider the total guess work that is involved with the short films and documentary subjects – well, that’s my excuse anyway. With the exception of Best Actress, I got every major category winner correct so I’m happy with that. Trust the French to screw things up eh?
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Did I get it right? Of course. I think ‘Blood’ was a little too esoteric for most of the academy, thus the default vote for ‘Country’. I can accept that happily for me, at least they weren’t robbed by some terrible film.
Best Director
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Did I get it right? Again, quite happy to be right on this and was amused by Ethan’s acceptance speech – ‘I don’t have much to add to what I already said, so thanks’. Succinct!!
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Did I get it right? Obviously.
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
Did I get it right? No.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Did I get it right? Oh yes.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James…
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Did I get it right? Easy one, and yes.
Best Foreign Language Film
Beaufort, Israel
The Counterfeiters, Austria
Katyn, Poland
Mongol, Kazakhstan
12, Russia
Did I get it right? Yes, I guessed as the Academy always likes a holocaust film – seemed as good a reason as any.
Best Animated Feature Film
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf’s Up
Did I get it right? Yes, given the outstanding reviews it had to be the rat movie.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
Away from Her
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Did I get it right? Yup.
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Did I get it right? No.
Best music (Score)
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Did I get it right? No, I honestly can’t remember a single thing about the score for Atonement which may or may not be a good sign. Not an especially strong bunch of candidates anyway, since ‘Blood’ was excluded this is all largely redundant anyway.
Best Music (Song)
Falling Slowly – Once (performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)
Happy Working Song – Enchanted (performed by Amy Adams)
Raise It Up – August Rush (performed by Jamia Simone Nash and Impact Repertory Theatre)
So Close – Enchanted (performed by Jon McLaughlin)
That’s How You Know – Enchanted (performed by Amy Adams)
Did I get it right? No.
Best Documentary Feature
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance
Did I get it right? Nah.
Best Documentary Short Subject
Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari’s Mother
Did I get it right? Yes, not bad for a guess !!
Best Visual Effects
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Transformers
Did I get it right? No, this must be a joke, the CGI was terrible in ‘Compass’ but as I said before, not much competition.
Best Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Did I get it right? No, nice to see Elswert win for ‘Blood’ as it also looked terrific.
Best Art Direction
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood
Did I get it right? No. I honestly can’t think what was going through my mind when I opted for ‘Blood’ over ‘Sweeny Todd’ which now seems the obvious choice.
Best Animated Short Film
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Peter & the Wolf
Did I get it right? Yes. Another lucky guess.
Best Short Film
At Night
Il Supplente
Le Mozart des Pickpockets
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman
Did I get it right? Nope.
Best Costume Design
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Did I get it right? Yes, always have to opt for the big, flashy costume period films for this category I think.
Best Make-Up
La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Did I get it right? Yes.
Best Sound Mixing
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers
Did I get it right? No, ‘Bourne’ robbed ‘Men’ on this I think, the sound design was so atmospheric and tension building as opposed to deafening everyone. Pah….
Sound Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers
Did I get it right? No, as above.
Best Film Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Did I get it right? Another crime. ‘Bourne’ won, and while it’s quite effective at giving you the story in several thousand cuts quantity does not mean quality, it does not trump being able to tell a story with dexterity and style as is the case with just about all the other nominees. That whole frenetic style is actually something of a cliche now I think….
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