The Oscars - 2009

Okay, so this is how my Oscar list works.

Each category before the Foreign Language category is ordered by my preference, with my favorite (the person or film I think should win) on top.

The first time a film is listed, I give my star rating (out of four stars) for the film in general.

My prediction is bolded and italicized in each list. This is who I predict will win.

And no, I didn't think about these or research them nearly enough this year. I was too busy watching them!

So......

Best Picture

The Reader (****)
Milk (*** 1/2)
Frost/Nixon (***)
Slumdog Millionaire (***)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (***)

Actress in a Leading Role

Melissa Leo, Frozen River (****) (My no-guts-no-glory for the year)
Meryl Streep, Doubt (***)
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married (*** 1/2)
Angelina Jolie, Changeling (** 1/2)

Actor in a Leading Role

Sean Penn, Milk
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor (*** 1/2)
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (****)
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Actor in a Supporting Role

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (****)
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road (*** 1/2)
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder (*** 1/2)
Josh Brolin, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler (I'd love for her to upset and think it is possible...)
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (***)
Amy Adams, Doubt
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Directing

The Reader
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Frozen River
WALL-E (****)
Milk
In Bruges (***)
Happy-Go-Lucky (** 1/2)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Doubt
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cinematography

Changeling
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
The Reader
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Film Editing

The Dark Knight (I know, I'm crazy...)
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
Frost/Nixon
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Art Direction

The Duchess (** 1/2)
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Changeling

Costume Design

Australia (***)
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk

Makeup

The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (***)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Music (Score)

WALL-E
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance (**)

Music (Song)

"O Saya" Slumdog Millionaire
"Jai Ho" Slumdog Millionaire
"Down to Earth" WALL-E

Sound Mixing

WALL-E
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
Wanted (* 1/2)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Sound Editing

WALL-E
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
Wanted
Iron Man (***)

Visual Effects

The Dark Knight
Iron Man
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Animated Feature Film

WALL-E
Kung Fu Panda (***)
Bolt (**)

Documentary Feature

Man on Wire (*** 1/2)
The Garden (*** 1/2) (Upset? I think so)
Trouble the Water (*** 1/2)
Encounters at the End of the World (*** 1/2)
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) (** 1/2)

(Below are categories where I've seen few films. I've still rated the ones I've watched, but I've made no attempt to order them)

Foreign Language Film

The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanche
Waltz with Bashir

Documentary Short

The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Short Film (Animated)

La Maison en Petits Cubbs
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto (*** 1/2)
This Way Up

Short Film (Live Action)

Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzbugland (Toyland)