This has been my worst movie-going year ever...(E-V-E-R!). So take this year's rather abbreviated Oscar predictions with that in mind...Best Picture
One of the few movies I went to see this year was "Juno," a superb film that many have called the best film of 2007. It would be a great night if it won here, but it won't. The front-runner seems to "No Country For Old Men," and so I will predict that to win.
Best Actor
Viggo Mortensen did full-frontal nudity, and Tommy Lee Jones, George Clooney, and Johnny Depp are Academy favorites. But conventional wisdom has Daniel Day-Lewis picking up his second trophy on Sunday night for his role in "There Will Be Blood."
Best Actress
Julie Christie will win, hands down. It will be her second Academy Award as well, and I can't wait to see her performance as a woman preparing herself and her family for her long, dark final journey through the recesses of Alzheimer's.
Best Supporting Actor
Phillip Seymour Hoffman was excellent in "Charlie Wilson's War," and since the Academy is set to hand out second Oscars to the probable winners mentioned above, why not hand a second one to Hoffman? Alas, the film was more or less snubbed by most wings of the Academy this year and thus I think Hoffman will come up short.
All predictions I have read thus far have Javier Bardem winning for "No Country For Old Men." In either a really stupid move or a rather brilliant one, I am going go against the grain. I think Hal Holbrook will win Sunday night for his roll in "Into the Wild." My gut tells me that the Academy won't be able to resist awarding Holbrook for his lifetime of work.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett is nominated twice this year, in the Actress category for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and here for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There." She'll probably win, but you can't count out Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" or Ruby Dee in "American Gangster."
This category is notorious for throwing curve balls (although not as much lately). I find the greatest chance of getting this category right is to go with the front-runner. Cate Blanchett will win.
Best Director
This will be Joel and Ethan Coen's second Oscar of the night (I think they'll win the Adapted Screenplay award as well), and third overall (as producers, they'll win the Best Picture statuettes).
My personal wish would be to see an upset by Paul Thomas Anderson for "There Will Be Blood." "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia" are classic, superb films and that he wasn't even nominated for directing those two masterpieces puzzles the mind. But I think the momentum for the Coen brothers is too strong for an upset this year.
Brent and I are off to Santa Barbara to watch the ceremony with friends. I may post between now and then, but if not I'll be back on Monday.
