National Board of Review

BEST PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire

Top Ten Films of 2008:
Burn After Reading
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Gran Torino
Milk
WALL-E
The Wrestler

BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


BEST ACTOR
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Doubt

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Gran Torino- Nick Schenk

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Eric Roth
and
Slumdog Millionaire- Simon Beaufoy

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCES
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire (male)
Viola Davis, Doubt (female)

BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Courtney Hunt, Frozen River

SPOTLIGHT AWARD
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Melissa Leo, Frozen River

BEST ANIMATED FILM
WALL-E

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Mongol

Top Five Foreign Films of 2008:
The Edge of Heaven
Let the Right One In
Roman de Gare
A Secret
Waltz With Bashir

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Man on Wire

Top Five Documentaries of 2008:
American Teen
The Betrayal
Dear Zachary
Encounters at the End of the World
Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired

Top 10 Independent Films of 2008:
Frozen River
In Bruges
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Mr. Foe
Rachel Getting Married
Snow Angels
Son of Rambow
Wendy & Lucy
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Visitor

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Best Picture

And the nominees are:


Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood


So, 2007 was a great year of American filmmaking, and the Oscar (with minor exceptions) did it right. To prove this point, this year the Academy acknowledged my three favorite movies of the year in the Best Picture category. This never happens. Last year, Children of Men was my favorite (and snubbed.) 2005, Brokeback Mountain was my favorite, which got the shaft in an event that disdains and maddens me to this day. 2004, Kill Bill: Volume Two and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind were the best, in my opinion, both of which pretty much ignored, the list goes on. This is a joyous occassion where the Academy selected artistic triumphs and while Atonement and Michael Clayton aren't my favorites (I'd pick I'm Not There, The Savages, The Darjeeling Limited, Once, Sweeney Todd, the list goes on...), it's still a terrific selection compared to many years of constant disapointment. No Country For Old Men, with it's plethora of awards (PGA, DGA, SAG, millions of critics prizes) that's on top, and rightfully so, but if there's a There Will Be Blood or Juno shocker, I'd be amazed and joyed at that. Right on, Academy, job well done for honoring artistically successful and real pieces of art. End scene.

Best Director

And the nominees are:


Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, No Country For Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell & the Butterfly


This is a fine selection here. I want Anderson, the Coens, Reitman and Schnabel to share the prize, but there can be only one victor. Of course, I believe, the Coen Brothers will take it, but a case can be made for Anderson (Blood, I believe, is more a directorial triumph than a written one), Reitman (many people are bothered by his inclusion, but I protest, Juno is an accomplished comedy because of Reitman's pacing control and wonderous effect with ensembles) and Schnabel (for his riveting audacity to make a painful subject beautiful and poignant without ever getting sappy.) I would have enjoyed Tim Burton included here, but a bountiful selection like this (minus Gilroy) is a rare and amazing thing. Again, I feel, why complain?

Best Actress

And the nominees are:


Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
as: Queen Elizabeth I

Julie Christie, Away From Her
as: Fiona Anderson

Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
as: Edith Piaf

Laura Linney, The Savages
as: Wendy Savages

Ellen Page, Juno
as: Juno MacGuff


The majestic Julie Christie has pretty much swept the critics prizes, the Golden Globe, and SAG award... she's Hollywood royalty (remember Darling, Dr. Zhivago, her love affair with Warren Beatty.) My brain says it's going to Christie this year for her lauded turn as a woman battling Alzheimers. However, Cotillard recently snapped up the BAFTA prize to go to her wrongly awarded Golden Globe, and the Academy loves them tortured biopic stories. Then again Page is the star of the year, and Juno is the zeitgeisty hit of the year, and my heart goes with her. It's the age old question of brain vs. heart, and problem I think a lot of Academy votes suffer from. My argue that Jodie Foster and Angelina Jolie were the painful snubs of the year, but I'm more upset about Amy Adams for enchanting Enchanted and Nicole Kidman's achingly blunt Margot at the Wedding. In the end of Christie gets the pick for the eventual winner, but Cotillard or Page are not far behind. In a rare twist of the Academy wronging the sins of the critics, the Globes, and everybody else they honored Laura Linney for her singular, completely honest and tender portrayl in The Savages. She would have my vote, period. The less said about the double Blanchett nomination, the better-- love ya, but yeah.

Best Supporting Actor

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford
as: Robert Ford

Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
as: Anton Chigurh

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
as: Gust Avrakotos

Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
as: Ron Franz

Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
as: Arthur Edens


With the exception of the hammy grandiose performance given by Philip Seymour Hoffman this is a solid list. Of course it's Javier Bardem's fierce, frighteningly scary turn in No Country that's on top-- as well it should be. It's one of those performances that deserves to be in front of the pack. If there's an upset (which would be most likely the biggest shock of the night) it will be Hal Holbrook, which would be fine, since he's quite moving in Into the Wild, but c'mon-- Anton Chigurh is the ultimate badass. I'm especially glad for Affleck's nomination, even though he's really the lead in Jesse James, but category fraud is never going away. I want to know, however, why Jason Bateman (Juno) and Bruce Greenwood (I'm Not There) have been this entire award season. It's not right.

Best Supporting Actress

And the nominees are:


Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
as: Jude Quinn (Bob Dylan)

Ruby Dee, American Gangster
as: Mama Lucas

Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
as: Briony Tallis

Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
as: Helene McCready

Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
as: Karen Crowder

This is the most contested of the big categories...seriously anyone can win. Blanchett has the buzz role (and the Golden Globe), Dee has the old, never Oscared title (and the SAG award), Ryan has the trashy, toned-down (but she's pretty) role, Ronan is the revelation and Swinton has the character actress made it into a big movie (and the BAFTA) role. My heart belongs to Blanchett for her inspired and breathlessly original take in I'm Not There... she's extrordinary. Dee might actually be the eventual victor here, but I think Ryan (winner of the most critics prizes) and Ronan have a shot too. The should be nominated list (in my humble opinion) is Catherine Keener (the heart and soul of Into the Wild), Imelda Stauton (hammy and great in pink in Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix) and Jennifer Garner (has she ever been better than in Juno.)

Best Original Screenplay

And the nominees are:


Juno- Diablo Cody
Lars & the Real Girl- Nancy Oliver
Michael Clayton- Tony Gilroy
Ratatouille- Brad Bird
The Savages- Tamara Jenkins

This is one of the only categories I'm totally possessive over-- if Juno doesn't win, I'll go bonkers...stark raving mad. It's won the most critics prizes, the WGA award, and BAFTA, if it doesn't win, it's not funny. It's obviously the best of the bunch, including The Savages, the second most deserving. The snubbed ones are The Darjeeling Limited and Year of the Dog, but they never had not shot, but I at least felt they were better than the over-cooked Michael Clayton. But seriously, it's Juno's award... and as far as I'm concerned, that's final...

Best Adapted Screenplay

And the nominees are:


Atonement- Christopher Hampton
based on the novel by Ian McEwan

Away From Her- Sarah Polley
based on the short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," by Alice Munro

The Diving Bell & the Buttery- Ronald Harwood
based on the novel by Jean-Dominique Bauby

No Country For Old Men- Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy

There Will Be Blood- Paul Thomas Anderson
based on the novel "Oil," by Upton Sinclair


This is another category where I feel no need to complain (what a rare Oscar season this has been.) Sure I, or others, could surely make a case for Gone, Baby, Gone or Into the Wild, or even perhaps Hairspray, but why... it's still gold. The will\should win goes handily to No Country For Old Men for it's the best picture of the year and the pacing\dialogue\characterization is not only perfectly Coen Brothers, but perfect in itself. Still if there's an upset I think it will be The Diving Bell (it's obviously loved, and Ronald Harwood already had a surprise upset with The Pianist.) But, whatever happens I'll be fine.

Best CInematography

And the nominees are:


The Assassination of Jesse James- Roger Deakins
Atonement- Seamus McGarvey
The Diving Bell & the Butterfly- Janusz Kaminski
No Country For Old Men- Roger Deakins
There Will Be Blood- Roger Elswit

This category is such an embarrassment of riches, it's positively ridiculous and this category incapsulates that completely. Not a dud or unimpressively photographed film above. I want to root for Roger Deakins for being awesome and utterly un-Oscared for so long, but I fear that two amazingly beautiful films will cancel him out. Elswit (Good Night, and Good Luck) won the ASC, and I'd be totally cool if he won, as I would with Kaminski and McGarvey. I can't predict who will win because it breaks my heart too much to pit them against each other. Happily, for me, whoever is called upon the Oscar stage is worthy. Of the films that missed the cut, Across the Universe and Sunshine and Lust, Caution deserved the mention as well but I won't complain here because the nominees are so good. The Assassination of Jesse James is achingly, beautifully filmed. Atonement is perfectly old school and that 4-minute war shot is incredible, if awkward to the story. The Diving Bell & the Butterly (which I think has the advantage) perfectly captures the birds eye view of "locked-in syndrome. No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood are prettily gritty and at some points just plain pretty.

Best Art Direction

And the nominees are:


American Gangster- Arthur Max, Beth A. Rubino
Atonement- Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
The Golden Compass- Dannis Gassner, Anna Pinnock
Sweeney Todd- Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
There Will Be Blood- Jack Fisk, Jim Erickson


The recent art directors guild award went to There Will Be Blood (period film), The Golden Compass (fantasy film) and No Country For Old Men (contemporary film), so it proved unhelpful. My pick would go to Blood for it bare boned depiction of early-California-- it was subtle, but perfect in it's unshowiness, but I think it will come down to Sweeney Todd and Atonement. I'm deeply saddened that Across the Universe (especially for the freakily amazing circus scene) and The Assassination of Jesse James (for everything) are sadly missing from the list.

Best Costume Design

And the nominees are:


Across the Universe- Albert Wolsky
Atonement- Jacqueline Durran
Elizabeth: The Golden Age- Alexandra Byrne
Sweeney Todd- Colleen Atwood
La Vie en Rose- Marit Allen


As with a lot of the technical categories Oscar usually goes with the most rather than the best, so by that logic Elizabeth: The Golden Age likely has the advantage. My heart will go with Across the Universe just because it's the only excuse to claim the film an Academy Award winner. The late Allen received her first nomination (she was recently snubbed for her simple and perfect designs for Brokeback Mountain) and Atwood for her redundant but inspired Sweeney Todd designs round out. I think however Atonement, with the already iconic green dress will reign supreme.