80^th Academy Awards – Final Predictions

Can anything stop what is coming? I would love to say “maybe”, but there is no time for that. Upset talk, predictions, bashings, arguments, sighs of agreement – this years Oscar race has been a great one, no doubt with not that many surprises, but an enjoyable one at least. It also marks my first year of being very much involved in the race from start to finish, which is quite something for me, something I will look back on in many years and say, “what a great year for cinema 2007 was, man oh man.”

What you will find here:

* A short explanation detailing my picks and acknowledgements, but not for every category.

* Who Will Win – My final prediction (oh my word….the Oscars are tomorrow!!!)

* Special Acknowledgement: Either my favourite in the category, or the second best effort that I think will not win the Oscar, but they/it deserve to be acknowledged for their outstanding contribution to cinema this year. It does not apply to every category, but to where I feel necessary.

Best Picture commentary and prediction after the cut…

Best Picture:

Is there a real doubt as to who would win? I don’t think so. No Country has been this years strongest contender, won plenty precursors, been a fan and critical success and pretty much unstoppable. That is all I have to go on – I have not seen this one, but predict I shall. Joel and Ethan Coen have managed to crawl from the wood works into mainstream success with their latest crime thriller. No longer are they just the hot topic of film buff conversations, but they have created this year’s safest bet for Best Picture. There Will Be Blood is the boldest and most artistically daring picture, and I am told it is similar to Citizen Cane, and we all know how that one went win the Academy….If Blood doesn’t win, which it probably won’t, it will still be a classic. You can bet on that.

[Place self-indulgent rambling here] The best film I have seen out of the three Best Picture nominees (Juno, Atonement, Michael Clayton) would no doubt be Juno. It is a funny, poignant, coming of age, quirky, heart warming gem of an indie, the little film that could. It is the lightest nominee this year, and it is tempting to pick it as my number one prediction for Best Pic, but truth told, I don’t think it can overcome it’s lightness. It is one for the ages, a film I will treasure for ever, and if it did, against all odds or if voters are bored of picking No Country – win Best Pic, it sure would make the DVD box look cool. Every once in a while a film that you know nothing about comes along, you go see it because the trailer is just so damn heart-warming and you are in love with it’s star  but you still don’t expect much and 90 something minutes later you walk out with a smile on your face and a hole where your heart could normally be found. Juno stole my heart. In a good way. It has kept it too, not sure if I am ever getting it back, or at least not for a while.  This year, pregnancy, abortion, adoption etc have all been dealt with. We saw it in Knocked Up and laughed, some saw it in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and “Lake of Fire” but it was only when little miss Juno MacGuff strolls onto the screen with her bottle of Sunny D. that I truly felt that cinematic gold had been struck. I think Juno has an advantage over the other Best Picture nominees in the fact that it is the lighter film amongst the bunch. I know what you are thinking. Little Miss Sunshine had people saying the same thing. However, Juno has more to it than Little Miss Sunshine. It is the most easily accessible to all, in my opinion. Sure No Country and There Will Be Blood are regarded as the best films of the year. Which is all great, but Juno has a heart and is the least male-centric of the nominees. Everyone has a family and has to deal with growing up, so people can identify with the characters in Juno and have a good time doing so. No Country is a serious film goers dream, as is There Will Be Blood, but Juno is a hit with mainstream audiences as well as a few serious film buffs. The Academy is not all just old men with dead-on eye for what film is the best film of the year. In case no one noticed, they hardly ever give the award to the most deserving, so I could be wrong, and that means something other than Juno would win. Okay, so I am kidding. I am a Juno lover, and I am so glad it was nominated for Best Picture, and like last year’s indie Little Miss Sunshine, it won’t win.

Best Picture: No Country For Old Men
Special Acknowledgement: Juno