Friday, February 25, 2005
E.K. Nation Oscar Predictions Gasoline Fire
So we have seen everything that was nominated in the Picture, Directing and Acting categories except The Aviator, which we will see on Saturday; Finding Neverland, which we will see on Sunday; Maria Full of Grace, which we Netflixed and will fit in at some point this weekend, and Kinsey, which I am guessing we will not see in time. Here are the fearless predictions for how the Oscar night will go down on Sunday:
PICTURE: Million Dollar Baby. This thing is gaining steam, and the controversy that surrounds it will help; we think the Academy will at least partially with their vote send a message that it's okay to have controversial topics in your movies. If you don't know what we're talking about, see the movie already. UPSET POTENTIAL: Sideways.
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby. We were thinking that the Academy would honor Martin Scorsese, finally, but I'm not so sure the Academy is willing to hand out a sort of pseudo-lifetime-achievement Oscar to a director as fast as they would to an actor. UPSET POTENTIAL:None. It's either Eastwood or Scorsese, no matter what.
ACTOR: Jamie Foxx in Ray. We saw it last night, and while the movie isn't necessarily spectacular, Foxx's performance is. UPSET POTENTIAL: Eastwood. Depends on how the voting for the director category goes. We don't think Eastwood will get both Actor and Director.
ACTRESS: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby. UPSET POTENTIAL: Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake. We don't think enough people will have liked Being Julia enough for Annette Bening to get the win.
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby. Like we said before, the world's greatest living actor will finally get a statuette. UPSET POTENTIAL: Clive Owen in Closer. What makes us think it won't happen though is that none of the four major characters is likeable in that movie.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett in The Aviator. We've been going back and forth between Virginia Madsen and Blanchett, but we just get the feeling it's a year that two people will win Oscars for playing famous people, and an Oscar-winner in Blanchett's case (Katharine Hepburn). UPSET POTENTIAL: The other three nominees. This is, after all, Best Supporting Actress. Marisa Tomei, anyone?
