Oscar Picks

The Awards Season is like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, its exciting, there's tension over choosing which film, and you just want to have a few drinks and hope the damn season is over with. This year's Oscars is Topsy-Turvy with 10 nominations for Best Picture instead of the usual 5. Some say its good to shed light on the films that should have been nominated, while others, like me, think that its a sympathy vote for the films that grossed over hundreds of millions of dollars. Anyway, here are my picks for Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.

Best Supporting Actress:
Penélope Cruz-Nine
Vera Farmiga-Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal-Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick-Up in the Air
Mo'Nique-Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

There's no contest for Best Supporting Actress since it will definitely go do comedienne, Mo'Nique, and her horrific performance as the physically and mentally abusive mother of Precious. At first, I had my reservations seeing Mo'Nique in a serious film; the last film I saw her in was the forgettable Beerfest and some reality show. But, I'm willing to wash all of that crap away and embrace this once-in-a-lifetime performance she gives.

Runner up: Maggie Gyllenhaal gave such a brilliant performance in Crazy Heart. Her role was not a supporting role per se as it was in The Dark Knight or World Trade Center. Her strength and beauty as a single mother in love with a has-been country musician surprised me, as well as her chemistry with Jeff Bridges.
Best Supporting Actor:
Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

The popular vote is that Christoph Waltz and his portrayal as a Nazi in the Tarantino kill-ride Inglorious Basterds will get the gold. The performance that bowled me over last year was Woody Harrelson in The Messenger. His portrayal of an officer who notifies the families of soldiers who died in Iraq was moving, funny, and intense. Next to Natural Born Killers and The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger is Woody's finest hour. Oscar committee, take another look at The Messenger before you decide!

P.S. this is coming from a critic, not a producer looking to be banned from an awards show.

Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Sandra Bullock has picked up most of the Best Actress awards this season and will probably win, but I'm putting my money on Gabourey Sidibe for Precious. This 23-year-old Psychology major, who never had any acting work in the past, delivers an amazing performance as a pregnant, illiterate, HIV-positive teenager living in Harlem. At first, I thought Precious was a movie for the sake of getting sympathy, but my prejudices went out the window from the first five minutes of this movie as I was amazed by the raw energy and power Sidibe delivered on screen.

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

Like Mo'nique, there's one other actor that is a sure thing at this year's Oscars; Jeff Bridges for his role as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart. To all those cynics who think that Bridges is being awarded the Oscar just for his career, screw you! Bridges gives a heartfelt performance as a boozed out musician trying to turn his career around. Bridges combines his alcohol-laded depression from The Fisher King with his laid back fuck-it attitude from The Big Lebowski in his portrayal of a man who lives his life like a country song. Bridges has scooped up every major award so far and he has room for a richly-deserved Oscar.

Best Director:
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Beyond the recent controversy over the The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow deserves the Academy Award. If Sofia Coppola couldn't break the glass-roof by being the first woman to win an Oscar, Bigelow should. The guerrilla-styled camera work, heart-pounding suspense, and apolitical plot line blew me away. The Hurt Locker is a shot of fresh air from the parade of Iraq war films that preceded it (Stop-Loss, Redacted, Lions For Lambs). Not since Full Metal Jacket has their been a war movie that has me gripped to the edge of my seat and profoundly moved me at the same time.

Okay, it all comes down to this!

Best Picture:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

It's been a David and Goliath match between Avatar and The Hurt Locker, but my gut is going for The Hurt Locker. Although Avatar is a visually enticing film, The Hurt Locker is a stripped down look at young men risking their lives for the sake of their fellow man, and for that extra rush of adrenaline. It's not as political as Platoon, nor is it as operatic as Apocalypse Now, which is what makes the film stand out from other films that delve into the difficult subject matter of warfare.

Runner up: There might be a Crash moment and in case there is, I'm going with the Coen Brothers A Serious Man. This darkly funny and stunning portrait of faith and fate is the best film the Brothers Coen have done since No Country for Old Men. If one film can outweigh Avatar and The Hurt Locker, it's A Serious Man.

Well, tune in on Sunday and see if these picks are worth the blog its printed on.