Best Supporting Actress - Who will win? Someone from Doubt. Who should win? Dear god, anyone else.
Best Supporting Actor - Who will win? Heath Ledger. Who should win? Without a doubt Heath Ledger. A lot of people say we’re viewing his performance through the prism of his death. And that a win would be more for what we’ve lost rather than what he left on the screen. Potential rather than performance. I guess those folks didn’t see The Dark Knight, or derided it immediately because it’s a comic book film. His take on The Joker is like watching a car crash in slow motion. Literally jaw-dropping. And remember, this is a character last played by Jack fucking Nicholson.
Best Animated Film - Who will win? WALL-E. Who should win? If there’s any doubt, you must not have seen WALL-E
Best Actress - Who will win? Kate Winslet. Who should win? She was previously one of my favorite actors, but after seeing her blubbering all over the stage twice at the Golden Globes I’m sure I don’t need to see it again tonight. I mean come on, I thought you were British. You’re embarrassing an entire country. Anyone but Winslet.
Best Actor- Who will win? Mickey Rourke. Who should win? Mickey Rourke. Same with Ledger, his detractors say we’ve confused the performance with the real-life story of Mickey Rourke fucking up his career.
Best Director - Who will win? Danny Boyle. Who should win? David Fincher. Every element of Benjamin Button was perfectly executed. Now, you could easily argue that this award is inseparable from Best Picture. But that’s just buying into the whole Auteur thing. Hundreds of professionals are responsible for a feature. And quite a large portion of Slumdog Millionaire was directed by the Indian AD on location.
Best Picture - Who will win? Slumdog Millionaire. Who should win? Like I said, every element of Benjamin Button was perfect, from the cinematography, the performances, the insane yet transparant special effects, to the score, the script, and goddamn Brad Pitt. It is the quintessential awards season film. But it’s also not what people want. We wanted something gritty and real, but ultimately hopeful. Slumdog Millionaire is that film. We’re no longer able to belive in our American dream, so we transplanted it to India. It’s a great film, and easily the best experiences I had in a theater in a long time.
