The year 2008 was a year of change in American film. The year began by bringing us one of the most critically acclaimed blockbusters in a long time with The Dark Knight,"" and an animated feature as a legitimate Best Picture contender in Pixar's kiddie sci-fi masterpiece ""WALL-E.""
Yet when the smoke cleared and the nominations came out, these two films were nowhere to be seen. Sure, Heath Ledger secured a Best Supporting Actor nomination for ""The Dark Knight,"" and Andrew Stanton was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for ""WALL-E,"" but the Best Picture nominees were downright pedestrian.
2008 will be remembered as a year that simply kept the status quo. There were some good movies, even some great ones, but nothing which will make 2008 stand out as a definitive year in cinema.
None of us at The Daily Cardinal claim to be clairvoyant, but a few of our resident cinephiles gathered to discuss the major categories and take a stab at the winners. The only way to know for sure is to tune in next Sunday, February 22, at 7 p.m. on ABC and watch for yourself.
Best Picture
Who will win: ""Slumdog Millionaire""
Who should win: ""Slumdog Millionaire""
Who was snubbed: ""The Wrestler,"" ""Gran Torino""
Everyone loves Danny Boyle's ""Slumdog Millionaire."" The film has 60 awards to its name already, including four Golden Globes and a Screen Actor's Guild Award. The underdog story of a child of the slums, rising up by using a longshot chance on a game show to find the woman of his dreams has, ironically, become an unstoppable awards juggernaut, trampling anything in its wake.
There are a few chinks in the armor though. Despite the high production value, the acting in ""Slumdog"" is admittedly spotty at times; that's what comes from using a cast of unknowns. And while the cast as a whole performs admirably, there are other nominees in the category who have stronger performances across the board.
Enter Gus Van Sant's ""Milk."" While all the momentum in the film community points to a win for ""Slumdog,"" ""Milk"" could nab Best Picture simply on the strength of Sean Penn's transformative performance alone. The supporting performances by Emile Hirsch and James Franco could also edge out the competition.
As for the rest: ""Frost/Nixon"" and ""The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"" are easy to hate on this year because, in a year of low-budget art house champs, they represent the awards formula of big-budget Hollywood. Instead, it would have been nice to see Darren Aronofsky's ""The Wrestler"" in this category, seeing as it truly was one of the best and most original films of the year. And hell, the crotchety antics of Clint Eastwood in ""Gran Torino"" deserve a nod more than the overwhelmingly boring cast of ""Button"" any day.
- Mark Riechers
Best Actor
Who will win: Mickey Rourke, ""The Wrestler""
Who should win: Mickey Rourke, ""The Wrestler""
Who was snubbed: Clint Eastwood, ""Gran Torino""
Let's face it, this competition is only between Rourke and Sean Penn. Penn has been called everything from ""stunning"" to ""transformative"" for his turn as Harvey Milk in, well, ""Milk,"" but Rourke's comeback story is the very definition of ""transformative."" Rourke gives the best performance of the year, hands down. He brings heart and humor to one of the three best movies of the year.
From the first shot over Rourke's shoulder to the very last second of the film, you are completely invested in the character, and no one deserves the Oscar more than him. Possible upsets could come from Frank Langella for ""Frost/Nixon"" or Richard Jenkins for ""The Visitor,"" neither of whom has been previously recognized by the Academy for their considerable talent.
The only one with no chance is Brad Pitt, who will, along with Angelina, go home empty-handed. If Pitt deserved a nomination this year for anything, it was certainly for ""Burn After Reading,"" not ""Benjamin Button."" And instead of nominating Pitt, why not nominate Colin Farrell for ""In Bruges?"" The role was easily the best of his career, and it earned him a Golden Globe, so the lack of recognition from the Academy is a large omission. But the largest omission this year by far is Clint Eastwood for ""Gran Torino."" Not only would a nomination have honored his half-century acting career in Hollywood, but the film marks perhaps the greatest performance of his life. If anyone deserves recognition from the Academy, it's Eastwood.
California voters may be swayed by the Prop-8 politics associated with ""Milk,"" but if they're looking to reward a stunning personal transformation and a deeply moving performance, Rourke will be a very happy man Sunday night.
- Danny Gottleib
Best Actress
Who Will Win: Kate Winslet, ""The Reader""
Who Should Win: Meryl Streep, ""Doubt""
Who Shouldn't Be Here: Angelina Jolie, ""Changeling""
Kate Winslet will probably take home the hardware for her performance as a former SS guard in ""The Reader."" A middle-aged man (Ralph Fiennes) remembers an affair he once had as a teenager, discovers its dark secrets and witnesses his lover's (Winslet) war crimes trial. Although more subdued, Winslet's performance is nonetheless compelling. She makes Hanna's emotions plausibly understandable while complementing her straightforward demeanor. After six Academy Award nominations (and losses), it's finally Winslet's time to shine.
However, the actress most deserving of the award is a woman who has already had more success in awards than any other actress, Meryl Streep. Streep's performance as the suspicious nun in ""Doubt"" was a typically flawless performance from the best actress of our generation. Through a few and limited observations, Streep accuses her parish's priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) of sexual abuse with one of the teenage boys attending the parochial school. Streep takes the judgmental nun stereotype to an extreme, but at the same time manages to develop several complex layers to the character, making the story much more heartbreaking. And, in addition to all this, she masters a Bronx accent.
One high-profile actress who shouldn't even be under consideration is Angelina Jolie, for her role as a distraught mother in ""Changeling."" When the LAPD reports that her missing son has been found, Jolie discovers that it is not him. The police refuse to admit their mistake, and consequently attempt to make Jolie feel like she has gone insane. Jolie has been celebrated for various films in the past, but this nomination feels like a cop-out. We get it, Clint Eastwood: She has big lips and can fit the 1920s look fairly well. Sadly, even those lips can't hide the lack of passion in what could have been an extremely emotional role.
- Katie Foran-McHale
Best Supporting Actor
Who will win: Heath Ledger, ""The Dark Knight""
Who should win: Heath Ledger ""The Dark Knight""
Who shouldn't be here: Robert Downey Jr., ""Tropic Thunder""
It will be an upset of monumental proportions if Ledger doesn't win a posthumous Oscar for his dark turn in ""The Dark Knight."" Some would argue that Ledger should be considered in the Best Actor category rather than the Supporting category, as his performance far overshadowed Christian Bale's, but regardless of the category, Ledger deserves to win.
He disappeared into the role of ""The Joker,"" making even the most die-hard Batman fans forget Jack Nicholson's similarly incredible performance in the 1989 original. He convinced audiences of his utter insanity in the movie, and personified the new-age kind of darkness director Christopher Nolan intended to convey in re-inventing the Batman franchise. Sadly, Ledger's passing robbed us of what would surely have been a great film career. This makes the Academy's decision even easier, because the only chance they'll have to reward Ledger is right now.
Although it's about 99.9 percent certain that Ledger will win, both Phillip Seymour Hoffman in ""Doubt"" and Josh Brolin in ""Milk"" present a minimal challenge. Hoffman gave a typically brilliant performance and is always a critical darling, and ""Doubt"" is no exception. Brolin's turn as killer James White in ""Milk"" was the perfect foil to Sean Penn's flamboyant Harvey Milk. I'd even go so far as to say Brolin gave the best performance of the film, and would have a much better chance if ""Milk"" had come out in a Ledger-less year.
As for nominees who don't belong, I have to wonder what the Academy was thinking by nominating Robert Downey Jr. for ""Tropic Thunder."" Although Hollywood always appreciates being made fun of, Downey Jr.'s role wasn't even the best comedic supporting role in a movie dealing with Hollywood in-jokes. That honor would go to Brad Pitt in ""Burn After Reading.""
Regardless, the Academy will not ignore the prohibitive favorite. Heath Ledger will win the Oscar, and if he doesn't, there is no justice in the world.
- Kevin Slane
Best Supporting Actress
Who will win: Viola Davis, ""Doubt""
Who should win: Viola Davis, ""Doubt""
Who got snubbed: Rosemarie DeWitt, ""Rachel Getting Married""
The category of Best Supporting Actress has often been a wild card on Oscar night, but until Tilda Swinton's surprise win for her role in ""Michael Clayton"" last year, the category had been fairly predictable for the past decade. Hopefully the 2009 Academy Awards will continue the trend of shaking up the establishment
This year's frontrunner is Penelope Cruz, vaunted as the favorite for her role as Javier Bardem's scorned ex-wife in ""Vicky Cristina Barcelona."" But despite having the best Vegas odds, Cruz still doesn't feel like a lock for victory, leaving the door open for an underdog. The biggest star of the group is Amy Adams, nominated for her innocent turn in ""Doubt,"" though she didn't have any powerful scenes to show off for the Academy. Taraji P. Henson faces a similar problem with her role in ""The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,"" and Marisa Tomei, despite her previous history as a Supporting Actress spoiler, just seems like an afterthought for her stripper role in ""The Wrestler."" That leaves Viola Davis, who despite only appearing in ""Doubt"" for one scene, crafts a knock-out performance that was almost unanimously praised. With four acting nominations, it's unlikely that ""Doubt"" will leave the ceremony without at least one trophy, and Davis is the best shot the film has. Davis takes Supporting Actress in a well-deserved Cinderella win.
Sadly missing from this conversation, however, is Rosemarie DeWitt for her role as the titular character in ""Rachel Getting Married."" Anne Hathaway may have gotten to perform all the histrionics and earn all the attention, but it was DeWitt who grounded the film in reality. Unfortunately, it seems that reality isn't something the Academy goes for.
- Todd Stevens
Best Director
Who will win: Danny Boyle, ""Slumdog Millionaire""
Who should win: Gus Van Sant, ""Milk""
Who was snubbed: Christopher Nolan, ""The Dark Knight""
In the last 40 years, only six men have failed to follow their Oscar-winning Best Films to Best Director hardware. With ""Slumdog Millionaire"" looking like 2008's clear favorite, its director, Danny Boyle, is certainly no underdog for Best Director. Boyle captures the mesmerizing romance of star-crossed lovers from the Mumbai ghettos with beauty and tempo; every shot exhausts the senses while frantic editing and freewheeling cameras keep viewers panting with adrenaline. Breathtaking scenery, an M.I.A.-fused soundtrack and great performances from Bollywood legends and first-time actors make Boyle hard to bet against.
Could anyone deserve the title of ""Best Director"" more? How about Gus Van Sant, who directed not one, but two of 2008's finest: The blockbuster ""Milk"" and film-festival sensation ""Paranoid Park."" Sant's ""Milk"" tackles the hot-button gay rights issue, getting the best from its star-studded cast and humanizing, rather than deifying Harvey Milk. Showing incredible range, Sant's ""Paranoid Park"" is ""Milk's"" antithesis - a small-yet-potent gem about adolescent numbness and skateboard homicides fused with Elliot Smith and black comedy.
Now (*gag) the rest. Ron Howard's ""Frost/Nixon"" is plagued by disjointed, faux-documentary interjections, David Fincher's ""Benjamin Button"" is an exercise in eye-lid control and, frankly, Stephen Daldry's ""The Reader"" is the worst Best Picture nominee I've ever seen.
Had the Academy searched beyond its favorite fetishes - the Holocaust and Brad Pitt - it would have realized Christopher Nolan's ""Dark Knight"" wasn't just an action flick, but a rich, social commentary with philosophical undertones and a cross-dressing psychopath. Similarly, Turkish up-and-comer Fatih Akin's ""The Edge of Heaven"" is 2008's biggest snub with no nominations, though it features some of the year's best postmodern storytelling, compelling characters and a scene that makes sharing a joint end-to-end look sexy.
- Ryan Hebel
