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Sunday, February 22, 2009

829. cranelegs pond oscar picks

never have i been so prepared for the oscars.
i've seen all the nominations for best picture and other categories.
also it is the year of small independent movies.
just fantastic.

so here are the picks from cranelegs pond in each major category.

1. best supporting actress:
rooting for: marisa tomei
winner: penelope cruz
comment: marisa was such an anchor in "the wrestler", contributing to what i think will be a surprise best actor winner, but my understanding is that penelope's performance is a winner.

2. best supporting actor:
rooting for: heath ledger
winner: heath ledger
comment: i have watched his performance four times now and find it absolutely incredible, and he deserves it on the merits.

3. best actress:
rooting for: melissa leo
winner: kate winslet
melissa leo is extraordinary in "frozen river", a small budget movie with a huge heart. but having just seen kate in "the reader", it is hard to imagine her losing this. i would not be disappointed if melissa lost to kate.

4. best actor:
rooting for: richard jenkins
winner: mickey rourke
this is the toughest category. richard jenkins as the reluctant hero in "the visitor", is superb. but the movie just does not compete with the others. langella is mesmerizing as nixon (i watched the actual interview the other day and it makes his nixon even more incredible), but the role is doomed with the real life legacy. i wouldn't be surprised if sean penn wins this for his riveting performance in "milk". but i'm calling for a surprise here. i think mickey rourke's return to acting after a long absence is triumphant. who would have thunk it?

5: best director:
rooting for: frost/nixon
winner: slum dogs millionaire
comment: another tough category. growing up with opie, i'm such a fan of ron howard, and i'm rooting for him big time. but i'm a realist. the movie can go to broadway and win a few tony awards. and while the challenges of directing a movie like "the curious case of benjamin button" or capturing the power of "the reader" are considerable, "slum dogs" has to be the winner on sheer reach alone. brilliant storytelling. i would be surprised if any one else wins.

6. best picture:
rooting for: milk
winner: slum dog millionaire
comment: this follows best director. but i wouldn't be surprised or disappointed if any of them won. that was the kind of year it was!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

7. worst TV show
rooting for: Nancy Grace
winner: the oscars

Robert Crane said...

rooting for same but the winner is going to be "wife swap", not the oscars.

itsmecissy said...

Mickey Rourke didn't get Best Actor bob, the award went to Sean Penn. I was rooting for Mickey myself having seen The Wrestler and all.

Robert Crane said...

mickey rourke was the one pick i made that i thought would be the upset of the night. but sean penn was fantastic as harvey milk. so can't complain, otherwise, i called the rest correctly.

if you get a chance see "the visitor" and "frozen river". great small, indie movies.