Oscars 2009

Lights, camera, action. Yes it’s that time of the year again. Big frocks, funny shoes, dapper suits and the most important statuette going. It’s Oscar time. The full list of nominations have been revealed:



FULL LIST OF OSCAR NOMINATIONS:

1. Best Picture:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'Frost/Nixon',
'Milk',
'The Reader',
'Slumdog Millionaire'.


2. Actor:
Richard Jenkins, 'The Visitor';
Frank Langella, 'Frost/Nixon';
Sean Penn, 'Milk';
Brad Pitt, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
Mickey Rourke, 'The Wrestler'.

3. Actress:
Anne Hathaway, 'Rachel Getting Married';
Angelina Jolie, 'Changeling';
Melissa Leo, 'Frozen River';
Meryl Streep, 'Doubt';
Kate Winslet, 'The Reader'.

4. Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin, 'Milk';
Robert Downey Jr, 'Tropic Thunder';
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 'Doubt';
Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Knight';
Michael Shannon, 'Revolutionary Road'.

5. Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, 'Doubt';
Penelope Cruz, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona';
Viola Davis, 'Doubt';
Taraji P. Henson, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
Marisa Tomei, 'The Wrestler'.

6. Director:
David Fincher, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
Ron Howard, 'Frost/Nixon';
Gus Van Sant, 'Milk';
Stephen Daldry, 'The Reader';
Danny Boyle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

7. Foreign Film:
'The Baader Meinhof Complex', Germany;
'The Class', France;
'Departures', Japan;
'Revanche', Austria;
'Waltz With Bashir', Israel.

8. Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
John Patrick Shanley, 'Doubt';
Peter Morgan, 'Frost/Nixon';
David Hare, 'The Reader';
Simon Beaufoy, 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

9. Original Screenplay:
Courtney Hunt, 'Frozen River';
Mike Leigh, 'Happy-Go-Lucky';
Martin McDonagh, 'In Bruges';
Dustin Lance Black, 'Milk';
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, 'WALL-E'.

10. Animated Feature Film:
'Bolt';
'Kung Fu Panda';
'WALL-E'.

11. Art Direction:
'Changeling',
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'The Dark Knight',
'The Duchess',
'Revolutionary Road'.

12. Cinematography:
'Changeling',
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'The Dark Knight',
'The Reader',
'Slumdog Millionaire'.

13. Sound Mixing:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'The Dark Knight',
'Slumdog Millionaire',
'WALL-E',
'Wanted'.

14. Sound Editing:
'The Dark Knight',
'Iron Man',
'Slumdog Millionaire',
'WALL-E',
'Wanted'.

15. Original Score:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button', Alexandre Desplat;
'Defiance', James Newton Howard;
'Milk', Danny Elfman;
'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman;
'WALL-E', Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song:
Down To Earth from 'WALL-E', Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman;
Jai Ho from 'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman and Gulzar;
O Saya from 'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

17. Costume:
'Australia',
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'The Duchess',
'Milk',
'Revolutionary Road'.

18. Documentary Feature:
'The Betrayal' ('Nerakhoon'),
'Encounters At The End Of The World',
'The Garden',
'Man on Wire',
'Trouble the Water'.

19. Documentary (short subject):
'The Conscience of Nhem En',
'The Final Inch',
'Smile Pinki',
'The Witness – From The Balcony Of Room 306'.

20. Film Editing:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'The Dark Knight',
'Frost/Nixon',
'Milk',
'Slumdog Millionaire'.

21. Makeup:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'The Dark Knight',
'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'.

22. Animated Short Film:
'La Maison en Petits Cubes',
'Lavatory – Lovestory',
'Oktapodi',
'Presto',
'This Way Up'.

23. Live Action Short Film:
'Auf Der Strecke' ('On the Line'),
'Manon On The Asphalt',
'New Boy',
'The Pig',
'Spielzeugland' ('Toyland').

24. Visual Effects:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'The Dark Knight',
'Iron Man'.

So….what do you think? Who’s a shoo in? Who’s a surprised??? Do you care??? Discuss everything for Oscars 2009 here!

My choices are in bold and who I think is going to win is underlined:

1. Best Picture:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'Slumdog Millionaire'

2. Actor:
Mickey Rourke, 'The Wrestler'

3. Actress:
Meryl Streep, 'Doubt';
Kate Winslet, 'The Reader'

4. Supporting Actor:
Robert Downey Jr, 'Tropic Thunder'
Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Knight'

5. Supporting Actress:
Taraji P. Henson, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
Marisa Tomei, 'The Wrestler'

6. Director:
David Fincher, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
Danny Boyle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

7. Foreign Film:
I've not seen any of these.

8. Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
Simon Beaufoy, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

9. Original Screenplay:
Martin McDonagh, 'In Bruges'
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, 'WALL-E'

10. Animated Feature Film:
'Kung Fu Panda'
'WALL-E'

11. Art Direction:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'The Dark Knight'

12. Cinematography:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'Slumdog Millionaire'

13. Sound Mixing:
The Dark Knight'
'Slumdog Millionaire'

14. Sound Editing:
'The Dark Knight'
'Iron Man',

15. Original Score:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button', Alexandre Desplat
'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman

It's a shame The Dark Knight wasn't nominated in this category. The score is the best I've heard last year. I am going to say it's because of the multiple composer fiasco.

16. Original Song:
Down To Earth from 'WALL-E', Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Jai Ho from 'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman and Gulzar
OR
O Saya from 'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

17. Costume:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'The Duchess'

18. Documentary Feature:
'Man on Wire'

19. Documentary (short subject):
I've not seen any of these.

20. Film Editing:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'Slumdog Millionaire'

21. Makeup:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'

22. Animated Short Film:
I've not seen any of these.

23. Live Action Short Film:
I've not seen any of these.

24. Visual Effects:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'
'Iron Man'

Am I happy with these nominations? No, I am not. I would like to have seen The Dark Knight receive a Best Picture nomination. Like I said the The Dark Knight thread, the Academy proves once again that they are in love with limited release films. 4 of the 5 films in the Best Motion Picture category are limited release and even more limited release films are scattered throughout the nominations. I hate that they do this. The average film goer will not be able to see them until they are released on DVD and will have no way of coming up with an opinion on whether or not a certain limited release film deserves an award if won.

I will be looking online for theaters in my area that are playing the limited release Best Picture nominations so I can watch them before February.

4 of the 5 films in the Best Motion Picture category are limited release and even more limited release films are scattered throughout the nominations. I hate that they do this. The average film goer will not be able to see them until they are released on DVD and will have no way of coming up with an opinion on whether or not a certain limited release film deserves an award if won.

I will be looking online for theaters in my area that are playing the limited release Best Picture nominations so I can watch them before February.


I 100% agree with this i always feel like ive never heard of half the films nominated for best picture, and it seems like its not always about the entire movie as a whole. It seems to me they base most of their judgements on acting and storyline alone, which isnt always want makes a great movie, yes it most certainly needs to be there but its not just those two things that make a great movie.

Hmm, I'll go along with what you've done here JL Tucker- but I won't guess at them all, since my knowledge of the editing awards and so forth would be rather limited- it would be silly of me, in my amateurishness, to make guesses at those! :lol:!

Okay, so I'll take stabs at what I think will win, as opposed to my own opinion, though doubtless it will emerge somewhere! :lol:!


1. Best Picture:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',
'Frost/Nixon',
'Milk',
'The Reader',
'Slumdog Millionaire'.


2. Actor:
Richard Jenkins, 'The Visitor';
Frank Langella, 'Frost/Nixon';
Sean Penn, 'Milk';
Brad Pitt, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
Mickey Rourke, 'The Wrestler'.

3. Actress:
Anne Hathaway, 'Rachel Getting Married';
Angelina Jolie, 'Changeling';
Melissa Leo, 'Frozen River';
Meryl Streep, 'Doubt';
Kate Winslet, 'The Reader'.

4. Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin, 'Milk';
Robert Downey Jr, 'Tropic Thunder';
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 'Doubt';
Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Knight';
Michael Shannon, 'Revolutionary Road'.

5. Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, 'Doubt';
Penelope Cruz, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona';
Viola Davis, 'Doubt';
Taraji P. Henson, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
Marisa Tomei, 'The Wrestler'.

6. Director:
David Fincher, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
Ron Howard, 'Frost/Nixon';
Gus Van Sant, 'Milk';
Stephen Daldry, 'The Reader';
Danny Boyle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

7. Foreign Film:
'The Baader Meinhof Complex', Germany;
'The Class', France;
'Departures', Japan;
'Revanche', Austria;
'Waltz With Bashir', Israel.

8. Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button';
John Patrick Shanley, 'Doubt';
Peter Morgan, 'Frost/Nixon';
David Hare, 'The Reader';
Simon Beaufoy, 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

9. Original Screenplay:
Courtney Hunt, 'Frozen River';
Mike Leigh, 'Happy-Go-Lucky';
;Martin McDonagh, 'In Bruges'
Dustin Lance Black, 'Milk';
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, 'WALL-E'.

What I notice about this years nominations is that they are very much so the same. There are very few variations from course, perhaps the notable exception being the inclusion of the mock role of Tropic Thunder and the nomination to Ledger for TDK. Though I hated Tropic Thunder as a film, I am delighted to see a comedy which makes no intelligent points (imo) come up trumps with this. It's important to involve all genres and Downey Jr., I felt, definitely deserved a nod for that role. As did Tom Cruise, in my opinion, but that's a whole other story, I guess! :lol:!

My vote for Original Screenplay is my own opinion. I doubt that In Bruges will win it, but I remember seeing it, when it first came out a very long time ago, and I told everyone I knew about it, how original I felt it was, and how it finally showed Colin Farrell in a new light. I knew it wouldn't pick up any huge nominations, but it's nice to see it as "The little film that could", in a sense.

eta: I think either Slumdog Millionaire or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will win Best Film. I'd prefer it if it were Benjamin Button, because that film just blew me away.

I figure that Mickey Rourke will take best Actor, simply because The Wrestler was a superb film and he really did pull out all the stops to keep me entirely engaged throughout. To not award him with it is, to me, a great shame. But that's not to say that I'm right! :lol:! These views may change! :D

I have high hoped for Waltz with Bashir, one of two films that made me cry this year- and by cry, I mean, cry mercilessly for quite some time (The other was The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- Why was it not nominated?!?! :() I also saw The Class and I saw The Baader-Meinhof Complex, which was a great film if you like your history (which I do), but Waltz With Bashir was simply outstanding. Politics aside- and that is an important point- it deserves to win.

For Best Actress, Kate Winslet, who has had so many nominations. Quite frankly, I though she would get one for Revolutionary Road, which I thought was a much stronger performance, and I actually preferred Meryl Streep in Doubt, but the film overall wasn't as great as some of the others mentioned in this category. maybe Anne Hathaway will take it, who knows?

I chose Ledger for best Supporting Actor because I do honestly believe that his was the role that gave us most development, most texture, and most substance of all of those listed. I do think he captivated the film world with that performance- but as stated in another thread, Oscar or not, he'll go down a legend for his Joker. It's the originality, for me, that sealed the deal with this award.

I have asked you this before, vampiricduck. How are you seeing these limited release films? Don't you live in the UK?

4 of the 5 films in the Best Motion Picture category are limited release and even more limited release films are scattered throughout the nominations. I hate that they do this. The average film goer will not be able to see them until they are released on DVD

Not over here. Everyone of the Best Film nominees (with the exception of The Reader which is yet to be released) is in general release in the major cinema chains.

I have asked you this before, vampiricduck. How are you seeing these limited release films? Don't you live in the UK?

Indeed, agree with Wab here. I'm in Ireland, not the UK. There is a slight difference, though it's a fairly recent thing. Cinema takings in Ireland are pretty huge. There are decent preview shows here, I'm not sure why, but we get pretty good deals really. So I saw Frost/Nixon last weekend in a once off (I know the guy who runs the cinema, there were very few tickets left, I got two, yay!).

The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire have been out here for about a week at this stage, to the extent that they're almost passing out of the cinemas now.

The other thing is that I work for a newspaper. When there's a film out a bit early, I get to review. :D Yay! :)

I don't even know if we get limited release per se. The films just come out here and each cinemas decides whether to have one in or not. For instance, Slumdog Millionaire was only in one cinema in my county, which was annoying, but I still got to see it.

There's also a small cultural cinema here which has many of the tiny films involved, and it was oddly in that cinema that I also saw the Wrestler! :lol:!

To be honest, it is one of the first years I've seen the mainstream and the majority of the other films, before the nominations. Times have changed a bit over here I guess.

Hope I answered your question though. If a bit long winded. ;) I don't remember you asking, but now you know- I get lucky. :D

Oh, and I forgot- I think Wall.E's a shoe in for the awards it is nominated for- except the song, which I do think should go to Slumdog Millionaire, since all of the music in that was awesome. :)

snip
That's totally awesome. I live in Georgia (U.S.), close to Atlanta. If I want to see limited releases I would have to travel to Atlanta which is hard to do since I don't have a car. Though I checked the listings for my local cinemas and they are showing Slumdog and Frost/Nixon. I may have to see Frost/Nixon.

Okay, here are my predictions as of now:

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire, Christian Colson

Best Actor
Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress
Kate Winslet, The Reader (But I could easily see it going to either Meryl Streep or Anne Hathaway, it's a pretty tight race.)

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (It's great to see Robert Downey Jr. being recognized for Tropic Thunder, a rare nod for a comedic role.)

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Film
Waltz With Bashir, Israel

Best Adapted Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Screenplay
Milk, Dustin Lance Black

Best Animated Feature
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Changeling

Best Cinematography
The Dark Knight, Wally Pfister

Best Sound Mixing
The Dark Knight

Best Sound Effects Editing
The Dark Knight

Best Original Score
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman

Best Costume Design
Australia

Best Documentary Feature
Man On Wire

Best Film Editing
The Dark Knight, Lee Smith

Best Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Now on the surprising side, I too really thought The Dark Knight would be nominated in Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, or at least one of the three. It certainly deserved it. And it won't mean good things for the show's ratings (yet again) without having that one among the big categories, with the exception of Heath's nod. I was also surprised to see In Bruges among the Original Screenplay nominees, but it's brilliant, as that was my 2nd favorite movie of last year, and I hated the idea of it being entirely shut out. And Richard Jenkins and Melissa Leo being recognized for The Visitor and Frozen River, respectively, and Clint Eastwood being ignored for Gran Torino and Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky, I also hadn't predicted.

I'd say Slumdog Millionaire (it's on my list of movies to see honestly!) will do quite well, I've not heard anything negative about it at all.

I would like to see Ledger get the Oscar, he was magnificent in the role of the Joker and it would be a fitting tribute to his lamentably short body of work. It's difficult to predict what way the academy will go in general terms.

I'm a little disappointed to see that a lot of the nominations are current movies a opposed to things from last year

Great. Of the five best picture nominated, only Milk has already been released in Spain. The rest won't come till February (theatres try to take advantage of the Oscar fever). I obviously haven't seen any of them, but I'm amazed that neither Changeling or Clint Eastwood got a nomination.

Of course, here everyone takes for granted that Penélope Cruz will win, but that happens every time a Spanish gets a nomination for anything.

Sadly I've only seen one of the movies nominated, which is Benjamin Button. I really want to see Milk but it's not out here yet! It's a bit hard for me to choose for me to choose from any Category really, though I would like Button to win a few.

the Academy proves once again that they are in love with limited release films. 4 of the 5 films in the Best Motion Picture category are limited release and even more limited release films are scattered throughout the nominations.

Part of this is because they've shortened the awards season by a month; used to be that nominations came out in mid February with the Oscars in late March. So I don't know if the films get to your area by then, but it might have something to do with it. It's also a short window to see so many movies. All of the nominees have been out for awhile in my city, but I haven't had time to see half of them. It was the same thing last year. Also yeah, the Academy's membership has changed and they're now looking at smaller films instead of the old schlock. But there's still the usual corrupt campaigning going on, which is probably why The Dark Knight was shut out for The Reader. (TDK had much better reviews than both The Reader and Benjamin Button, so go figure.)

Slumdog won the Producer's Guild award yesterday, so it's looking more of a lock for Best Picture. Though perhaps it's peaked too early and we'll see a Crash style upset again (never underestimate Harvey Weinstein).

SAG awards are on tonight so those will give an indication for acting Oscars. I'm guessing (and hoping) that Sean Penn upsets Mickey Rourke for Best Actor and Heath will definitely win for supporting. The women's categories are a tougher call so I'll wait on those.

My Picks


1. Best Picture:
'Milk'



2. Actor:
Sean Penn, 'Milk'


3. Actress:
Meryl Streep, 'Doubt';
.

4. Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Knight'


5. Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, 'Doubt'

6. Director:
Danny Boyle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'



8. Adapted Screenplay:
Peter Morgan, 'Frost/Nixon'


9. Original Screenplay:
Dustin Lance Black, 'Milk'


10. Animated Feature Film:
'Kung Fu Panda'


11. Art Direction:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'


12. Cinematography:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',


13. Sound Mixing:
'The Dark Knight',


14. Sound Editing:
'The Dark Knight',


15. Original Score:
'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman;


16. Original Song:
O Saya from 'Slumdog Millionaire', A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

17. Costume:
'The Duchess',


18. Documentary Feature:
'Man on Wire',


20. Film Editing:
'The Dark Knight',


21. Makeup:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',


24. Visual Effects:
'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button',


I left out the ones I've never heard of like the short films, ya that is what I think!

I really hope Kung Fu Panda beats Wall-E. I don't like how Pixar dominates the category almost every year one of their films is nominated.

The oscar are exciting this year there are no big favorites and that´s cool because on other years we kind of know who is going to win, this year I have no idea especially in best picture

I haven´t seen Slumdog M. but it seems a big contender:tu:

.... the Academy proves once again that they are in love with limited release films. 4 of the 5 films in the Best Motion Picture category are limited release and even more limited release films are scattered throughout the nominations. I hate that they do this. The average film goer will not be able to see them until they are released on DVD and will have no way of coming up with an opinion on whether or not a certain limited release film deserves an award if won.

Well, I am in the UK and I have now seen four of the five Best Picture nominees (expecting to see Benjamin Button next week when it opens here). This is highly unusual. Usually we get most of these Oscar films a lot later.

I am actually rather pleased that it turned out that way this year.


Anyway, here are my thoughts, based on what I have seen yet (or about which I know enough, or have sufficient prejudices ;) )

bold: I think will win
*asterisk: I think should win

(this may change any time - I am going to see more of the nominated films in the next weeks, I think)

Lead actor
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor"
*Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn in "Milk"
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"

I haven't seen the Wrestler, but this looks like the frontrunner, from all comments I have heard or read. I find it REALLY hard to work out who I want to win here. I really like Langella, and all I have seen yet from his Nixon performance is magnificent. But Penn as Harvey Milk is also quite impressive.

Supporting actor
Josh Brolin in "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt"
*Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road"

I think this is Heath's to lose - and might even have been if he had survived. :(

Lead Actress
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling"
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep in "Doubt"
*Kate Winslet in "The Reader"

I think Kate will win this, and I think she should win this, too. Her performance in the Reader is amazing, and absolutely deserves an award on its own. And they really owe her one by now

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams in "Doubt"
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis in "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler"

I haven't seen a single one of these films, and I have no idea - but based on buzz, I'll go out on a limb and guess Amy Adams.

Animated Feature
"Bolt" (Walt Disney)
"Kung Fu Panda" (DreamWorks Animation)
*"WALL-E" (Walt Disney)

Wall E wins this one. I haven't seen Bolt, but all I have seen, just doesn't feel as fresh and innovative

Art direction
"Changeling" James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
"The Dark Knight" Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
*"The Duchess" Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway
"Revolutionary Road" Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

I think the Duchess was absolutely gorgeous. But I think Benjamin Button will take a lot of the technicals. getting 13 nominations is worth a lot in those categories which the academy voters as a whole don't know that much about and where they might just tick a box for whatever has the highest profile ;)

Cinematography
"Changeling" Tom Stern
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight" Wally Pfister
"The Reader" Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
*"Slumdog Millionaire" Anthony Dod Mantle

I think Slumdog Millionaire looks very beautiful, and the photography is unusal enough to be noticeable without being distracting. So that's my guess here.

Costume design
"Australia" Catherine Martin
*"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Jacqueline West
"The Duchess" Michael O'Connor
"Milk" Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road" Albert Wolsky

These all look amazing, and they are all period pieces. I think Benjamin Button has a good chance, because it actually covers quite a range, and from the pictures I have seen, does so brilliantly. The costumes in the Duchess are also very beautiful, by the way - but I don't think the film has a high enough profile to win anything.

Best Director
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" David Fincher
"Frost/Nixon" Ron Howard
"Milk" Gus Van Sant
"The Reader" Stephen Daldry
*"Slumdog Millionaire" Danny Boyle

Going out on a limb here.
hmmm.... Gus van Sant and David Fincher have a high profile, and usually make the kind of film that hasn't got a lot of chance to get nominated - particularly Fincher, whose work is widely liked anyway. Howard has made 'Oscar fare' in the past (and won too), but this isn't a typical Oscar bait film. Stephen Daldry was nominated three times, and has a solid record. All these films are great, and well made.
Still on the basis of past record plus present achievement, I think they'll give it to Fincher. I think Boyle should get it - Slumdog Millionaire is a complex film, and direction is key to its success, especially ebcause there were so many inexperienced actors and Boyle went out on a limb, filming in India, right there in location. Anyway - I also think that Slumdog will get best film, and that there'll be a movie/director split this year.

Best documentary feature
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)" (Cinema Guild)
"Encounters at the End of the World" (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment)
"The Garden"
"Man on Wire" (Magnolia Pictures)
"Trouble the Water" (Zeitgeist Films)

No idea, really - but Man on Wire has by far the highest profile here, has the right feelgood message plus a sentimental staring role for the Twin Towers.

Best documentary short subject
"The Conscience of Nhem En"
"The Final Inch"
"Smile Pinki"
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"

No idea.


Achievement in film editing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight" Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon" Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"Milk" Elliot Graham
*"Slumdog Millionaire" Chris Dickens

Slumdog really ought to get this. With its very complicated non-linear structure, mixing three different storylines (background, interrogation and show), this film would have sunk without the amazing editing which simply makes you forget how you somehow always know exactly where you are.


Best foreign language film of the year
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" - Germany
"The Class" - France
"Departures" - Japan
"Revanche" - Austria
*"Waltz with Bashir" - Israel

I think Waltz with Bashir should get this - it's amazing... and it's sad, too, considering that the better Israeli film of the year, Lemon Tree, hasn't been nominated. With the current affairs and all, and the really memorable visuals, I think this has the edge. I think the Class might also have a shot. of course pure patriotism makes me root for the Austrian entry, sight unseen (I am so proud we actually managed another entry this year, after winning last year!!!), but I think this might be too bleak to have a chance.


Makeup
*"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Greg Cannom
"The Dark Knight" John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

I don't think there can be much of a question? of course, they merged CGI and makeup to make the different ages look realistic, but still - what a feat!


Original score
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Alexandre Desplat
"Defiance" James Newton Howard
"Milk" Danny Elfman
*"Slumdog Millionaire" A.R. Rahman
"WALL-E" Thomas Newman

Absolutely *rooting* for Rahman here. The man is a genius (I am just saying: Lagaan!!) - but this score is also a masterpiece, and shows how well he handles western and Indian traditions.

Original song
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E" Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
*"Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" A.R. Rahman, Gulzar
"O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire" A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Not sure here. Again, I think Slumdog should get this, on balance perhaps with 'Jai Ho'. But I think that Wall E has the better chance here - it's simply more accessible.


Best Picture
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
*"Slumdog Millionaire"

Well, I haven't seen benjamin Button yet, and that may well be so good that I change my mind. I wish that Frost/Nixon could be a film for this category, but I don't think it is - and therefore I still think that Slumdog Millionaire should get this, and actually guessing that it will get it, too.

Best animated short film
"La Maison en Petits Cubes"
"Lavatory - Lovestory"
"Oktapodi"
"Presto"
"This Way Up"

No idea.

Best live action short film
"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)"
"Manon on the Asphalt"
"New Boy"
"The Pig"
"Spielzeugland (Toyland)"

no idea


Sound editing
"The Dark Knight" Richard King
"Iron Man" Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
"Slumdog Millionaire" Tom Sayers
"WALL-E" Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
"Wanted" Wylie Stateman


Sound mixing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
"The Dark Knight" Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
"Slumdog Millionaire" Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"WALL-E" Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
"Wanted" Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt


A very rough guess on these - I think Wall E almost has to get one of the sound categories - preferably the category whch rewards the creation of special sound effects (and I am never sure which is which - I hope i got this right). The category which deals with combining sounds to a full sound experience usually goes to films whihc lots of action and so forth (battles tend to attract attention). We don't have an obvioous candidate here, except, perhaps, Wanted, which doesn't have the profile to win anything, I'd guess. So I think the Dark Knight might have a chance there. All rather vague guesswork, and I am not sure whether I have a preference: I don't understand enough about it


Visual effects
*"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
"The Dark Knight" Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
"Iron Man" John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

I think Benjamin Button should get this. The Dark Knight had good effects - I think Iron Man was less impressive, although some details were good, too. But Dark Knight is a sequel. and therefore the effects won't feel as fresh - and Benjamin Button does a few pretty new and impressive things which hadn't been seen before. If it loses, it does so because the effects aren't noticeable enough.


Adapted screenplay
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Eric Roth
"Doubt" (Miramax) John Patrick Shanley
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Peter Morgan
*"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) David Hare
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Simon Beaufoy

I have rarely been in a film where one of the most obvious qualities (among many) was just how good the script was. I went with two friends, and we all commented on it as soon as the film was over. When we spotted David Hare in the end credits, we all said 'oh, well - that figures!'. This is an exceptionally good script, IMHO. And it's the sort of script where you notice how good it is - so I think it has a chance.

Original screenplay
"Frozen River" Courtney Hunt
"Happy-Go-Lucky" Mike Leigh
"In Bruges" Martin McDonagh
*"Milk" Dustin Lance Black
"WALL-E" Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon

I am not sure here, to be honest. I think Mike Lee's script is surely a result of improvisation in rehearsal, rather than writing? Wall E is good, but somehow, I think it isn't the script (there isn't a lot of dialogue!!), but the visual translation of the script/story which makes this good.
I haven't yet seen In Bruges or Frozen River, so I can't tell. But I think that Milk is a very good script, so currently, I'd like Milk to get this.

I will like to see The Dark Night get an oscar it was awsome and Kate Winslet too she totally deserves one, I haven´t seen The Reader but Im sure she´s great:tu:

I really need to see the Curious Case of Benjamin Button; it's the only one I've not seen.. Hmm...

I got to see Waltz with Bashir last night again; it was showing in a small cinema in the city, and it blew me away (for a second time). It truly does deserve the award, though the others that I have seen in that category are also amazing..

I'm not sure if anyone else has seen the leaked list of winners that's being doing the rounds, it will be interesting to see now if it actually happens that way or not.

I still would like to see Ledger get the best supporting actor for the Joker because he really was superb. It's really hard to guess this year what way the academy will vote, everything that's up are such big movies it's hard to choose between them

I did see the list, and though some of it is very sensible, other parts would be somewhat surprising.

The thing is though, that the officers of the Academy Awards don't receive a list prior to the awards. Only two people know the eventual winners before the ceremony goes ahead, or so it always has been.

I can't see it being legitimate. :shrug:

Though Mickey Rourke does deserve a win for The Wrestler.... :D

Yeah I know that's what's going around - but they're never actually going to say that "yes we circulate information to members before the awards are announced". I agree with what you're saying though, some of that list makes sense but some of it could be a stretch. Still this time tomorrow it will be interesting to see how things actually shaped up :D

I know. :) Coverage starts on Sky1 tonight at 11pm, and then the ceremony will go out live at 1am on Sky Movies Premiere.

So I think I'll stay up for some of it. :D

Where is this leaked list? I have heard nothing about it.

Google it. Honestly, you'll find it straight away. :) there are literally hundreds of links to it- some of them ever have a jpeg of the document.

I'm hoping for Heath Ledger to win Best Supporting Actor. He deserves it! :)

So am I to be honest. :)

I've been watching the lead up on television- some people look simply fabulous, and in typical stylish eclectic form, Mickey Rourke is wearing a white suit, a load of rings and his trademark sunglasses. :love:!!!

I just saw Amy Adams. Man is she gorgeous. I am still debating on whether or not to watch the ceremony or just keep checking IMDb for the winners.

So am I to be honest. :)

I've been watching the lead up on television- some people look simply fabulous, and in typical stylish eclectic form, Mickey Rourke is wearing a white suit, a load of rings and his trademark sunglasses. :love:!!!

Mickey Rourke wins Best Dressed for me! :) I love his outfit.



I kind of upset though that Dark Knight isn't nominated for Best movie. Honestly, that movie broke so many records, it's unbelievable that it didn't get into the Best Movie category.

I kind of upset though that Dark Knight isn't nominated for Best movie. Honestly, that movie broke so many records, it's unbelievable that it didn't get into the Best Movie category.
Are you serious? You think that just because a film grossed an insane amount of money it should be nominated for Best Picture, and that it means it is actually a good film?

The list apparently isn't real, Penelope Cruz is best supporting actress, and the one listed in the leaked list is Amy Adams.

Are you serious? You think that just because a film grossed an insane amount of money it should be nominated for Best Picture, and that it means it is actually a good film?

Unless she says otherwise, it's always best to assume that someone's serious.

Indeed. Lovely opening though- and Hugh Jackman was hilarious!

Are you serious? You think that just because a film grossed an insane amount of money it should be nominated for Best Picture, and that it means it is actually a good film?

Also, how about the fact that the movie got very few bad comments about it. It was one of the biggest films of the year.

Best Original Screenplay goes to Dustin Lance Black for Milk.

Rightly so too- although I did think Wall E was in for a shot, and I definitely had dreams for In Bruges. :)

Also, how about the fact that the movie got very few bad comments about it. It was one of the biggest films of the year.
Those reviews are subjective. Opinions of films are subjective, not objective. And I am afraid that you are appealing to popularity (http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-popularity.html).

Rightly so too- although I did think Wall E was in for a shot, and I definitely had dreams for In Bruges. :)

I wanted In Bruges to win.

And Simon Beaufoy wins for Slumdog Millionaire. :D It's first award of many this evening, without a doubt!

Hey, what about Black's speech? It was really great, he made such a great message of support for gay rights. :tu: from me!

Hey, what about Black's speech? It was really great, he made such a great message of support for gay rights. :tu: from me!

I thought he overdid it when he mentioned marriage and held onto his heart though - I don't mean the issue (which I support fully), but the delivery. I think it was a tad overdramatized on his part.

I thought he overdid it when he mentioned marriage and held onto his heart though - I don't mean the issue (which I support fully), but the delivery. I think it was a tad overdramatized on his part.

I agree that he did go a bit too drama-y towards the end. But I absolutely applaud the courage he showed in saying it at all. It was a bit Michael Moore of him!

Wall E just won for Animated Film, and La Maison En Petits Cubes won for Best Animated Short.

It is, I tell you, so strange to hear Hugh Jackman with an Australian accent. I always hear him being American, so it's very strange...

Do you think there will be another "big" category soon? It's 4.21 a.m. here and I'm wondering whether to wait up a bit more in case they're giving supporting actor or something soon.

I'm not sure... It's 2.25am here.. I have a class at 9am.. :eeep:

I'll stay up a bit longer, but I can't stay up forever, after all.. I wish they'd publish some sort of list! :D

It's just struck me that the recession genuinely means nothing to the Academy, :lol:, it's all so very luxurious!

Oh, finally a non-silvery dress! Natalie Portman looks fabulous. Who's the bearded man?

Somehow, I liked the only non-funny presentation so far (best supporting acress) best (well, Whoopy Goldberg was quite funny actually). Very impressive.

The bearded man was Ben Stiller! I actually missed the first thirty seconds of that and only just heard someone on Sky mentioning it. They also mentioned that Jennifer Aniston was very good- and you're right about Portman's dress, it was so pretty!

They have commercial breaks after each nomination... is it like that every year?! Rather annoying...

I guess I'll have to go to bed now. I'll see who won the big ones on the news tomorrow. It was good sharing impressions with you, Aisling! Good night and good luck waking for class tomorrow :p :huggles:

It was lovely to talk to you Yoana! :huggles:! I hope you catch up early tomorrow! :)

The advertising breaks are actually quite annoying at this stage. I don't think it was like that last year...

And I'm not sure if I like the much smaller stage area this year either. I sort of liked the epic height of the stage in previous years- but I suppose this is cutting out walking time to shorten proceedings a little bit.

I liked the big musical number. I thought Beyonce did a great job.

I also loved that musical number, I'm surprised that Hugh Jackman is so awesomely involved in the entire thing- though I shouldn't be surprised, since he was meant to be amazing as a theatre actor.

So, best Supporting Actor now... It's good that they did the same thing to present Best Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor.

And Ledger wins. :clap: I couldn't be happier. :)

And his parents have gone to accept the award! That is a wonderful gesture.

Congratulations Heath Ledger!!!!! :clap:
He deserved it more then anyone.

YES!! And Heath Ledger wins. No surprises, but I'm happy as a clam anyway. Did you see all those A-list stars crying in the audience? (I totally took the night off work so I could watch this.)

YES!! And Heath Ledger wins. No surprises, but I'm happy as a clam anyway. Did you see all those A-list stars crying in the audience? (I totally took the night off work so I could watch this.)

Yeah I saw that too. My mom and I were even tearing up. It was so sad, but I am so happy for Heath.

By the way, Heath Ledger is the second actor in history to win an Oscar posthumously. (Peter Finch was the first.)

What I notice is the large usage of Coldplay's music as a backdrop here. How weird! Given the snubbing they were given at other award ceremonies, it's quite odd to hear Viva La Vida here used so often as background music.

The tributes to Jerry Lewis are really looking good.

There are only seven awards left- Actor, Actress, Director and Film, as well as Foreign Language Film, Best Score and Best Original Song.

Okay, that's two total for Dark Knight, but I was only up to see that one, so I'm debating going to bed now.... I haven't seen any of these other movies anyway.

Dark Knight for best sound editing! Congrats! :clap:

A R Rahman wins Best Score for Slumdog Millionaire!! :clap:- the music in that is simply beautiful!

A R Rahman wins Best Score for Slumdog Millionaire!! :clap:- the music in that is simply beautiful!

I haven't seen the film yet, but I'm glad that it won for Best Score because from what I can tell in all of the previews and trailers, I love the music. I really want to see this film. :)

Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire has won Best Original Song. Though I'm not disappointed by that, I'm still wondering why Bruce Springsteen was not nominated for The Wrestler, which is a beautiful song.

And I hate to say this, but I think politics influenced the decision regarding Best Foreign language Film- Departures, the Japanese film, was good. But Waltz With Bashir, the Israeli film, was outstanding.

A R Rahman wins Best Score for Slumdog Millionaire!! :clap:- the music in that is simply beautiful!

I'm happy about that too :clap: I only saw it yesterday.

And I'm so happy that Heath Leger won :)

Danny Boyle wins for Slumdog Millionaire!!! :D

Danny Boyle wins for Slumdog Millionaire!!! :D

How many has it won now?

I know this is late but the musical number was adorable! :)
I loved how they combined all of the musicals from the past and present and made it into one incredible performance.

Slumdog has won seven awards so far- Director, Best Song, Score, Cinematography, Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Sound Mixing.

Best Actress up now, it seems..

Kate Winslet, finally, wins the Oscar for Best Actress!!

Yay! Kate Winslet won :D

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

A.R Rahman is the first Indian to win an Oscar, for Best Original Score and Best Song. :clap: :clap:

Slumdog has won seven awards so far- Director, Best Song, Score, Cinematography, Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Sound Mixing.

Best Actress up now, it seems..

Kate Winslet, finally, wins the Oscar for Best Actress!!

Yay! She definatly deserves it. Congrats! :clap:

Slumdog has won seven awards so far- Director, Best Song, Score, Cinematography, Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Sound Mixing.

Best Actress up now, it seems..

Kate Winslet, finally, wins the Oscar for Best Actress!!

6th time's the charm, I guess.

I do like Kate Winslet- she's very down to Earth and she honestly did very good work in The Reader. I just wonder even now why she wasn't nominated for Revolutionary Road..!

I do like Kate Winslet- she's very down to Earth and she honestly did very good work in The Reader. I just wonder even now why she wasn't nominated for Revolutionary Road..!

Me too.

Her Dad whistling was hilarious :lol:

And yelling back at him was great! :D Fair dues to her!

Best Actor.. I do hope Mickey Rourke wins this. I can't help it. He was just amazing. But I also loved Brad Pitt and Langella.. And Penn actually.. Okay, this is a hotly contested one for me!! :D

And incidentally- the five awarding are really quite legendary!!- But Why is Forest Whitaker not there?!

Sean Penn wins the game! Not a bad performance, I had originally thought it would be him.. but I changed my mind. Hmm.. No doubt it's a great one. Just not my personal favourite.

All I can say is...

KATE WINSLET KATE WINSLET KATE WINSLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Penn just made an awesome speech about Equal Rights for All.

I'm pleased, actually, that he's being political about this. He might not have been my favoruite, but he has doubtless made a point with this win. Wonderfully put. :tu:

Stunner: Slumdog wins Best Picture.

Slumdog Millionaire wins for Best Picture!

8 awards for it overall- and it finally shows that the city of Mumbai will have its comeback.

Absolute honour for it to win so much- Slumdog was the Underdog, and yet it came out tops. I'm very happy with that. :tu:

Penn's speech was awesome and SLUMDOG wins best picture! Yay!

Yay :D

And on that note guys, much though I've enjoyed offering commentary all night (;)), I have to go to bed... it's 5am and I've a class in three hours.. :D

Good night all! :huggles:!

Yay for Slumdog! And Penn's speech! And Hugh Jackman! :)

ETA: Complete List of Winners. :)


Best Picture
* Slumdog Millionaire – Christian Colson

Best Director
* Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor
* Sean Penn – Milk

Best Actress
* Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Supporting Actor
* Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight (posthumous winner)

Best Supporting Actress
* Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Original Screenplay
* Milk – Dustin Lance Black

Best Adapted Screenplay
* Slumdog Millionaire – Simon Beaufoy

Best Animated Feature
* WALL-E – Andrew Stanton

Best Foreign Language Film
* Departures (Japan) in Japanese – Yojiro Takita

Best Art Direction
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

Best Cinematography
* Slumdog Millionaire – Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Costume Design
* The Duchess – Michael O'Conno

Best Documentary Feature
* Man on Wire

Best Documentary Short
* Smile Pinki

Best Animated Short
* La Maison En Petits Cubes – Kunio Kato

Best Live Action Short
* Toyland (Spielzeugland)

Best Film Editing
* Slumdog Millionaire – Chris Dickens

Best Makeup
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Greg Cannom

Best Original Score
* Slumdog Millionaire – A.R. Rahman

Best Original Song
* "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman (music), Gulzar (lyrics)

Best Sound Editing
* The Dark Knight – Richard King

Best Sound Mixing
* Slumdog Millionaire – Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

Best Visual Effects
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
* Jerry Lewis

Congrats Sean Penn and Slumdog Millionare! :clap:

Once again, congrats Heath Ledger! A very well deserved win.

The show was okay. I don't get why Miley Cyrus attended it though. I mean, come on, it's the OSCARS!

For once I think an awards show actually got it more or less right :wow: I'm so impressed!

It's the first time I've really watched the Oscars (due to the time zone and this one was actually bearable). Looks like there's been a bit of a revamp. Fewer production numbers. Not running out new presenters for every award. Only actors with a since of comedy given comedy lines.

And the cameras didn't zoom in on Jack Nicholson every five minutes. In fact he was nowhere to be seen.

I ended up satying up until 7 a.m. to watch. I'm thrilled about Kate Winslet finally winning best actress!! That was long overdue, in my opinion. I'm very impressed with Sean Penn's speech as well.

I thought Kate gave an absolutely outstanding performance in The Reader and she totally deserves her Oscar. :agree: I've always admired her career choices, ever since I saw her as a teenager in Peter Jackson's 1994 film Heavenly Creatures. And she was easily the best thing in Titanic. :D I think she is going to be one of our great British actresses. :):):):):)

I'm delighted about Slumdog!

I still haven't seen it yet. :lol: Plan to this week. :)

It sure was the day of the underdog at the Kodak Theatre! :cool:

Originally posted by vampiricduck:
8 awards for it overall- and it finally shows that the city of Mumbai will have its comeback
Absolutely!:agree: I'm very happy about the Best Director award for Danny Boyle too:tu:

I'm delighted about A.R.Rahman's well-deserved win:tu::tu: I'm happy that Heath Ledger won too:D

Not too many surprises, but I'm happy Sean Penn won as well:D What a brilliant speech!:tu: I saw only some scenes from Milk, but he was outstanding in those! I'm very elated about Kate Winslet too- a long-deserved honour:)

And oh, Hugh Jackman did a great job:lol::love:

Hugh Jackman cracked me up! I loved his performance in the beginning of the show. :lol:

The performance numbers were both great last night.

Also, I liked the compilations of movies that came out that came out last year. It was nice to recognize that there were more movies out than just the few nominated for Oscars.

Some of my thoughts on the Oscars:
Hugh Jackman did a great job!:clap: The opening number was the perfect amount of cheesiness and humor, and he pulled it off well:lol: Who remembers the last time a host was able to sing and dance and be good at it?
The Kodak theater looked great! I especially loved the sparklies around the edge of the stage...:whistle:
My only major complaint was the tribute to the stars that have passed away in 2008. I didn't like how they showed it to us on TV. Some of the shots were so far away or sideways I had trouble reading some of the people's names. I like it better when they just have the tribute right there on our screen, motionless and easy to see.

As far as the actual awards go, while I didn't post my predictions, most of them came true.
Slumdog Millionare won almost everything it was nominated for, including director and picture.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, although nominated for the most, only won a few.
Kate Winslet and Heath Ledger won, and I would have been very shocked if Heath hadn't. His family did a great job.:tu:
About the only win that did surprise me was Sean Penn over Mickey Rourke for best actor. While I hadn't seen any of the nominated actor's movies (except for Benjamin Button), I was going on the other awards Mickey Rourke has already won for The Wrestler, including the Golden Globe. I had thought that if he didn't win it, it would be Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon.

Overall, I thought it was a very well done show!:agree:

I thought Kate gave an absolutely outstanding performance in The Reader and she totally deserves her Oscar. :agree: I've always admired her career choices, ever since I saw her as a teenager in Peter Jackson's 1994 film Heavenly Creatures. And she was easily the best thing in Titanic. :D I think she is going to be one of our great British actresses. :):):):):)

I'm delighted about Slumdog!

I still haven't seen it yet. :lol: Plan to this week. :)

I was so happy for Kate too! She really deserved it. After being nominated 6 times, even Leo commented at the golden globes that she was turning into the susan lucci of the oscars.

I never saw the reader, but I agree that she was alredy amazing back in her titanic days.

I haven't watched The Reader, but I've always thought Winslet should have won the Oscar long ago, with Sense and Sensibility. So, it was time already.

BTW, you don't know the fuss here about Penelope Cruz. But poor girl, she wins an Oscar and the same day the Justice Minister resigns and robs her the opening of the evening news.

Ooooooooooooh!!! I've just watched on the news a flash of Hugh Jackman in a musical number. I want to see it!!!! (my local time is about 10 hours earlier than LA, so obviously I couldn't watch it live) Do you know of any site where I can watch videos or clips of the ceremony?

I really want to see The Reader. It sounds like a wonderful movie and of course Kate did a wonderful job in it if she won an Oscar. :)

I haven't watched The Reader, but I've always thought Winslet should have won the Oscar long ago, with Sense and Sensibility. So, it was time already.

BTW, you don't know the fuss here about Penelope Cruz. But poor girl, she wins an Oscar and the same day the Justice Minister resigns and robs her the opening of the evening news.

Ooooooooooooh!!! I've just watched on the news a flash of Hugh Jackman in a musical number. I want to see it!!!! (my local time is about 10 hours earlier than LA, so obviously I couldn't watch it live) Do you know of any site where I can watch videos or clips of the ceremony?

I imagine YouTube would likely have quite a few if you went to check there. :)

I do think it was high time Katie Winslet won an Oscar. She's definitely one of the big talents of the last twenty years, and she did deserve it. Snubbing her would have been a travesty!

Poor Penelope Cruz!!! But you guys still know how great she is. :tu:

Hugh Jackman was so funny in those musical numbers. Honestly, he did a really good job. There are some critics, but as far as I'm concerned, hiring a non-comedian to host was a great idea. And he's very popular too, so it made a nice change of pace.

Hugh Jackman was so funny in those musical numbers. Honestly, he did a really good job. There are some critics, but as far as I'm concerned, hiring a non-comedian to host was a great idea. And he's very popular too, so it made a nice change of pace.
I agree. His popularity did help quite a lot and I personally thought he was very good. The opening song was lots of fun :D

And MmeBergerac, I'm quite sure the videos are in YouTube:)

I'm sooo happy Penelope Cruz won! I have to admit, for me, that was a bit unexpected! And Kate Winslet...awwwwww! She's such an amazing actress. I love just about everything she's in. Slumdog Millionaire DESERVED what it got! Wonderful movie! The actual broadcast was a tad boring, even with hunky Hugh Jackman's attempts at bringing some much needed oomph to the mix. He has a great voice, and he did a good job as host, but like always, it could have been better. I think I might just start watching the "important" awards, like Best Actress/Actor, Best Supporting Actress/Actor, Best Movie and Best Director. I don't really care about the other ones. :shrug:

Yes, youtube is a wonderful thing; but I couldn't find anything last night and I got a bit impatient... :blushes: The opening number was great. I knew Jackman had made musicals, but I never had heard him singing. He's got extra marks in my (already very high) opinion.

Yes, youtube is a wonderful thing; but I couldn't find anything last night and I got a bit impatient... :blushes: The opening number was great. I knew Jackman had made musicals, but I never had heard him singing. He's got extra marks in my (already very high) opinion.

Honestly I had no clue that Hugh could sing or dance! He was incredible!

He had a long run on Broadway in The Boy From Oz and in a West End production of Oklahoma.

:clap:Bravo Hugh Jackman! he was fantastic and his opening number I would never forget , it was so funny :p

I´m very happy for Heath being recognize, he will be remember in so many of our hearts, good for the academy

and excited for Kate Winslet she´s awsome, and Sean Penn also was great, I´m still jumping! the show was so great:clap:

I thought it was a good show on the whole; Hugh Jackman was a solid host and the choice to have stars like Will Smith present multiple awards in the same general category did give the show somewhat of a faster pace (although in the midsection it seemed like there was a commercial break after every award, and that didn't help). I also quite liked the gimmick of bringing out 5 past winners in the acting categories to dole out some compliments to each nominee (the montage before was rather unnecessary, but as ever, Oscar loves the montage, and this year was no different). Something I did not care for was - as always - the In Memoriam compilation; Queen Latifah did a lovely job with "I'll Be Seeing You", but the ranking of the dead filmmakers by applause is always distasteful. As for the winners, I wasn't surprised by any of them, and there were only 2 (well, aside from the one from Heath Ledger's family as I mentioned in The Dark Knight thread) standout speeches to me: Kate Winslet's (love her father whistling from his seat :lol:), and Sean Penn ("I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me" - :rotfl: wow, I forgot he had a sense of humor!). Also, I was surprised that the Best Original Song medley worked out as well as it did...although I don't think that approach is going to continue. I enjoyed the show, and most of the changes were for the better.

When nominees were being announced, was there a small preview of the nominees? I tuned in for a bit when an actor category was being shown and I didn't see any previews. If they did that for the entire show, then I'll say "BOOO!".

You mean, when the winners were to be announced at the actual ceremony?

If so, then yes. Each of the nominees was spoken about for about thirty seconds by a previous winner in that same category. It made for some nice speeches.

Hugh Jackman was the host? Darn it! I missed it!

I did see the one part on youtube where Ben Stiller came out with Natalie Portman and Stiller was doing an impression of Joaquin Phoenix. That was hilarious! He sounded and looked just like him!

I wish The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had won more! I loved Hugh's musical number in the beginning, so funny, especially when he went on top of that platform and screamed, "I am wolverine!"! :lol: But truthfully, the only reason I watched it was to see Robert Pattinson! He did AWESOME! I screamed whenever Twilight came on the Romance yearbook thing! Ben Stiller and Natalie Portman were funny, and so were Steve Martin and..... AHHH, I am momentarily forgetting her name, even though I know I know it! :grumble:

Ben Stiller and Natalie Portman were funny, and so were Steve Martin and..... AHHH, I am momentarily forgetting her name, even though I know I know it! :grumble:
Tina Fey :)

And yeah Ben Stiller's imitation of Joaquin Phoenix was hilarious :lol:

I'm a little late commenting on this thread, but I haven't been on CoS long...
I loved the Oscars this year. I had not seen most of the best picture nominees. I plan to see most of them at some point. The only one I have seen so far is The Reader, but I liked it. As far as best actor I was not sure who would win. However I am glad Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn each got something this awards season. For Best Actress, I was really hoping to see Kate Winslet win. I thought she was amazing in The Reader, as well as Revolutionary Road. And I noticed someone was confused about why she was not nominated for that...She was supposed to be in the best actress categories for Revolutionary Road and the best supporting actress categories for The Reader. However, Oscar voters felt her performance was more leading in The Reader and wrote in their votes for it instead of Revolutionary Road. And as far as I know, you can only be nominated once in each category...Either way I was glad she won. I thought she deserved it. And I was glad to see Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep walk away with some awards this season also. I have not seen the Dark Knight but I was glad Heath Ledger won.
I thought Hugh Jackman was a great host and really enjoyed the idea of the 5 past winners presenting the nominees. I hope they continue with that idea.

Isn't kind of unfair the same movies get nominated over and over again? D=

They don't. A movie can only be nominated once in each category.