Oscar Predictions/Dream Ballot 2010
It is that time of year again; time for Oscar predictions. The Oscars will always be the award show that I simultaneously don't care about and yet follow very closely and obsess over every year. It's something to do plus it motivate me to see more things, more often than not, films that are not even being considered for awards, many times the best films of the year. While there are still some biggies and not so biggies that I have not seen (Crazy Heart, Bright Star, The Blind Side, The White Ribbon, A Prophet, Broken Embraces, It's Complicated, Nine, The Lovely Bones, The Informant! and others) I feel like I have an decent (unfortunately not exceptional) group of films to pick from for my dream ballot. I am not going to explain my choices for either, although I will list the nominees in my predictions that I am taking a chance on (banking on it being a surprise nominee). For the more technical categories of which I am probably not suited to judge what the best of the categories are (although neither are most of the Academy voters) I tried my best based on what I know about those aspects of filmmaking. I have also included an Alternate for each category and a Long Shot.
Oscar Nominations Predictions/Dream Ballot 2010:
Best Picture:
Predictions:
1. An Education
2. Avatar
3. The Hangover
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Inglorious Basterds
6. Precious
7. A Serious Man
8. Star Trek
9. Up
10. Up in the Air
Alternate: Swap: An Education for The Messenger
Dark Horse: Where the Wild Things Are
Dream Ballot:
1. The Hurt Locker
2. In the Loop
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Mary and Max
5. The Messenger
6. A Serious Man
7. A Single Man
8. Star Trek
9. Up
10. Where the Wild Things Are
Best Director:
Predictions:
1. Kathryn Bigelow The Hurt Locker
2. James Cameron Avatar
3. Lee Daniels Precious
4. Jason Reitman Up in the Air
5. Quentin Tarentino Inglorious Basterds
Alternate: Swap Daniels for The Coen Brothers A Serious Man
Dark Horse: Neill Blomkamp - District 9
Dream Ballot:
1. Kathryn Bigelow The Hurt Locker
2. Joel and Ethan Coen A Serious Man
3. Spike Jonze Where the Wild Things Are
4. Tom Ford A Single Man
5. Pete Docter - Up
Best Actor:
1. Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart
2. George Clooney Up in the Air
3. Colin Firth A Single Man
4. Morgan Freeman Invictus
5. Jeremy Renner The Hurt Locker
Alternate: Swap Jeremy Renner for Ben Foster The Messenger
Dark Horse Matt Damon The Informant!
Dream Ballot:
1. Colin Firth A Single Man
2. Ben Foster The Messenger
3. Jeremy Renner The Hurt Locker
4. Adam Sandler Funny People
5. Souleymane Sy Savane Goodbye Solo
Best Actress:
1. Sandra Bullock The Blind Side
2. Melanie Laurent Inglorious Basterds
3. Carey Mulligan An Education
4. Gabourey Sidibe Precious
5. Meryl Streep Julie and Julia
Alternate: Swap Laurent for Emily Blunt The Young Victoria
Dark Horse Tilda Swinton Julia
Dream Ballot:
1. Ok-Bin Kim - Thirst
2. Melanie Laurent Inglorious Basterds
3. Carey Mulligan An Education
4. Robin Wright Penn The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
5. Gabourey Sidibe Precious
Best Supporting Actor:
1. Matt Damon Invictus
2. Woody Harrelson The Messenger
3. Christopher Plummer The Last Station
4. Stanley Tucci Julie and Julia
5. Christoph Waltz Inglorious Basterds
Alternate: Swap Stanley Tucci for Stanley Tucci The Lovely Bones
Dark Horse Peter Capaldi In the Loop
Dream Ballot:
1. Peter Capaldi In the Loop
2. Red West Goodbye Solo
3. Woody Harrelson The Messenger
4. Fred Melamed A Serious Man
5. Christoph Waltz Inglorious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:
1. Vera Farmiga Up in the Air
2. Anna Kendrick Up in the Air
3. Diane Kruger Inglorious Basterds
4. Monique Precious
5. Samantha Morton The Messenger
Alternate Swap Laurent with Kruger
Dark Horse Maggie Gyllenhaal Crazy Heart
Dream Ballot:
1. Anna Kendrick Up in the Air
2. Diane Kruger Inglorious Basterds
3. Monique Precious
4. Samantha Morton The Messenger
5. Paula Patton - Precious
Foreign Film:
1. The White Ribbon
2. A Prophet
3. Adjani
4. Samson and Delilah
5. El Secreto de sus Ojos
Alternate: Swap Adjani for Milk of Sorrow
Best Original Screenplay:
1. Mark Boal The Hurt Locker
2. Quentin Tarentino Inglorious Basterds
3. Joel and Ethan Coen A Serious Man
4. (500) Days of Summer
5. Bob Petersen and Pete Docter Up
Alternate: Swap 500 Days for Avatar
Dark Horse: The White Ribbon
Dream Ballot:
1. Mark Boal The Hurt Locker
2. Joel and Ethan Coen A Serious Man
3. Oren Movermen The Messenger
4. Bob Petersen and Pete Docter Up
5. Quentin Tarentino Inglorious Basterds
Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. Neill Blomkamp and Terri Thatcher - District 9
2. Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach - Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Geoffrey Fletcher - Precious
4. Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner - Up in the Air
5. Scott Cooper Crazy Heart
Alternate: Swap Fantastic for An Education
Dark Horse: Where the Wild Things Are
Dream Ballot:
1. Neill Blomkamp and Terri Thatcher District 9
2. Tom Ford A Single Man
3. Armando Iannucci In the Loop
4. Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers Where the Wild Things Are
5. Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner Up in the Air
Animated Film:
1. Coraline
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
4. Princess and the Frog
5. Up
Alternate: Swap Cloudy for Ponyo
Dark Horse: Mary and Max
Dream Ballot:
1. Coraline
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Mary and Max
4. Ponyo
5. Up
Best Art Direction:
1. Avatar
2. Bright Star
3. District 9
4. Inglorious Basterds
5. Where the Wild Things Are
Alternate: Swap out Wild Things for Lovely Bones
Dark Horse: A Single Man
Dream Ballot:
1. Avatar
2. District 9
3. A Single Man
4. Star Trek
5. Where the Wild Things Are
Best Cinematography:
1. Avatar
2. The White Ribbon
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Nine
5. Inglorious Basterds
Alternate: Swap Nine for Bright Star
Dark Horse: A Single Man
Dream Ballot:
1. Inglorious Basterds
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
3. The Hurt Locker
4. A Single Man
5. Where the Wild Things Are
Best Costume Design:
1. Bright Star
2. Coco Avant Chanel
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Public Enemies
5. The Young Victoria
Alternate: Swap Public Enemies for Nine
Dark Horse: Julie and Julia
Dream Ballot:
1. An Education
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Public Enemies
5. A Serious Man
Best Editing:
1. Avatar
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Star Trek
5. Up in the Air
Alternate: Swap Star Trek for District 9
Dark Horse: A Serious Man
Dream Ballot:
1. A Single Man
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. A Serious Man
5. Star Trek
Best Makeup:
1. Star Trek
2. District 9
3. The Road
Best Sound Mixing:
1. Avatar
2. District 9
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Star Trek
5. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Best Sound Editing:
1. Avatar
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Star Trek
4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
5. Up
Best Documentary:
1. The Beaches of Agnes
2. Burma VJ
3. The Cove
4. Every Little Step
5. Food Inc.
Best Original Score:
1. Alexandre Desplat Coco Avant Chanel
2. Michael Hamlisch The Informant!
3. James Horner - Avatar
4. Michael Giacchino Up
5. Randy Newman The Princess and the Frog
Dream Ballot:
1. Carter Burwell A Serious Man
2. Alexandre Desplat Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Michael Giacchino Star Trek
4. Michael Giacchino Up
5. Abel Korzeniowski A Single Man
Best Original Song:
1. Almost There The Princess and the Frog
2. I See You - Avatar
3. I Want to Come Home Everybodys Fine
4. The Weary Kind Crazy Heart
5. Winter Brothers
Best Visual Effects:
1. Avatar
2. Star Trek
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Dream Ballot:
1. Avatar
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
3. Star Trek
