Making Picks

Tomorrow night one of the leading contenders from 2009 will be crowned Best Picture, joining a long line of Oscar winners. Oscar winning films, no matter what they are, become the source of debate in subsequent years. Did they deserve to win? Did they hold up? What's the greatest Academy Award film of them all?

Looking back through 50 years of winners, it's easy to see the changing cultural tastes and moods in the films selected as the year's best. Fifty years ago, in 1959, "Ben-Hur" was honored as Best Picture. The film is still considered a classic and it's 11 Oscar wins is still somewhat of a benchmark of success.

Forty years ago, in 1969, "Midnight Cowboy" took the top prize. The film, which starred Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, was representative of the era but probably wouldn't resonate with many under the age of 30.

Thirty years ago, in 1979, the tough to watch "Kramer vs. Kramer" took the top prize. Though the settings and costumes are of a different era, the tale of dysfunctional family, fatherhood and sacrifice still ring true.

Twenty years ago, in 1989, "Driving Miss Daisy" claimed the top prize. The eminently quotable film, starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, is still a beautiful tale of unlikely friendship.

And 10 years ago, in 1999, "American Beauty" claimed the top prize. The film is representative of the darker cultural shift that has continued to pervade films as it focused on the fractured behind-the-scenes world of the fading American dream.

Now, a new set of films will be honored. I've listed my picks below.

Will win is in bold, should win is in italics:

Best Picture
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Up In the Air
Up
Precious
The Blind Side
An Education
District 9
Inglorious Basterds
A Serious Man

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Jason Reitman, Up In the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up In the Air
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Colin Firth, A Single Man

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds
Woody Harelson, The Messenger
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Matt Damon, Invictus

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique, Precious
Anna Kendrick, Up In the Air
Vera Farmiga, Up In the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Penelope Cruz, Nine

Best Original Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Bob Peterson, Pete Docter and Thomas McCarthy, Up

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up In the Air
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Nick Hornby, An Education
Neil Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, District 9
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche and Armando Iannucci, In The Loop

Other Winners:
Best Animated Film: Up
Best Documentary: The Cove
Best Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
Best Editing: Bob Murawski and Chris Innis, The Hurt Locker
Best Foreign Film: The White Ribbon, Germany
Best Original Song: The Weary Kind, Crazy Heart
Best Score: Michael Giacchino, Up
Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell, The Young Victoria
Best Makeup: John Henry Gordon, Jenny Shircore, The Young Victoria
Best Art Direction: Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair, Avatar
Best Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosebaum, Richard Baeham and Andy Jones, Avatar

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju...
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co...
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve...
Read more