Oscar nominations, predictions and expectations

from previous years:
n = previous nominations (that were not wins) w = previous wins

Best Picture
An Education
Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey
Avatar
James Cameron (3w) and Jon Landau (3w)
The Blind Side
Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson
District 9
Peter Jackson (3w, 5n) and Carolynn Cunningham
The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro
Inglourious Basterds
Lawrence Bender (2n)
Precious
Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness
A Serious Man
Joel and Ethan Coen (5w, 4n)
Up
Jonas Rivera
Up in the Air
Jason Reitman (1n), Daniel Dubiecki and Ivan Reitman

It is hard to pick a favorite when so many movies are nominated, but I think that An Education or District 9 should win. District 9 is not a typical oscar movie, but I enjoyed the concept and I think that it was a clever way to show a topic that will never loose its importance. Avater, The Hurt Locker, Precious and The Blind Side has been favorites by the critics, but I'm not sure if the oscars appreciate movies like Avatar, even though I think all four of the movies have just enough drama to win an oscar. I did not like Avatar at all, and I don't think it deserves all the oscars it is nominated for. The Hurt Locker, Precious and The Blind Side are good movies, but the first one is not my kind of movie and the two others were too American for my liking (if that makes any sense.) I really enjoyed Up, Up in the Air and A Serious Man, while Inglourious Basterd was disappointing.


Directing
Avatar
James Cameron (3w)
The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow
Inglorious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino (1w, 1n)
Precious
Lee Daniels
Up in the Air
Jason Reitman (1n)

I do hope that Quentin Tarantino wins. He is a wonderfull director, even though the movie was disappointing.
Kathryn Bigelow is also one of my favorites, and I do think that either she or James Cameron is going to win.


Writing (adapted)
District 9
Neil Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
An Education
Nick Hornby
In the Loop
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche
Precious
Geoffry Fletcher
Up in the Air
Jason Reitman (1n) and Sheldon Turner

An Education is my favorite out of these, but I think Precious will win.


Writing (original)
The Hurt Locker
Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino (1w, 1n)
The Messenger
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman
A Serious Man
Joel and Ethan Coen (5w, 4n)
Up
Bob Peterson (1n) , Pete Docter (4n) and Tom McCarthy

A Serious Man has to be one of the most original out of these (beside Inglourious Basterds) and is also my favorite.
Up and The Hurt Locker were also good, but not my favorites when it comes to the manuscript.
The Messenger had a nice idea, but the movie was kind of boring and did not touch me in any way.
I'm not sure who's going to win, but my vote goes to A Serious Man.


Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart (4n)
George Clooney - Up in the Air (1w, 3n)
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus (1w, 3n)
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

It's is hard to choose a favorite when I haven't seen A Single Man or Invictus, but I have heard great things of both Firth's and Freeman's performance. I do think that Renner, Clooney and Bridges made a fabulous job, but my vote goes to Jeff Bridges (and I do think he will win).


Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station (1w, 2n)
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia (2w, 13n)
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious

I haven't seen The Last Station, so I can't say anything of Mirren's performance. I think all the other four actresses did a wonderfull job,
but my favorite is Carey Mulligan for her performance in An Education. Both she and Sidibe is kind of new to this business, so I don't think they will win. I do think Sandra Bullock is going to win the statuette though.


Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon - Invictus (1n, 1w)
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger (1n)
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Like I mentioned before, I haven't seen Invictus or The Last Station. I'm very interested Plummer's performance of Tolstoy.
I have to big favorites it this category, and that is Stanley Tucci and Christopher Waltz.
Both of them did a terrific job, and I do hope and think that one of them will win the award.


Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz - Nine (1w, 1n)
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo'Nique - Precious

I have no idea why Penélope is nominated. Yes, she can act, but this is not a special performance at all.
All of the others did a good job, but my favorites are Gyllenhaal and Mo'Nique, and I do think one of them will win.


Animated Feature Film
Coraline
Hentry Selick
Up
Pete Docter (4n)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson (1n)
The Princess and the Frog
John Musker and Ron Clements (1n)
The Secret of Kells
Tomm More

I haven't seen The Princess and the Frog and The Secret of Kells. The Princess and the Frog is not my kind of animated movie,
but I'm very interested in The Secret of Kells.
I enjoyed the other three movies, but my vote goes to The Fantastic Mr. Fox, even though I think Up will win.


Art Direction
Avatar
Rick Carter (1n), Robert Stromberg (1n) and Kim Sinclair
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro and Caroline Smith
Nine
John Myhre (2w, 2n) and Gordon Sim (1w)
Sherlock Holmes
Sarah Greenwood (2n) and Katie Spencer (2n)
The Young Victoria
Patrice Vermette and Maggie Grey (1n)


All of these are special in their own way and have some lovely art direction, but my favorite is deffinetly Sherlock Holmes. I loved it.


Cinematography
Avatar
Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Bruno Delbonell (2n)
The Hurt Locker
Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds
Robert Richardson (2w, 3n)
The White Ribbon
Christian Berger

Even though there are some good nominees here, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has to be my choice. Wonderfull cinematography


Visual Effects
Avatar
Joe Letteri (3w, 1n), Stephen Rosenbaum (1w), Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones (1n)
District 9
Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Riobert Habros and Matt Aitken
Star Trek
Roger Guyett (1n), Russel Earl (1n), Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton (1w)

The only oscar nomination that Avatar really deserve. The visual effects of District 9 is no good, and Star Trek I haven't seen.


Music (original score)
Avatar
James Horner (2w, 7n)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Alexandre Desplat (2n)
Up
Michael Giacchino (1n)
Sherlock Holmes
Hans Zimmer (1w, 6n)
The Hurt Locker
Marco Beltrami (1n) and Buck Sanders

Many wonderfull composers, but my favorite is by far the soundtrack from Sherlock Holmes by Hans Zimmer. It got stuck in my head the first time I heard it in the movie. Desplat and Horner make wonderfull music, but I can't remember the ones they have made for these movies.


Music (original song)
The Princess and the Frog
Almost There - music and lyrics by Randy Newman (1w, 16n)
The Princess and the Frog
Down in New Orleans - music and lyrics by Randy Newman (1w, 16n)
Nine
Take it all - music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
Crazy Heart
The Weary Heart - music and lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T. Bone. Burnett (1n)
Paris 36
Loine de Paname - music by Reinhardt Wagner, lyrics by Frank Thomas

I haven't seen The Princess and the Frog, but the songs were not for my liking. The only song from Nine, that was of any good was Be Italian, but it is not nominated. I do like Loinde de Paname from Paris 36, but my vote has to go to The Weary Heart from Crazy Heart.


Costume Design
Bright Star
Janet Patterson (3n)
Coco Before Chanel
Catherine Leterrier
The Young Victoria
Sandy Powell (2w, 5n)
Nine
Colleen Atwood (2w, 5w)
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Monique Prudhomme

So many wonderfull nominees here, that it is hard to pick a favorite.
The only thing I can say is that Nine has to by my least favorite.



There are other categories as well, but these will do for now. It show will start soon : )