Cody's 2008 Oscar Predictions

These are my 2008 Oscar picks. This is what I think will win, not what I want to win.I will give my opinion on my favorites of the year.

Best Picture-Slumdog Millionaire. I haven't seen The Reader yet, but I have seen everything else. It's a shame because Slumdog is a average film and the worse of the nominations. IGNORED: Doubt, The Wrestler, Wall-E, and Revolutionary Road are far superior films than anything nominated.

Best Actor-Mickey Rourke. I think Sean Penn has a chance, but the Academy likes comebacks more than gays. I haven't seen the Visitor, but Mick gives the best performance of the nominated and of the year. IGNORED: The Academy hates Leo for some reason, and his performance in Revolutionary Road is his best since The Aviator. Josh Brolin was also great in W.

Best Actress- Meryl Streep. The only two films I have seen in this category were Doubt and Rachel Getting Married. Hathaway does a great job, but Streep gives one of the best performances of her career. Streep makes Doubt a great movie and hopefully she will win. IGNORED: Kate Winslet got nominated for the wrong film. Her performance in Revolutionary Road was the only performance this year that rivaled Streeps.

Best Supporting Actor- Heath Ledger. Every year this is the best catagory, and this year is no different. I loved every performance, but thought Hoffman, Shannon and Ledger were all equally great in their own way. When he died a year ago I said Ledger would win before seeing the film. I saw the film and he did a great job. IGNORED: Comedy is hard and I would like to have seen Adam Scott get a nomination for Step Brothers or Clooney for Burn After Reading.

Best Supporting Actress- Viola Davis. Everyone did a good job in this catagory, but Viola, Tomei, and Amy Adams were the stand outs for the nominations. I will be happy if any of these ladies would win. IGNORED: One of the best performances of the year was Rosemarie DeWitt in Rachel Getting Married. She is amazing and got hosed!

Best Director- Danny Boyle. This is probably the weakest catagory of the year. The only one who deserves the award that was nominated is Gus Van Sant for Milk. The Academy is a year too late for Fincher. IGNORED: Pick one: Aronofsky for The Wrestler, John Patrick Shanley for Doubt, Sam Mendes for Rev.Road, Coens for Burn, McKay for Step Brothers, Andrew Stanton for Wall-E, Nolan for Dark Knight, Demme for Rachel Getting Married, and hell even Favreau for Iron Man. These are better than what was nominated.

Original Screenplay- Milk. This movie has to win something. I prefer Wall-E and will be happy if it does win. Milk and Wall-E are the only films nominated that I have seen and Wall-E is one of the best screenplays of the year. IGNORED:The comedies again Step Brothers, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, etc and the Wrestler.

Adapted Screenplay-Slumdog Millionaire. I really hope Doubt wins this catagory because it is the best screenplay of the year. IGNORED: Revolutionary Road is probably the 2nd best script of the year. It is a shame how this film got shut out.

Best Cinematography- The Reader. This is the second weakest catagory of the year. I haven't seen The Reader, but it's Deakins and it's WWII and you know it looks good. I haven't seen The Changeling, but The Dark Knight is my second pick in this weak crop of films. IGNORED: Dean Semler for Appaloosa, Harris Savides for Milk, Colin Watkinson for The Fall and Roger Deakins for Doubt and Revolutionary Road. Deakins is the best Cinematographer in films right now. He had 2 films nominated last year and lost and got ignored twice this year and still has a film up for nomination.

Editing- Slumdog Millionaire. Usually, but not always, whatever wins editing wins Best Picture. I am pulling for The Dark Knight, but I think Milk deserves it also. IGNORED: Same stuff I've been saying Revolutionary Road,Doubt, The Wrestler, etc. I also think Man On Wire and Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 needed to be in there.

Art Direction- Revolutionary Road. Sadly this may be the only award this film will win. The Duchess may also win because it takes place in the times of powdered wigs. IGNORED: Appaloosa, Doubt, Milk and mostly The Fall.

Costumes- The Duchess. Same as above. Powdered Wigs and Ball Dresses always win.

Make-Up- Benjamin Button. Easy, nothing else came close this year.

Original Score-Wall-E. Slumdog and Ben Button have a good chance too. IGNORED: The Dark Knight, the best score of the year.

Best Song-Jai-Ho. The end dance scene in Slumdog is one of the best parts of the film. It's the only time the audience is allowed to be happy. IGNORED: Boats and Ho's and Sweet Child Of Mine both from Step Brothers. I also loved Little Person by Jon Brion and Deanna Story from Synecdoche, New York.

Sound- Wall-E. Wall-E is almost a silent film so sound carries the movie. Dark Knight has a chance, but it will just plain be wrong if Wall-E loses. Nothing sound wise can touch this film this year.

Sound Editing- Wall-E. Same as above. All Hail Ben Burtt!

Visual Effects- Benjamin Button. This film is ground breaking, everything else this year is in Ben Button's shadow. Not once does the aging process look ridicules. The Visual Effects is the sole reason Brad Pitt was nominated for best actor, because his appearance is the only thing that changed during the entire movie.

Animated Film- Wall-E. I haven't seen Panda or Bolt, but they weren't nominated for best screenplay so this one is in the bag.

Foreign Film- Waltz With Bashir. I haven't seen any of these nominated films. I have heard good things about Bashir and nothing about the others.

Documentary Film- Man On Wire. Man On Wire is a amazing film and I hope it wins. I haven't seen the other nominated films, but look out for Trouble The Water. It's about Katrina and may get a few votes. IGNORED: Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, best Doc. of the year.

Documentary Short Film- The Witness From The Balcony Of Room 306. Haven't seen any of these, and Room 306 is about the assassination of MLK. Winner. IGNORED: Renke Slate

Short Film Animated- Presto. Why not. This Way up is my 2nd choice.

Short Live Action- Speilzeugland. One word:Nazi's. Nuff said. IGNORED: Straight and Narrow

Thats it. If you got this far then I am proud of you and thank you for your patience.