Film-Otaku Awards 2008

BEST PICTURE

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


2. The Dark Knight
3. WALL-E
4. Australia
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. In Bruges
7. Milk
8. Doubt
9. The Reader
10. Valkyrie

BEST DIRECTOR

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN (THE DARK KNIGHT)


2. Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
3. Baz Luhrmann (Australia)
4. Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
5. David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
6. Gus Van Sant (Milk)
7. Steven Soderbergh (Che: Part One)
8. Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
9. Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
10. Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

BEST ACTOR

SEAN PENN (MILK)


2. Colin Farrell (In Bruges)
3. Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road)
4. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
5. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
6. Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
7. Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
8. Ben Kingsley (Elegy)
9. Benicio del Toro (Che: Part Two)
10. Hugh Jackman (Australia)

BEST ACTRESS

MERYL STREEP (DOUBT)


2. Kate Winslet (The Reader)
3. Nicole Kidman (Australia)
4. Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
5. Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
6. Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
7. Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
8. Kate Beckinsale (Nothing But the Truth)
9. Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
10. Keira Knightley (The Duchess)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

HEATH LEDGER (THE DARK KNIGHT)


2. Liev Schreiber (Defiance)
3. Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
4. Ralph Fiennes (In Bruges)
5. Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
6. Ralph Fiennes (The Reader)
7. Paul Bettany (The Secret Life of Bees)
8. Josh Brolin (Milk)
9. Brandon Walters (Australia)
10. Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

PENELOPE CRUZ (VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA)


2. Viola Davis (Doubt)
3. Amy Adams (Doubt)
4. Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
5. Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)
6. Vera Farmiga (Nothing But the Truth)
7. Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds)
8. Eugene Domingo (100)
9. Tessie Tomas (100)
10. Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

BEST ENSEMBLE

DOUBT


2. The Dark Knight
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Milk
5. Elegy

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

ANDREW STANTON (WALL-E)


2. Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
3. Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
4. Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
5. Rod Lurie (Nothing But the Truth)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

NICHOLAS MEYER (ELEGY), based on the novel The Dying Animal by Philip Roth


2. Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight), based on characters created by Bob Kane
3. Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire), based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup
4. John Patrick Shanley (Doubt), based on his stage play
5. Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), based on his stage play

BEST ART DIRECTION

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Australia
4. The Duchess
5. Valkyrie

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

WALLY PFISTER (THE DARK KNIGHT)


2. Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
3. Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
4. Mandy Walker (Australia)
5. Chris Menges, Roger Deakins (The Reader)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

MICHAEL O'CONNOR (THE DUCHESS)


2. Catherine Martin (Australia)
3. Isis Mussenden (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian)
4. Jacqueline West (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
5. Anais Romand (The Last Mistress)

BEST MAKEUP

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON


2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
3. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
4. The Dark Knight
5. Tropic Thunder

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

A.R. RAHMAN (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE)


2. James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight)
3. Carter Burwell (In Bruges)
4. James Newton Howard (Defiance)
5. Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

BEST SONG

"JAI HO" (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE)


2. "Barcelona" (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
3. "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" (Hamlet 2)
4. "The Call" (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian)
5. "Gran Torino" (Gran Torino)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

IRON MAN


2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Hellboy Ii: The Golden Army
4. The Dark Knight
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

BEST CAMEO PERFORMANCE

TILDA SWINTON (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN)


2. Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder)
3. Amy Poehler (Hamlet 2)
4. Kristin Wigg (Ghost Town)
5. Lena Olin (The Reader)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

DEV PATEL (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE)


2. David Kross (The Reader)
3. Fu'ad Ait Aattou (The Last Mistress)
4. Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
5. Brandon Walters (Australia)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

SALLY HAWKINS (HAPPY-GO-LUCKY)


2. Colin Farrell (In Bruges)
3. Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
4. Steve Coogan (Hamlet 2)
5. Ricky Gervais (Ghost Town)

BEST VILLAIN

THE JOKER (THE DARK KNIGHT)


2. Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)
3. Irina Spalko (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
4. King Miraz (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian)
5. Neil Fletcher (Australia)

BEST FIGHT

LU YAN VS. THE SILENT MONK (FORBIDDEN KINGDOM)


2. Hellboy vs. Prince Nuada (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)
3. Hulk vs. Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)
4. Peter vs. Miraz (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian)
5. Iron Man vs. Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)

WORST PICTURE

THE LOVE GURU

WORST PERFORMANCE

THANDIE NEWTON (W.)

81st Academy Award Winners (and Thoughts)

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Slumdog Millionaire

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Sean Penn (Milk)
*Predicted: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Kate Winslet (The Reader)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
*Predicted: Andrew Stanton (WALL-E)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Andrew Stanton (WALL-E)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Japan (Departures)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Man on Wire

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Michael O'Conner (The Duchess)

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
Chris Dickens (Slumdog Millionaire)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
"Jai Ho" (Slumdog Millionaire)

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Slumdog Millionaire

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Smile Pinki
*Predicted: The Final Inch

BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
La Maison en Petits Cubes
*Predicted: Presto

BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Toyland
*Predicted: The Pig

Overall score: 19/24. Not bad. Probably my best so far. The three categories on shorts are where I went wrong mostly, with gusty predictions of wins for Rourke and WALL-E for screenplay also not working out. It turned out to be a mostly predictable year, but all the winners are deserving and I loved the ceremonies. It was the most entertaining, heartfelt, and aptly paced show that I've seen in a long time. Hugh Jackman was a great host, very classy.

My favorite thing about this year's Oscars:
-The new format of presenting the winners of the acting awards. Bringing out former winners to honor a new one is an emotional tribute that must become the new tradition. With over 70 past winners in these categories, it would be easy to get a new batch of presenters every year, and it would cause excitement to guess who'll be coming out to give the Oscar. I especially loved the lineup of presenters for the lead categories. What star power!

The new format did, however, result in the loss of a good tradition of the acting awards: the clips. I'm sure there's a way to make this work where clips are still shown. I would have particularly loved to see a clip of Ledger's Joker performance.

Still, overall, it was a great Oscar show. The right people and films won (how long has it been since that was the case?), and the show itself is heading in the right direction.

On to the new Oscar year!

Winners of the 2009 BAFTA Awards

Here are the winners of the 2009 Orange British Film Awards:

BEST FILM
Slumdog Millionaire. It is written. Oscars, here it comes.

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Man on Wire. The likely winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
Steve McQueen (Hunger). Totally deserving.

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). He'll win the Oscar, too.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Martin McDonagh (In Bruges). Yahoo! I'd love to see McDonagh get the Oscar, too, but competition from Black (Milk, the WGA winner) and Stanton (WALL-E) is fierce.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire). Can anything stop this film? Not that anything deserves to.

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
I've Loved You So Long. Not eligible for the same category in the Oscars, of course.

ANIMATED FILM
WALL-E. Totally deserving. That Kung Fu Panda sweep in the Annies was a [stupid] fluke.

LEADING ACTOR
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler). Wow. He just might win the Oscar over Penn. This win makes that category a bit more unpredictable (which is always exciting).

LEADING ACTRESS
Kate Winslet (The Reader). Winslet: BAFTA, Globes, and SAG (albeit for Supporting). Streep: SAG. Methinks the Oscar will go to Winslet.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight). Another inevitable win come Oscar night.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Finally! She'll likely take home the Oscar, too.

MUSIC
A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire). Just reward for one of the best elements in the best film of the year.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire). Would have loved a win for Pfister here, but Mantle did an amazing job, too. But the Oscar race in this category is still wide open.

EDITING
Chris Dickens (Slumdog Millionaire). I've said enough.

PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A consolation prize, but deserving.

COSTUME DESIGN
Michael O'Connor (The Duchess). Will likely repeat at the Oscars.

SOUND
Slumdog Millionaire

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This will win the Oscar.

MAKE UP AND HAIR
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Here, too.

SHORT ANIMATION
Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
Noel Clarke

Slumdog and Milk Win the WGA Awards

Danny Boyle Wins the DGA Award