Finally, We Get Excited about Oscar

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 22, 2008 6:00PM

Whew, thank goodness that's over. We were beginning to think that our planned big-ass Oscar preview would be falling on deaf ears. But now that we know there's really going to be a show, it's time to play catch up. Jon Stewart certainly is. In fact there'll probably be more glitz than ever this year if only to overcompensate for the lack of a proper build-up.

The short of it is, we're largely pleased as punch by the nominees. There were same damn good movies last year. Anyone who's still whining that "they don't make 'em like they used to" just isn't watching the right stuff. We've had some time to reflect on this year's nominees. So we'd like to offer our list of Who Should Win in some of the major categories (and our predictions for who will win). And, getting back to the subject of punch, we have a perfect punch recipe for your Oscar soirée.

In a world with ourselves as Final Arbiters of Taste, here's what would go down on February 24:

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
His performance is the pinnacle of a performance: so visceral and seamless that you don't see a performance at all, only a human being. All the more impressive since he's damn near on screen for the entire 158 minute running time.
Our Prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
No contest, move along, nothing to see here. As Anton Chigurh, Bardem offers a portrait that's scary as hell yet disquietingly empathetic.
Our Prediction: Javier Bardem.

BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Definitely a tough call, but Ms. Christie gets our vote for avoiding actorly histrionics while showing us a woman quietly, irreversibly slipping away.
Our Prediction: Julie Christie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
We really want this to be Tilda's year! The woman is so interesting we could watch her reading the Red Eye out loud and still be entertained. It's a hard category to call but ...
Our Prediction: Tilda Swinton

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Persepolis
For once, an animated feature film that doesn't obsessively quote pop culture or feature talking animals. Its gorgeous style is yet more proof that hand-drawn animation can go places that computers simply can't. Too bad the Academy ain't gonna agree with us.
Our Prediction: Ratatouille

ART DIRECTION
There Will Be Blood
Jack Fisk et al take us to a place vivdly real and utterly devoid of cliché. But we have a hunch things'll turn out differently.
Our Prediction: Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

CINEMATOGRAPHY
There Will Be Blood
See above, substitute Robert Elswit for Jack Fisk. But Janusz Kaminski is a recurring favorite, so ...
Our Prediction: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST DIRECTOR
God, this is hard! Julian Schnabel and Paul Thomas Anderson both richly deserve this award for two very, very different films that knocked our socks off. Schnabel created a film that literally allowed us to see the world in a completely different way; Anderson, a film that's an incredibly knotty character study masquerading as an epic. So, it's a tie. (Remember; this is our fantasy of the Oscars). However, we think the reality is that neither will win.
Our Prediction: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Taxi to the Dark Side
In a year overstuffed with amazing documentaries Alex Gibney and Eva Orner starkly show us evil that lurks on the near side of patriotism, confronting us with uncomfortable questions that we ignore at our own peril. But which film will win is anyone's guess.
Our Prediction: No End In Sight

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Katyn, Poland
Danton is high on our list of all-time favorites, also directed by Andrzej Wajda. Give the man an Oscar, dammit (we don't think they will).
Our Prediction: 12

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Michael Clayton
Through a lame technicality, Jonny Greenwood was not nominated for There Will Be Blood. So we'll cast our lot for James Newton Howard's icy, sterile soundtrack.
Our Prediction: Michael Clayton

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from Once
We wish to break Disney's mediocre monopoly on this category and thus give it to the plucky film-that-could. Yeah, like that's gonna happen ...
Our Prediction: some hokey Disney song

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
This script is so taut you could string your guitar with it. Easily some of the best dialog of the year as well. They'll win.
Our Prediction: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
A sharp, uncompromising story that features (gasp!) characters that feel like real people and not archetypes. Jenkins gets bonus points for referencing Brecht and portapotties in the same film. No luck: the Academy is gonna jump on the Juno bandwagon.
Our Prediction: Diablo Cody, Juno

BEST PICTURE
There Will Be Blood
One measure of a great film is that when the end credits roll, you want to go right back to the beginning and watch it again. Another: it leaves you breathless. It's hard to think of another recent movie that's quite like it, taking hackneyed elements and twisting them into a totally original creation. P.T. Anderson's film is one for the ages. But we think that in the eyes of the Academy, it's simply too iconoclastic, so ...
Our Prediction: No Country For Old Men

It's time to get cracking on your Oscar party! You'll need more than a few stiff drinks over the course of the evening and this punch is easy to make and delicious.

PINK PANTHER PUNCH

3 parts pineapple juice
2 parts grapefruit juice
2 parts gin
1/2 part pomegranate juice

Multiply the recipe to fit the needs of your gathering. Serve over ice.

shiny Oscar pic via TheStubOnline