Oscars derby 2008-2009 front-runners
Click on the film titles below to learn more about each Oscars contender. Obviously, things will change. There are rumors, for example, that "The Reader" may move to 2009 so that two Kate Winslet flicks don't compete against each other. Also, some of these films don't have a distributor yet, including "Two Lovers," "Grey Gardens," "Synecdoche, New York" and "The Argentine." Many thanks to my Envelope colleague and pal Pete Hammond for his input to this list.
BEST PICTURE
"Appaloosa"
"Australia"
"Body of Lies"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Defiance"
"Doubt"
"Gran Torino"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"Miracle at St. Anna"
"Mamma Mia!"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Secret Life of Bees"
"Seven Pounds"
"The Soloist"
"Vicki Cristina Barcelona"
"The Visitor"
"Wall-E"
"W"
BEST ACTOR
Eric Bana, "The Time Traveler's Wife"
Josh Brolin, "W"
Benicio del Toro, "The Argentine" or "Guerrilla" *
Leo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"
or "Body of Lies"
Robert Downey Jr., "The Soloist," "Iron Man"
Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino"
Harrison Ford, "Crossing Over"
Jamie Foxx, "The Soloist" (supporting role?)
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, " Synecdoche, New York" * or "Doubt"
Hugh Jackman, "Australia"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Electric Mist"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" (supporting role?)
Derek Luke, "Miracle at St. Anna" (supporting role?)
Viggo Mortensen, "Appaloosa," "The Road"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Two Lovers" *
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" or "Burn After Reading"
Michael Sheen, "Frost/Nixon"
Will Smith, "Seven Pounds"
BEST ACTRESS
Drew Barrymore, "Grey Gardens" *
Cate Blanchett, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Kate Beckinsale, "Nothing But the Truth"
Emily Blunt, "The Young Victoria"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Nicole Kidman, "Australia"
Keira Knightley, "The Duchess"
Jessica Lange, "Grey Gardens"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River" (supporting role?)
Laura Linney, "The Other Man"
Rachel McAdams, "The Time Traveler's Wife":
Julianne Moore, "Blindness"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia!"
Kristin Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
"Horton Hears a Who!"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa"
"Wall-E"
"Waltz with Bashir"
Meryl defenitely should have won. They had pitty for Kate after a 13 year losing streak
Posted by: Bianca | February 22, 2009 at 09:11 PM
MERYL STREEP will rock!!! Mind you.........she is the best actress living in our this generation and the only one who made more than 3 movies in a year and with a lot of good outcome like feedback and wards and even a top grosser...take note she is 59 years old but then she can act smoothly.....unlike those others....
SAG, BAFTA and OSCARS goes to MERYL STREEP!!!
do you agree? :)
congrats Pres. Obama!!
Posted by: zabrinaperegrina | January 20, 2009 at 03:27 AM
LEO AND KATE! ALL THE WAY. THEY F*%^$#@ DESERVE IT!
Posted by: Emily | January 06, 2009 at 08:14 AM
What about james mcavoy's performance for wanted? i know it's not an oscar type movie, but that has a very good shot at winning many oscars,
best cgi
best film editing
best sound mixing
best best actor??
Posted by: shaun | December 02, 2008 at 01:51 PM
I hope WALL-E ends up on the Best Picture Nod. If it doesn’t I will not watch the oscars.
I also like to see the Dark Knight end up on the category, but I’m not giving it too much support because it is the most overrated movie in history. Still, I love that movie.
What is it about animated movies to discriminate? Finding Nemo should have receive a Best Picture nod long ago. It had great storytelling.
WALL-E is waay better than Shrek. It may not be funnier, but Shrek is what it is, a majorily comedy, while WALL-E focused more on a unique storyline. Plus WALL-E costed 180,000,000 to make. So many people worked so hard on it.
I also find WALL-E to be better than Beauty and the Beast. That was a great movie, but WALL-E had and told the better story. WALL-E is one of the most daring works ever.
If WALL-E doesn’t show up on the Best Picture category, I will never watch the Oscars again. Mark my words.
Oh! And I hope Meryl Streep gets another win! She played a complex character!
Posted by: caroline | November 16, 2008 at 05:16 PM
MERYL STREEP WILL BE!!! SHES VERY VERSATILE AND SHE DESERVES TO BE THE WINNER!!!! A TWO THUMBS UP FOR HER!!! YOU BETTER WATCH ALL HER MOVIE AND YOU'LL SE HOW DESERVING SHE IS!!!
MERYL STREEP
MERYL
MERYL
MERYL
MERYL
MERYL
Posted by: zabrina peregrina | September 13, 2008 at 12:26 AM
KATE KATE KATE GOOOO KATE !!!!!!!
Posted by: shamil | September 07, 2008 at 01:15 AM
I think Keira Knightley should get nominated for The Duchess. I have seen some clips of her performance, and in those clips she is absolutely incredible. She tends to get undervalued, because she is so beautiful, but she is actually a very strong performer. I really hope that she'll get a nomination for 2009, she definitely deserves another Oscar nomination.
Posted by: Miranda | September 06, 2008 at 09:31 AM
I want HUGH JACKMAN nominated for an Oscar at last!!! (Why he wasn't nominated for The Prestige or The Fountain last year?...) Plus: AUSTRALIA is sure to dominate OSCARS 2009
Posted by: martha | August 20, 2008 at 04:38 AM
Mis favoritos son :
Revolutionary Road, the reader, milk, body of lies y Guerrilla. Entre actrices: Kate Winslet por cualquiera de las dos peliculas...
Posted by: dany | July 24, 2008 at 06:27 AM
Someone PLEASE get "Grey Gardens" a theatrical distributor!
Posted by: BJK | July 15, 2008 at 07:07 AM
amy adams for doubt
Posted by: kristen | July 14, 2008 at 04:16 PM
What about the little boy in under the same moon?
Posted by: john | July 14, 2008 at 09:16 AM
Give Robert Downey Jr. the Oscar already!
Posted by: Benny | July 14, 2008 at 07:23 AM
hi Tom - small correction re Kristin Scott Thomas pic - it's I'VE Loved You So Long.. (not I Loved).
Fantastic pic and fantastic perf - worth tracking.
Posted by: aussieanywhere | July 14, 2008 at 05:34 AM
For the animation category, you are forgetting Hayao Miyazaki's upcoming Ponyo on the Cliff. Serious omission, it seems.
Posted by: Daniel | July 13, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Tx, yes, you're right about the Kristin Scott Thomas pic. I knew she had a movie in the running with a French title, but didn't know what it was -- you nailed it. Added to the list. TX.
Posted by: Tom O'Neil | July 13, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Kristin Scott Thomas for I've Loved You So Long.
Posted by: aussieanywhere | July 13, 2008 at 09:51 PM
Tom, I think you're forgetting two obvious choices that already opened and one is still playing, Julianne Moore in "Savage Grace" and Naomi Watts in "Funny Games" of which she was also the producer. In Supp.Actress you've already got Kim Cattrall as the most realized perf in SATC & Danai Gurira whose stranded African wife is the heart & soul that powers "The Vistior."
Posted by: Stephen Holt | July 13, 2008 at 08:52 PM
BTW, I'm going with Frank Langella or Benicio del Toro for the win completely sight unseen.
Posted by: Edward Douglas | July 13, 2008 at 07:15 PM
Ledger would be supporting... Kris Tapley (as usual) is nuts.
Posted by: Edward Douglas | July 13, 2008 at 07:14 PM
SARAH JESSICA PARKER FOR SEX AND THE CITY!
SARAH JESSICA PARKER FOR SEX AND THE CITY!
SARAH JESSICA PARKER FOR SEX AND THE CITY!
I repeat it, because I can't believe your omission.
Posted by: Kim | July 13, 2008 at 05:48 PM