Oscars predix: 'Frost/Nixon,' 'Benjamin Button' and 'Milk' lead the best-picture derby
The eight Oscars gurus we polled for latest predix agree on only two things — that Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler") will be nominated for best actor. All of their other forecasts are split.
The pundits: Marshall Fine (Star Magazine plus his new blog HollywoodAndFine.com), Mark Olsen (contributor, The Envelope), Jeffrey Sneider (contributor to Variety.com, plus his blog The Insneider that features expanded Oscar noodling), Richard Rushfield (LATimes.com), T.L. Stanley (Gold Rush, Hollywood Reporter), Kris Tapley (InContention.com), Tom Tapp (TheDailyBeast.com) and Peter Travers (Rolling Stone).
In the best-picture race, "Frost/Nixon" garners the most early support (seven votes), while six seers rally behind "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Milk." Please note that Peter Travers is picking "Slumdog Millionaire" — just like me, Kris Tapley and Roger Ebert (read Roger's review in the Chicago Sun-Times).
Travers is especially crafty at kudos handicapping, by the way. I remember receiving a frantic phone call from a producer at "Access Hollywood" back in 2000, who said, "Do you know anybody who's predicting any movie but 'Traffic' will win best picture at the Golden Globes? I'm desperate to add some other points of view to the segment I'm producing, but all I have so far is Peter Travers saying it'll be 'Gladiator.' Is he nuts?" I couldn't find any gurus to give to the producer for an alternate take and, of course, Travers proved to be more than sane.
Two of our pundits prove to be such brave souls below. All alone on two thin branches, Richard Rushfield predicts noms for Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire") and Cate Blanchett ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"). Only Jeffrey Sneider foresees noms for Michael Sheen ("Frost/Nixon") and Michelle Williams ("Wendy and Lucy").
| BEST PICTURE | Fine | Olsen | Rushfield | Sneider | Stanley | Tapp | Tapley | Travers |
| 'Australia' |
X |
X |
||||||
| 'Changeling' |
X |
|||||||
| 'Benjamin Button' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X | ||
| 'Dark Knight' |
X |
|
X | |||||
| 'Doubt' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|||
| 'Frost/Nixon' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X | |
| 'Milk' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X | ||
| 'Rachel Getting Married' |
X |
|
||||||
| 'Revolutionary Road' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
||||
| 'Slumdog Millionaire' |
X |
X |
X | |||||
| 'Soloist' |
X |
|||||||
| 'Wall-E' |
X |
|||||||
| 'Wrestler' |
X |
| BEST ACTOR | Fine | Olsen | Rushfield | Sneider | Stanley | Tapp | Tapley | Travers |
| Benicio Del Toro, 'Che' |
X |
|
||||||
| Leo DiCaprio, 'Revolutionary Road' |
X |
X |
||||||
| Robert Downey Jr., 'Soloist' |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
| ||
| Clint Eastwood, 'Gran Torino' |
X |
|
X |
X | ||||
| Philip Seymour Hoffman, 'Doubt' |
X |
|
|
|
|
|||
| Richard Jenkins, 'Visitor' |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
X | |
| Frank Langella, 'Frost/Nixon' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Dev Patel, 'Slumdog Millionaire' |
X |
|
||||||
| Sean Penn, 'Milk' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X | |
| Brad Pitt, 'Benjamin Button' |
X |
X |
X |
|
| |||
| Mickey Rourke, 'Wrestler' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Michael Sheen, 'Frost/Nixon' |
|
X |
| BEST ACTRESS | Fine | Olsen | Rushfield | Sneider | Stanley | Tapp | Tapley | Travers |
|
Cate Blanchett, 'Benjamin Button' |
X |
|
||||||
| Anne Hathaway, 'Rachel Getting Married' |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X | |
| Sally Hawkins, 'Happy-Go-Lucky' |
X |
|
X |
|
|
|
X | |
| Angelina Jolie, 'Changeling' |
X |
|
X |
X |
X | |||
| Nicole Kidman, 'Australia' |
|
X |
|
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
Melissa Leo, 'Frozen River' |
X |
|
|
X |
|
|
| |
| Meryl Streep, 'Doubt' |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Kristin Scott Thomas, 'I've Loved You So Long' |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
X | |
| Kate Winslet, 'Revolutionary Road' |
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
| Michelle Williams, 'Wendy and Lucy' |
X |
|
|
|




WALL-E is not getting all the hype it deserves
I hope WALL-E ends up on the Best Picture Nod. If it doesn't, I will not watch the oscars. Unlike Ratatouille and the Incredibles, WALL-E had a wonderful allegorial story. If those movies did have allegory, then, because I didn't find it, then the allegories are not as conspicious as in WALL-E.
If you complained that WALL-E was preachy, that shows how ignorant you are. Good movies are also here to give lessons out, not just to entertain. We can't expect entertainment all the time. WALL-E shows reality. To not accept the movie's message, is not accepting reality. To not accept reality means that you cannot accept reality.
WALL-E costed 180,000,000 to make, just as much as the Dark Knight. So many people worked so hard on it. Ben Burtt did amazing voice design, Stanton wrote his most daring script, the computer graphics were realistic (with the exception of the human characters), Newman did a beautiful themed score (WHY DID HE NOT GET A NOD FOR BEST MUSIC AT THE ANNIES?!), etc.,etc.
WALL-E is not one of the bloated romance films like the great, but overrated Titanic. Titanic did nothing but circled around Jack and Rose romance. There were many things going on beside WALL-E's and EVE's romance- There was a lethargic society, a polluted Earth, and machines discovering life. And WALL-E romance with EVE affected humanity. It not one of those romances that circles entirely around the couple, it a romance where they circled around the world.
WALL-E is certainly better than Kung Fu Panda. Kung Fu Panda only took 130 million to make. Kung Fu Panda is certainly funnier, but comedy is not enough to define a good movie. Kung Fu Panda had a excellent storyline, but it is what it is, it was only meant to make children laugh and enjoy it. Kung Fu Panda is not of the universal. Young children will love the cuteness of WALL-E, and teens and adults will love the allegorical story.
Dreamworks may be funnier, but Pixar succeeds in mixed comedy with out-of-this world storylines. Storylines matter more than comedy.
If you think comedy defines how good a movie is, you are one of those inconsiderate people who give no damn toward the hard effort.
What use is an Annie Award to WALL-E? WALL-E is no animated movie, it's a romance made by animation. Saying that WALL-E is an animated movie is discriminating.
If WALL-E doesn't show up on the Best Picture category, I will never watch the Oscars again. Mark my words.
I will also boycott the Oscars if the Dark Knight doesn't show up in the Best Picture nomination. Like WALL-E it has an allegorial story.
So please, consider my words.
Posted by: Skywalker007 | December 28, 2008 at 06:14 AM
The DArk Knight deserves a best picture nomination.
Posted by: asdf | October 22, 2008 at 03:05 AM
Those movies haven't even come out yet. As of now the most critically accepted movies of 2008 are Wall-E and The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight deserves this nomination here's why( Nomination not win We'll have to wait till the movie's come out).
1. Oscar's need a boost in ratings
2. It'd be the first superhero movie to do so.
3. Change is a good thing.
4. It grossed over 500 million dollars in this economic depression and the rising ticket prices.
5.It is one of the most critically accepted movies of 2008.
6. It has higher ratings than Titanic on both meta critic and rotten tomatoes.
7. It was the first film full length film to be shot in Imax so it literally has the Best picture(get it)
8.It will be remembered as a great cinematic achievement and that is what oscars should nominate as best picture.
Posted by: Someone | October 22, 2008 at 03:03 AM
Come on! Get behind The Dark Knight for best picture and let's push Heath for
best supporting actor!
Posted by: Braveheart | October 13, 2008 at 12:58 PM
i think brad is strong contender for next oscars
Posted by: deepak | October 12, 2008 at 12:43 AM