Oscar predictions

BY REINA V. SLUTSKE

Daily Titan Staff

OSCAR PICKS

The Oscars are said to be the ultimate salute to last year in movies. A tribute to the graces of cinema, this little golden statue has been the symbol of great achievement in the media of fi lm.

Some of the best actors out there have not gotten their statues yet, and some havenʼt even been nominated for one. And some of the most provocative and strong fi lms from last year arenʼt even nominated.

Here are our Oscar picks in the top six categories, specially for your offi ce pool:

BEST PICTURE: Aviator, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby, Ray, Sideways.

WHO WILL WIN: Tough call. Usually, the safest bet is for the movie with the most nominations (Aviator, the Howard Hughes biopic, with 11), but Million Dollar Baby, about a boxer and her trainer, has been raising the stakes. Sideways is a quirky movie, but the Academy hate quirks. Ray, the Ray Charlesʼ biopic. is all about Jamie Foxx, and Finding Neverland, the J.M. Barrie biopic, is just too sentimental. But I expect that Aviator will pull through in the end.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Aviator. Just give Scorcese his Oscar already.

BEST DIRECTOR: Martin Scorcese (Aviator), Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby), Taylor Hackford (Ray), Alexander Payne (Sideways), Mike Leigh (Vera Drake)

WHO WILL WIN: Expect a split between Scorcese and Eastwood. In this case, Eastwood will take the cake, and will give Scorcese the best picture Oscar. Eastwoodʼs only been getting better, and this will prove his worth.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Martin Scorcese, if only for the fact for four lost nominations and a legacy of amazing fi lms.

BEST ACTOR: Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland), Leonardo DiCaprio (Aviator), Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby), Jamie Foxx (Ray)

WHO WILL WIN: Jamie Foxx. It is possibly the most buzzed about performance of the year. It doesnʼt hurt that the late great Ray Charles won eight Grammy awards a couple weeks ago just on sentimentality, either. This is the only sure thing this year.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Jamie Foxx. But any other year, it would have been Leonardo DiCaprio on that stage. Aviator proved to the world that, yes, the pretty boy can act.

BEST ACTRESS: Annette Benning (Being Julia), Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake), Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

WHO WILL WIN: Itʼs a race between Annette and Hilary again. Iʼm betting if one of those women will win, it will be Annette, but donʼt be surprised about an upset. I think out of all those women for a potential upset, Winslet will steal it away from them.

WHO SHOULD WIN:

Winslet. She has four nominations under her belt at the age of 30, and her performance in this movie was stellar. She should already have one by now.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Alan Alda (Aviator), Jamie Foxx (Collateral), Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), Clive Owen (Closer)

WHO WILL WIN: Thatʼs a great question. Other than Foxx, itʼs anyoneʼs game right now. Each has gotten their own recognition and each is incredibly talented. But my money is going on either Alan Alda or Morgan Freeman. Both have been jipped, but my favor is heading more towards Freeman.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Freeman.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett (Aviator), Laura Linney (Kinsey), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Sophie Okenedo (Hotel Rwanda), Natalie Portman (Closer)

WHO WILL WIN: Enough buzz hasnʼt risen for Okenedo to come above, and Sideways was a boyʼs movie. Linney, although consistently good, just isnʼt high profi le enough in this category. Portman and Blanchett will go neck and neck, but Blanchett will probably get the edge. Although donʼt underestimate Portman: her character is a stripper, and the Academy has a fetish for women in the role of sex workers.

WHO SHOULD WIN:

Blanchett. Sheʼs wise beyond her years, her performance was exceptional, and should already have an Oscar.

There are always those people overlooked by the Academy. Here are some that should have been nominated:

PICTURE: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” You see it, and it will stick with you forever. Too daring for the academy, but moviegoers will remember this one for a long time.

DIRECTOR: Zach Braff, “Garden State.” This fi lm seemed to be the perfect Oscar fi lm, the little movie that could. Too bad it was released during the summer. Zach Braffʼs direction is understated, sweet and funny. The fi lm of a new generation, this movie didnʼt get a single nomination. It could have at least gotten one for its script.

ACTOR: Jim Carrey, “Eternal Sunshine.” As his heartbreaking turn as Joel, the lover of bold Clementine, you fall in love with Carrey. He should have already gotten his statue for Truman Show. But once again, he has been jipped.

ACTRESS: Uma Thurman, "Kill Bill Vol. 2." She should never work without Tarantino, because she does the best work. The Bride was a full-fl edged, developed character by the end of the saga, and she should have at least gotten a nomination for the effort.