With the Academy Awards fast approaching, Trespass has decided its readers deserve to win something too. Celebrating all the glitz, glamour and movie-goodness that the Oscars bring, we have three DVD packs to give away. Thanks to the lovely people at Madman, the packs are full of Academy Award nominated films; The Visitor, Happy-Go-Lucky, Waltz with Bashir, Oscar-winning Man on Wire and The Cove, which is nominated in this year’s Best Documentary category.
To win one of these Madman packs worth over $150 each, you need to correctly guess which film will win this year’s Best Picture category. To enter, email your name and address to beth@trespassmag.com with your pick for Best Picture Oscar in the subject line; only one entry per person allowed and entrant must be based in Australia. The competition closes on the 6th March. Winners will be drawn from correct entries and announced on Trespass on the 9th March.
To help you pick a winner, some members of Trespass’ Film Section have chosen who they think should win some of the Academy Awards most coveted Oscars….
Best Picture
- Avatar
- The Blind Side
- The Hurt Locker
- District 9
- Inglourious Basterds
- Up
- Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
- An Education
- Up in the Air
- A Serious Man
Beth Wilson
Unfortunately A Serious Man has absolutely no chance of winning, but this film deserves recognition for its subtle brilliance. I’m disappointed that increasing the number of nominees from 5 to 10 didn’t open the door for any foreign language films, which could have bolstered the quality of the selection.
Alice Tynan
This is a tricky one. With Up as my number one pick for 2009 and with my pure love of An Education (minus the unnecessary closing voice-over), I’m really quite torn. And whilst the ‘groundbreaking’ technological wizardry of Avatar may well seize the day, I believe best picture should go to the total package. The Hurt Locker succeeds (where Avatar fails) with a great script, strong performances across the board as well as dynamic cinematography. The same can be said for Up and An Education, but I think The Hurt Locker just pips them at the post.
Glenn Dunks
My Prediction: The Hurt Locker
My Vote: An Education
While The Hurt Locker would appear to have this in the bag due to all the awards it has won – Director’s Guild, Writer’s Guild plus all major American critics’ associations – it will have to get over the fact that, if it were to win, it will be the lowest-grossing winner of all time. That’s a big stat that can’t easily be forgotten. However, Avatar and Inglourious Basterds are its only competition, but as the former gets weaker by the day due to Cameron’s inability to be humble, the latter could really be a wildcard with its WWII themes and its big box office.
Sean Rom
With this category increased to 10 films, one can’t help thinking that many of the nominees are undeserving, in particular the awful looking The Blind Side (admittedly unseen by me). Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker is the most accomplished film nominated, although it will probably lose out to ex-hubby, James Cameron’s CGI spectacle Avatar.
Best Director
- James Cameron, Avatar
- Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
- Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
- Quentin Taratino, Inglourious Basterds
- Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Beth Wilson
Not my favourite Taratino film, but he deserves a life-time achievement Oscar for past performances, which have been rudely ignored (Pulp Fiction).
Alice Tynan
Kathryn Bigelow
No, not because she’s a female, and certainly not because she’s a female who makes action films. The Hurt Locker is a remarkable cinematic achievement and Bigelow deserves to win over her ex-hubby for crafting an intelligent, visceral and wonderfully rendered film.
Glenn Dunks
My Prediction: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
My Vote: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
I think it’s fair to say – and not even remotely sexist or politically correct, thank you very much – that everybody in Hollywood, and elsewhere to for that matter, wants Kathryn Bigelow to take out this prize. It would make her the first female director to ever win the category. And she directed Point Break, too!
Sean Rom
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) is most deserving for making a film with nervous breakdown inducing suspense. Perhaps James Cameron (Avatar) matches her for the astonishing preciseness with which he exacts his vision, but The Hurt Locker has an intimacy that Avatar does not try for. In the end, it is the woman who has made the better action film.
Best Actor
- Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
- Colin Firth, A Single Man
- George Clooney, Up in the Air
- Morgan Freeman, Invictus
- Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Beth Wilson
This really should be Firth’s year, his performance as George Falconer is truly beautiful, a master-class in nuanced acting.
Alice Tynan
Colin Firth
I was all for Jeremy Renner (who really is deserving) until I saw A Single Man. Firth’s performance is subtle, passionate and supremely elegant. Unfortunately Firth will probably lose out to Jeff Bridges because he’s ‘due,’ but, to be fair, he’s also pretty great in Crazy Heart.
Glenn Dunks
My Prediction: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
My Vote: I haven’t seen Crazy Heart yet so I will say Colin Firth, A Single Man
This is so obviously Jeff Bridges’ to lose and I don’t think he will. Some are whispering that Jeremy Renner, from Best Picture frontrunner The Hurt Locker, could take this in a situation similar to when Adrian Brody won for The Pianist, but the difference here is that Bridges is an acting legend who has never won a statue whereas Brody’s competitors – Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Nicolas Cage and Daniel Day-Lewis – had all won Oscars before. Mr Bridges, it’s time to take to the stage!
Sean Rom
Jeff Bridges gave the best performance of the year by any actor, male or female, in Crazy Heart. Enough said.
Best Actress
- Helen Mirren, The Last Station
- Carey Mulligan, An Education
- Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
- Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
- Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Beth Wilson
So torn between Mulligan and Sidibe. Whilst I feel a certain patriotic connection to fellow Brit, Mulligan, Sidibe’s performance with such gruelling subject matter means, that for me at least, Precious wins out.
Alice Tynan
Carey Mulligan
Having now seen The Blind Side, I really don’t know what all the fuss is about over Sandra Bullock. She’s OK – a bit one-note – but nothing compared with the majesty of Mulligan’s performance. Like Firth’s, hers is all about nuance, so she too will probably be overlooked for the bigger/brighter/louder Bullock.
Glenn Dunks
My Prediction: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
My Vote: Carey Mulligan, An Education
It’s a two-horse race (OK, that was an unfortunate analogy since none of the competitors look like a horse) with a potential spoiler in the wings. I think Sandra Bullock will take this for her role as a rich, white suburban mother who takes a teenager into her home and teaches him football (no, seriously, that’s the plot of The Blind Side), although Meryl Streep has mustered a lot of goodwill lately so seeing her win for Julie & Julia is not out of the realm of possibility. I do, however, think Gabourey Sidibe from Precious may just surprise everyone, which is something that would certainly create some excitement.
Sean Rom
Since Jeff Bridges cannot be nominated in the actress category as well, my vote would go to Gabourey Sidibe for her performance in Precious. Sidibe helped steady an uneven film with a striking characterisation that captured the flaws of Precious, as well as her considerable heart.
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Good to get everyone’s picks. It’s totally going to be Hurt Locker’s year, Avatar peaked to early in the awards season (in manner of Brokeback… which it is similar to in absolutely NO other way obviously).
I’d be interested in everyone’s take on whether the the 10 noms for best film has made things better or worse. The viewer in me appreciates the level of uncertainty, plus I suspect Up wouldn’t have made it in if there was only 5. But part of me does wonder if they went a bit crazy dilluting the quality (and Oscar Nominee branding) by including movies like The Blind Side and District 9 (which while great, doesn’t belong there).
Thoughts?
Love this article guys.
10 nominations is a lot – ALMOST makes it seem less ‘special’ to be nominated, i.e. less exclusive perhaps? Whilst I enjoyed An Education, I really wasn’t THAT impressed – don’t get all the hype surrounding it.
As much as I hate to admit it, I think Avatar (despite its weak storyline) deserves to win. It’s visually in a class of its own.
But secretly, I’d love to see Precious or The Hurt Locker win.
The 10 nominations definitely dilute the Best Picture category. What’s more, the fillers are ridiculously easy to spot – The Blind Side, really?!
The thought was that expanding to 10 would make more room for foreign language films, but all it seems to have done (except for the landmark inclusion of UP) is indulge the more middle-of-the-road films to keep the general punters happy. It remains to be seen whether or not this is a bad thing, but I think I preferred it when the category was the creme de la creme of cinema, not box office takings.
I think the thought was much more to do with opening up room for populist films to get nominations after The Dark Knight was snubbed in 2009 than opening up to foreign language films.
The last few years the Best Picture category has been dominated by ‘indie’ films hardly anyone (or no-one in the case of The Reader) in America actually saw the Oscar ratings has continued to dive. Hence opening up the competition to more noms the thinking was more of the American-moving going public’s spend would be represented. I’m not saying this is a good thing, but I for one never expected any foreign language films to appear in this category – at least not this year. UP was the anticipated change as every new Pixar release has been accompanied by speculation of animation breaking through into Best Film.
(Sorry moderator, hit submit by accident)
I think the thought was much more to do with opening up room for populist films to get nominations after The Dark Knight was snubbed in 2009 than opening up to foreign language films.
The last few years the Best Picture category has been dominated by ‘indie’ films hardly anyone (or no-one in the case of The Reader) in America, this has also seen the Oscar audience figures continue to dive. Hence opening up the competition to more noms the thinking was more of the American movie-going public’s spend would be represented.
I’m not saying this is a good thing, but I for one never expected any foreign language films to appear in this category – at least not this year. UP was the anticipated change (and a welcome one) to form as every new Pixar release has been accompanied by speculation of animation breaking through into Best Film.
Fair point, ok I’ll change ‘the thought’ to ‘the hope’ was that the expansion of the category would open up the field to supreme quality films from usually overlooked areas (like foreign language).
The Dark Knight was a ludicrous snub, but I’d hate for that to be the reason the gates were opened for The Blind Side?! Urgh.
Like any venture, I know the awards have to turn a profit – but do we really have to cater for the lowest common denominator? Isn’t that what the red carpet coverage is for?
Ouch! Bitchy Alice!
Hmm, ‘quality’ is always in eye of the beholder, and with the Oscar it’s a seesaw battle between its status as the premier awards competition in cinema versus its status as little more than a Movie Idol-esque popularity contest.
And I still won’t buy into the whole ‘Dark Knight snub’ as being that ludicrous. Great film, and in a world where Titanic can sweep the board it surely deserved nomination, but if we’re going to talk about ‘supreme quality films’ I wouldn’t have put The Dark Knight in my top 5 of 2008, even if it was one of my favourite movies of the year.
2009 noms:
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Missed out that were arguably better than The Dark Knight:
The Wrestler
Wall-E
Rachel Getting Married (don’t laugh, I’m serious)
Revolutionary Road
In Bruges
The Class
Kung Fu Panda (ok, just kidding)
Anyway, I’m just saying I think rumours of the ludicrosity (that should be a real word) of The Dark Knight’s snubbage (definitely shouldn’t be a real word) are somewhat exaggerated.
It is really ridiculous that a film as awful as The Blind Side is included in The Best Picture, and I would also add Avatar to that (sure give it lots of special FX prizes but nothing that gives it credit for actually having a good storyline).
These sorts of films are rewarded at the box-office in real money terms, they don’t need accolades. Having Oscar Winner on their posters will make no difference to their takings, whereas it can do a lot for an arthouse/indie film, especially films that have had a limited run.
I would have much preferred; Bright Star, Genova, Where the Wild Things Are,(500) Days of Summer or A Single Man get nominated over many of the films in this exalted category.
Interesting list, Scott. I agree with you that all were deserving of best pic noms (even Rachel Getting Married – love that film), but not sure necessarily above The Dark Knight.
Further to Beth’s point, I’m not sure it’s wise to disregard big box office films when it comes to the Oscar race. While it’s true an indie film would get much more relative exposure for a win (or even a nomination), it’s back to that tricky question of the Oscars staying relevant to the public. While I think they took it a step too far with The Blind Side, I do see the need for ‘Joe the Plumber’(sorry, couldn’t help myself) to feel involved in the outcome.
Wow, how patronising do I sound?!