Correction appended
The 2008 Oscars will go down in movie history for the tug of war that pitted the Writer's Guild of America against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It was a volatile road to the red carpet, rife with speculation about whether the ceremony would occur. The season's unpredictability was felt everywhere, as it pitted old-time legends against feisty young ingénues and found few critics' circles agreeing on the season's defining film. Despite the messiness, the time has come for the Academy Awards once more and for us to bask in the warm glow of A-list celebs. Come Sunday, as the awards are passed out at the Kodak Theatre in L.A., curl up on your cushy futon with some popcorn and this handy little guide to this year's major nominees.
Best Picture
Will win: It really is a toss-up between the lovely "Juno" and the bloody "No Country for Old Men." Some might argue that "There Will Be Blood" has a shot, but the Paul Thomas Anderson flick is just too polarizing for old-time voters.
Should win: I'm not going to lie, "Atonement" was a pretty good, classically Oscar best picture. But "No Country" is a step above, boasting the season's best acting and solid work from the oft-neglected (at least by the Academy) Coen brothers. Sorry, "Blood" fans, but it really needed some serious editing.
Best Director
Will win: Surprise, surprise, but this one seems pretty straightforward. The most universally acclaimed film of the year ("No Country for Old Men") was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. As simple as that. They pretty much have this one in the bag.
Should win: Julian Schnabel for "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly." Simply an amazing film, captured with passionate brilliance by this French director. But without recognition of the film in other categories, especially best picture, accomplishing this feat seems next to impossible.
Best Actor
Will win: Daniel Day Lewis for "There Will Be Blood." For every detractor who calls Lewis' performance hokey, there are another 10 who were mesmerized by his turn as a greedy early 20th-century California oil baron.
Should win: Lewis. It really is one of the most poignant and brilliant moments of acting in recent movie history. He all but carries "There Will Be Blood" and makes up for some of the film's slower parts.
Best Actress
Will win: It's another down-to-the-wire contest, unfortunately. Julie Christie is absolutely superb as a woman grappling with early-onset Alzheimer's in "Away From Her." Meanwhile, Ellen Page is nipping at her heels as the year's favorite pregnant 16-year-old bucket of sass in "Juno." Despite recent speculation that Page could beat out Marlee Matlin as the youngest Best Actress recipient, you've still got to give the edge to Christie.
Should win: Christie, hands down. While Marion Cotillard's turn as French singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose" is simply divine (take a look at the job they did with makeup, too!), Christie blows them out of the water with her flawless performance.
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Javier Bardem for his psycho-crazy weirdo murderer in "No Country for Old Men." Even Hal Holbrook from "Into the Wild," who has that whole "I'm old" thing going for him, can't touch the guy.
Should win: Bardem is just too damned impressive to not take the little guy home. Besides, that hairdo was kick-ass, and he sure knew how to play a sick creep better than anyone I can remember in recent years. You go, Javier!
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: I hate categories like this. Sure, Ruby Dee, nominated for "American Gangster," deserves something to console her for her years of service to the industry. But then you have Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton." And also Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone." But for the sake of all sanity, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Ruby Dee will surprise us all, despite growing support for Swinton.
Should win: Cate Blanchett for her role in the Bob Dylan pseudo-bio pic "I'm Not There." Her turn as the legendary folk singer is next to impossible to compare. She is simply the essence of everything that is right in the acting world today.
Correction: In The Scene's Oscar Preview, The Eagle mistakenly referred to "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" director Julian Schnabel as a French director. Though the film is a French production, Schnabel is American.
