Not Too Much Going On....

Everything was abuzz recently with excitement but it all seems to have petered out for the moment. I have seen pretty much everything I need to see this season, with the exception of "The Great Debaters" and all the foreign and documentary films (plus a few animated ones that I will catch up on soon). I will be back soon with Golden Globe and SAG winner predictions as well as reviews of any of the above films I do see (not being in New York City means waiting a while longer). The Oscar season should help wash away the bad memories January films (with the exception of "Cloverfield") are sure to make. AFT Awards coming in early January.

During this time, check out TV with Abe for an ongoing list of five TV shows on DVD which will get you hooked. Below are my latest Oscar predictions. I have tried to be more realistic, inserting "Michael Clayton" underperformers Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton, but I refuse to give up on Tommy Lee Jones for Best Actor. Additionally, my new surprise nominee is "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" for Best Picture. The list I have for Best Picture would make me quite happy. Revised predictions along the way.

Oscar Predictions
December 27, 2007

Best Picture
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
No Country for Old Men

Best Director
Joe Wright, Atonement
Sidney Lumet, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
The Coen Brothers, No Country for Old Men

Best Actor
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Actress
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Ellen Page, Juno
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Marisa Tomei, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Original Screenplay
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Juno
Knocked Up
Lars and the Real Girl
Ratatouille

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Assassination of Jesse James
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men

Best Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Lust, Caution

Best Film Editing
Into the Wild
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

Best Art Direction
Atonement
Hairspray
Lust, Caution
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

Best Costumes
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Hairspray
Lust, Caution
Sweeney Todd

Best Original Score
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood

Best Original Song
Enchanted, “That’s How You Know”
Grace is Gone, “Grace is Gone”
Love in the Time of Cholera, “Despedida”
Into the Wild, “Guaranteed”
Once, “Falling Slowly”

Best Sound
Beowulf
Hairspray
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

Best Sound Editing
Beowulf
Hairspray
I Am Legend
Sweeney Todd
Transformers

Best Make-Up
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Hairspray
Sweeney Todd

Best Visual Effects
I Am Legend
Spider-Man 3
Transformers

Best Animated Film
Bee Movie
Persepolis
Ratatouille

Best Documentary
For the Bible Tells Me So
Lake of Fire
No End in Sight
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side

Best Foreign Film
The Counterfeiters
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
The Orphanage
Persepolis
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation