Our Oscars 2008

[ZapRowsdower]

We've all expressed disappointment with the Academy's picks this year... Let's see if we can do better.

PM me your top 10 picks (if applicable) for the following:

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Achievement in Directing
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Art Decoration
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Best Achievement in Makeup
Best Achievement in Sound
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Best Documentary, Features
Best Documentary, Short Subjects*
Best Short Film, Animated*
Best Short Film, Live Action*

*Will be omitted if no nominations are made.

The deadline is February 15th. The nominees will be announced a week before the actual Oscars, and the winners will be announced Oscar night. This will give you plenty of time to scramble over to your art house theaters and check out the one or two indy flicks you've been dying to see. I personally have a couple I'd like to check out.

Eligibility:

1. Films that had their first theatrical release (wide or limited) in 2007 only. The release may be limited. Film festivals do not count as a theatrical release.
2. Some films released in January 2008 are eligible, as they had limited releases in 2007. If unsure, look the film up on IMDb. Also, IMDb may cite a 2007 film as 2006. Check under release dates to be sure it wasn't just a film festival.
3. Foreign films are eligible, as long as they have been released in the U.S. this year.
4. Documentaries are not eligible for Best Picture.

[ZapRowsdower]

And our previous winners:

BEST PICTURE:

2006 - Children of Men
2005 - Munich
2004 - Kill Bill: Vol. 2

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

2006 - Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
2005 - Eric Bana in Munich
2004 - James Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

2006 - Kate Winslet for Little Children (Also for the Holiday)
2005 - Naomi Watts in King Kong
2004 - TIE: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby, Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

2006 - Jack Nicholson for The Departed
2005 - Clive Owen in Sin City
2004 - David Carradine in Kill Bill: Vol. 2

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

2006 - Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine
2005 - Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener
2004 - Maia Morgenstern for The Passion of the Christ

BEST DIRECTOR:

2006 - Martin Scorsese for The Departed
2005 - Steven Spielberg for Munich
2004 - Quentin Tarantino for Kill Bill: Vol. 2

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

2006 - Rian Johnson for Brick
2005 - Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco for Crash
2004 - Charlie Kaufman for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

2006 - David Arata, Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Fergus, Hawk Otsby and Timothy J. Sexton for Children of Men
2005 - Tony Kushner and Eric Roth for Munich
2004 - Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson for The Passion of the Christ

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

2006 - Emmanuel Lubezki for Children of Men
2005 - King Kong
2004 - The Passion of the Christ

BEST ART DIRECTION:

2006 - Pan's Labyrinth
2005 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2004 - The Passion of the Christ

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

2006 - Curse of the Golden Flower
2005 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2004 - Troy

BEST SOUND:

2006 - TIE - Casino Royale, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2005 - War of the Worlds
2004 - Spider-Man 2

BEST EDITING:

2006 - Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed
2005 - Munich
2004 - Kill Bill: Vol. 2

BEST SOUND EDITING:

2006 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2005 - War of the Worlds
2004 - Ray

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

2006 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2005 - King Kong
2004 - Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

BEST MAKEUP:

2006 - Pan's Labyrinth
2005 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2004 - The Passion of the Christ

BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG):

2006 - Casino Royale -- "You Know My Name" -- Chris Cornell
2005 - Crash -- "In the Deep" -- Bird York
2004 - TIE: Troy -- "Remember" -- Josh Groban, Team America: World Police -- "Freedom Isn't Free" -- DVDA

BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE):

2006 - DeVotchKa for Little Miss Sunshine
2005 - Munich
2004 - The Passion of the Christ

BEST SHORT FILM, ANIMATED:

2006 - One Man Band
2005 - Omitted due to lack of votes
2004 - Fallen Art

BEST DOCUMENTARY, FEATURES:

2006 - An Inconvenient Truth
2005 - Grizzly Man
2004 - TIE: Super Size Me, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

2006 - Pan's Labyrinth - Mexico
2005 - Oldboy -- South Korea
2004 - The Passion of the Christ -- USA (Aramaic)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

2006 - Happy Feet
2005 - Corpse Bride
2004 - The Incredibles

[ZapRowsdower]

Deadline's in a week, and I haven't yet received a single vote. So unless you think my Snootchie Awards accurately define what this board selects as the best of the year (which at least a couple of you I know don't think so), get your votes in. You have one more week!

[ZapRowsdower]

Wow. Lots of people wait 'till the last minute, huh?

You have 2 days, ladies and gents. Two days to send in your ballots!

[ZapRowsdower]

Thanks to all who voted. I will be posting up results by the end of the night.

[ZapRowsdower]

Note: I tried to keep it down to five nominees, but due to a few "ties", some categories exceeded this number.

So here's how it's gonna work: Take a look at these nominees, place them in order from your favorite to your least favorite, and send it to me in PM. The deadline is gonna be Saturday, February 24th. The winners will be announced on the evening of the Oscars, Sunday, February 25th.

And the nominees are:

Best Motion Picture of the Year

3:10 to Yuma
Hairspray
Into the Wild
Juno
No Country for Old Men
The Simpsons Movie
There Will Be Blood

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale for 3:10 to Yuma (Also for: Rescue Dawn)
Michael Cera for Juno
Russell Crowe for 3:10 to Yuma
Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Denzel Washington for American Gangster

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Nikki Blonsky for Hairspray
Julie Christie for Away from Her
Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose
Angelina Jolie for A Mighty Heart
Julie Kavner for The Simpsons Movie
Ellen Page for Juno

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men
Jason Bateman for Juno
Paul Dano for There Will Be Blood
Ben Foster for 3:10 to Yuma
Hal Holbrook for Into the Wild
John Travolta for Hairspray

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There
Ruby Dee for American Gangster
Queen Latifah for Hairspray
Laura Linney for Breach
Michelle Pfeiffer for Hairspray (Also for: Stardust)

Best Achievement in Directing

Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
Ethan Coen; Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men
James Mangold for 3:10 to Yuma
Robert Rodriguez; Quentin Tarantino for GrindHouse
Ridley Scott for American Gangster

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Wes Anderson for The Darjeeling Limited
Judd Apatow for Knocked Up
Brad Bird for Ratatouille
Diablo Cody for Juno
Simon Pegg; Edgar Wright for Hot Fuzz

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Ben Affleck; Aaron Stockard for Gone Baby Gone
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
James L. Brooks; Matt Groening; Al Jean; Ian Maxtone-Graham; George Meyer; David Mirkin; Mike Reiss; Mike Scully; Matt Selman; John Swartzwelder; Jon Vitti for The Simpsons Movie
Ethan Coen; Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Steven Zaillian for American Gangster

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Robert Anderson; Sharon Calahan - Ratatouille
Roger Deakins - No Country for Old Men (Also for: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Robert Elswit - There Will Be Blood
Eric Gautier - Into the Wild
Seamus McGarvey - Atonement

Best Achievement in Editing

300
No Country for Old Men
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

Best Achievement in Art Direction

300 - Isabelle Guay; Nicolas Lepage; Jean-Pierre Paquet; Paul Hotte
Hairspray - Dennis Davenport; Gordon Sim
I Am Legend - Howard Cummings; Bill Skinner; Patricia Woodbridge; George DeTitta Jr.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Bruce Crone; William Hawkins; William Ladd Skinner; Cheryl A. Carasik
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Dante Feretti; Francesca Lo Schiavo

Best Achievement in Costume Design

300
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Marco Beltrami for 3:10 to Yuma
Michael Brook; Kaki King; Eddie Vedder for Into the Wild
Michael Giacchino for Ratatouille
Jonny Greenwood for There Will Be Blood
Dario Marianelli for Atonement

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

"Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)"
Marc Shaiman (music/lyrics); Scott Wittman (lyrics)
Hairspray

"Falling Slowly"
Glen Hansard; Marketa Irglova
Once

"Guaranteed"
Eddie Vedder
Into the Wild

"Guilty as Charged"
Charlie Wadhams; Gus Seyffert
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

"Walk Hard"
Judd Apatow; Marshall Crenshaw; Jake Kasdan; John C. Reilly
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Achievement in Makeup

30 Days of Night
300
Hairspray
I Am Legend
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Achievement in Sound

300
Hairspray
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Transformers

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

300
I Am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spider-Man 3
Transformers

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

300
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spider-Man 3
Transformers

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Beowulf
Ratatouille
Surf's Up
The Simpsons Movie
TMNT

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

La Vie En Rose - Olivier Dahan
Ladron Que Roba a Ladron - Joe Menendez
Lust, Caution - Ang Lee

Best Documentary, Features

No End In Sight - Charles Ferguson
Sicko - Michael Moore
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters - Seth Gordon

[ZapRowsdower]

Deadline to select the winner is in two days. And you don't have to have voted on the nominees to vote on the winners. It's not too late to participate.

Arrange them in order from your favorite to least favorite, and send them to me in PM.

[ZapRowsdower]

And the WINNERS ARE...

Best Motion Picture of the Year: No Country for Old Men
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Nikki Blonsky for Hairspray
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Ruby Dee for American Gangster
Best Achievement in Directing: Ethan Coen; Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: Brad Bird for Ratatouille
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: Ethan Coen; Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Best Achievement in Cinematography: Roger Deakins - No Country for Old Men (Also for: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Best Achievement in Editing: No Country for Old Men
Best Achievement in Art Direction: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Achievement in Costume Design: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score: Michael Giacchino for Ratatouille
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song: "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)" -- Marc Shaiman (music/lyrics); Scott Wittman (lyrics) -- Hairspray
Best Achievement in Makeup: 30 Days of Night
Best Achievement in Sound: TIE -- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Transformers
Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Transformers
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Ratatouille
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: Lust, Caution - Ang Lee
Best Documentary, Features: Sicko - Michael Moore

Thanks to Pulpmariachi and Heineken Skywalker for their participation.