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Predicting the winner's circle
By Joe Nguyen
nguyejos@mscd.edu
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The dark horses
There’s never a clear-cut winner when it comes
to the Academy Awards – just ask Brokeback Mountain.
Here are some picks that may snatch the night’s
big prizes.
Best Picture: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Actor: Peter O’Toole, Venus
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supporting Actress: Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Best Director: Paul Greengrass, United 93
Best Animated Feature: Happy Feet
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Will Marty finally bring home the gold? Will a king and a queen
end up as big winners, or will a pair of legends usurp their
throne? And can some cars run over a bunch of penguins? This
year’s Academy Awards is filled with great storylines for
the nominees, but just as in Highlander, there can be only one.
Here are my predictions for the 2007 Oscars:
Best Picture
Should win: Letters From Iwo Jima
With Dreamgirls absent from the nominees, the slow-paced yet powerful
Letters is the favorite to win. Director Clint Eastwood captures
the emotions of war-trodden men as they battle their enemy. What
makes it unique is that it’s through the eyes of the enemy.
Will win: Letters From Iwo Jima
Dark horse: Little Miss Sunshine
This comedy’s nomination took many by surprise, and who knows?
Lightning could strike twice.
Best Actor
Should win: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
After three decades of playing a plethora of characters, Whitaker
should finally be awarded for his portrayal of Idi Amin.
Will win: Whitaker
Dark horse: Peter O’Toole, Venus
Seven best actor nominations and zero victories. The eighth time
could be the charm.
Best Actress
Should win: Helen Mirren, The Queen
On a recent episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Mirren
said that she gets better with age. Her turn as Queen Elizabeth
certainly
confirms that notion.
Will win: Mirren
Dark horse: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Streep is like the New York Yankees: a perennial threat with an
abundance of talent. Her mean streak in Prada could give her a
second leading actress Oscar out of 11 nominations.
Best Supporting Actor
Should win: Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
Marky Mark shows off his acting chops as the brash and intense
Dignam in The Departed. His foul-mouth rantings are among the best
moments of the film.
Will win: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Many forget that Murphy can sing – can someone say, “Party
All The Time?”
Dark horse: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Arkin could steal the prize with his performance as a bawdy, heroin-addicted
grandpa.
Best Supporting Actress
Should win: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Although she didn’t win American Idol, Hudson steals the
stage in Dreamgirls. Her stellar performance stood out from the
rest of the ensemble.
Will win: Hudson
Dark horse: Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Kikuchi’s performance is teenage angst personified. The real
star of Babel could give the movie its sole Oscar in a major category.
Best Director
Should win: Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima
Eastwood and character-driven dramas go together like green eggs
and ham. It’s almost unfair how masterful he is in this genre.
Will win: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
The academy’s finally going to give Scorsese his due this
year. Marty helped himself immensely by remaking one of the greatest
dramatic crime thrillers of all time, Infernal Affairs.
Dark horses: Paul Greengrass, United 93
The intimate and incisive look at a national tragedy may tug at
the voters’ heart strings.
Best Animated Feature
Should win: Cars
A hotshot comes into town and learns the true meaning of friendship.
It’s been done before in Doc Hollywood. Heck, Pixar already
did it with Toy Story. But it stands above the rest in this year’s
weak category.
Will win: Cars
Dark horse: Happy Feet
Never underestimate the power of penguins – especially when
they’re dancing penguins. |
