Yeah, I do this every year, and every year my prediction accuracy gets worse and worse.
But I can’t help myself. (No, I haven’t seen any of the films. Well, Children of Men and Borat and Superman Returns and The Prestige and Cars. None of the *real* ones.)
Best Picture
The Departed (What a lacklustre bunch. I don’t want to pick any of them. The Departed was the first on the list. Go Marty! But it’ll be Babel, stupid academy. Give it to Marty!)
Achievement in Directing
Martin Scorsese – The Departed
(Clint’s been low-key, Babel doesn’t have the buzz, and the doco feel of 93 will probably count against Greengrass. Frears for The Queen? Possible. But dammit, I’m gonna tick Marty, because once he gets one we can all stop talking about it.)
Best Original Screenplay
Little Miss Sunshine (indie-ish faves get screenplay Oscars)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Borat (the academy does some weird stuff in this category some years. I think this will be one of those years.)
Best Actress
Helen Mirren – The Queen (actually pulling this off surprised everyone)
Achievement in Cinematography
Children of Men (this didn’t do pretty, which usually wins, but it did technically jawdropping, so it gets my vote)
Best Actor
Forest Whitaker – The Last King of Scotland (so there can be two Best Actor winners in Species)
Best Film Editing
United 93
Achievement in Sound Editing
Letters From Iwo Jima (the Academy likes Clint, no other reason)
Best Foreign-Language Film
Pan’s Labyrinth (it has all these other noms, and Oscar hates to contradict itself)
Vote for Best Original Song
One of the three Dreamgirls songs, I guess… I’ll pick Listen at random.
Achievement in Sound Mixing
Apocalypto (it’s a two hour chase scene, and that needs some awesome sound mixing)
Best Original Score
Babel (this is the kind of film that wins Best Original Score)
Best Art Direction
The Prestige
Best Documentary Feature
An Inconvenient Truth (Doesn’t it gotta be? This was a phenomenon.)
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls (she’s the new girl. this always goes to the new girl. No, not that new, Abigail Breslin.)
Best Animated Feature Film
Cars
Achievement in Makeup
Pan’s Labyrinth
Achievement in Costume Design
Marie Antoinette
Best Visual Effects
Superman Returns
Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls (he’s getting serious buzz, and everyone loves the renaissance of a guy who predominantly does fat-suit comedy these days)
Best Documentary Short
Best Animated Short Film
Best Live-Action Short Film
No idea at all.