Road to the Oscars

With Tim Mulherin's Picks and Predictions

By: Celine Todd
Published February 18, 2008

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Actress in a Supporting Role

• Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There: Cate Blanchett plays Jude, a Bob Dylan-esque character whose experimentation with new styles of music alienates many of his old fans.
• Ruby Dee, American Gangster: Ruby Dee portrays Mama Lucas, a poor Southern woman whose son, Frank Lucas, becomes a powerful and wealthy drug dealer in New York City
• Saoirse Ronan, Atonement: Saoirse Ronan plays Briony Tallis, a thirteen-year-old girl whose misunderstanding of her older sister’s interactions with their housekeeper’s son leads to a series of tragedies.
• Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone: Amy Ryan portrays Helene McCready, a neglectful, substance-abusing single mother whose four-year-old daughter disappears in what unfolds as a disturbing series of events.
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton: Tilda Swinton portrays Karen Crowder, a ruthless litigator acting on behalf of a company engaged in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

Tim’s Prediction: Cate Blanchett (no doubt)
Tim’s Pick: Cate Blanchett’s portrayal was bold and brilliant. They will not give her another Oscar for Elizabeth, but this role is deserving of the Oscar and is well earned by a great actress.


Best Picture

• Atonement: In 1935, 13-year-old aspiring writer Briony Tallis and her family live a life of wealth and privilege. On the warmest day of the year, the unsettling hothouse atmosphere of the family’s estate stokes Briony’s vivid imagination. When she witnesses an interaction between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of the family’s housekeeper, she feels compelled to interfere. Briony accuses Robbie of a crime that he did not commit, and even after Cecilia and Robbie declare their mutual love, Robbie is arrested. The series of events and the ways in which they are misinterpreted change the lives of Briony, Cecilia, and Robbie forever.
• Juno: In this coming-of-age comedy drama, a teenage girl named Juno is faced with an unexpected pregnancy and decides to give the baby up for adoption. Though Juno may seem wise beyond her years, the pregnant teen quickly realizes how little she really knows about life, as she searches for suitable parents for the adoption. With the help of her supportive parents and a best friend who’s always there in a pinch, adolescent Juno faces a series of very adult decisions, as she discovers that one poor choice can have a lifetime of consequences.
• Michael Clayton: A former criminal prosecutor, Michael Clayton takes care of a powerful corporate law firm’s dirtiest work. Though discontent with his job as a “fixer,” his divorce and mounting debt have left Clayton tied to the firm. Meanwhile, the career of attorney Karen Crowder relies on the multi-million dollar settlement of a class action suit that Clayton's firm seems to be leading to a successful conclusion. But when guilt-ridden attorney Arthur Edens has a breakdown and sabotages the case, Clayton faces the biggest challenge of his career and his life.
• No Country for Old Men: When Llewellyn Moss comes upon a corpse-strewn drug-deal-gone-wrong in the middle of the barren West Texas range, he takes the two million dollars that he finds at the scene and soon draws the attention of Sheriff Bell, who is investigating the crime. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law can contain. Sheriff Bell becomes Llewellyn's best hope for survival, when he finds himself the object of a relentless pursuit by hired killer Anton Chigurh, a murderous sociopath.
• There Will Be Blood: Daniel Plainview is a California oilman whose trailblazing spirit is rivaled only by his murderous ambition. Plainview launches a campaign to convince small-town property owners that they should sign over their valuable drilling rights to him. He becomes obsessed with wealth and power, growing increasingly isolated and paranoid in the process. He even rejects his own son when the boy loses his hearing in an accident. Plainview finds his powerful position unsettled by the growing popularity of Eli Sunday, an evangelical preacher whose brother originally tipped Plainview off to the town’s plentiful supply of untapped oil.

Tim’s Prediction: No Country for Old Men (and I hated this movie)
Tim’s Pick: When you consider a film for all of its parts, the Oscar should go to Juno or Atonement. Some say Atonement is just visually stunning, which it was. But, the Oscar goes for the whole work, and that includes the acting. With that in mind, I would still give the Oscar to Atonement.

Who do you think will take home an Oscar this year? Which films do you think are the most deserving of an Academy Award? Share your opinions by adding a comment below.

Article by Celine Todd

Celine is the editor of MyTrilogyLife.com. Email her at mtleditor@gmail.com with your questions, content ideas, or suggestions.