Road to the Oscars

With Tim Mulherin's Picks and Predictions

By: Celine Todd
Published February 18, 2008

The Oscars are just around the corner, on Sunday, February 24th! Many of us look forward to this star-studded night to see which of our red-carpet favorites will take home the coveted golden statue. If you have not had the chance to see all of this year’s “must-see” movies, below are brief summaries of those that have been nominated in some of the main Oscar categories. Our resident movie reviewer, Tim Mulherin of Trilogy Central Coast, offers his predictions for who will win in each category, along with his personal picks for who is truly the most deserving of the Academy Award.

Actor in a Leading Role

• George Clooney, Michael Clayton: George Clooney portrays Michael Clayton, a “fixer” at a powerful law firm, who finds himself in danger when he investigates his colleagues' actions in a controversial lawsuit.
• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood: Daniel Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, a ruthless, unstable California oilman whose pioneering spirit is rivaled only by his murderous ambition.
• Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: Johnny Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a barber in Victorian London who goes on a murderous rampage while seeking revenge against the corrupt judge who ruined his life.
• Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah: Tommy Lee Jones plays Hank Deerfield, a Vietnam veteran searching for his son, who has gone missing from his army unit shortly after returning from Iraq.
• Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises: Viggo Mortensen plays Nikolai, the ambitious driver and henchman of a Russian mobster, who seems certain to rise within the Russian mafia’s ranks.

Tim’s Prediction: Daniel Day Lewis
Tim’s Pick: Tommy Lee Jones’ performance in In the Valley of Elah is heart wrenching. He’s a great actor who plays his role so well that you can really feel this father’s pain. Viggo is a long shot, with a great performance, but I think this is one of those “It was an honor just to be nominated” spots. If you give the award based on career then Johnny Depp is a shoe-in. My choice would go to Tommy Lee Jones.


Actor in a Supporting Role

• Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Casey Affleck plays Robert Ford, a young outlaw and the brother of a member of Jesse James’ Gang. Ford’s idolatry of James soon takes a deadly turn.
• Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men: Javier Bardem portrays Anton Chigurh, a murderous sociopath and hired killer on the trail of a young man who has stolen a bag of drug money.
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War: Philip Seymour Hoffman portrays Gust Avrakotos, a CIA agent who assists politician Charlie Wilson in his efforts to increase the United States’ covert support for Afghanistan’s rebel forces.
• Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild: Hal Holbrook portrays Ron Franz, a lonely retired soldier who forms a grandfatherly bond with a young man who dropped out of society to lead a nomadic existence.
• Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton: Tom Wilkinson plays Arthur Edens, one of the star attorneys of a powerful law firm, whose public mental breakdown threatens his firm's reputation on the eve of an important merger.

Tim’s Prediction: Javier Bardem (although I am not sure why)
Tim’s Pick: Of those nominated, I would give the Oscar to Casey Affleck for his role in The Assassination of Jesse James. This Affleck really seems to be able to act. The other nominated actors are nothing special in these roles, as far as I am concerned.


Actress in a Leading Role

• Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Cate Blanchett portrays Queen Elizabeth I at the height of her power, as she faces challenges to her reign from King Philip II of Spain and Catholic plotters who hope to place her cousin, Mary Stuart, on the throne.
• Julie Christie, Away From Her: Julie Christie plays Fiona, a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease who slips farther and farther away from the husband who loves her.
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose: Marion Cotillard portrays Edith Piaf, the French singer who rose to international fame from her beginnings on the streets of Paris, in a life marked by personal tragedy and artistic triumph.
• Laura Linney, The Savages: Laura Linney plays Wendy Savage, a struggling playwright whose already tentative relationship with her brother erupts into anger when dealing with the stresses of caring for their elderly father.
• Ellen Page, Juno: Ellen Page plays Juno MacGuff, a smart, outspoken sixteen-year-old who decides to proceed with her unplanned pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption.

Tim’s Prediction: Julie Christie (according to all the buzz)
Tim’s Pick: Ellen Page is a long shot. Her performance was wonderful, though I am not sure if it was Oscar worthy. But of this crowd - and I am not sure how they came up with this list - I would give the golden man to Miss Page.

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.