OSCAR/RACE

I have never in my decade of being an Oscar enthusiast/fanatic ever seen an Oscar race like this one. The acting categories are jam packed with contenders. There are very few viable frontrunners. The precursor awards have only made things more confusing than less. It seems as though The Golden Globes shunned actors who were nominated for The Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (Eastwood, Blanchett, Brolin, Franco, Leo and Jenkins) in order to give those performance who weren’t nominated an extra boost (Hawkins, DiCaprio, Winslet, Adams)

Revolutionary Road has been the biggest mystery in December thus far. It has been missing from all lists and then made a huge splash at the Globes yesterday. Can it recover hastily from a lack of early buzz?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button seems to be the real deal. However, it seems as though its three acting contenders are incredibly vulnerable to be pushed out of their respective categories.

The Golden Globes didn’t feel the love for Milk, which earlier this week seems to be the strongest potential to take on Slumdog for Best Picture. I don't think this will affect it in the long run, but it certainly doesn't make it easier to win Best Picture.

These are how I see the races as of right now. I have only included the remaining films or performances that I think will legitimately factor in the race.

Best Picture

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Revolutionary Road
4. Milk
5. The Dark Knight
6. Frost/Nixon
7. The Reader
8. WALL E


Best Actor

1. Sean Penn – Milk
2. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
3. Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
4. Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino
5. Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road
6. Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin
7. Richard Jenkins – The Visitor

Best Actress

1. Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
2. Meryl Streep – Doubt
3. Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road
4. Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
5. Kristin Scott Thomas – I’ve Loved You So Long
6. Melissa Leo – Frozen River
7. Cate Blanchett – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
8. Angelina Jolie – Changeling

Best Supporting Actor

1. Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
2. Josh Brolin – Milk
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
4. Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
5. James Franco – Milk
6. Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road
7. Dev Pattel – Slumdog Millionaire
8. Ralph Fiennes – The Reader

Best Supporting Actress

1. Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2. Viola Davis – Doubt
3. Kate Winslet – The Reader
4. Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
5. Rosemarie DeWitt – Rachel Getting Married
6. Teraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Amy Adams – Doubt
8. Debra Winger – Rachel Getting Married