The Online Reflector

By Manny Casillas | Editorial Assistant

It’s that time of year again. It’s that glamorous ceremony where the best in cinema is awarded. As is usual, there are things to cheer for and things to shake a fist at. That’s part of the fun. Here’s my take on the major categories!

Best Picture: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; “Frost/Nixon”; “Milk”; “The Reader”; “Slumdog Millionaire”

The Deal: I give a pass to “Benjamin Button’”because of the technical wizardry it displays, but it’s too Forrest Gump-ish for me to receive Best Picture honors. “Slumdog’”will probably take the prize, which wouldn’t be a bad thing. Then there’s “The Reader”, which boasts brilliant acting, but stumbles a bit on its higher ambitions, so I wouldn’t have included it in this category. That’s a spot that could have gone to “Revolutionary Road”, “The Wrestler”, “Gran Torino”, “Wall-E” and even “The Dark Knight”, the most glaring omission. My pick is “Milk”; no movie in ’08 was better.

Best Director: Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionaire”; David Fincher – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Ron Howard – “Frost/Nixon”; Gus Van Sant – “Milk”; Stephen Daldry – “The Reader”

The Deal: For the first time in a long time all the Best Director nominees match the Best Picture nominees. This is another I’d like to see go to “Milk”. Boyle will most likely claim the award. I wouldn’t even mind Fincher grabbing the award, since his direction was the real star in “Benjamin Button”. The big shut-out is Christopher Nolan, the directing genius behind “The Dark Knight”.

Best Actor: Richard Jenkins – “The Visitor”; Frank Langella – “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn – “Milk”; Brad Pitt – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Mickey Rourke – “The Wrestler’”

The Deal: I originally thought this would be Langella’s year, he’s simply amazing as disgraced president Richard Nixon, but I think Mickey Rourke should prepare the acceptance speech. He already claimed the Golden Globe. I tip my hat to the Academy for recognizing Richard Jenkins in the little-seen drama “The Visitor”. The big shut-out was Clint Eastwood for “Gran Torino”.

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie – “Changeling”; Melissa Leo – “Frozen River”; Meryl Streep – “Doubt”; Kate Winslet – “The Reader”

The Deal: Again, kudos to the Academy for giving a nod to Melissa Leo for her amazing turn in the criminally under-seen “Frozen River”. And congrats to Meryl Streep for picking up a record-setting fifteenth nomination. That said, my personal pick is Anne Hathaway, who gave a performance so deep in “Rachel Getting Married” it required stitches. This one will probably go to Winslet, but it’s stupid they nominated her for “The Reader’”and not “Revolutionary Road”, the superior performance. The shut-out here is Kristin Scott Thomas for “I Loved You So Long”.

Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin – “Milk”; Robert Downey Jr. – “Tropic Thunder”; Philip Seymour Hoffman – “Doubt”; Heath Ledger – “The Dark Knight”; Michael Shannon – “Revolutionary Road”

The Deal: Oscar has almost never seen a comedy it liked, so it’s awesome they had the cojones to recognize Downey Jr. for giving the best comedic performance of the year. I could talk about the other nominee and the omissions but this one already belongs to Heath Ledger, plain and simple.

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams – “Doubt”; Penelope Cruz – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”; Viola Davis – “Doubt”; Taraji P. Hensen – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Marisa Tomei – “The Wrestler”

The Deal: Since Kate Winslet isn’t included, it’s sort of anyone’s game. I suspect it’ll come down to Cruz and Davis, Tomei has an Oscar already. I’m rooting for Cruz. Sad to see Debra Winger not included here (“Rachel Getting Married”).