Eh, what the fuck....

I really have no clue. Like always. But here goes. The next set will come when things are clearer - post Toronto.

Key words here: JUST. FOR. FUN.

Best Picture:
Bug
Children of Men
Fur
The Good German
Man of the Year

Directing:
Alfonso Cuaron - Children of Men
William Friedkin - Bug
Paul Greengrass - United 93
Steven Shainberg - Fur
Steven Soderbergh - The Good German

Actor:
Javier Bardem - Goya's Ghosts
George Clooney - The Good German
Matt Damon - The Good Shepherd
Michael Shannon - Bug
Robin Williams - Man of the Year

Actress:
Annette Bening - Running With Scissors
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Ashley Judd - Bug
Nicole Kidman - Fur
Helen Mirren - The Queen

Supp. Actor:
Steve Carell - Little Miss Sunshine
Brian Cox - Running With Scissors
Robert Downey Jr - Fur
Tobey Maguire - The Good German
Stanley Tucci - The Devil Wears Prada

Supp. Actress:
Cate Blanchett - The Good German
Laura Linney - Man of the Year
Julianne Moore - Children of Men
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Robin Wright Penn - Breaking and Entering

Original Screenplay:
Babel
Breaking and Entering
Man of the Year
United 93
Volver

Adapted Screenplay:
Children of Men
Fur
The Good German
A Prairie Home Companion
Running With Scissors

Original Score:
Children of Men
Fur
The Good German
Goya's Ghosts
Miss Potter

Cinematography:
The Black Dahlia
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
The Good German
Marie Antoinette

Editing:
Babel
Children of Men
The Good German
Goya's Ghosts
United 93

Costume Design:
The Black Dahlia
Dreamgirls
Goya's Ghosts
Marie Antoinette
Miss Potter

Art Direction:
The Fountain
The Good German
Goya's Ghosts
Marie Antoinette
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Sound:
Dreamgirls
Mission Impossible 3
Monster House
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Superman Returns

Sound Editing:
Casino Royale
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Superman Returns

Song:
Cars
The Holiday
A Prairie Home Companion

Animated Feature:
Cars
Flushed Away
Happy Feet
Monster House
Over the Hedge

Makeup:
Bug
The Fountain
Marie Antoinette

Visual Effects:
Charlotte's Web
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Superman Returns


To explain myself in some of my rather unpopular decisions here:

The Academy, as has been stated many times, is a large group of many people. It is not one person who decides something. This isn't how they work. I've said this many times to myself to try and explain some of their odd behavior and I'm starting to realize I'm lying to myself. Despite over 5000 members, they somehow act as one. Hollywood realized what it did last year. A controversial year in which they voted for the safest film and exposed themselves as hypocrites by trying to shove in our face that we need to get back into the theatres (Gyllenhaal presenting that clip of GLORIOUS! CINEMASCOPE!) when they voted for a movie they all watched on their DVD players. SCREENERS!!!

So here's what happens in response - this year: The shit hits the fan. Also, AMPAS has a growing youth membership. (Go, Scarlett, go!) The big Oscar contenders (Dreamgirls! Flags of Our Fathers! The Good Shepherd! Little Children!) are chucked aside in favor of the darker and complex. Children of Men and The Good German are hardcore genre films from acclaimed directors. Fur is the arty biopic. Bug is the dark indie that never gets nominated for Best Pic. But hey, it's from marketing masters Lions Gate. And Man of the Year is the safety net: a political satire from an Oscar-winning director featuring a great cast. And the buzz on it is that it's going to be a huge crowdpleaser.