Pop Culture Cuisinart

Since I have screwed around all weekend and not given you the rest of my Oscar picks in longform, I'll have to do it in brief right now.

First prediction Jon Stewart will rock. He's smart, he's funny, he's irreverrant, and he's had the Daily Show writing team helping him prepare, what could possibly go wrong?

Give us funny.

Now for the picks...

Best Picture- Brokeback Mountain, personally I think Crash should win, but the guess here is that Brokeback will end up taking the statue for tackling the concept of homosexuality in the Red States so to speak. Honorable mention:Good Night and Good Luck, Tremendous film even if not enough people saw it.

Best Director- Ang Lee, if Brokeback is to win best picture it's hard not to envision Lee winning as well. Again I think Haggis' work on Crash deserves recognition(particularly since it's his first film). But a Brokeback groundswell is likely to be felt here. Honorable mention: Woody Allen, the New York mensch essentially directs a British Fatal Attraction and he doesn't get nominated. I haven't seen someone go against type that well since Terrence Stamp went transsexual in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Best Supporting Actor-George Clooney, Syriana. I'm not entirely certain Clooney deserves this, but I am fairly certain he is going to win. It will functionally be an award for both of his big movies wrapped in one here, as GNGL is likely to strike out. Honorable mention: Mickey Rourke , Sin City. I'm serious, he was terrific in that movie. His previous career high was working with Don Johnson, throw him a bone.
I'll take my sympathy vote in gold, thank you.

Best Supporting Actress- Rachel Weisz,The Constant Gardener. Her bold turn as a crusading aid worker was the best work of this fivesome. Besides this film deserves some recognition. Honorable mention: Amy Adams, Junebug. She exploded onto the screen in this film. After serving as a pleasant looking accessory in Catch me if you Can, she seized her first major film role and tore it up. Excellent.

Best Documentory- March of the Penguins. The principals already look good in black and white so they should be ready on Oscar night. Honorable mention: Murderball. Don't mess with those guys, under any circumstances.
All dressed up for the big night

Art Direction- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The quidditch World Cup sequence clinched it for me. Honorable mention: Sin City, this was the most visually arresting film of the year and not a single nod, for shame.

Best Adapted Screenplay- Brokeback Mountain, they took a 12 page magazine story and fleshed it out into a feature and a very good one at that. Now that's adapting. Honorable mention: A History of Violence, the most interesting character study of any film I saw last year.

Best Original Screenplay- Crash, phenomenal study on race relations through the prism of auto incidents. Besides this film should win something. Honorable mention: Syriana, some found this film inaccesible, but I thought it offered interesting insight into the way our government really runs the oil business.(A must see for anyone who wonders why gas prices seem so esoteric). We should get Best Picture!


Cinematography- The New World, the film itself was poor, but like all of Malick's work the magnificent visuals make up for any lacking in other areas, this man truly paints with the camera. Honorable mention: Batman Begins, the arresting camera work gives me hope for the future of this franchise.

That's all folks, enjoy the show!