[Jesse and Jim will be making their picks for every Oscar over the
next few days. To participate in this year's ObscureCraft Oscar Pool,
email your own picks to craftj2@gmail.com. The rules are here. Part one is here.]Jim's takeBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees: Matt Damon (Invictus), Woody Harrelson
(The Messenger), Christopher Plummer (The Last Station), Stanley Tucci
(The Lovely Bones), Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)
Let's break this one down. Matt Damon gets a nod for the soccer movie
that nobody saw instead of for The Informant!, which nobody saw but is
supposed to be awesome. Woody Harrelson gets a nomination for a movie
about Joan of Arc that came out 15 years ago -- why didn't they just
nominate him for No Country for Old Men ("He's a psychopathic killer,
but so what?") while they were at it? Christopher Plummer -- the old
guy who has never won an Oscar (this is his first nomination, as they
say) -- didn't get one in his last bid, as Nic Cage's grandfather in
National Treasure. Stanley Tucci is happy just to be nominated.
Christoph Waltz, who walked away with the Golden Globe and the SAG
award, has to overcome the old-guy-who-never-won vote to walk away with
this one. You know what? The old guy thing didn't work for Bill Murray
or Hal Holbrook. On the other hand, it worked for Alan Arkin and James
Coburn and Martin Landau... so does the old guy trump the breakout
performance? Does Waltz have that Sean Penn/Javier Bardem mojo? That's
the question in this two-horse race.
Pick: Christoph Waltz
Jesse's take
There's only one competitive acting award on the night, and this one
ain't it. I'll even write the Post headline for the next day:
"Christoph Waltzes off with acting award!"
Pick: Christoph Waltz
Best
Documentary Feature
Nominees: Burma VJ, The Cove, Food Inc., The Most Dangerous
Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Which Way Home
In
these categories, I tend to be mega-biased if there's a movie I've
actually heard of, and in this case, that would be Food Inc. I also
checked, and none of these appear to be about the Holocaust (as always,
I reserve the right to change my vote if that turns out to be
incorrect).
Pick: Food Inc.
Jim's take
Documentary Feature is always a weird category. I'm going to go with
the feel-good movie of the year (well, at least in Japan), The Cove.
Fuck-a-you DOLPHIN!
Pick: The Cove.
Documentary Short
Nominees:
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, The Last
Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM
Plan, Music by Prudence, Rabbit a la Berlin
Aww hell, I'm just going to go with China's Unnatural Disaster. No logic at all behind the pick. Don't you love this category?
Pick: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Jesse's take
In this incredibly predictable year, these are the points that are
going to make or break a ballot. You can't just pick willy nilly! You
have to focus all your Oscar prognosticating skills. You should be
picking Rabbit a la Berlin. Why? YOU KNOW WHY JIM.
Pick: Rabbit a la Berlin
Best Makeup
Nominees: Il Divo, Star Trek, The Young Victoria
What
is Il Divo, you're asking? Me too. The official Oscar site doesn't even
have a still from the movie - its just a picture of a
statuette, like when you first sign up for Facebook and you are the
famous Silhouette Man.
Finish your profile, Il Divo!
I'm
also confused by the nomination of Star Trek. I guess there was that
green chick that Kirk gets it on with? I dunno. By process of
elimination - THE MOST EXCITING OF ALL PROCESSES - I pick The Young Victoria.
Pick: The Young Victoria
Jim's take
Rabbit a la Berlin is about the Holocaust? Wait, no it's not.
It's about rabbits living in the Berlin wall. I think the China
earthquake trumps that. Remember the little Chinese boy walking with
Yao Ming at the Olympics? That's gold Jerry, GOLD!
On to makeup... I'm going to go with Star Trek. Why? Two words my friend: Spock Ears.
Pick: Star Trek
Best Short Film (Animated)
Nominees:
French Roast, Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, The Lady and the Reaper
(La Dama y la Muerte), Logorama, A Matter of Loaf and Death
Judging by the pictures, I can tell you that Loaf
& Death is by the guy that did all those Wallace and Gromit things.
Or someone who decided to copy his style exactly and also took his name
(Nick Park). The IMDB tells me that Wallace and Gromit are in it. So I
would think, by that virtue alone, that it would be the favorite.
Logorama has the best title, though, and sometimes you just have to
vote on the title. This is not one of those times.
Pick: A Matter of Loaf and Death
Jesse's take
I didn't know if Rabbit a la Berlin was about the Holocaust. I haven't
seen the films. And I'm betting half the voters haven't either. They
look at the names, pick out which one sounds most Holocaust-y, and an
Oscar winner is born!
As for Animated Short, none of these appear to be by Pixar, so I'm on board with your W&G pick.
Pick: A Matter of Loaf and Death
