2010 Academy Award Predictions & My Top 30 Movies for 2009

Below are my rankings for the Top 30 Films of 2009 along with my predictions for the Academy Awards. I've ranked all the nominees I've seen by my preference in the category, then alphabetically for those I have not. I listed my prediction for the win, a possible spoiler and which film should have been recognized in each category (thereby if I list three 'should have been here' contenders it means I would replace the bottom three candidates in my ranking of the nominees with those to form my ideal ballot).


Best Picture:

1. Avatar
2. Up
3. District 9
4. Up in the Air
5. The Hurt Locker
6. An Education
7. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
8. Inglourious Basterds
9. A Serious Man
10. The Blind Side

Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar, Inglourious Basterds
Should Have Been Here: (500) Days of Summer, In the Loop, Moon, The Road, Star Trek

Best Director

1. Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
2. James Cameron, Avatar
3. Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
4. Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
5. Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow
Could Win: James Cameron
Should Have Been Here: J.J. Abrams, Star Trek; Neil Blomkamp, District 9

Best Actor

1. Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
2. Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
3. George Clooney, Up in the Air
4. Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Colin Firth, A Single Man

Will Win: Jeff Bridges
Could Win: Jeremy Renner
Should Have Been Here: Sharlto Copley, District 9; Sam Rockwell, Moon; Viggo Mortensen, The Road

Best Actress

1. Carey Mulligan, An Education
2. Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
3. Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
4. Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station

Will Win: Sandra Bullock
Could Win: Meryl Streep
Should Have Been Here: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer; Saiorse Ronan, The Lovely Bones; Maya Rudolph, Away We Go

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
2. Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
3. Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
4. Matt Damon, Invictus
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Peter Capaldi, In the Loop; Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles; Mark Wahlberg, The Lovely Bones

Best Supporting Actress

1. Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
2. Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
3. Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
4. Penelope Cruz, Nine
5. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Hart

Will Win: Mo'Nique
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Marion Cotillard, Nine; Zoe Saldana, Avatar

Best Animated Film

1. Up
2. The Secret of Kells
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. Coraline
5. The Princess and the Frog

Will Win: Up
Could Win: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Could Have Been Here: Ponyo

Best Foreign Language Film

Ajami (Israel)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
Un Prophète (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

Will Win: Un Prophète
Could Win: The White Ribbon
Should Have Been Here: Gomorrah (Italy)

Best Documentary Feature

1. The Cove
Burma VJ
Food, Inc
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Will Win: The Cove
Could Win: Burma VJ
Should Have Been Here: Tyson

Best Original Screenplay

1. Up
2. The Hurt Locker
3. The Messenger
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. A Serious Man

Will Win: Inglourious Basterds
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: (500) Days of Summer

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. In the Loop
2. Up in the Air
3. District 9
4. An Education
5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: Up in the Air
Could Win: An Education
Should Have Been Here: The Road, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Art Direction

1. Avatar
2. Sherlock Holmes
3. The Young Victoria
4. Nine
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Sherlock Holmes
Should Have Been Here: Coraline, Where the Wild Things Are

Best Cinematography

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Avatar
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: Moon

Best Film Editing

1. Avatar
2. The Hurt Locker
3. District 9
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar
Should Have Been Here: Star Trek

Best Visual Effects

1. Avatar
2. District 9
3. Star Trek

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Avatar
Could Have Been Here: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Original Score

1. Up, Michael Giacchino
2. Sherlock Holmes, Hans Zimmer
3. Avatar, James Horner
4. The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alexandre Desplat

Will Win: Up
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: Star Trek, Michael Giacchino; The Secret of Kells, Bruno Coulais; The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song

1. The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart), Crazy Heart
2. Almost There, The Princess and the Frog
3. Take It All, Nine
4. Down in New Orleans, The Princess and the Frog
5. Loin de Paname, Paris 36

Will Win: The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)
Could Win: Take It All, Nine
Should Have Been Here: Winter, Brothers

Best Sound Editing

1. Star Trek
2. Avatar
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Up
5. Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Sound Mixing

1. Star Trek
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
3. Avatar
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Costume Design

1. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
2. The Young Victoria
3. Nine
4. Bright Star
5. Coco Before Chanel

Will Win: The Young Victoria
Could Win: Nine
Should Have Been Here: Amelia

Best Makeup

1. Star Trek
2. The Young Victoria
3. Il Divo

Will Win: Star Trek
Could Win: Il Divo
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Animated Short

1. Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death
2. French Roast
3. Logorama
4. The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
5. Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

Will Win: Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Load and Death
Could Win: Logorama
Should Have Been Here: Partly Cloudy

Best Live Action Short
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

Will Win: The Door
Could Win: Miracle Fish
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)

Best Documentary Short

1. China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Will Win: Chine's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Could Win: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)


My Top 30 Films for 2009
30. The Hangover
29. Adventureland
28. The Princess and the Frog
27. Sherlock Holmes
26. Me and Orson Welles
25. Duplicity
24. Public Enemies
23. Coraline
22. Sugar
21. The International
20. Fantastic Mr. Fox
19. Zombieland
18. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
17. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
16. The Messenger
15. The Young Victoria
14. An Education
13. The Secret of Kells
12. State of Play
11. The Hurt Locker
10. In the Loop
9. The Road
8. Up in the Air
7. Moon
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. The Cove
4. District 9
3. Star Trek
2. Up
1. Avatar