Oscar Prediction Rethink

Well, much can change in a month or so and indeed, as the wind does in the Scorpions' whistling epic, the Oscar race has switched hands to give a few other movies a run at gold.

So, just to recap it all, I will go through the main contenders with who we now think will be nominated, who we think will win and who we think should win based on what we've seen. I'll also give a quick rundown of the reasons these certain movies have strengthened their Oscar charge in light of current movie climate events.

Best Picture
Nominees: Dreamgirls, The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, Apocalypto
Winner: The Departed
Should Win: The Departed
A tough race gets tougher with both Flags of our Fathers and Little Children dropping swiftly from the race after slightly mixed reviews and barely any buzz. While Dreamgirls is still a strong contender, a superb showing for The Departed in year-end lists should push its chances. Plus, it is a superlative movie from arguably the greatest director ever.

Best Director
Nominees: Clint Eastwood (Flags of our Fathers/Letters From Iwo Jima), Martin Scorsese (The Departed), Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), Alejandro Innaritu (Babel), Robert De Niro (The Good Shepherd)
Winner: Martin Scorsese
Should Win: Martin Scorsese
The Departed is looking stronger all the time and while I do think the amazing reviews for Apocalypto may secure a Picture nod, I don't think Gibson will get this. Clint won too recently and Little Miss Sunshine's Dayton and Faris just don't really do enough to earn this over the virtuoso auterism of Scorsese.

Best Actor:
Nominees: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Peter O'Toole (Venus), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Winner: Forest Whitaker
Should Win: Forest Whitaker
A moderately strong race this year but really only one clear winner. Good as anyone else it, Whitaker will surely win and its the only category I would genuinely place a bet on for winner.

Best Actress:
Nominees: Helen Mirren (The Queen), Kate Winslet (Little Children), Beyonce Knowles (Dreamgirls), Meryl Streep (Devil Wears Prada), Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Winner: Helen Mirren
Should Win: Helen Mirren or Kate Winslet
Winslet deserves a win for her ridiculous overlooking in the past but Mirren is so utterly flawless and seemingly already a shoe-in, that its very unlikely she will be beaten.

So there are the few new predictions from us. Next time though it'll all be done in just one long article rather than in this breakdown style.

Anyway, cheers.