The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

View this profile on Instagram

The Torch (@sju_torch) • Instagram photos and videos

Torch Photo / Olivia Rainson
Discovering the Power of the Five Love Languages
Abigail Grieco, Features Editor Emerita • April 23, 2024
Torch Photo / Olivia Seaman
The Future is Calling, But Right Now Is Louder
Elizabeth Kaufmann, Opinion Editor Emerita • April 22, 2024

Oscars

Last week, we took a look into who got snubbed for an Oscar nomination. This week, we’re looking to who got nominated and who has the best shot at winning come February 24. And the picks are…

BEST MOTION PICTURE

“Atonement,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Michael Clayton,” “Juno,” “There Will Be Blood”

While it’s a great film, “Michael Clayton” has the least going for it. “Juno” is riding high on the Diablo Cody love train, but it will most likely suffer the same fate as “Little Miss Sunshine.” “Atonement” has snagged Best Film awards elsewhere, but the real fight is going to be between “No Country For Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood.” “Blood” is being touted like no other, largely thanks to Daniel Day-Lewis’ stunning performance. But the entire “No Country” cast was solid. And the Oscar goes to: “No Country for Old Men.” Dark horse: “Atonement,” simply because of its success elsewhere.

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Viggo Mortensen

If Daniel Day-Lewis had portrayed some sort of great gentleman, this would be a much closer race. Unfortunately for Clooney, Depp, Jones and Mortensen, Day-Lewis played a villain. What is so special about that? Day-Lewis plays the perfect villain. And the Oscar goes to: Daniel Day-Lewis. Dark horse: Viggo Mortensen.

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Marion Cotillard, Laura Linney, Ellen Page

The Academy has an obsession for Blanchett and Page is on that aforementioned Cody love train. Blanchett already has another nomination for “I’m Not There,” so that might hurt her in this category. Page was great, but it wasn’t anything to go down in the history books. Christie and Linney are underappreciated, but won’t get it. And the Oscar goes to: Marion Cotillard. She’s racking up others, so she might have the most going for her. Dark horse: Ellen Page.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Javier Bardem, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Holbrook, Tom Wilkinson, Casey Affleck

An Affleck for acting?! Yes, because Casey is that much stronger than Ben, although Ben has had some solid performances in the past. But all of these men are going against Javier Bardem. No contest here. And the Oscar goes to: Javier Bardem and his haircut in “No Country.” Dark horse: Holbrook or Hoffman, both of whom would be killed by Bardem’s character Anton Chigurh.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Ruby Dee, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Amy Ryan

All, maybe with the exception of Dee, turned in great performances. But the Academy’s love for Blanchett, mixed with an incredibly strong portrayal of Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There,” is just too much to compete with. And the Oscar goes to: Cate Blanchett. Dark horse: Amy Ryan.

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson, Joel & Ethan Coen, Tony Gilroy, Jason Reitman, Julian Schnabel.

Reitman is a solid director, as seen in “Juno” and “Thank You for Smoking,” but it wasn’t “Juno”‘s direction that made it what it was. Gilroy doesn’t have much going for him, and Schnabel is getting overshadowed. This is tough, but the Oscar goes to: The Coen Brothers. Anderson did a wonderful job, but the Coens made one hell of a western. Dark horse: Julian Schnabel.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Juno,” “Ratatouille,” “The Savages,” “Michael Clayton,” “Lars and the Real Girl”

There’s that love train again. And the Oscar goes to: Juno, and in easy fashion. Dark horse: Rataoullie.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“No Country for Old Men,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Atonement,” “Away from Her,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

“Blood” was iffy for this, considering it is merely inspired by Upton Sinclair’s “Oil!” It has a decent chance, but the iffy factor may be holding it back a bit too much. “No Country” is one of the best adaptations as far as faithfulness goes. And the Oscar goes to: “No Country for Old Men.” Dark Horse: “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”

And there you have it. Come Feb. 24, we will see how incredibly right or wrong we were for these major categories.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Torch
$0
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of St. John's University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Torch
$0
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

We love comments and feedback, but we ask that you please be respectful in your responses.
All The Torch Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *