Oscar Picks

It’s that time of year again - Sunday night is Oscar night. We gathered our writers’ panel for a roundtable discussion of this year’s winners. Joining us are Kutler, Kenny Perez (KP), Tess’ Birthday Party Friend (TBPF), Your Resident Chief (YRC) and Axel Freed (AF). Enjoy

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises"

Kutler: Johnny Depp
Depp was friends with the late Hunter S. Thompson and currently lives
in France. So, I am picking him out of homage to the Doctor and in
spite of anyone who still uses the term “Freedom Fries.”

KP: Daniel Day-Lewis.
I knew he was a master thespian from the moment I saw him as Colin, the South African street tough, in “Gandhi.”

TBPF: Daniel Day-Lewis
In a performance more natural than Matthew McConaughey in a pickup game of shirts vs. skins, Day-Lewis IS Daniel Plainfield, but then again, the character has his same first name so it probably wasn’t THAT hard.

YRC: Daniel Day-Lewis
Despite the actors that comprise this list, I find myself having to make a final decision between my favorite roles for each of these characters. Daniel Day Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans and Mortensen in any of the three The Lord of the Rings films. Who would win in a fight to the death? Day-Lewis kicked a lot of ass in Mohicans

AF: Daniel Day-Lewis
Lewis dominated the movie while getting rich, pimping his son, and have a fake religious conversion. What else could you ask for?

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War"
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton"

Kutler: Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Bardem was excellent in No Country and will probably win the award,
but I live a simple rule: When in doubt, always go with PSH.

KP: Philip Seymour Hoffman.
I don’t like to throw this term around too loosely, but the guy is just an absolute ace.

TBPF: Tom Wilkinson
He really hasn’t done a movie that I didn’t like in a long time, and as much as I loved Bardem as “Mr. Sugar,” it’s Best Actor, not Most Badass Dude with a Shotgun Silencer. Have to wait for the MTV Movie Awards for that.

YRC: Hal Holbrook
A complete stranger that McCandless (Emile Hirsch) meets on his journey,
Holbrook’s character “Mr. Franz” connects so well with McCandless that the two play it off like grandfather and grandson.

AF: Javier Bardem
Obviously the easy pick, and could win on his haircut alone.


Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie in "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney in "The Savages"
Ellen Page in "Juno"

Kutler: Laura Linney
The nod here has to go to Laura Linney (I refuse to recognize Juno until someone nominates George Michael.) Linney takes off her shirt in 95% of her movies.

KP: Laura Linney
My gut wants me to say Ellen Page, but there are several rules I live by in life, including never bet against Laura Linney.

TBPF: Marion Cotillard
Blanchett’s inclusion and probable win in the next category hurts her chances here, so I’m going for the foreign movie. Lazy, this guy.

YRC: Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett has two things going for her: she is an Aussie and is in the The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

AF: Laura Linney
This vote is based on her affair with the tennis instructor character played by Billy Baldwin in “The Squid and the Whale.”


Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement"
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton"

Kutler: Ruby Dee
I'm taking Ruby Dee here grudgingly as I feel this award should go to
Cuba Gooding Jr.

KP: Cate Blanchett
Don’t look back!

TBPF: Cate Blanchett
As weird as I think both the idea and execution of that movie was, this performance was strangely accurate and kind of creepy. If she can make me feel genuinely uneasy about Dylan, she gets my vote.

YRC: Ruby Dee
Her character shift from the sweet, happy old lady to the stern mother of the main character is great. Her look of disapproval and subsequent slap applied to the face of Denzel Washington’s character would make any man cringe. It’s never good when mom is disappointed.

AF: Amy Ryan
She kicked ass in this movie - strung out the entire time.

Achievement in directing
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" Julian Schnabel
"Juno" Jason Reitman
"Michael Clayton" Tony Gilroy
"No Country for Old Men" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood" Paul Thomas Anderson

Kutler: Joel and Ethan Coen
Like The Dude, I'll abide by that.

KP: Joel an Ethan Coen
Fargo was good.

TBPF: Joel and Ethan Coen
“No Country” was basically a tutorial on how to create suspense purely through cinematography, sound editing, and scene setting. These guys are just too good.

YRC: Joel and Ethan Coen
I could care less that this will be the popular pick, because No Country is simply fantastic. For all the times that it is said, this film literally does keep the viewer on the edge of his seat.

AF: Joel and Ethan Coen
It’s hard to make a movie that is suspenseful, funny, philosophical, and brutally violent, all in the same two hours. For the Coens, they make it look simple.


Best motion picture of the year
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Kutler: No Country for Old Men
But my decision on this ultimate category is pending until I finally go see There Will Be Blood in true "Loner" style, a practice of movie going endorsed by The Whiff, especially our editor. Go in sweatpants and sit in the back with a tub of popcorn. Don't tie your shoes.

KP: Michael Clayton
It’s like picking the Giants.

TBPF: There Will Be Blood
Though I gave best directors to the Coens, “Blood” was a better movie for me all said and done. Not much better, at all, but just enough to give it the win for me.

YRC: No Country for Old Men
See above. ‘Nuff Said.

AF: No Country for Old Men
Long overdue, considering their catalog of work.