Milk DVD Review

MILK - An Alliance Films Release

http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/

On DVD: March 10th, 2009

Rated Canada 14A for coarse language, violence, and sexual content.

Running time: 129 minutes

Gus Van Sant (dir.)

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk

Emile Hirsch as Cleve Jones

Josh Brolin as Dan White

Diego Luna as Jack Lira

James Franco as Scott Smith

Alison Pill as Anne Kronenberg

Special Features: Deleted Scenes (Approx. 10:00 min.); Remembering Harvey (13:20 min.); Hollywood Comes To San Francisco (14:29 min.); Marching For Equality (7:55 min.).

©2008 Focus Features LLC and Axon Film Finance I, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

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Milk Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

One of the best films of 2008, Milk, arrives on DVD today. Nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. Winner of two for Dustin Lance Black’s screenplay and for Sean Penn’s excellent performance as Harvey Milk. This would have been my second choice for Best Picture, after the winner Slumdog Millionaire. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to major public office. The acting by the all-star cast which includes Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Josh Brolin, among others, is amazing. They all disappear behind their roles, and are actually made up to look like their real-life counter parts. Sean Penn will and should be remembered for this role, it is perhaps his finest to date, but Josh Brolin is equally brilliant as Dan White. When you’re watching the film, you forget that this guy also played George W. Bush in W., Oliver Stones’ recent biopic. The last part of the film, as it becomes apparent what will happen, is emotional and suspenseful. The last scene of the film, some real footage and some reenactments, of hundreds of people marching with candles is beautiful, uplifting and inspiring. What makes this scene so powerful is that it actually happened. This film is about hope, and that is one of the most important messages that could ever be put in a film.

Harvey Milk not only stood up for gay rights, but for the rights of anyone who was not accepted for a difference they could not change. Whether you are young or old, gay or straight, male or female, Milk is an inspiring and uplifting film.

The DVD includes about 46 minutes of bonus material, including three short deleted scenes, (one of which I am glad wasn’t in the movie), a tribute to Harvey Milk, and two making-of featurettes, Hollywood Comes to San Francisco and Marching for Equality. All of these are fascinating to watch, because we get to see some of the real people and how much the actors looked like them.

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Milk Review By Erin V.

**** (out of 4)

Milk is an important movie to watch. It is very well made, and both Sean Penn, (who plays Harvey Milk), and Dustin Lance Black, deserved their Best Actor, and Best Screenwriter wins respectively, at the OSCAR’s.

This movie tells the true-life story of Harvey Milk, an activist for gay rights, and civil rights in general. He was the first openly gay man to be elected to major public office, and by his perseverance, he paved the way for others. Very well written, everything is put together in such a way that it is easy enough to follow along, yet despite knowing what happens, there is still suspense at the end. This is very hard to achieve. The movie opens with Harvey Milk recording a tape that he wants played if he ever gets assassinated - a last message of sorts, in case it’s ever needed. It is spliced with actual news footage of the announcement that both he and the Mayor have been assassinated. When he is recording the tape, he is 48 years old. We then flash back to his 40th birthday, where ultimately, his journey towards activism began.

What makes this movie so powerful, is the reality of it all. You could not write a story like this that would be so affecting to so many people. In many cases, the same locations were used, and made accurate to the 1970’s. As we learn through the bonus features on the disc, for example, the building where Harvey Milk’s Castro camera shop was, was made to look like it did then by building replica walls about 3” in to hide how it looks now. Also on the disc are interviews with many of the real people that this movie portrays, such as Anne Kronenberg, and Cleve Jones. Another thing is, from the extras, you realize how haunting in a sense it would have been to act in, and film the final scenes of the film. Everyone involved knew that what they were playing out on screen was in the same locations that it actually happened. You especially realize this in the short interview with Josh Brolin, who plays Dan White in the film. You can see this reality come through in the acting, and it makes it very emotional indeed.

This being said, the final scene of the film is both extremely moving and filled with hope. Interspliced with original footage is a reenactment of the candlelight march held from the Castro to City Hall in honour of Harvey Milk. With this, you realize the scope of the community that had come together. In fact, some of the people who marched in the actual event, came for the reenactment as well.

This movie is a must-see. It is powerful, and deserving of every single award that it has gotten. Danny Elfman won for Film Composer of the Year at the IFMCA Awards, and his quiet underscoring here, matches the mood perfectly and no doubt helped him earn that title. If you haven’t seen this movie, make sure to put it on your list. The message here is that it just takes one person to speak out against prejudice of any kind, to change the world. Be this sexual orientation, disabilities, race, etc. This would be an important film to be seen by all of those 14 years old and up.

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Milk Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

Before this movie came out, I had never heard the inspiring story of Harvey Milk. this movie made me aware of this charismatic leader, chronicling the life of Harvey Milk, from the time when he meets Scott (played by James Franco), to the untimely end of his life. Harvey inspires many people during his political campaign, including Cleve Jones (played by Emile Hirsch), and Anne Kronenberg (played by Alison Pill). Despite many death threats, Harvey Milk continued to inspire the gay community, holding marches, public speeches, and protesting Proposition 6, a bill designed to fire all gay teacher, under the delusion that they might hurt the kids. All the attention Harvey Milk receives as a local city supervisor makes fellow supervisor Dan White (played by Josh Brolin), become increasingly uncomfortable. Despite this, Harvey Milk contines his fight against Proposition 6, effectively defeating it. This movie is very emotional. One scene that really struck me was when a suicidal young man in a wheelchair calls Harvey Milk, not sure of himself. Harvey tells the young man that God loves him, and that he is fine just the way he is.

I was also really moved by the way that Harvey Milk inspired young people to stand up for people who are different. Harvey Milk did not just stand up for gay rights, he and his team were an inspiration for women, people of different races, the elderly, and people with disabilities, or anything else that makes them “different”.

While it is tragic that Harvey Milk was murdered along with the mayor, the legacy of Harvey Milk lives on forever. This film is a perfect testament to that legacy. The acting was so amazing, that you forget that these actors are not the real people. Another thing that I likes is that some of the real people from Milk’s campaign, including Anne Kronenberg, and Cleve Jones, were extras in the film. Also, real footage of Milk’s memorial march was used, as well as recreated by the citizens of San Francisco.

The bonus features on this DVD are amazing. The deleted scenes add nothing to the movie, but the testimony to Harvey Milk is very moving. The making of feature is also moving, as you realize how accurate this movie is. This is one film that you will definitely want to own.

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Milk Review By Maureen

**** (out of 4)

Milk is an inspiring, touching film based on the true life story of gay rights activist Harvey Milk. I watched this movie without knowing much about Harvey Milk’s story. The script, the acting, the music and the overall authenticity of this movie had me captivated from beginning to end. I understand now why Dustin Lance Black won an Oscar for Best Screenwriter and Sean Penn won best Actor for his flawless portrayal of Harvey Milk. It was Sean Penn’s performance that brought the movie to life for me and kept it from being just another docudrama.

The story itself is powerful. Watching an ordinary man take on the task of civil rights activism and learning to play the political game is inspiring. Whether you are gay or not, this story gives hope to those who believe change comes from one person at a time standing up for what they believe in. This is also a story of self-acceptance and the need to accept others as they are. Truly inspiring. This story has relevance for the disabled, minorities, etc., any group of individuals that face discrimination and lack of understanding or acceptance at one time or another. It reminds me that those of us who have the ability or strength to act as advocates for those who have difficulty advocating for themselves need to do so in whatever way we can.

If you missed seeing Milk in theatres, or want to see it again, the DVD is worth owning. The bonus features which include commentary from some of the individuals such as Cleve Jones, who worked with Harvey Milk in real life, are really interesting. I usually don’t bother with the bonus features but these ones are worth watching.

This is a must see film for older teens and adults of all ages who want to witness a piece of the history of civil gay rights activism.

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Milk Review By Tony

**** (out of 4)

Sean Penn earned the Best Actor Oscar as Harvey Milk, the 1970’s San Francisco gay rights activist, who along with the mayor was assassinated by a rival city supervisor in 1978. Harvey Milk quit his corporate job in New York and moved to San Francisco’s Castro district in 1970 to open a camera shop. He raised the profile of the gay community with the Castro at its centre, and after several unsuccessful attempts got elected to the Board of Supervisors (city council) on a platform of equal rights and fair treatment for all marginalized people. When Proposition 6 was placed on the state ballot to have teachers and other professionals fired on the grounds of sexual orientation, Harvey Milk did more than anyone else to see that it was defeated. What had been a shameful hidden lifestyle detested by straight people became a source of pride, now protected to some extent by law and tolerated rather than hated by the general public.

Watching Milk reminded me of the civil rights struggles of African Americans and other racial minorities. Long after discrimination on the basis of race became unacceptable, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is still justified by many due to misguided religious beliefs. Harvey Milk defeated Proposition 6 by reminding everyone that they must know at least one gay person that they would not want to see persecuted. Like San Francisco, other large cities such as New York, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver had thriving gay communities by the 1970’s. With characteristic tolerance, Canadians never had an Anita Bryant or Proposition 6 to openly condemn homosexuals. Of course tolerance is a passive-aggressive term which implies permission without acceptance. As most minorities will attest, many Canadians are still racist, sexist, and homophobic, but we are too polite to admit it.

As a kid in Texas, the writer Dustin Lance Black was inspired by Milk to come out, along with thousands of others around the country. Many of Milk’s contemporaries contributed to the film. In a couple of cases, such as the union leader and speechwriter, they played themselves. Director Gus van Sant was meticulous about getting it right. The actual locations were used as much as possible, including the same offices where the murders occurred. A fine minimalist score is provided by Danny Elfman.

The DVD includes close to an hour of archival footage and interviews with the director, crew, and some of the real people and actors who played them in the film.

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Consensus: Milk is a powerfully moving film. Based on the life of Harvey Milk, this is a finely crafted movie. From the acting to the screenwriting, to the direction, this movie is a must-see. **** (Out of 4)

Congratulations to the winners in the 81st Academy Awards!

By John C.

The 81st Academy Awards are behind us, and the fine films of 2008 have been honored with numerous awards and spots on top ten lists. Now that the Oscars have been announced, I am going to offer my deepest congratulations to all of the winners. Congratulations to Sean Penn for the excellent performance as Harvey Milk and for the wonderful acceptance Speech. Congratulations to Kate Winslet for finally winning an Oscar. Congratulations to the late-great Heath Ledger for his brilliant and iconic work as The Joker. You will forever be remembered. Congratulations to Penélope Cruz whose work really brought something extra to Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Big congratulations to Slumdog Millionaire, the film and everyone involved. It is a great film that will forever be remembered. I also have to say congratulations to all the winners in the smaller, but just as important categories. Your work will be remembered. I would also like to thank the Academy for making a slightly strange but still very enjoyable show, and Hugh Jackman who did a great job of hosting. Thank you to everyone for creating an unforgettable year at the movies. I look forward to another year of great films, both big and small.

Slumdog Millionaire Wins Big At The 81st Academy Awards!

Write-up By Erin V.

Well, another OSCAR night has come and gone. The winners are below, and while there were a few surprises, there weren’t as many as there have been in some years. Slumdog Millionaire took home Best Picture, Director and many others as you can see below for a total of 8 awards, the highest of the night. Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker, and WALL•E won Best Animated. These were categories that seemed to have been written a long time ago.

Most of the major categories were fairly easy to guess this year, and I ended up with a total of 16 out of 24 correct, or 2/3rd’s, compared to last years 1/3rd with only 8 out of 24 correct. John C. pulled ahead on this one with 17 out of 24 correct.

Here are the standings of all the winning films:

Slumdog Millionaire - 8

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 3

The Dark Knight - 2

Milk - 2

The Reader - 1

WALL•E - 1

Vicky Cristina Barcelona - 1

The Duchess - 1

Departures - 1

Spielzeugland (Toyland) - 1

Man on Wire - 1

Smile Pinki - 1

La Maison en Petits Cubes - 1

In comparision, by nominations, these same films would be ordered like this:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 13

Slumdog Millionaire - 10

Milk - 8

The Dark Knight - 8

WALL•E - 6

The Reader - 1

Vicky Cristina Barcelona - 1

The Duchess - 1

Departures - 1

Spielzeugland (Toyland) - 1

Man on Wire - 1

Smile Pinki - 1

La Maison en Petits Cubes - 1

Out of the 28 films and short films nominated, as you can see, only 13 recieved awards. And out of those, only 4 out of the 5 Best Picture nominees recieved awards. Frost/Nixon recieved none, despite it’s 5 nominations. Also interesting to note is that both Milk and The Dark Knight each had 8 noms, but only two wins. The Dark Knight should have been up for Best Picture, but... That’s another story.

Below, please read my comments for each of the winning films.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company) - This was expected, while the other nominees would have also been just as deserving, after seeing her in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I knew she would probably be taking home the gold.

Original screenplay

“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black - While it would have been nice to see an animated film recognized for writing like this, I had a feeling that this could be going to Milk. Both were deserving, and even a nomination is something anyone should be proud of.

Adapted screenplay

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy - This one was easy enough to call. Slumdog Millionaire’s screenplay is well written, and the way that it was adapted to screen, really made the film work well.

Best animated feature film of the year

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton - As figured, WALL•E managed to come out on top. The animation that they played before the winners were announced, showing WALL•E finding a tape of this year's Academy Awards, and an OSCAR, was priceless.

Best animated short film

“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato - I had hoped that Presto would win this award, since I don’t think PIXAR has won it in a few years now... But, while I haven’t seen this short film, it is probably deserving of this award.

Achievement in art direction

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo - The art direction here is very nice to see, and the award is well placed.

Achievement in costume design

“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor - Period clothes like seen here, seem to win everytime... How could I have guessed?

Achievement in makeup

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom - Like James P. said, this is the kind of thing that the Academy likes.

Achievement in cinematography

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle - The cinematography here is stunning, especially in the scenes in the slums of India at the beginning. The way that the camera is positioned to capture light and shadow is put to good use here.

Best live action short film

“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank - Again, I have not seen any of the short films that were nominated here, but this one seemed to have a very interesting concept behind it. It was a guess that it would win, and it turned out to be correct.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) - Deserving, and not surprising in the least. Heath Ledger gave an amazing performance as the Joker, and it was nice to see him recognized for it. His father, mother, and sister accepted the award on his behalf, which will go to his daughter when she is older. This Oscar is a great tribute to Heath Ledger, an amazing actor. May he rest in peace.

Best documentary feature

“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn - I figured this would win. I hope to see it soon - it looks amazing.

Best documentary short subject

“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan - I actually didn’t know what this one was about... It sounds interesting, and I think, probably deserves the win.

Achievement in visual effects

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron - Should have known that this was going to win here. Unfortunately, I only looked at the visual effects site for TCCoBB last night, when I had already made my picks. Boy, is there a lot of effects in there. It is amazing to see how exactly they use them. I wasn’t really thinking about how they did it before.

Achievement in sound editing

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King - When I put down WALL•E, I knew that it could have been any of them. The sound was solid in The Dark Knight, so it deserved this fully. I just wish WALL•E could have picked up a sound award for Ben Burtt.

Achievement in sound mixing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty - This was James P.’s pick, and I kind of thought that this could have been what took home this award. I put down WALL•E again, even though, I had actually a few weeks ago figured this one would go to The Dark Knight, which took home the other sound award. I still get slightly confused about which ones are about which aspects of the sounds.

Achievement in film editing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens - The editing here is solid. Well deserved.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman - While I personally didn’t think that this one was the best score, it does still deserve the win, (which I knew was probably going to happen ever since Slumdog Millionaire came onto the scene).

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar - I would have liked Down to Earth, and O... Saya was actually good too. But, it went to Jai Ho. This is a very good song, but I found Down to Earth to have more to it.

Best foreign language film of the year

“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan - I was slightly surprised that Waltz With Bashir didn’t win here, but I haven’t seen any of these, so who am I to judge? This actually looks quite interesting...

Achievement in directing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle - This was an obvious win.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) - Well, after all this time, she finally has her Oscar. Ever since the Golden Globes, I saw this coming, so no surprises here.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features) - It was going to go to either Sean Penn or Mickey Rourke. In the end, as I had guessed, Sean Penn won.

Best motion picture of the year

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer - It is written.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THIS YEAR'S WINNERS AND NOMINEES!

LIVE COVERAGE OF THE 81st ACADEMY AWARDS 2009!

Live Coverage By Erin V.

Live coverage of the 81st Academy Awards begins tonight at 8:30pm EST. As the awards are announced, each category will be posted up in the order that it is on the show, and we will be updating this page, and placing the winners in bold type.

OSCAR Night, 2009

Winners are being added as results come in live.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)

Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Original screenplay

“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt

“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh

“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh

“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Adapted screenplay

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord

“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Best animated feature film of the year

“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard

“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

Best animated short film

“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato

“Lavatory - Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit

“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand

“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland

“This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Achievement in art direction

“Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando

“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway

“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in costume design

“Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West

“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor

“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker

“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

Achievement in makeup

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in cinematography

“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Best live action short film

“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi

“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont

“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie

“The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh

“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)

Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)

Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)

Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Best documentary feature

“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath

“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser

“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy

“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn

“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki

“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant

“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan

“The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in visual effects

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin

“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Achievement in sound editing

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King

“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood

“Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt

“Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in film editing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley

“Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat

“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard

“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel

“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar

“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam

Best foreign language film of the year

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany

“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France

“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan

“Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria

“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in directing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard

“Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)

Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)

Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)

Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)

Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)

Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Best motion picture of the year

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers

“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers

“Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers

“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer

Predictions for the 81st Academy Awards

Our correct guesses are now in bold italics. The incorrectly guessed categories are no longer in bold type. John C. guessed 17 out of 24, and Erin V. guessed 16 out of 24, correctly.

John C.’s OSCAR Predictions:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight) Sean Penn could easily win, but I am still throwing my support behind Mickey Rourke.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) If there ever were a true lock, this is it.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) She has had five noms, no wins and The Reader is definitely Oscar-bait.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company) Her fiery, crazy work will likely win her an Oscar.

Best animated feature film of the year

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney•PIXAR), Andrew Stanton I love all three nominees, but it’s a safe bet that Pixar’s latest will win.

Achievement in art direction

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo The film’s art direction is impressive.

Achievement in cinematography

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle Even people in the industry agree, Slumdog is a beautifully shot film.

Achievement in costume design

“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor The Academy loves 18th century costumes.

Achievement in directing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle This award almost always goes hand-in-hand with Best Picture.

Best documentary feature

“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn It’s not usual that a documentary is also a feel-good film. If it doesn’t win than Trouble the Water will come out on top.

Best documentary short subject

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki I haven’t seen any of the films, but this one seems to have the edge.

Achievement in film editing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens Slumdog was brilliantly edited.

Best foreign language film of the year

“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel If this film wins, it would be a great year for animation.

Achievement in makeup

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom The Academy is a sucker for people getting aged on film.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman I think that the excellent music of Slumdog will be recognized through this win.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney•PIXAR), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel Jai Ho has a good shot at winning, but I hope Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman will take home this award. Why wasn’t Bruce Springsteen nominated for The Wrestler?

Best motion picture of the year

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer When I saw this film back in November I never imagined it would be this big, but it is a great movie and it deserves to win.

Best animated short film

“Presto” (Walt Disney•PIXAR) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland While they may go for something more artistic, Presto is a great homage to classic cartoons.

Best live action short film

“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank Again, unfortunately, I haven’t seen any of the films, but this one appears to deal with subject matter that usually appeals to the Academy.

Achievement in sound editing

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney•PIXAR), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood Ben Burtt is a veteran and provides not just sounds for the film, but WALL•E’s voice.

Achievement in sound mixing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty The music, dialogue and sound effects were mixed together perfectly.

Achievement in visual effects

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron Button will likely win, but the award could also go to The Dark Knight. If Iron Man were to win any of it’s three nominations, it would probably be in this category. In other words, any of the three films could win.

Adapted screenplay

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy I don’t think I need to explain.

Original screenplay

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney•PIXAR), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter If WALL•E wins, it would be the first time an animated film has taken home this award.

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Erin V.’ s OSCAR Predictions:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features) - Mickey Rourke could easily win this, but I’m going to have to say Sean Penn right now. The academy seems to like him...

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) - This would definitely be deserving, and I think that this is probably a very likely win.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) - After the Golden Globes, it seems like she’s going to finally win an OSCAR, after her many nominations. We’ll find out for sure tomorrow night, I guess.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company) - Very solid acting by Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. This could easily go her for her performance as Maria Elena.

Best animated feature film of the year

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney•PIXAR), Andrew Stanton - Especially after the Annie Awards, I have a feeling that voting might have been closer on this one than might have been previously thought. I could see WALL•E winning with 34% of the vote, and Bolt and Kung Fu Panda each being a close second with 33% to their names. Sure, we don’t get the actual numbers, but the point is, this race could be that close.

Achievement in art direction

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo - ‘The Curious Case’ feels like the kind of film that could win this award, but what about The Dark Knight?

Achievement in cinematography

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle - Great shots in this film. If Slumdog Millionaire is going to be picking up more awards, than the big ones, then I think that it could be in this kind of category. But can I say for sure? No. Of course not. While Slumdog would be deserving, TCCoBB, of TDK could throw it here.

Achievement in costume design

“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor - These kinds of period costumes always seem to win, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the result here.

Achievement in directing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle - Usually, when a film is almost certainly going to win Best Picture, it’s probably going to win here as well.

Best documentary feature

“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn - While Man on Wire will probably win here, I think my second guess would be Encounters at the End of the World.

Best documentary short subject

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki - Absoute blind guess here. I haven’t seen any in this category yet.

Achievement in film editing

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens - This is another area where Slumdog Millionaire could pick up some more awards. The editing on this film was solid. [But... could The Dark Knight win here?]

Best foreign language film of the year

“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel - This could also go to The Class, but I think that it’s leaning towards ‘Waltz’ right now...

Achievement in makeup

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom - It could be any of the three, but for some odd reason, I think that this could actually end up going to The Dark Knight instead.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman - While this is what everything is pointing to right now, I think that TCCoBB could have a chance here.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel - Again, it’s a toss up, but the two from Slumdog Millionaire could end up cancelling each other out, so I am saying Down to Earth. It’s my favorite of the three anyway.

Best motion picture of the year

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer - I have a strong feeling that this will be taking home the top prize at these awards, like it has at so many others this year - and it definitely deserves the praise that it’s been getting.

Best animated short film

“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland - This category can be hard to decide, but I would kind of like to see Presto win, and it has a pretty good shot at it too.

Best live action short film

“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank - This is kind of a blind guess for me, I will admit, but it sounds like an intriguing short film, so I guess we’ll see what happens tomorrow night.

Achievement in sound editing

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood - This could go to any of the others, [The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, or Wanted], but I think WALL•E deserves it.

Achievement in sound mixing

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt - What the heck... I’m putting down WALL•E, [even though, again this could easily go to a movie like Slumdog Millionaire, which had a great mix of score and sound that really told the story, not to mention TDK’s amazing sound...].

Achievement in visual effects

“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan - If Iron Man’s going to win something, I think it could be here. I think this would pretty much tie with my second choice, which would be The Dark Knight, a visually stunning movie to say the least... Then again, TCCoBB is all special FX, since Brad Pitt's face, (aged by computers), is animated on for a lot of the film, (come to think of it, that would have made acting rather difficult, for the parts where he had to just act in a studio room, and get the expressions right)... Oh well. I wanted to put Iron Man down for something. I know that I am just guessing, and am probably wrong on this one...

Adapted screenplay

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy - This awards is most likely going to Slumdog Millionaire.

Original screenplay

“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter - I’m guessing WALL•E, but it could be going to Milk.