Trailer Watch: Amelia

Yahoo! now has the trailer for Fox Searchlight’s bio-pic of Amelia Earhart. Amelia will almost definitely pick up a Best Picture nomination, and even with 9 other nominees, could even be a potential winner.

-John C.

Slumdog Millionaire DVD Review

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

On DVD: March 31st, 2009

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/

Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.

Canada Rated 14A; Language may offend, violence.

Running time: 120 minutes

Danny Boyle (dir.)

Dev Patel as Jamal Malik

Madhur Mittal as Salim

Freida Pinto as Latika

Anil Kapoor as Prem Kumar

Irrfan Khan as Police Inspector

Link to our theatrical Slumdog Millionaire reviews.

DVD Specs

Slumdog Millionaire single-disc DVD will be presented in widescreen format (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English/ Hindi 5.1 Dolby Surround

Bonus Features: Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire, Slumdog Cutdown

Deleted Scenes: Chase Through Slums (Longer Version), Boys At Container Yard/Beanbags/Yellow Dress, Prem At Police Station, Frederick Stevens Question, Jamal at Opera, Boys Leave Agra, Jamal Searches, finds Arvind, Chowpatty Beach And Tulip Star, Jamal Returns To Tulip Star, Jamal Wakes In Slum, "Why Can't You Leave It Alone", Jamal Loses Latika, Calls Salim, The Folder.

Commentary: by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel, Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and Writer Simon Beaufoy

Bonus Features on the two-disc Blu-Ray set:

Everything on the single-disc, plus,

From Script To Screen: Toilet Scene

Indian Short Film - Manjha

Bombay Liquid Dance Music Video

The second-disc is a Digital Copy of the film

Our reviews below:

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Slumdog Millionaire DVD Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

Click Here to read original theatrical review

When I first saw this film back in November, there was talk of a Best Picture nomination. I never imagined it would turn out the winner. Well, you know what? It deserves it just as much now as it did than. This didn’t just win because it was an event film like Titanic, but because it is, quite simply, an excellent movie. I haven’t heard from anyone who hates this film, because I don’t think anybody does.

The film follows the story of Jamal Malik, a young man in India who has gone on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, and ends up winning 10 million rupees. How can a Slumdog be this smart? The answer is: he must have cheated. When the film starts, he is being tortured and questioned. We find out that every important moment in his life gave him a clue to the answers. It was his destiny. Once the film gets to the suspenseful and exciting ending, we have come to really care for the characters. As uplifting as it is thought provoking, at times hard to watch, but all the time impossible not to watch. This is one DVD that should be added to anyone’s collection. Fully deserving of all the awards it has won.

The one-disc DVD set includes a 22-minute making-of featurette titled Slumdog Dreams, Slumdog Cutdown which is a five minute edited down version of the film set to the Slumdog theme song, Jai Ho. Audio-commentary’s by director Danny Boyle and lead actor Dav Patel, and another one with producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy and twelve deleted scenes. It is also available as a two-disc Blu-Ray set, which includes everything on the one-disc, plus an extra featurette on the “Toilet Scene”, an Indian short film called Manjha and a music video. The second disc is a digital copy of the film.

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Slumdog Millionaire DVD Review By Erin V.

**** (out of 4)

Click Here to read original theatrical review

In my original review of Slumdog Millionaire back in November, I had called it a movie definitely deserving of receiving a Best Picture nomination. Now here we are, over a month after it has actually won. This truly is an amazing work of art that you will want to own.

Slumdog Millionaire, as most of us probably already know, tells the story of Jamal Malik; a boy from a slum in India who on the Indian version of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?,’ is on the verge of winning the top prize of 20 million Rupees. Convinced that a young man ‘like him’, could not possibly know all of the answers, he is suspected of cheating, and taken in for questioning, which includes torture. Through flashbacks he describes how he knew the answer to each of the questions. For each one, the answer can be found in his childhood. As the movie cuts back and forth, it gets closer together as Jamal recounts more recent events, until finally we are in present day. This is a film that is important to see, and will change the way you view things.

On the DVD, there is a 22 minute featurette with Danny Boyle, the director of Slumdog Millionaire. It talks about some of the challenges of making this extraordinary film. It is very informative and interesting to watch. Also on the DVD is a well edited montage of the story of the movie, set to the main song from the film, Jai Ho, (which won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards). I have yet to see the movie with the commentary, and all of the deleted scenes, but I can tell you right now that the DVD is definitely worth it. You will want to own Slumdog Millionaire.

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Slumdog Millionaire DVD Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

Click Here to read original theatrical review

Slumdog Millionaire is just as compelling a movie on DVD as in theatres. The bonus features are interesting. I enjoyed the 22 minute making-of featurette, as well as the music video. There are also two commentary tracks, as well as deleted scenes, which although I did not have time to , I am really looking forward to seeing. Slumdog Millionaire is definitely a movie you will want to own.

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Slumdog Millionaire DVD Review By Maureen

**** (out of 4)

Slumdog Millionaire is as powerful a movie on DVD as it was in theatres. If you missed this Best Picture Oscar winner in theatres then now is your chance to see for yourself how good this movie really is. If you did see it in theatres you’ll still want to own a copy of it to watch it again. The extras are interesting to watch and give a sense of how difficult this movie was to make. It also gives insight into how Danny Boyle works as a director.

This is definitely a must-add to any movie lovers collection. To read my original thoughts on this movie, Click Here.

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Slumdog Millionaire DVD Review By Tony

**** (out of 4)

Click Here to read original theatrical review

The DVD includes the usual extras that add to our appreciation of the film: two commentary tracks, a production featurette, and a number of deleted scenes that fill in some of the plot holes.

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Consensus: Slumdog Millionaire is powerful and moving. A Best Picture winner that deserves all of the praise and recognition it gets. This is one that you will definitely want to own. **** (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.