The Rhino's Oscar Picks -- Rhinotainment

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Best Picture

The Aviator

Finding Neverland

Million Dollar Baby

Ray

Sideways

Prediction: While it�s now officially a toss-up as to whether Finding Neverland or Million Dollar Baby was my personal favorite of these films, I think The Aviator is going to take home the trophy this year. And it deserves it! You have to applaud a modern day epic such as this one and no one is doing epics better these days than Martin Scorsese. I think this is the best Best Picture race in recent memory. All five films are exceptional and deserving of being nominated. It�s anyone�s race really.

Best Director

Martin Scorsese, The Aviator

Mike Leigh, Vera Drake (have not seen)

Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

Taylor Hackford, Ray

Alexander Payne, Sideways

Prediction: The penultimate underdog in this category is Martin Scorsese and I think this year they will give him his just reward. Aside from Steven Spielberg, Scorsese is widely considered the best American director working today. That fact that he's never won an Oscar is a crime. He's topped himself this year with The Aviator, which is why I expect him to take home the statue. Eastwood has already taken home the award for Unforgiven and Payne definitely has a Best Director statue in his future. I just don�t think this is the year for it.

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator

Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda (have not seen)

Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

Jamie Foxx, Ray

Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland

Prediction: This one is quite the toss-up because any one of these guys deserve it just for being great actors. Cheadle and Depp are long overdue for some Oscar recognition. DiCaprio was spectacular as Howard Hughes, possibly his best work yet. Eastwood is untouchable and could win just because he's the elder and veteran of the group, not to mention that this is his best acting in years. However, Foxx is the fans' favorite this year and was a revelation as Ray Charles. The Academy seems to love these types of roles and a performance like this so Foxx is my pick.

Best Actress

Annette Bening, Being Julia (have not seen)

Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace

Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby

Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake (have not seen)

Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Prediction: Moreno was excellent as the pregnant teenage drug mule carrying cocaine into America as a way of escaping her suffocating family and her nowhere life in Columbia. That's another underdog role that will likely be overlooked by the Academy this year. Winslet is always great and while she was excellent in Eternal Sunshine, I thought she was much better in Finding Neverland and should have been nominated for that one instead. Staunton and Benning have been getting great reviews for their roles. But the award belongs to Hilary Swank. She�s becoming such a brilliant actress, topping her other award winning performance for Boys Don�t Cry. I was completely blown away by her work in Million Dollar Baby and for that, she deserves that naked gold fella. Let�s just hope that the Academy doesn�t go British and award Staunton since they have such a love for the classically trained British actors/actresses and the period pieces they star in. Nothing against these great performers but Swank really deserves this one.

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Alda, The Aviator

Jamie Foxx, Collateral

Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby

Thomas Haden Church, Sideways

Clive Owen, Closer

Prediction: Since Foxx is my pick for Best Actor, I can't see him picking up two awards. Good for him for having such a great year, though. Alda and Church were so good in their roles but I think the Academy will probably see Alda as too unlikeable and Church as too much of a moron. I think it's incredible that they were both nominated though as they are excellent, underrated actors. I hope to God that Owen doesn't win because Closer was such a miserable movie and he was terribly annoying. Therefore, I hope that Freeman picks it up since he should have won it for Shawshank Redemption ten years ago, he's one of the best actors alive and he was incredible in his role this year. Much like Scorsese, he's one of the greats that have never won the award. Give the man his due.

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett, The Aviator

Laura Linney, Kinsey (have not seen)

Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda (have not seen)

Virginia Madsen, Sideways

Natalie Portman, Closer

Prediction: Portman was the only good thing about Closer but I would rather her have been nominated for Garden State. She would have gotten my pick had that been the case. Blanchett was fantastic as Katherine Hepburn and for doing such a spot-on impression of the tough lady she could very well win the award. She would deserve it. But I think this year they will give the award to Virginia Madsen. Talk about someone emerging from obscurity and turning heads! She truly did in this role. I wouldn't be upset to see Linney win even though I haven't seen Kinsey. Linney is great in everything she's in (let's not go as far back as Congo, though, that's just not fair), as is Blanchett.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy, Before Sunset (have not seen)

David Magee, Finding Neverland

Paul Haggis, Million Dollar Baby

Jose Rivera, Motorcycle Diaries (have not seen)

Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Sideways

Prediction: First of all, I think it's only safe to keep Oscars away from Ethan Hawke. His ego is big enough and giving him Oscar nominations just encourages him. Please, don't feed the animals. However, Linklater is an excellent writer and deserves some recognition. Maybe next time. I am going to go with Payne and Taylor for Sideways because they dialogue in the film was so real, honest and witty. It held nothing back and felt like a real life scenario on film. You can't beat that.

Best Original Screenplay

Mike Leigh, Vera Drake(have not seen)

John Logan, The Aviator

Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Brad Bird, The Incredibles

Prediction: I think Charlie Kaufman should have a shrine built to him for being the most orginal writer in Hollywood in the past ten years. Every screenplay he writes is genius and original making him a shoo-in for this year's Oscar. Bird and Logan cranked out some great and memorable scripts but no one can top Kaufman's game right now.

That sums up the big awards. As for the other awards, here are my quick predictions based on films I have seen: