If my forecast this year seems especially ass-pulled, it’s because it’s always ass-pulled, I just don’t have as much time to hide it this year.
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory – Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up
Will Win: Presto
Should Win: Presto
It’s actually been a while since a Pixar film won this award, but it’s also been a while since people really took notice of a Pixar short.
And the reason they are is because it really is the best. one. ever.
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Will Win: Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Should Win: New Boy
It might be a tight race between Auf der Strecke, New Boy and Spielzeugland because they all have a ton of accolades so far. Spielzeugland just has a few more.
The premise of New Boy (African boy’s first day in an Irish school) is just a little more interesting to me.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306
Will Win: Smile Pinki
Should Win: The Final Inch
About the best justification I have here is that India is hot right now. That narrows it down to Smile Pinki and The Final Inch. The former focuses on one little girl with a cleft lip instead of a global polio crisis, so I think it will connect better with voters.
I find the problem of eradicating 50-year-old diseases kind of fascinating. That’s all I got.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
Will Win: Man on Wire
Should Win: The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Everybody loves Man on Wire. The guy was even on Colbert. It’s a shoo-in.
I honestly don’t get it. I mean, I think it’s a good documentary. But I saw better this year. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* for one, which didn’t even make the cut. I didn’t actually see any of these others, but Betrayal fans seem to be the most ardent.
SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL•E
Wanted
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should Win: WALL•E
I was going to say that The Dark Knight will be compensated for a lack of higher profile nods with a slew of technical wins, but seeing as the Cinema Audio Society went with Slumdog Millionaire, that might not pan out.
I think Ben Burtt is a genius. And a movie with very little dialogue depends even more on sound editing. (The Motion Picture Sound Editors are giving him a lifetime achievement award this year, so I’d still consider WALL•E a spoiler in this category.)
SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL•E
Wanted
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should Win: WALL•E
That Cinema Audio Society award was specifically for Sound Mixing.
Again, brilliant sound in WALL•E
In our next installment: The only nomination for a film starring the host.
“presto” also has an advantage because, for once, lots of people actually saw it. it was the short they showed before wall-E