Dre Rivas,
Jan 11, 2008
The Golden Globes are a go -- sort of -- this Sunday and you know we had to pick one of our astute, intelligent and savvy writers to represent Film.com by predicting the winners for your office pool. Unfortunately, they were busy and that's where your Uncle Dre had to step in.
Let's give it a shot:
Best Picture - Drama
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Who will win? It's an odd year to predict because there's so much variety. Atonement looked so strong early on but it seems to have faded. That makes it easy to stick with No Country for Old Men, the year's best reviewed film.
Who should win? I still haven't gotten around to Paul Thomas Anderson's latest work, but as it stands, No Country for Old Men.
Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd
Who will win? If this was the Academy, I'd say Juno, easy. It's this year's Little Miss Sunshine, right? But Little Miss Sunshine didn't win at last year's Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press sometimes tries to get high and mighty and that would make way for a Charlie Wilson's War victory.
Who should win? Juno, the source of one of the best screenplays of the year. Haters, be damned.
Best Actor - Drama
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
James McAvoy, Atonement
Denzel Washington, American Gangster
Who will win? Daniel Day-Lewis. His only competition is Clooney.
Who should win? Daniel Day-Lewis, because of what my main man Brad had to show me and because he was robbed when he played Bill the Butcher.
Best Actor - Comedy or Musical
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages
John C. Reilly, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Who will win? This is a bit of a toughie. No one is really standing out. I thought early on this was going to be Depp's year but that movie has been a little disappointing at the box office and for some reason now, I'm not feeling it as much. I'm going to bank on the HFPA sucking up to Tom Hanks.
Who should win? John C. Reilly because he is one of the funniest people on the face of the earth and it would be great to see him shock everybody.
Best Actress - Drama
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Who will win? Julie Christie. Yawn.
Who should win? I don't have a problem with Christie winning, but I'm rooting for Jolie and her hella strong performance. Laugh if you must, but it was Streep-worthy.
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray
Ellen Page, Juno
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Who will win? This is actually a stronger and much less predictable group than the Actress - Drama category. Cotillard, Adams and Page have the edge and I'll guesstimate Page ends up with it.
Who should win? I'm torn between Cotillard and Page but in the end I have to go with my heart. Page.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
John Travolta, Hairspray
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Who will win? Bardem
Who should win? Loved Affleck and Hoffman, but Bardem really gave us something different.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Who will win? Forget Roberts. As my Uncle Carlos told me on the phone yesterday, "Her nomination is reason enough for the Globes to be canceled. They nominated her so she'd show up." It's basically a two-woman race between Blanchett and Ryan. Because it's the Globes and Ryan is small potatoes in their world, I'll bet on Blanchett.
Who should win? Amy Ryan.
Best Director
Ridley Scott, American Gangster
Joe Wright, Atonement
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel, Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Who will win? Joel and Ethan Coen
Who should win? Joel and Ethan Coen. Finally.
Best Screenplay
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Aaron Sorkin, Charlie Wilson's War
Diablo Cody, Juno
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Ronald Harwood, Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Who will win? Wowsers, this is a good group. Hampton did a superb job with his adaptation. Sorkin's screenplay is smart and funny, even if it was neutered in the end. But I'm going to guess Diablo Cody beats out the stiff competition.
Who should win? Juno's gal.
Best Original Song
"That's How I Know You," Enchanted
"Guaranteed," Into the Wild
"Walk Hard," Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
"Grace is Gone," Grace is Gone
"Despedida," Love in the Time of Cholera
Who will win? Shakira baby! Her rendition of "Despedida" should get it done.
Who should win? "Guaranteed" is probably the third best song on Into the Wild's soundtrack and I'd still pick it to win.
Best Original Score
Dario Marianelli, Atonement
Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder, Into the Wild
Howard Shore, Eastern Promises
Clint Eastwood,
Grace is Gone
Alberto Iglesias, The Kite Runner
Who will win? Nothing here is really standing out to me. If I had to guess (and I do), Dario Marianelli's innovative Atonement score.
Who should win? Marianelli just barely over Shore.
Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The Kite Runner
Persepolis
Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Lust/Caution
Who will win? Diving Bell is the only movie of the group that scored a Best Director and a Screenplay nomination. Which naturally makes me think The Kite Runner wins.
Who should win? Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Animated Feature
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie
Who will win? Ratatouille
Who should win? Ratatouille. It isn't even close.
Word of warning: I'm usually much better at predicting the Academy Awards outcomes because the Globes just confuse the hell out of me. But no excuses. I'm going into Sunday night wanting to take this mother down. Come on, Matt Lauer, gimme some mojo!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dre writes three times a week for Film.com. Email him!
Previous
