Vern Rants the Oscar nominations

Then fuck you, jack: The Life and Art of vern

And my predictions, based on little more than what I've read about these movies...

Won't it be cool when Clint Eastwood wins Best Actor? Who'd have thought (besides me). That's why Jamie Foxx is nominated in both the Best Actor (Ray) and Best Supporting Actor (Collateral) this year, even though, as Vern says above, he's the lead actor in both. Eastwood will get Best Actor because Million Dollar Baby is actually better than The Aviator (er... so I've heard), and probably deserves Best Picture & Director. But the Aviator will win Best Picture & Best Director because Scorsese should have won it for Raging Bull in 1980 (Ordinary People won - say what??!!). Besides, Eastwood's won Best Picture and Best Director in the past (Unforgiven, 1992 - he might have won again last year for Mystic River, except for that pesky Return of the King thing). Foxx should win Best Actor, but because they will figure they owe Eastwood a gong, he'll have to settle for Best Supporting Actor. Hey, he's young though. He'll win his big one when they make Ray 2. Phew... Make sense?

It is possible the Aviator will win really big. Maybe even a clean sweep. Since they did that for Johnny Foreigner Peter Jackson, they may well figure it's time to honour an American Director of standing in similar fashion. The irony is that Scorsese's been off his game for ages & the leading American auteur of our time is indisputably our man Clint.

Anyways... other predictions:

Best Actress - Catalina Sandino Moreno should win it for Maria Full of Grace. Annette Bening probably will win it, she might be First Lady one day. And anyway, Hillary Swank's already got one.

Best Supporting Actor - Foxx without a doubt. Unless... I'm completely wrong in my Best Actor prediction & he gets that, in which case Hawkeye Pearce will win for the Aviator.

Best Supporting Actress - probably the least deserving this year will be Cate Blanchett. But she might well win it. The others I would say would put in equally worthy performances. Virginia Madsen might take it for Sideways, which I've heard is terrific, since the Academy will figure Natalie Portman's still young & there's a chance she'll get it for her next Queen Amidala performance.

I'm a bit sad that Before Sunset didn't fare better. Just a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and as Vern asks, what exactly was it adapted from?

PS: Good luck to Andrew Adamson and Taika Waititi who have both been nominated. Adamson for Shrek 2 of course, and Waititi for his short film 2 Cars, One Night, which is highly recommended by Damian Christie