Peter Keough’s Oscar Scorecard
By PHOENIX STAFF | January 23, 2008
It’s a solid B, which isn’t bad considering the vagaries of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. In our January 11 issue, Phoenix film editor Peter Keough, after protecting his critical credentials by writing who and what should be nominated for Oscars this 80th time around, offered his predictions as to who and what would make the final cut this year in the big-ticket categories.
Keough scored 24 out of 30 — that’s 80 percent — which he claims is “about par the for course with these things.” He is, however, proud to have nailed the nomination results for best supporting actor and actress — 10 for 10.
And now, so our readers can debate the relative wisdom of backing directors Sean Penn and Sidney Lumet over Juno’s 30-year-old Jason (Thank You for Smoking) Reitman and Michael Clayton first-time director Tony Gilroy (screenwriter for all three Bourne blockbusters), we present (without envelope) the results.
| And the nominees are . . . | Peter’s predictions were . . . |
BEST PICTURE (4 for 5)
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood |
Sweeney Todd
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood |
BEST DIRECTOR (3 for 5)
Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
Jason Reitman (Juno)
Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) |
Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
Sidney Lumet (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead)
Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) |
BEST ACTOR (3 for 5)
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) |
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl)
Denzel Washington (American Gangster) |
BEST ACTRESS (4 for 5)
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Julie Christie (Away From Her)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Laura Linney (The Savages)
Ellen Page (Juno) |
Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart)
Julie Christie (Away From Her)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Laura Linney (The Savages)
Ellen Page (Juno) |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (5 for 5 — Bingo!)
Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James . . .)
Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s War)
Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (modesty forbids)
Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)
Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Related:
The Oscars go to Hell, War zones, The Boston Phoenix–Alumni Film Critics’ Poll, More 
- The Oscars go to Hell
Maybe it’s just as well if the writers’ strike forces a cancellation of the Oscars show.
- War zones
The party’s over. Time for the lessons to begin.
- The Boston Phoenix–Alumni Film Critics’ Poll
It’s true, the Boston Phoenix has never won an Oscar.
- Oscar predictions: Liberal gilt
It's like a fairy tale for Hollywood liberals.
- Oscar predictions 2010
After years of shrinking audiences and low-grossing Best Picture nominees, the Academy this year is hedging its bets.
- Oscar predictions 2010: Locker is a lock
Except for some pipe-dream scenarios in which the 10-nominee/weighted-voting system could turn out a victory for Inglourious Basterds or some other dark horse, everyone concedes that this year's winner for Best Picture and just about every other significant award is — The Hurt Locker ! How did this happen?
- Review: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland
Tim Burton's hare-brained Alice in Wonderland
- Silly season
Now that the Oscars are over, let's get dumb.
- Photos: Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman, and more with the Boston Pops
The Pops pays tribute to John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy by combining quotes from their speeches with original text and video, accompanied by a dramatic orchestral and choral score.
- Living the dream
Movie stars aren’t the usual Symphony Hall crowd, but last week, two dark-suited ushers swung open the doors of the Hatch Room and out poured Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, and Cherry Jones.
- Review: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
No matter how many books she sells, no matter how many billions the movies make, no matter what significance her huge success has for the future of Western culture, there's no excuse for Stephenie Meyer's terrible writing.
- Less
Topics:
Features
, Celebrity News, Javier Bardem, Michael Clayton, More
, Celebrity News, Javier Bardem, Michael Clayton, Ruby Dee, Viggo Mortensen, Amy Ryan, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Hal Holbrook, Julian Schnabel, Less
