Today, we begin our look at the Oscar Nominations race that will be winding down this week as the Academy prepares to announce its 82nd Annual Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning, February 2, 2010. We will be looking at a handful of categories each day and our contributors will be sharing their thoughts on the most important races.

Today, we’ll be looking at Foreign Language Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short and Animated Short. Tomorrow, we’ll move on to the screenwriting awards, Makeup and Visual Effects. In addition, later this week, I’ll be posting a primer for Oscar Morning so you can easily follow along.

Foreign Language Film

Ajami – Israel (Tripp, Wes)
Kelin – Kazakhstan (Wesley, Wes)
The Milk of Sorrow – Peru (Peter)
Un Prophète – France (Unanimous)
Samson & Delilah – Australia (Wesley, Peter)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos – Argentina (Wesley, Tripp)
The White Ribbon – Germany (Unanimous)
Winter in Wartime – The Netherlands (Peter, Tripp, Wes)

Comments

Wesley Lovell: If the Foreign Film branch’s frequent rules changes to include more familiar and critically acclaimed productions continues to work, A Prophet and The White Ribbon should be easy sells. El Secreto de Sus Ojos and Samson & Delilah have had strong critical receptions in certain circles and word has it that Kelin received the best reception at Academy screenings. Alternate Prediction: The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner.
Tripp Burton: A Prophet and The White Ribbon are the two big-name films on the list, having garnered major awards already (especially at the Cannes Film Festival, where they were the big winners last year). I think both should be solid choices here. The committee here can be something of a crapshoot, but the drama of World War II is always a good seller in this category so look for Winter in Wartime to carry over. As for the other two, Ajami’s timely story of terrorism and Argentina’s El Secreto de Sus Ojos, shot by frequent Law and Order director Juan Jose Campanella should be the ones that play mainstream enough to charm the voters.
Wes Huizar: Alternate Prediction: El Secreto de Sus Ojos.

Documentary Feature

The Beaches of Agnès (Peter, Tripp)
Burma VJ (Wesley, Wes)
The Cove (Unanimous)
Every Little Step (Tripp, Wes)
Facing Ali (Wesley)
Food, Inc. (Unanimous)
The Most Dangerous Man in America (Tripp)
Mugabe and the White African (Wes)
Soundtrack for a Revolution (Wesley)
Under Our Skin (Peter)
Valentino – The Last Emperor (Peter)

Comments

Wesley Lovell: While I think Food, Inc. could easily miss this lineup since it’s production company has tried countless times with critically acclaimed documentaries to crack this list and failed. I went with Facing Ali because it seems like the kind of sports documentary this group loves. Soundtrack for a Revolution deals with the American Civil Rights movement and Burma VJ features footage smuggled out of Myanmar documenting the struggle of the monks in that country. I think this latter one will appeal heavily to the voters who vote for pictures like Taxi to the Dark Side. But, sometimes it’s impossible to tell what this group likes as they have avoided countless big name contenders for smaller, feel-good ones. Alternate Prediction: The Most Dangerous Man in America.
Tripp Burton: This can be a difficult category to pick because of the history of the Documentary branch to disregard the most popular films in the category. The past few years they have been a little more welcoming of documentaries people have heard of, so I think Food, Inc. (the biggest non-concert doc of the year) should be an easy nominee here. The theatrical themes of Every Little Step (about auditioning for the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line), the political nature of The Cove (a well-regarded doc about the oceans) and the well-told suspense story of The Most Dangerous Man in America should be able to prove themselves popular enough to carry over. Agnes Varda should garner the fifth nomination here for The Beaches of August, much in the way Werner Herzog got into this category last year. Don’t be surprised to see Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders to be a black horse in the running, especially with some new light post-Haiti.
Wes Huizar: Alternate Prediction: Under Our Skin.

Documentary Short Subject

China’s Unnatural Disaster (Peter, Wes)
The Last Truck (Unanimous)
Lt. Watada (Wesley)
Music by Prudence (Wesley, Peter, Wes)
Tell Them Anything You Want (Unanimous)
Woman Rebel (Peter, Tripp)

Note: Tripp has predicted only three nominations, Wesley & Wes have predicted four, and Peter has predicted five. Our final results will take this into account.

Comments

Wesley Lovell: The sad state of the U.S economy should help The Last Truck make it in and while I would love to go with China’s Unnatural Disaster, something about Lt. Watada (a military man refusing to serve in Iraq on moral grounds), Music by Prudence (about a popular Zimbabwean singer and seven of her disabled countrymen fighting for change in their country) and the Maurice Sendak biography would seem more interesting to the voters of this category. But, my alternate prediction comes down to either China’s Unnatural Disaster or Living in Emergency (about Medicins sans Frontier, or Doctors Without Borders. Alternate Prediction: China’s Unnatural Disaster.
Tripp Burton: Two films here seem like locks to me: The Last Truck and Women Rebel. Both films come from previous nominees in the category, the former has the timely, political themes that voters love to embrace and the later has that International political feel (set in the middle of war) that often carries over to this category. The third slot I say will go to Spike Jonze’s film of Maurice Sendak. This category likes to have bigger names in it, and here is an opportunity to reward one of the more original filmmakers in Hollywood.
Wes Huizar: Alternate Prediction: Lt. Watada.

Animated Short Film

The Cat Piano (Wesley, Peter, Wes)
French Roast(Tripp)
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Peter, Tripp, Wes)
The Kinematograph (Wesley, Tripp)
The Lady and the Reaper(Wesley, Wes)
A Matter of Loaf and Death (Unanimous)
Partly Cloudy (Unanimous)
Runaway (Peter)

Comments

Wesley Lovell: Nick Park has never failed to earn a nomination for his short films, so A Matter of Loaf and Death is in. Pixar has also earned several nominations, so Partly Cloudy is in. That leaves a smattering of interesting concepts. The Cat Piano is the only one aside from Partly Cloudy I’ve been able to see and it’s a slick style of animation with an interesting story that appeals to the inventive folks that give this category some bizarre choices at times. Of the rest, The Lady and the Reaper and The Kinematograph have the most unusual titles and ever since Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase won, I’ve gone for interesting titles in this category for at least a few slots. Alternate Prediction: Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty.
Tripp Burton: Wallace and Gromit and Pixar are always sure-bets in this category, so A Matter of Loaf and Death and Partly Cloudy are locks. As for the other three slots, Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty and The Kinematograph have titles that are too irresistible, while French Roast looks like a hoot.
Wes Huizar: Alternate prediction: French Roast