NUTSHELL: The month is set to be all about Heath, Heath, Heath. And though he still sits at the top of the supporting actor chart (where he has all week), we’re keeping our eye on a potential shift to lead. Elsewhere, I’ve decided to lean back toward Edward Zwick’s “Defiance” in the Paramount Vantage camp. Something is beginning to seem off about “Revolutionary Road.” And the former was high on my list of possibilities before Vantage inherited the Sam Mendes film, so it’s back to basics I suppose. I’ve got similar thoughts on “Doubt” (striking both Scott Rudin efforts from the predicted five might not be too smart, though).
Column: “Stuck in the middle with..what?”
Sort charts by: Main Categories/Technical Categories
| BEST PICTURE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “The Soloist” DreamWorks SKG |
— |
| 2 | “Frost/Nixon” Universal Pictures |
— |
| 3 | “Defiance” Paramount Vantage |
NEW |
| 4 | “Milk” Focus Features |
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| 5 | “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Paramount Pictures |
— |
| 6 | “The Reader” The Weinstein Company |
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| 7 | “Australia” 20th Century Fox |
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| 8 | “Changeling” Universal Pictures |
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| 9 | “House of Lies” Warner Bros. Pictures |
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| 10 | “Revolutionary Road” Paramount Vantage |
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| DIRECTING | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Wright “The Soloist” |
— |
| 2 | David Fincher “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” |
— |
| 3 | Ron Howard “Frost/Nixon” |
— |
| 4 | Clint Eastwood “Changeling” (or “Gran Torino”) |
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| 5 | Gus Van Sant “Milk” |
— |
| 6 | Edward Zwick “Defiance” |
NEW |
| 7 | Stephen Daldry “The Reader” |
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| 8 | Baz Luhrmann “Australia” |
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| 9 | Sam Mendes “Revolutionary Road” |
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| 10 | John Hilcoat “The Road” |
NEW |
| ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Langella “Frost/Nixon” |
— |
| 2 | Sean Penn “Milk” |
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| 3 | Jamie Foxx “The Soloist” |
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| 4 | Brad Pitt “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (or “Burn After Reading”) |
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| 5 | Viggo Mortensen “The Road” |
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| 6 | Leonardo DiCaprio “Revolutionary Road” (or “House of Lies”) |
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| 7 | Daniel Craig “Defiance” (or “Quantum of Solace”) |
NEW |
| 8 | Clint Eastwood “Gran Torino” |
NEW |
| 9 | Michael Sheen “Frost/Nixon” |
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| 10 | Josh Brolin “W” |
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| ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angelina Jolie “Changling” |
— |
| 2 | Kate Winslet “Revolutionary Road” (or “The Reader”) |
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| 3 | Meryl Streep “Doubt” (or “Mamma Mia!”) |
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| 4 | Cate Blanchett “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” |
— |
| 5 | Sally Hawkins “Happy-Go-Lucky” |
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| 6 | Nicole Kidman “Australia” |
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| 7 | Emily Blunt “The Young Victoria” |
— |
| 8 | Kate Beckinsale “Nothing But the Truth” |
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| 9 | Julianne Moore “Blindness” (or “Savage Grace”) |
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| 10 | Laura Linney “The Other Man” |
NEW |
| ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heath Ledger “The Dark Knight” |
— |
| 2 | Robert Downey Jr. “The Soloist” (or “Tropic Thunder”) |
— |
| 3 | Kodi Smit-McPhee “The Road” |
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| 4 | Josh Brolin “Milk” |
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| 5 | Russell Crowe “House of Lies” |
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| 6 | Michael Shannon “Revolutionary Road” |
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| 7 | Liev Schreiber “Defiance” |
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| 8 | James Franco “Pineapple Express” (or “Milk”) |
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| 9 | Alan Alda “Nothing But the Truth” |
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| 10 | Jamie Bell “Defiance” |
NEW |
| ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penélope Cruz “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” |
— |
| 2 | Taraji P. Henson “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” |
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| 3 | Vera Farmiga “Nothing But the Truth” |
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| 4 | Kathy Bates “Revolutionary Road” |
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| 5 | Viola Davis “Doubt” |
— |
| 6 | Kate Winslet “The Reader” |
NEW |
| 7 | Catherine Keener “The Soloist” (or “Synecdoche, New York”) |
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| 8 | Rachel Weisz “The Brothers Bloom” |
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| 9 | Amy Adams “Doubt” |
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| 10 | Emma Thompson “Brideshead Revisited” |
NEW |
| WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Frost/Nixon” Written by Peter Morgan Based on his play |
— |
| 2 | “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Written by Eric Roth Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald |
— |
| 3 | “House of Lies” Written by William Monahan, Steven Zaillian Based on the book by David Ignatius |
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| 4 | “Defiance” Written by Clay Frohman, Edward Zwick Based on the book by Nechama Tec |
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| 5 | “Revolutionary Road” Written by Justin Haythe Based on the novel by Richard Yates |
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| 6 | “The Road” Written by Joe Penhall Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy |
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| 7 | “The Reader” Written by David Hare Based on the novel by Bernhard Schlink |
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| 8 | “Doubt” Written by John Patrick Shanley Based on his play |
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| 9 | “Miracle at St. Anna” Written by James McBride Based on his novel |
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| 10 | “The Dark Knight” Written by Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan Story by David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan Based on characters created by Bob Kane |
NEW |
| WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “The Soloist” Written by Susannah Grant |
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| 2 | “Changeling” Written by J. Michael Straczynski |
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| 3 | “Milk” Written by Dustin Lance Black |
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| 4 | “Happy-Go-Lucky” Written by Mike Leigh |
— |
| 5 | “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” Written by Woody Allen |
— |
| 6 | “Synecdoche, New York” Written by Charlie Kaufman |
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| 7 | “Seven Pounds” Written by Grant Nieporte |
— |
| 8 | “WALL-E” Written by Andrew Stanton |
— |
| 9 | “Australia” Written by Stuart Bettie, Ronald Harwood, Baz Luhrmann |
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| 10 | “Hamlet 2” Written by Pam Brady, Andrew Fleming |
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| ANIMATED FEATURE FILM | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “WALL-E” Walt Disney Pictures | — |
| 2 | “Kung Fu Panda” DreamWorks SKG |
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| 3 | “Waltz with Bashir” Sony Pictures Classics |
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| 4 | “Igor” The Weinstein Company |
— |
| 5 | “Bolt” Walt Disney Pictures |
— |
| 6 | “The Tale of Despereaux” Universal Pictures |
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| 7 | “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Warner Bros. Pictures |
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| 8 | “Space Chimps” 20th Century Fox |
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| 9 | “Horton Hears a Who!” 20th Century Fox |
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| 10 | “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” DreamWorks SKG |
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