FILM: My Oscar Picks

To be perfectly honest, I haven't seen 90% of these movies--but I will eventually--so I can't exactly peg any of them against each other. However, I can guess.
(Side note: all of my choices would involve Juno if I didn't.)

Best Picture
My guess is that this category is about a film that has the whole package: amazing screenplay, impeccable acting, and superb direction. The film that has the most buzz in all three of those areas is hard to determine...but I think I'll go with:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Director
This category caters to the person who managed to evoke the best performance from their actors and create scenes that were so visually compelling that they were seared into the viewers memory. Although every one is worshipping at the altar of the Coen Brothers, I personally found There Will Be Blood chilling simply from the sequence of images in the trailer...imagine the whole film.
Julian Schnabel, 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'
Jason Reitman, 'Juno'
Tony Gilroy, 'Michael Clayton'
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 'No Country for Old Men'
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Actor
The guy who gets this honor manages to make you admire him whether his character is the embodiment of evil or a symbol of justice. Although Daniel Day-Lewis transforms himself, in my opinion, better than Johnny Depp ever will, I have never been more convinced of a foreign impresonation than Viggo Mortensen's turn as a Russian mafia member.
George Clooney, 'Michael Clayton'
Daniel Day-Lewis, 'There Will Be Blood'
Johnny Depp, 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'
Tommy Lee Jones, 'In the Valley of Elah'
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Best Actress
The lady who gets this honor tugs at your heartstrings and has women everywhere idolizing her. Although I've heard great things about Marion Cotillard's remarkable transformation, I'll shoot for the underdog, Ellen Page--even though she's already getting typecast as a snarky young girl.
Cate Blanchett, 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'
Julie Christie, 'Away From Her'
Marion Cotillard, 'La Vie en Rose'
Laura Linney, 'The Savages'
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actor
This guy manages to steal the entire movie with his penetrating performance. I heard great things about Casey Affleck, but Javier Bardem is a force to be reckoned with.
Casey Affleck, 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'
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
This lady also manages to steal the entire movie with her penetrating performance. Hollywood's abuzz about Cate Blanchett's impressive cross dressing and Amy Ryan's astounding come back--but I'll give it to the indistinguishable Bob Dylan lookalike.
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, 'American Gangster'
Saoirse Ronan, 'Atonement'
Amy Ryan, 'Gone Baby Gone'
Tilda Swinton, 'Michael Clayton'

Best Foreign Film
I'm thinking these films are honored because Americans wish they made them. However, I've never heard of them.
'Beaufort' (Israel)
'Counterfeiters' (Austria)
'Katyn' (Poland)
'Mongol' (Kazakhstan)
'12' (Russia)

Best Original Screenplay
A good screenplay is comprised of quotable dialogue, memorable scenes, and a life-changing story. Out of the two films I've seen from this category, I'd most certainly give that credit to Diablo Cody. Although I do worry that giving her an Oscar this early in the game might screw her over in the long run.
Diablo Cody, Juno
Nancy Oliver, 'Lars and the Real Girl'
Tony Gilroy, 'Michael Clayton'
Brad Bird, 'Ratatouille'
Tamara Jenkins, 'The Savages'

Best Adapted Screenplay
An adapted screenplay has the pressure of being properly translated from book to script. That sounds easy because it's practically all already written. But a good adapter must know which scenes/dialogue to cut, which to lengthen, and which plot points will either take the forefront or a nose-dive. From what I hear, Atonement did the best in this respect.
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Sarah Polley, 'Away From Her'
Ronald Harwood, 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 'No Country for Old Men'
Paul Thomas Anderson, 'There Will Be Blood'

Best Animated Feature Film
For this award, you have to have amazing graphics and a moral in your story that resounds with children and adults. For that reason I think Persepolis has this one in the bag.
'Persepolis'
'Ratatouille'
'Surf's Up'

Best Art Direction
This film must utilize aesthetics to enhance the story. It seems to really be a cross between Golden Compass and Sweeney Todd--and even though I only saw Compass, I think Todd deserves it for sheer effort alone.
'American Gangster'
'Atonement'
'The Golden Compass'
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
'There Will Be Blood'

Best Cinematography
This film has to be imaginative and innovative enough so that the viewer feels like they've never seen anything like this before. Although the use of shadows in American Gangster and Jesse James were an interesting addition, I feel the visuals of There Will Be Blood are half the reason it's an incredible movie.
'American Gangster'
'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'
'Atonement'
'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'
'No Country for Old Men'
There Will Be Blood

Best Documentary Feature
Hmm, I'm more of a scripted kind of girl, but Sicko did get a lot of buzz...
'No End in Sight'
'Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience'
'Sicko'
'Taxi to the Dark Side'
'War/Dance'

Best Original Score
I do not remember a single note from 3:10 to Yuma's score. On that fact alone, I'll leave this one blank.
'Atonement'
'The Kite Runner'
'Michael Clayton'
'Ratatouille'
'3:10 to Yuma'

Best Original Song
A lot of people have been raving about Once's song, and even though I heard all of Enchanted's songs, I really liked August Rush's on first listen--especially the solo parts sung by an 11-year-old girl.
'Falling Slowly' from 'Once'
'Happy Working Song' from 'Enchanted'
'Raise It Up' from August Rush
'So Close' from 'Enchanted'
'That's How You Know' from 'Enchanted'

Best Makeup
I can't really differentiate between CGI and makeup when it comes to Pirates, but I think Norbit--despite it's horrible attempt at comedy--had the most impressive transformations.
'La Vie en Rose'
Norbit
'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'