And today, for the last day of predicting technical awards (it's over too soon, isn't it?), we have editing and cinematography, two of my favorites because they leave so much to get passionate about. Sure, The Dark Knight had some beautiful shots, but what about the technical proficiency of shooting in those Indian slums? And yeah, maybe Slumdog had the most editing, but it sure took some genius to thread all that archival footage into Milk. Check out my predictions below, with links to previous predictions at the bottom.
Best Editing
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
I think it was The Film Experience that taught me that "best" editing here usually means "most" editing. Which brings me to Slumdog Millionaire, a movie that really is brilliantly paced, but also has probably a larger sheer total of shots than any of its competition. Plus, it's the juggernaut-- when in doubt, go Slumdog.
And the winner is: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Cinematography
Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight
Claudio Miranda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Chris Menges & Roger Deakins, The Reader
Tom Stern, Changeling
There are some really wonderful candidates in the category this year, and Best Cinematography often includes gorgeous movies that are just too much for the bigger categories. But here, once again, the behemoth rules them all. Anthony Dod Mantle made a real impression with the saturated colors and fluid camerawork in Slumdog Millionaire, and even though I'm partial to the blues and blacks of The Dark Knight, I'll be happy to see him win.
And the winner is: Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
Previously
Predicting Best Original Song and Best Original Score
Predicting Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing
Predicting Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Effects
