OscarBlog Part 4 - Sounds Good To Me

Remember when I said the last entry would be the shortest in the series? I'm going to try and prove myself wrong.

The nominees will be...

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Paul Cantelon "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Michael Giacchino "Ratatouille"
Jonny Greenwood "There Will Be Blood"
Alberto Iglesias "The Kite Runner"
Dario Marianelli "Atonement"

Alberto Iglesias was nominated last year for The Constant Gardner, and Dario Marianelli was nominated for Pride & Prejudice like everyone else who worked on Atonement. Besides these two each receiving their second nomination, everyone else listed above would be a first-time Oscar nominee. I think the race is going to be between Marianelli and Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) who each composed a thrilling score that practically becomes a character of its own.
I'm pretty confident that these will be the five nominees even though last year this was the only category that I only correctly predicted one nominee (Babel's Gustavo Santaolalla who went on to win the Oscar). If the same thing happens this year the nominees who will prove me wrong will most likely be Christopher Gunning for La Vie en Rose, Marc Streitenfeld for American Gangster, Howard Shore for Eastern Promises, or Michael Brook, Kaki King and Eddie Vedder who all worked on Into the Wild.

There's also Clint Eastwood whose score for Grace Is Gone was nominated for a Golden Globe (the award went to Atonement), and you can't count rule out Alan Menken for Enchanted or Mark Mancina for August Rush since original music played such a big part in both films. If that's not enough possibilities, consider Film Music Critic Association nominees David Shire for Zodiac and Alexandre Desplat for both The Golden Compass and Lust, Caution. I could list more, but I won't except for that six-time nominee James Newton Howard is eligible this year for six different films (Charlie Wilson's War, The Great Debaters, I Am Legend, The Lookout, Michael Clayton and The Water Horse)


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Come So Far (Got So Far To Go) "Hairspray"
Falling Slowly "Once"
Guaranteed "Into the Wild"
That's How You Know "Enchanted"
Walk Hard "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

There are 60 eligible songs this year. Stage musicals that become movie musicals which offer something that qualifies for this category more often than not end up getting a nomination, so expect Hairspray to make the list. There's no denying the beauty of the music in Once, and Falling Slowly was featured more strongly than If You Want Me. There are three eligible songs from Into the Wild (the other two being Society and Rise) so I went with the Golden Globe winner. That's How You Know was also featured the most strongly of the three songs from Enchanted (the other two are So Close and the hilarious Happy Working Song) and was the only one to receive a Globe nomination. I'm least confident in my prediction for Walk Hard (the film has three more contenders: Beautiful Ride, Let's Duet and Back Where You Belong) but the title song did also receive a Globe nomination and I think the Academy would welcome John C. Reilly singing at their ceremony once again.
Of the other 47 contenders, some of the more likely candidates would be either of the songs from Music and Lyrics (Pop! Goes My Heart and Way Back Into Love, which was written by Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne), one of the four songs from August Rush (Someday, This Time, Raise It Up and Break), one of the songs from Grace Is Gone (Grace Is Gone and Lullabye for Wyatt, also composed by Clint Eastwood) and Despedida from Love in the Time of Cholera. I wonder though that if by some chance the Academy nominated Hello (I Love You) from The Last Mimzy, would Roger Waters actually come perform at the ceremony?


BEST SOUND MIXING
American Gangster
Atonement
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
3:10 to Yuma

The first four are solid predictions. I'm least confident in 3:10 to Yuma making the list, but I figure it has to be nominated for something and this may be it. Other films that could end up taking its spot include August Rush, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Hairspray and No Country for Old Men. Then there are also the more effect-driven films like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Transformers and 300.


BEST SOUND EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

Since there were no major war movies released in 2007 expect this category to be filled with blockbusters like those listed above or perhaps The Golden Compass, I Am Legend, Live Free or Die Hard, Spider-Man 3 or 300.


Only one entry remains. Be sure to check back for Part 5 when the manifesto concludes with Best Picture and Best Director.