No End in Sight*
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience*
Sicko*
Taxi to the Dark Side*
War Dance*
Will win: Obviously I’m going entirely on buzz here, since I haven’t seen any of these movies. The three I’ve heard of are No End in Sight, about Iraq; Sicko, Michael Moore’s critique of the U.S. healthcare system; and Taxi to the Dark Side, about the United States’ mistreatment of prisoners of war. Of the three, I think No End in Sight has received the best overall press (it has a whopping score of 89 on Metacritic), and after Moore’s antics three years ago, I doubt voters want him back on the stage.
Should win: Not nearly as important as …
Should NOT win: Obviously, I haven’t seen Sicko, and it’s entirely possible that it’s a perfectly respectable, well-made documentary. (I kind of doubt it, but it’s possible.) But I will never root for Michael Moore to win anything in his life. His self-aggrandizing speech at the Oscars three years ago, when he won for Fahrenheit 911, solidified his standing as the most obnoxious, egotistical prick working in cinema today. What an asshole.
Jeremy Beck is the editor-in-chief of MovieManifesto. He watches more movies and television than he probably should.