Zgamer's Predictions on the Official Nominations

Well, the nods are here and now it's time for the predicting of the awards. Now, I will keep it fair by not predicting my bait. By the way, I want to thank everyone who helped me earn a personal best by earning three Big 8 nods for a video game. That's very encouraging. Anyways, let's begin:

CREATIVITY AWARDS

Best Plot / Synopsis

Behind Closed Doors
The Dead President
Field of Desire
For Pay
The Gold of Cajamarca
Tabula Rasa

The big competitors here are obviously the ones up for best picture. Problem is, only one of them isn't up for it. I have a feeling The Dead President will be rewarded either here or for the awards campaign so I think it will be safe to say it has a chance here. However, Behind Closed Doors and For Pay have a lot of supporters, so they may have a chance too. I think I'll give it to The Dead President since I think it has the best chances for Best Picture.

Predicted: The Dead President
Runner-Up: For Pay
Dark Horse: Behind Closed Doors

Best Awards Campaign

Behind Closed Doors
Criminal Origins
The Dead President
For Pay
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Zeppelin 2020

I enjoyed a lot of these baits, but I think Behind Closed Doors will get this one since it was by far the best written and precise of the ones in running. However, look for For Pay and The Dead President to be close behind it.

Predicted: Behind Closed Doors
Runner-Up: The Dead President
Dark Horse: For Pay

Best Online Awards Campaign

Catastrophe-astrophe
The Cloud
For Pay
The Ice Princess
Stanford's Prisons

Sergio has the edge here thanks to his brilliant poster design, but Alfredo has a bit of support thanks to his posters too. If not them, it will most likely Catastrophe-astrophe.

Predicted: For Pay
Runner-Up: The Cloud
Dark Horse: Catastrophe-astrophe

Best Title

Behind Closed Doors
Field of Desire
If Tomorrow Never Comes...
Needle in the Hay
The Road We Traveled

Always a hard category to predict. I think it should go to either Field of Desrie or The Road We Traveled. Both kind of roll off the tongue in their own way.

Predicted: Field of Desire
Runner-Up: The Road We Traveled
Dark Horse: Behind Closed Doors

Best Box-Office Potential

The Curious Savage
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Haunting
To Serve Man
Zeppelin 2020

All of these are box-office gold, but I think Dark Tower I gets my vote here because it has all the right ingredients. Zeppelin 2020 also has a chance.

Predicted: The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
Runner-Up: Zeppelin 2020
Dark Horse: The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

Best Cult Film

Catastrophe-astrophe
Criminal Origins
Harvey Black.
LD
Switching Time
The Witch of Portobello

I think it will be between Catastrophe-astrophe or Harvey Black.. Both seem to have the stuff needed to be considered cult hits. I guess I'll go with Harvey Black. out of personal preference.

Predicted: Harvey Black.
Runner-Up: Catastrophe-astrophe
Dark Horse: Switching Time

Most Original Bait

The Dead President
For Pay
Harvey Black.
A Modern Tale
Tabula Rasa
The Road We Traveled

Toughie. I think Harvey Black. has the most original idea for the most part, but the other ones are also unique in their own way. Harvey Black. gets my vote, but keep an eye on Tabula Rasa and The Dead President (It was a pretty unique bait on its own terms).

Predicted: Harvey Black.
Runner-Up: Tabula Rasa
Dark Horse: The Dead President or For Pay

Most Original Character

Danny Roberts, played by Macaulay Culkin, in For Pay
Harvey Black, played by Christopher Walken, in Harvey Black.
Kevin, played by Michael Cera, in LD
Dolores Sinclair, played by Meryl Streep, in A Modern Tale
The Priest, played by Jude Law, in Tabula Rasa
James Cowry, played by Edward Burns, in Welcome Back
Leyton Hume, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in Zeppelin 2020

I think the most developed of the characters were For Pay, Harvey Black. and Tabula Rasa. I have a feeling For Pay will get this win because of its character and its unique casting, but the other two are worth considering.

Predicted: For Pay
Runner-Up: Harvey Black
Dark Horse: Tabula Rasa

Best Cast

The Dead President
Field of Desire
The Gold of Cajamarca
Things We Lost in the Time of War
Stanford's Prisons

The Dead President by far had the best cast of the group. It will most likely win this.

Predicted: The Dead President
Runner-Up: Field of Desire
Dark Horse: Stanford's Prisons

Best Casting Choice

Dennis Haysbert as Detective Alan Handrick in Criminal Origins
Daniel Day Lewis as Francisco Pizarro in The Gold of Cajamarca
Christopher Walken as Harvey Black in Harvey Black.
Lisa Kudrow as Erica Falck in The Ice Princess
Susan Sarandon as Ann Marie Fowler in Things We Lost in the Time of War

I think Harvey Black. really has a chance here more than anywhere else. Walken's voice and style of acting seem very fitting for his character and I can totally see him playing this role. It gets my vote, but look for Cajamarca as a runner-up.

Predicted: Harvey Black.
Runner-Up: The Gold of Cajamarca
Dark Horse: The Ice Princess

Best Crew

The Cloud
Criminal Origins
Stanford's Prisons
To Serve Man
Zeppelin 2020

Very tough. I really enjoyed the crew for all these baits, but I think The Cloud will win here cause of a great director choice. However, Zeppelin 2020 has a chance due to the fact it's a D.W. bait.

Predicted: The Cloud
Runner-Up: Zeppelin 2020
Dark Horse: Stanford's Prisons

Best Tagline

"It's a dangerous business going out your front door"
Behind Closed Doors

"There are always rays of light over the darkest clouds"
The Cloud

"Look to the Horizon... and Beg For Sunset"
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger

"Leadership is dying. Justice is hiding. Corruption is growing"
The Dead President

"The most beautiful artists bare the most tormented souls"
Needle in the Hay

"Somewhere along the way to getting the ultimate high, they grew up"
The Road We Traveled

Ok, it's usually the safest choice that wins this award, so my vote goes to The Dead President. However, I really liked a lot of these taglines so any of them would be fine choices for winners.

Predicted: The Dead President
Runner-Up: Behind Closed Doors
Dark Horse: The Road We Traveled or The Cloud or Dark Tower

Funniest Bait

The Curious Savage
Mr. & Mrs. Woods
A Modern Tale
The Road We Traveled
Thoroughly Modern Millie

No question that the two most likely ones are Thoroughly Modern Millie and A Modern Tale. I'm going with the former cause I liked it more and Michael usually does well here.

Predicted: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Runner-Up: A Modern Tale
Dark Horse: The Road We Traveled

Shameless Oscar-Vehicles

Field of Desire
The Good Guy
If Tomorrow Never Comes...
Needle in the Hay
Things We Lost in the Time of War
The Witch of Portobello

No Comment

Best Poster

The Cloud
The Gold of Cajamarca
A Modern Tale
Tabula Rasa
Thoroughly Modern Millie

A toughie, but I'm going to go with the king and pick The Cloud. Its poster is hypnotic and very well done. However, Tabula Rasa is also up for consideration just for having a very distinct style.

Predicted: The Cloud
Runner-Up: Tabula Rasa
Dark Horse: A Modern Tale or Thoroughly Modern Millie

Best Author of the Month
Special Achievement on Writing and Creativity

Alfredo (For Pay)
Bryce M. (Field of Desire & Welcome Back)
Chris M. (Behind Closed Doors & Switching Time)
Conrado Falco (The Gold of Cajamarca)
Pat (The Dead President & The Road We Traveled)
Zgamer (Criminal Origins)

For quality, I think Pat is the frontrunner. For unqiueness, Alfredo is also for consideration. A very tight race this month.

Predicted: Pat
Runner-Up: Alfredo
Dark Horse: Chris M.

The Editor's TOP 5

The Dead President
Field of Desire
For Pay
The Gold of Cajamarca
Welcome Back

No comment.

THE BIG 8 AWARDS

Best Director

David Fincher, Criminal Origins
Marc Forster, The Cloud
Michael Heneke, Behind Closed Doors
Mike Nichols, The Dead President
Gus Van Sant, For Pay

This was a good month for directors. A lot of unique and baity choices. I think Gus Van Sant has uniqueness and lack of exposure to his advantage, but Nichols is a part of the biggest bait of the month so he may have a chance. Really, I wouldn't mind if any of these choices won.

Predicted: Gus Van Sant
Runner-Up: Mike Nichols
Dark Horse: Any of them

Best Actor

Macaulay Culkin, For Pay
Jeff Bridges, The Dead President
John Goodman, Behind Closed Doors
Jude Law, Tabula Rasa
Christopher Walken, Harvey Black.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed all the nominees here. Obviously though, it will be between Culkin, Bridges and Goodman. Goodman has popular support, but I think people fail to realize that even though he's good, it's essentially the same role he played in Barton Fink. Bridges is in the frontrunner for best picture, but he doesn't have as much buzz. So I think it will go to Culkin for uniqueness of the casting and the role he's in. But seriously, I liked them all so much for so many reasons.

Predicted: Macaulay Culkin
Runner-Up: Jeff Bridges
Dark Horse: Any of them

Best Actress

Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Keira Knightley, The Witch of Portobello
Lisa Kudrow, The Ice Princess
Susan Sarandon, Things We Lost in the Time of War
Meryl Streep, A Modern Tale
Kerry Washington, Field of Desire

Another boring race for best actress. Watch Washington sweep this up in a heart beat.

Predicted: Kerry Washington
Runner-Up; Sutton Foster
Dark Horse: Meryl Streep

Best Supporting Actor

Gabriel Byrne, Catastrophe-astrophe
Richard Chamberlain, For Pay
Dennis Haysbert, Criminal Origins
Ethan Hawke, Stanford's Prisons
David Strathairn, The Cloud

Another very competitive category in which I like most of the nominees. However, out of the nominees (and excluding mine even though he's a predicted frontrunner), Chamberlain has the best chances.

Predicted: Richard Chamberlain
Runner-Up: Ethan Hawke
Dark Horse: David Strathairn

Best Supporting Actress

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Behind Closed Doors
Megan Mullaly, Thoroughly Modern Millie
Elizabeth Reaser, Field of Desire
Eva Marie Saint, Kathy's Desire
Patricia Wettig, The Dead President

A so-so race this month. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal will win this just because of the lack of serious competition.

Predicted: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Runner-Up: Megan Mullay
Dark Horse: Patricia Wettig

Best Original Screenplay

The Dead President
Field of Desire
Harvey Black.
Tabula Rasa
Welcome Back

A three way race between The Dead President, Harvey Black. and Tabula Rasa. However, since Tabula Rasa didn't get many predictions on my list, I think I will give it the advantage here cause it's likely to win something. Look for Dead President to be its main competition.

Predicted: Tabula Rasa
Runner-Up: The Dead President
Dark Horse: Harvey Black.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Criminal Origins
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Gold of Cajamarca
Switching Time
Thoroughly Modern Millie
The Witch of Portobello

Hmm... I'll give Millie the edge since it's a friendlier topic than the others. However, Cajamarca has been getting a surprise amount of attention so it could win.

Predicted: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Runner-Up: The Gold of Cajamarca
Dark Horse: The Dark Tower

Best Picture

Behind Closed Doors
The Dead President
Field of Desire
For Pay
The Gold of Cajamarca

Ok, let's look at the nominees. While Gold of Cajamarca has some strong support from people like Maia, I just don't think it's likely to win (I didn't hate the bait, but it wasn' my favorite). Field of Desire will win best actress, but it wasn't the best written bait so it may have some trouble here. Behind Closed Doors has the fan support and the quality writing, but popular baits don't always get recognized here. So it's mostly between For Pay and The Dead President. I'm very confident Pat will become the next double BOTM winner for this bait, so he gets my vote. It was the best written of those two and is a much friendlier topic for the Oscars.

Predicted: The Dead President
Runner-Up: For Pay
Dark Horse: Behind Closed Doors

Good luck to everyone and I am very excited to see the results.

Zgamer's Predictions on the Official Nominations

Bryce's October Predictions

Well here are my predictions. I will omit my baits to keep things fair. One thing I noticed is that out of the GGs and Sags only two to three BOTM winners voted, so I think come Oscar time there will be a lot of surprises.


Best Adapted Screenplay
Criminal Origins
**The Cloud**
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Gold of Cajamarca
Thoroughly Modern Millie

not many adapted baits this month, so not much to choose from. I think this i a wide open category, and really anyone can get a win, but I'm going to predict THe Cloud wins, since it has the baitiest story out of the five. But I think Criminal Origins or The Dark tower can pull an upset.


Best Original Screenplay
Behind Closed Doors
Tabula Rasa
For Pay
The Dead President
**Harvey Black.**

Even though Harvey Black. has been losing buzz, I think the academy will support it more than the general public on the forums. Also it's Charlie Kaufman, a very hard person to bait, and I feel Harvey Black. correctly captured the Kaufman feel. Expect The Dead President or Behind Closed Doors to sneak in and take home the win instead.

Best Supporting Actress
**Maggie Gyllenhaal for Behind Closed Doors**
Patrica Wettig for The Dead President
Dominique Swain for For Pay
Megan Mullaly for Thoroughly Modern Millie
Linda Cardellini for The Good Guy

Supporting Actress category seems to mirror the supporting actress category for real life. It seems to be a weak cateogry IMO and I think Maggie will go on to win the award (like she has been doing) I have a feeling the academy will like the Good Guy better than the forum users so I think it's likely Linda will be nominated. I think Swain or Wettig could pull an upset as well.


Best Supporting Actor
**Dennis Haysbert for Criminal Origins**
Jeremy Piven for The Dead President
Richard Chamberlain for For Pay
Ethan Hawk for Stanford's Prison
David Strathirn for The Cloud

Even though Pivan has been winning the precursors I think the academy will embrace Haysbert. But, Piven could pull an upset. I think it's down to those two, with Chamberlain being the second likely upset. I feel Stanford's Prisons will also be better embrace by the academy and I think this is where it will get it's acting nod.


Best Actress
Fairuza Balk for Switching Time
Lisa Kudrow for The Ice Princess
Natalie Portman for The Cloud
**Sutton Foster for Thoroughly Modern Millie**
Meryl Streep for A Modern Tale

I'm going with Sutton Foster because she had such a perfect role, I'm surprised she was beat by Meryl. I actually think the actress category is pretty competitive this month. All the nominees had some great roles. This could go either way, but I think this will be between Sutton, Meryl, and Fairuza, but I feel Modern Millie will be embraced better than A Modern Tale so I'm gonna go with Sutton, but anything can happen.


Best Actor
Jude Law for Tabula Rasa
Jeff Bridges for The Dead President
**Macaulay Culkin for For Pay**
John Goodman for Behind Closed Doors
Christopher Walken for Harvey Black.

Goodman has been having a great run so far, but I think Behind closed doors won't be as embraced as it was on the forums. This is between Jeff Bridges and Macaulay Culkin. I'm going with Culkin because he has a lot more buzz than Jeff and For Pay seems to be the only bait that can stop The Dead President at this moment. Although I think Jude Law could pull off a upset. Tony has done that before with Dr. Death.


Best Picture
**For Pay**
The Dead President
Harvey Black.
Tabula Rasa
Thoroughly Modern Millie

Very tough category. Even though I wouldn't count out Criminal Origins, The Cloud, or Behind closed Doors, I think that the academy will go in a different direction than the precursors (as far as the last two slots goes). I think Criminal Origins will be ultimately snubbed because sadly it's a video game bait (and I wish it was up there but if Fallout couldn't do it (which I thought was zGamer's best VG bait) Then I don't think Criminal Origins can do it. Although, this is a weak month so hopefully it won't matter) Tony has been on a roll lately. The Winter Sun, To Dwell In Evil...Tabula Rasa will be up there, and I think Tony has a great chance of winning...although people have been saying that for the past two months. Harvey Black., like I said earlier, will be embraced by the academy more than the forums. I think, obviously, this comes down to For Pay and The Dead President. Although The Dead President has a lot more buzz, I think the academy isn't ready for another two time BOTM winner and would rather give it to Alfredo, who was snubbed for Sixty Days in 67. But, I wouldn't be suprised if Pat walked off with another win.

Anyway, good luck to all!

The October Buzz Meter

Ok folks, here's a new version of a golden oldie. As the weeks progress and we get closer to the official awards, we will post a buzz meter to keep track of the baits most buzzed about at that time. Expect updates to follow such events as precursors and nominations announcements. For now, here are the most buzzed about baits based on the reviews being given.

:::BUZZ METER ONLINE:::

:::PRINTING ANANLYSIS:::

:::AS RECORDED, HERE ARE THE BAITS CURRENTLY BUZZED THE MOST:::

----Throughly Modern Millie-----

Michael is slowly starting to climb the ranks in becoming a known musical writer. Problem is, many aren't considering this a huge standout. However, there is good buzz and reviews for the bait can help it snag some nods.

Most Buzzed Nomination Possibility: Best Supporting Actress (Megan Mullay), Best Adapted Screenplay

----The Dead President------

So far, the buzz for Pat's political bait is among the highest in the competition. Despite minor criticisms for casting and plot issues, the bait has consistently ranked highly on people's top ten and recieved some of the highest grades. I guess when it comes down to it, the big question has to be asked: will the readers and voters embrace politics?

Most Buzzed Nomination Possibilities: Best Picture, Director (Mike Nichols)

-----Criminal Origins-----

Zgamer has been writing a lot of video game baits lately and so far, none have made it to the big time. However, buzz for his newest bait is proving quite favorable, especially to star Haysbert. Could this actually be an Oscar-worthy game adaptation? Not incredibly likely, but anything's possible at this point.

Most Buzzed Nomination Possibilities: Best Supporting Actor (Haysbert), Best Adapted Screenplay

----Tabula Rasa------

While buzz has not been high for the anticipated The Good Guy, people are now flocking over to Tony's newest venture. With its unique story and quality writing, it seems to have made an impact on many. Plus, it's Tony we're talking about, so he's likely to be praised somewhere in the competition. I guess it comes down to whether people can accept it's director choice and the fact it has a bit of competition.

Most Buzzed Nomination Possibilities: Best Picture, Best Actor (Jude Law)

-----Field of Desire------

Bryce's newest bait is recieving quite a few raves from the authors. Period pieces are usually quite popular among the Oscars, so it's likely Bryce will see good things heading in the future. However, there is strong competition from Dead President and For Pay.

Most Buzzed Nomination Possibilities: Best Actress (Kerry Washington)

----For Pay----

Recieving some of the best reviews so far, this Gus Van Sant tale is one of the biggest competitors for the big prizes. While not embraced by everybody, the bait is getting support from many big authors and praise for star Culkin. Keep an eye on this one as the days go on.

Most Buzzed Nomination Possibilities: Best Picture, Best Actor (Macaulay Culkin)

:::ALL BUZZ COMMENT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS DAYS PASS:::

:::THE TOP FIVE MOST BUZZED BAITS ARE...:::

1. The Dead President
2. For Pay
3. Tabula Rasa
4. Criminal Origins
5. Field of Desire

:::BUZZ METER POWERING OFF:::

:::MORE UPDATES TO COME SOON:::

--Good luck to everyone this month--

Bait some Ethusiasm?

The following argument is not meant to offend anyone, and is my own opinion.

Is it just me or has the contest and it's contestants lost some enthusiasm? I'm not saying the same thing that Pat is saying (he's talking about the quality of the baits) I'm talking about participation and activeness of the contest has really gone down lately. The forums use to at least have one conversation every two days, but it's been a baron wasteland lately. Not only that, but all the cool things that the users have created to give the contest more flare, looks to be diminishing. Last month we didn't even have the SAG awards, and it looks like this month were not even having the festival awards. I understand, it's school time, more people are getting busier and etc. but start what you finish. Don't bark more than you can bite (is that how the saying goes lol?) As someone that has been a partner of z for the globes for the last several months, the SAG could of been done last month. It's only five categories to count, and there usually are no ceremonies with the SAGs. I usually have five categories to count by myself in the globes. I just think the SAG's absence was avoidable, and a little irresponsible. I can completely understand the festival's absence though. Al needed panelist and no one was stepping up. The festival can be pretty hard to manage, especially considering it gives reviews and such.

The site usually at least has some activity during the time the baits are published, but in September the "official September bait" thread didn't even have a lot of discussion for the first few days. As a matter a fact, the "coming soon:October" thread seemed to have a bigger turn out than the September discussion thread. It seemed like people were more interested in their next baits, than the baits that had been recently published.

I'm worried that the lack of enthusiasm will result in the contest diminishing. I think I heard the best opinion on the contest from D.W. a while back. He said in a thread "The only way for a contest to fall, is if it's contestants stopped playing". It would seem that may be the case. At this rate, I'm afraid we might start losing a lot of people. I understand people got things to do, (I got things to do) but it doesn't take long to contribute to a discussion or offer a review. IMO

Bryce's September Thoughts

Well September is done, and I thought it was a pretty o.k. month. There were some great baits that came out of it, that are sure to be ranked high in my favorites of all time, such as Bandito Express, Cinematheque, Cherry Blossom, and a few others. But, In my opinion, overall it wasn't as good as the last two months (July, and August). Even though my favorite was Bandito Express, I'm still happy with Cinematheque's win, it was a great bait. Gratz to all the other winners as well.

I'd like to thank all those who supported Project Sin and Knights of the Old Republic. The reception was way past expectation. I'd also like to thank my marvelous partners Sergio and zGamer. We all worked very very hard on the bait, and the hard work ended up paying off. It was also a great learning experience for me, and was a very fun project to work on. Once again thanks.

I'll be putting up another article soon that is on a different and more serious topic IMO. I love comments, especially if you have suggestions or what not that you may want to give, so feel free to leave comments.

Greatest Cinematic Moments in Gaming: Half-Life 2

Half-Life is a series that has changed the way shooters and storytelling in games overall were done. One of the first games to create a completely compelling story without a cinema that stops the action, Half-Life truly defined what it meant to do a compelling First-Person game. Then it made a sequel that broke even more ground. Following the same formula, it then re-definied how graphics and animations were handled with its very realistic facial designs and character animations. Plus, it was an inteligent, fun and well made game. These two clips are the first and last minutes of the game, notably the only ones that weren't done in game. This was also the basis for my failed bait Half-Life.

To fill in the story gaps, Half-Life 2 takes place some time after you successfully saved the Black Mesa research center. You were recruited by the mysterious G-Man (the guy in the suit) for a job you don't know. Apparently, your character then vanished off the face of existence for some time. Now he is about to re-enter the world in the first clip.

The second clip is right after you defeat the main villain Dr. Breen before he escapes into an alternate dimension. Before you and your ally Alyx can escape, the portal Breen was using explodes. Then the G-Man interrupts the scene.

Check them out and, if you're interested at all, comment.

One of the Greatest Moments in All Gaming (Spoilers, but a Must See!!!)

You'd think horror is something that video games are not capable of. Well, you'd think wrong. All the way from 1999, we bring you a clip from one of the greatest horror games of all time: System Shock 2. The clip is by far one of the best sequences ever done in gaming. With its creepyness, feeling of betrayal and and some of the best sound design for a voice I've heard in a long time, it was one of the biggest plot twists of all time and changed the way storytelling was handled in games. One of the few games that could work well as a horror film (with proper handling of course).

To fill in the blanks in the story, the game centers around a time in the future where the main character awakes on a ship in the middle of nowhere space. Most of the crew is dead and monsterous aliens roam the halls. Your only guide is a survivor named Dr. Pelito, who gives you advice to help guide you to safety. After playing through the game a good time, you're convinced that all will end when you reach her. And then this happens: