A Look at Best Film Editing

People always overlook the importance of this category. It really is a necessity (in most cases) to have a Best Editing nod in order to win Best Picture. The nominees are...

Babel
Blood Diamond
Children of Men
The Departed
United 93

I've seen Babel, The Departed and United 93. And one by one we go...

BABEL-In a neck-and-neck race against The Departed, I think Babel will come out on top. Why? Mostly it's just an inkling, but a lot of it is because Babel can't and won't walk away empty handed. It's the most nominated Best Picture nominee, for God's sake, and since I'm not predicting it to win Best Picture or any other category (I don't think), it'll win this by default. But, on the other hand, The Color Purple and Gangs of New York both recieved double digit nominations and were shut out...

BLOOD DIAMOND-Jeez, who would've expected that the Academy would be so in love with this movie? Average critical reception and no Best Picture nomination (duh) will be what prevents this one from winning the golden statue.

CHILDREN OF MEN-Normally, this would be the frontrunner. It's very artistic, it had an outstanding response from critics and audiences alike, it has many settings and requires smooth transitions (which require good editing, by the way) and it was really close to getting a Best Picture nomination (or so we assume). But, with The Departed, Babel and even United 93 in the running, this one is pushed to the back of the line.

THE DEPARTED-This is actually very likely, it's just that Babel has interlocking storylines. The very premise of Babel, which has many set changes and twists, depends on being well edited for overall success. Because it's clear that AMPAS thinks it accomplished that, it seems like the favorite. But don't count it out just yet. As a matter of fact, it probably has the same odds as Babel.

UNITED 93-As much as I loved this film, the editing certainly wasn't the star of it. Because it was meant to be as realistic as possible, there weren't any fancy editing tricks or anything. I think it got nominated because it was so lean, at just the right running length. Maybe that'll be enough for it to upset...

WILL WIN: Babel
SHOULD WIN: The Departed or Babel
IN ORDER OF LIKELINESS:
1. Babel
2. The Departed
3. United 93
4. Children of Men
5. Blood Diamond

Tomorrow: Best Documentary Feature