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Leonardo DiCaprio, first of
all, was knocked out immediately by virtue of being
nominated for the massive turd that was Blood
Diamond. While he certainly did the best job he
could with the script, the script didn’t allow him
to play one character, as I’ve commented before, and
as a result no clear character portrayal emerges.
Why he wasn’t nominated for the far superior The
Departed is a mystery to me. So, Leo is out.
Ryan Gosling was,
unquestionably excellent, and is usually excellent
in Half Nelson, a movie that effected me more deeply
the three days that followed my viewing of it, more
than while I was watching it. He does a great job,
BUT the character requires calm, quiet, thoughtful
acting, and therefore, doesn’t wow us with dynamism
as much as with even portrayal. I hate to say that
show-boaty type roles are better, they’re not
always, but this one just doesn’t break the sound
barrier, and I think the Academy will, rightly,
decide to let the young actor get some more roles
under his belt. Only with more variety on his
resume can we know how far of a stretch this was for
him. That said, he certainly deserved the
nomination.
Will Smith, who I’ve been a
defender of for as long as I’ve defended Leo, sort
of puts himself in the same category here with Mr.
Gosling. He’s very good, very convincing but,
again, how much range does this show. Yes, he fits
the part perfectly and The Pursuit of Happyness
certainly showcases his best work yet, but the role,
to me, isn’t an Oscar guarantee. He’s got plenty
more time and plenty more rolls before his own rap
lyrics need to be proved: “I’ve got a grammy on my
shelf, soon I’m gonna have an Oscar too” or
something like that.
And that leaves Peter O’Toole.
For me, this doesn’t have to do with whether or not
he’s a sentimental favorite or not, though it
certainly will effect the voters in the Academy, but
rather the fact that the role of Maurice in Venus is
a deeply personal (to the character, mind you) and
deeply varied portrayal on his part. All the best
of Peter O’Toole is on display here. What stands in
his way, I think, is A) that he made several movies
last year and doesn’t yet seem to be on his last
legs, and B) our final nominee.
Forest Whitaker, always a
welcome presence in a film, usually able to save any
scene he’s in, no matter how bad the movie (I give
you
4 Dogs Playing Poker and, yes, The Crying
Game). We’ve loved him for years, but in the
extraordinary Last King of Scotland, he gives us
infinite amounts more than he’s ever given us
before. The man is incredible.
My vote: Forest Whitaker
(though I’ll also take Mr. O’Toole)
My prediction: Forest
Whitaker
I WAS
RIGHT HERE, AND VERY HAPPY THAT GHOST DOG HIMSELF
WON AN OSCAR FOR GREAT WORK AND GAVE A VERY NICE
SPEECH. I MUST ALSO ADD, HOWEVER, THAT I WAS
VERY SAD TO SEE PETER O'TOOLE NOT WIN, AS I THINK HE
WAS. HE TRULY DESERVED AN OSCAR FOR THIS FILM,
AND EVERYONE SHOULD SEE IT TO CELEBRATE HIM
AND THANK HIM FOR AMAZING WORK. CONGRATS,
FOREST, WELL DONE.
Actor
– Supporting
For me, and I’m just one man
talking, this is an open and shut case.
Jackie Earle Haley, hands down
and off kids. What a performance, what a movie,
what a slow burn explosion greatly in the hands of
Mr. Haley who enters quietly and stealthfully takes
over the movie. Give it to him! Little Children is
excellent and he’s a huge part of it.
However, I don’t think he’ll
get it, except in some awesome upset. Djimon
Hounsou, who should have won already for what he did
in In America, was excellent but suffers from the
same curse as Mr. DiCaprio: the awful screenplay
and directing of Blood Diamond. Unless they give
him an apology Oscar (like Russell Crowe got for
Gladiator because they knew they screwed up not
giving him one for The Insider), he’s probably out.
And he should be, because, again, he played several
inconsistent characters.
Alan Arkin, who I love and
thought did a great job in Little Miss Sunshine, was
kinda still Alan Arkin. He hasn’t done enough
high-profile stuff to get the sentimental favorite
thing and I think will just be enjoying a
well-earned nomination.
And so we come to the rub:
Eddie Murphy for his full-length James Brown
impersonation from the old days that everyone seems
to think is the freshest and most original thing
ever, or Marky Mark and his Funky gun in The
Departed. I think Mark Wahlberg is a very good
actor who should have won years ago for Boogie
Nights if he was going to and didn’t impress me
overly with his part in The Departed. He did a
great supporting performance of a one-note
character. He was, however, much better than Eddie
Murphy in the debacle of gigantic proportions that
was Dreamgirls. In the long run, I think the
Academy will defy the Globes and give it to the more
accomplished dramatic actor, Wahlberg and let Eddie
give it another go in the future… or make Norbit 2.
My vote: Jackie Earle Haley
My prediction: Mark Wahlberg
HOLY
CRAP. REALLY, THAT'S MY MAIN THOUGHT.
WHAT A SHOCK AND THE FIRST SIGN THAT EVERYTHING WAS
TRULY UP IN THE AIR THIS YEAR. ALAN FREAKIN'
ARKIN. I STICK BY MY GUNS THAT MR. HALEY
SHOULD HAVE WON, BUT I CAN'T SAY THAT I'M OVERLY
UPSET ABOUT THIS. ARKIN CONTINUES TO DO
EXCELLENT AND EXPERIMENTAL WORK AND MUCH DESERVED
HIS OSCAR, ESPECIALLY WITH GREAT FILMS LIKE 13
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT 1 THING IN HIS RECENT PAST. CONGRATS, AND SORRY EDDIE, BUT YOU
HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THAT ISN'T A REHASH OF AN OLD SNL SKIT. MARKY
MARK, WHO HANDLED HIMSELF ADMIRABLY CAN TRY AGAIN IN THE DEPARTED
SEQUEL.
Actress – Leading
This may be the toughest
category for me personally. Let’s try and do this
quick, bullet style:
- Penelope Cruz: I’ll talk
about Volver later, but her performance was
flat-out excellent. Deeply nuanced and
emotional, yet never over-wraught and always
real. We know this woman, we respect this
woman, we love this woman and we may just be a
little afraid of this woman, but only in that
loving kind of way. Great, but Penelope’s a
newcomer to the Oscar scene and has many good
years ahead of her, so they’ll probably hold
off.
- Judi Dench: On my list of
hot, hot, hot older women. The woman is smoking
and smolders in the creepiest and classiest way
in Notes on a Scandal, one of the best movies of
the year. She’s unbelievable and, with her
beautiful co-star, keeps the suspense in every
sentence, but never oversells it. The lady’s a
Dame, and oh, what a dame! However, I think the
world has discovered her counterpart and the
academy will probably take a break from
celebrating her to welcome some, perhaps, much
needed competition from:
- Helen Mirren: I like Ms.
Mirren a lot. Even in the bizarre Shadowboxer,
she remained
classy while being dirty and strange. The
Queen, a very decent movie, I think is held
together by her perfect performance saying
everything the dialogue didn’t with little looks
and actions.
- Meryl Streep: … is where
it’s at always. Even in The Bridges of Madison
County, which I despised, I was enraptured by
her. Meryl is the queen, the bar by which most
other actresses are measured… but, the two that
aren’t measured by her are also in this
category, so I doubt they’ll give it to Meryl
for a comedy. That’s okay, there’s always Mama
Mia! (Don’t do it, Meryl.)
- Kate Winslet: This
category is killing me. My ultimate dream is to
give five Oscars to all these ladies because
they were all astounding. Kate Winslet proved
again why she is one of the most interesting
actresses working, and did a job that was
stupendous. I think she’s got a shot, but
probably will bow, like all others, to the
juggernaut that is Helen Mirren.
My
vote: Helen Mirren
My
prediction: Helen Mirren
My
possible upset: Kate Winslet
My
final thought: Judi Dench was really part of a
two-person ensemble in Notes, and I think her
performance, hinging so much on Cate Blanchett’s
superb acting will be viewed not as individual, but
rather as part of the whole, therefore giving Ms.
Mirren the edge.
THE ONE "NOT-SHOCK" OF THE
EVENING. EVERYONE KNEW SHE WAS GOING TO WIN
BECAUSE, HONESTLY, SHE DESERVED IT. STILL IN
ALL, WHAT A CATEGORY OF TALENT. EACH OF THESE
WOMEN IS AND WAS PHENOMENAL. GREAT WORK TO
ALL, AND CONGRATS TO ONE OF THE CLASSIEST WOMEN IN
FILM TODAY.
Actress – Supporting
See,
now here we have a clear cut case for me. Cate
Blanchett, always and forever. She and Judi Dench
are such a powerhouse, feeding off each other, steam
roll over you in Notes. I believe she needs to be
recognized finally for the range she has, especially
for something like this, her usual well-above-par
performance, rather than her lesser performance in
The Aviator. But she did already win for the
Aviator….
Jennifer Hudson, her only real competition here, is
also noteworthy, but in my opinion suffers from the
Blood Diamond curse also in Dreamgirls. Her
character is flawed in its writing, inconsistent and
frankly, ridiculous. She does a great job, but the
girl has plenty of time to prove herself in a solid
roll. Everyone else, however, seems enamoured.
Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi, I think, cancel
each other out for Babel, especially since Inurrito
seems to use actors more in the chattel sense of
Hitchcock here to tell the story and doesn’t allow
them that much time to shine. Rinko Kikuchi is a
possible upset, especially for playing deaf when she
isn’t, but I doubt they’ll be there at the end.
And
so we get to Abigail Breslin, who was wonderful,
cute and probably not going to win when up against
Cate Blanchett.
My
vote: Cate Blanchett
My
prediction: Cate Blanchett – I’m going out on a limb
here with this one, this is my shakiest prediction
here. This requires having faith in the Academy to
do the right thing, which, I frankly don’t.
I WILL ADMIT I'D SINCE
CHANGED MY VOTE TO, AS IT TURNED OUT, THE WINNER
JENNIFER HUDSON AT THE LAST MOMENT WHERE I CAME IN A
THREE WAY TIE FOR SECOND. UGH. I'M GLAD
SHE WON FOR HER, BUT SHE DIDN'T REALLY DESERVE IT
FOR THE HORRIBLY MIXED UP CHARACTER SHE PLAYED IN
THE AWFUL DREAMGIRLS. CATE SHOULD HAVE WON,
AND I REFUSE TO CHANGE MY VOTE ON THIS, NOT THAT IT
MATTERED.
Animated Feature
Happy
Feet. Cars was Pixar’s most flawed film in a
pantheon of excellent works, was overlong and dull
in the middle. Monster House was the best of the
three, but doesn’t seem to have the popularity
factor of the other two. Happy Feet is a
wonderfully Moulin Rouge-esque film that’s engaging
and delivers a real story and a message. Plus, I
don’t think the Academy is done with penguins yet.
We’ll see how Farce of the Penguins does next year…
right.
My
vote: Monster House
My
prediction: Happy Feet… which is also fine with me.
AS I SAID, MONSTER HOUSE
SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS, BUT I'M HAPPY FOR THE FEET.
AGAIN, I COULDN'T REALLY GET MAD THIS YEAR.
HAPPY FEET, IF A BIT HEAVY HANDED AT THE END, WAS A
VERY AMBITIOUS CHILDREN'S FILM AND WAS A LOT OF FUN.
Art
Direction
The
only one I haven’t seen her is The Good Shepherd,
but I don’t consider it a threat. I’m giving this
one to Pan’s Labyrinth, a movie I think is going to
do very well this year, the year of Guilliermo.
Pirates was not too different from Pirates 1,
The Prestige was subtly beautiful and the Academy
doesn’t seem to notice subtlety, and Dreamgirls I
hate… and it was pretty gaudy and fake looking.
My
vote: Pan’s Labyrinth
My
prediction: Pan’s Labyrinth
BUT OF COURSE THIS WOULD
WIN. THE FILM DEPENDED ALMOST ENTIRELY ON ITS
LOOK AND FEEL AND A GREAT DEAL OF THIS WAS THE ART.
NOT THE YEAR OF GUILLERMO BUT HIS LITTLE FILM DID
QUITE WELL.
Cinematography
Again, Pan’s Labyrinth. The plot depends so much on
the way the movie is shot and accomplishes all it
sets out to. Beautiful, and anyway, if The Black
Dahlia wins anything ever but a razzie, I’m gonna
choke someone. Children of Men was very well shot,
but not well seen, and The Prestige, again was
subtle. I think Pan’s biggest competition here is
The Illusionist, also artfully shot, and a possible
upset.
My
vote: Pan’s Labyrinth
My
prediction Pan’s Labyrinth
Possible upset: The Illusionist
AGAIN, IT ABSOLUTELY HAD
TO. AT THIS POINT, I WAS STILL QUITE COCKY.
CONGRATS TO DEL TORO ON AN EXCELLENT FILM.
Costume Design
While
The Devil Wears Prada is about fashion, and I’ve
heard from people who know about these things that
they’ve done a good job, I don’t think enough was
required as far as stretching and taking chances to
land the fashion movie the fashion nod. I could be
very wrong about this, but we’ll see. Dreamgirls, I
think holds a good chance here, playing as they did
with period stage outfits and covering about three
decades, but I don’t know that they, again really
stretched enough to have done anything more than
make them appropriate for the film. This might be
enough for a win, but I don’t think so.
The
only one I haven’t yet seen here is The Curse of the
Golden Flower, which, from all photos I’ve seen
really had fun with their costumes, making the
costumes characteristics of the characters and
making a statement about the time period and the
individuals with each clothing choice. Marie
Antoinette does this as well, fashion and music
being deeply at the heart of the interpretation Ms.
Coppola seemed to be leading us into, and, like
Curse, leading us to understand the time period and
the people by their eccentric clothing choices, but
my gut says that if it comes down to the two of them
the better reviewed Curse will probably get the
nod. Lord knows, we didn’t get to see the costumes
in Marie Antoinette in action all that much, since
no one moved a great deal in the film, meaning that
the practicality of the costuming wasn’t so much in
question as with Curse. That, to me, says more
about the craft of costuming Curse over the simple
visual appeal of Marie Antoinette… which was often
quite appealing.
This
leaves The Queen, which was wholly appropriate
costuming, which means subtle, which means the
Academy probably won’t notice.
My
vote: Curse of the Golden Flower
My
prediction: Curse of the Golden Flower
Possible upset: The Devil Wears Prada for all the
obvious reasons.
WOW. I CAN'T SAY MUCH
BAD ABOUT MARIE ANTOINETTE AND GET WHY IT WON.
I STILL THINK CURSE SHOULD HAVE WON BUT I'M NOT
OVERLY SURPRISED.
Directing
Again, let’s bullet, shall we:
·
Babel: First of all, this won the
Golden Globe. I don’t think that means it will win
the Oscar though. For me, the film, while
exceptional on many levels, is not a pleasant watch,
and does not, therefore have a big rewatchability
factor. Though very engaging, watching Babel is way
too much akin to being kicked in the stomach
repeatedly for two hours. I’ve been a fan of
Inarritu for almost all of his work. I love Amores
Perros and though 21 Grams was his Oscar bid and was
disappointed when it wasn’t. Babel, to me, is his
most ambitious work, but also his least satisfying.
Rather then simply feeling and absorbing the story
and, ultimately, the point, we are beaten half to
death with it, and not in that good effected by a
movie way. And as I said above, even with a star
like Cate Blanchett performing wonderfully, the
actors really don’t take center stage as much as the
story does, making the people a little less engaging
since we are being too overwhelmed by events. Rinko
Kikuchi might save him from this, but I don’t think
so.
·
The Departed: And so we enter the
real issue this year: Is it my old pal Marty’s
year? (Some of you may remember, I was a lowly PA
on Bringing Out the Dead and there’s no way in hell
he even remembers me… unless maybe you prompted him
with, “You remember that PA who cut off part of
his thumb on the daily scripts?” and probably not
then either… but his ex-wife/producer Barbara De Fina certainly would remember me, and not for any
good reasons at all. Ask her about her wild ride
through Manhattan traffic.) The Departed is a very
good film, and certainly Scorsese’s best in several
years, eons beyond the sub-par, and frankly
sub-Scorsese stuff of Gangs of New York and The
Aviator. Here we have a solid story at the proper
length, that is deeply intense AND FILLED WITH
CHARACTERS WE CARE ABOUT. This is the Scorsese of
Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. Of Boxcar Bertha and
Cape Fear. Of Casino and The Last Waltz. Top that
off with the fact that the film is the perfect
Americanization of foreign material, paying homage
to it, staying with it, all the while making it a
story that could happen here. Getting the
performance out of Leo that we always knew he could
get and capturing yet another side of Matt Damon
that only Scorsese would encourage, he’s directed
the movie that justifies movie fans love of action,
suspense thrillers. Truly, this is a contender.
·
Letters from Iwo Jima: A very
Japanese film made by an American. To me, this and
The Departed are what matters this year, this is the
battle royale we unfortunately will only get to see
the result of. Brilliantly shot, engagingly told,
steering clear of most “See there just like us” crap
and instead focusing on the differences that make
them who they are, celebrating a different culture
and honestly, as he did with Flags of Our Fathers,
assessing the faults within those very definitions,
Clint Eastwood has produced the art house war movie,
that real war movie fans probably never thought
could be made, doing the director’s equivalent of
acting entirely in a foreign language convincingly.
(The Algerians couldn’t do it with Days of Glory,
instead making the movie war movie fans always
assumed an art house war movie would be: boring.)
Almost entirely in Japanese, with great
performances, particularly by Kentaro Watanabe and
Kazunari Ninomiya, the movie moves with the pace and
brilliance of Akira Kurasawa’s best work and stands
completely on its own, despite being the sister film
of Flags. The other real contender.
·
The Queen: A very good movie, quiet
and real, with great performances from all the
leads, The Queen, I don’t think is dynamic enough to
contend with the last two mentioned. The film
succeeded or failed almost entirely on the
performance by the actress playing the title role,
and I don’t think the Academy will forget that.
While Mirren’s Oscar is almost a guarantee, I don’t
think The Queen is really in the fight for best
picture. Stephen Frears, as well as he directed
Mirren, probably wouldn’t have had as engaging a
movie without her.
·
United 93: One of the best films of
the year, one of the most affecting and harrowing
stories ever attempted by Hollywood so close to the
event, controversial and brilliant, United 93 is
truly a magnificent, if painful film. Somehow,
despite its sensitive nature, the film succeeds
where Babel fails in actually, somehow, being both
rewatchable and only brutal to the point that you
still enjoy the story and want to know more and
celebrate the characters. Three quarters of the way
through Babel, you begin to feel so bad for the
people involved that if they all suddenly died,
you’d be relieved for not having to suffer with them
any longer. United 93, despite it’s reality,
doesn’t bring that emotion out. You’re rooting for
them, despite knowing the end, whereas in Babel, you
just want them all to happily embrace the peace of
non-existence. Paul Greengrass does an excellent
toeing the line between an entertainment and a
history, leans more to history and successfully
makes a movie.
So what then? I have to say
that this is going to be one of my two biggest shots
in the dark. As Mike Flanagan has pointed out to
me, Clint also directed two movies this year that
inform each other, and certainly will be a
consideration in the Directing decision. Many might
also think this might be his opus, Clint is getting
on in years. He’s got 12 years on Martin Scorsese.
Between the two only real players, Letters and The
Departed…
My vote: Letters from Iwo
Jima
My prediction: Hesitantly… The
Departed
Note: I am totally
guessing.
YEAH
MARTY! FINALLY, THE SCORSESE HAS COME BACK TO
THE OSCARS. HE WAS OBVIOUSLY THRILLED AND WAS
CERTAINLY IN GREAT COMPANY WITH HIS THREE
PRESENTERS. THIS WAS A HARD-EARNED WIN WITH A
LOT OF HISTORY. IF NOT FOR RAGING BULL,
GOODFELLAS OR TAXI DRIVER, WHY NOT FOR THE DEPARTED.
EXCELLENT AND WELL DONE. I STILL THINK CLINT
DID A BETTER JOB THIS YEAR, BUT I DON'T HAVE PROBLEM
WITH MARTY GETTING THIS.
Documentary
Feature:
This is a large bone of
contention for me. I decided this was going to be
the year of Christian on the documentaries. I don’t
generally watch a lot of documentaries but figured
this year I would get ahead of curve so I could
actually know what they were talking about this time
around, instead of simply shrugging and grunting
like I normally do. I saw Sketches of Frank Gehry,
The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Who Killed the
Electric Car, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man and An
Inconvenient Truth.
Only the last was even
nominated.
So, I guess this, with much
less trepidation than the last, and much less
caring, pretty in the dark. I wanted to see Deliver
Us From Evil, but just never managed.
The choices: Deliver Us From
Evil, An Inconvenient Truth, Iraq in Fragments,
Jesus Camp, and My Country, My Country.
Pulling this totally out of
somewhere less than pleasant:
My vote: Deliver Us From Evil
My prediction: An Inconvenient
Truth
I am still angry about this
turn of events. The Devil and Daniel Johnston
should absolutely have been nominated. See it.
WHATEVER. WE ALL KNEW IT. LIKE GORE
NEEDED MORE SCREEN TIME TO PROMOTE HIS SCI-FI
AGENDA. MY FRIEND MARK Y. HAD THE QUOTE OF THE
NIGHT WHEN THIS WON: "INTERESTING THIS WON
WHILE IT'S SNOWING OUT."
Documentary Short:
Imagine me shrugging and
grunting, so let’s have some utterly uninformed fun.
My vote: Rehearsing a Dream
My prediction: Two Hands
This is a totally and
completely uneducated guess... because frankly, I
don’t give a damn.
I WAS
TOTALLY WRONG AND DON'T REALLY CARE. GOOD FOR
THE BLOOD OF SOME DISTRICT.
Film
Editing
First of all, that Blood
Diamond is up for film editing can, to my mind, only
be a gag of infinite proportions. If any editing
was done on this movie, it was just for the purpose
of scrambling it up even further. The movie should
have been edited down an entire hour before it was
released, and maybe, just maybe the plot would have
held together.
For this category, I think the
only clear winner among the other four, The
Departed, Children of Men, Babel and United 93 is
the last one. United 93 is shot with a documentary
feel and in real time with the actual event. The
film works perfectly and a great deal of this is due
to the fantastic editing.
THELMA
SCHOONMAKER'S GOT AN OSCAR! VERY COOL.
HONESTLY, UNITED 93 DESERVED THIS MORE THAN
ANYTHING, BUT I CAN DEAL. HOPEFULLY
ENOUGH PEOPLE SAW UNITED 93 TO KNOW HOW WELL EDITED
IT WAS. THEN AGAIN, THIS WAS SCORSESE'S
SHORTEST MOVIE IN A LONG TIME AND THAT IS TRULY
SAYING SOMETHING. WHEN SHE WAS NOMINATED FOR
THE AVIATOR I LAUGHED OUT LOUD. GOOD JOB THIS
TIME, THELMA.
Foreign Language Film
Let’s go Matrix, with some
bullet time:
- After the Wedding: The
only one I haven’t seen. By the way, who’s ever
in charge of distribution for this puppy should
be tar and feathered. The movie is not
releasing in America until March 30th,
so if this puppy doesn’t win, they’ve just lost
a plethora of money. Well done, jerky.
Regardless, I don’t think this one is in the
running.
- Days of Glory
(Indigenes): As with actual war, the French and
those influenced by them, in this case the
Algerians, should leave war movies to those
capable of following them through to their
natural and successful end. Rare is it, that
even in a bad movie, that the war scenes can be
so bereft of interest and excitement or horror.
They’re just boring. The problem here is that
the film makers wanted to make a message more
than they wanted to make a movie, so every scene
plays like another checkmark in favor of their
point. A movie is, first and foremost, an
entertainment and when it does not entertain
anything else the movie might be offering is
useless. We should leave the theater entranced
with the story and understanding instinctively,
not because we felt we were told, what the point
of the plot, the thesis of the entertainment, or
better yet, the human truth of the movie is.
Indigenes not only doesn’t do this, but at some
points barely holds together in narrative
order. It is, however, better than Blood
Diamond, this year’s other committer of the
above sins. Diamond’s Zwick and Indigenes’
Bouchareb should sit down for a viewing, as I
seem to keep recommending, of Paul Greengrass’s
United 93.
- The Lives of Others: And
here is the foreign film that floored me this
year, and, in many ways, the exact opposite of
Days of Glory. This is a very human story of
artists, particularly a playwright, his actress
girlfriend and his writer friends, dealing with
the Socialist black-listing tendencies of East
Germany before the wall came down. When the
movie ends, you are so incredibly engrossed in
the humanity, aware of the emotion and poignancy
of the tale, and so utterly astounded by each of
the characters and their decisions, that you are
only vaguely aware at first of the brilliant
comment the movie has made comparing socialism
to Nazism and any other “isms” that curtail the
freedom of the people to discuss them and live
freely. Brilliant, deeply affecting, and
perfectly executed, this is, unquestionably, one
of the years best films. I didn’t think
anything could replace Pan’s Labyrinth for me in
this category, but this, by a hair, did.
- Pan’s Labyrinth: Truly
the culmination of the career of writer/director
Guillermo Del Toro’s career up to this point,
the ending of his fairy tale/horror trilogy that
began brilliantly with Cronos and continued with
the astounding The Devil’s Backbone. This Alice
in Wonderland in the hell of war tale manages
somehow to capture a children’s exuberance and
imagination while wholly delving into the horror
of war and the men who love it. The movie is
phenomenal, visually spectacular and a real
thrill to watch. I love this movie completely,
and though, I would love to see The Lives of
Others win, I will be completely happy with
Guillermo getting his due after making the very
best genre out there.
- Water: I didn’t have any
real interest in this movie, and now want to
watch the two preceding movies by director Deepa
Mehta, of which this is the final movie in the
thematic trilogy. Powerful and terrifying, the
movie takes place in 1939 India and deals with
an aspect of the caste system I must admit I
knew nothing about: widows as untouchables. The
film, while slowly paced, is not slow (unlike
Marie Antoinette which is both) and builds to a
deep and harrowing intensity, but, unlike Babel,
never lets go of hope. A beautiful movie well
deserving of its nomination.
My
vote: The Lives of Others
My
prediction: Pan’s Labyrinth… which I’m totally okay
with too.
AGAIN, HOLY CRAP. HOW
COOL WAS THIS. IT COST ME SOME MONEY, AND I'M
SORRY FOR GUILLERMO, BUT THIS WAS TRULY THE BEST OF
THIS CATEGORY. I'M GLAD I GOT THIS WRONG.
NOW GO SEE THIS MOVIE. IT TELLS BINTA AND HER
GREAT UNICEF IDEA TO GO SCREW.
Makeup
I
don’t really know why Click is here, though I saw
it. I thought the makeup was good, but not
particularly impressive in this day and age. While
I would love to see Apocalypto walk away with
something, this has to go to Pan’s Labyrinth, if not
simply for the brutal scene involving a bottle and a
face. It reminded me of the fire extinguisher and
the head in Irreversible, but more realistic. Plus,
I do believe Gulliermo will be pulling a Peter
Jackson this year.
My vote: Pan’s Labyrinth
My prediction: Pan’s Labyrinth
AGAIN
AND AGAIN, OF COURSE. THIS MOVIE WAS VISUAL
ABOVE ALMOST ALL ELSE AND THEY SUCCEEDED
WONDERFULLY. CONGRATS.
Original
Score
I’m one out here, as I didn’t
see (or hear) The Good German. To me a good score
is one you only notice via mood and intensity, but
you’re still not really aware you noticed. The
choices are Babel, The Good German, Notes on a
Scandal, Pan’s Labyrinth, and The Queen. I’m
between the excellent multi-cultural music of Babel
and Pan’s Labyrinth. Again, I’m sticking with my
theory on Pan’s Labyrinth.
My vote: Pan’s Labyrinth
My prediction: Pan’s Labyrinth
Possible upset: Babel
AND AN
UPSET IT WAS. I'M GLAD I PUT THIS COP-OUT HERE
BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. IN RETROSPECT,
I SHOULD HAVE PICKED THIS FOR ALL THE OBVIOUS
REASONS OF THE BREADTH OF THE CULTURES REPRESENTED,
BUT I STILL THINK PAN'S WAS MORE AFFECTING AND ADDED
MORE WITH LESS INTRUSION.
Original Song
I hated Dreamgirls.
Really, really hated. So I really hope none
of the crappy, rip-off songs from this terrible
movie win. But… they have to acknowledge it somehow
since the Golden Globes practically impregnated it.
My vote: I Need to Wake-Up,
Melissa Ethridge from An Inconvenient Truth.
My Prediction: Patience,
Dreamgirls
AGAIN,
MY VOTE WON, WHICH IS VERY COOL, AND IF I'D PICKED
IT I MIGHT HAVE MORE MONEY NOW...
Best
Picture:
Pretty much the same
commentary I did for Best Director, with the
exception of no United 93 and the addition of Little
Miss Sunshine, the brilliant and funny little comedy
that surprised America so pleasantly this summer.
As wonderful as it is, a comedy with only a few
nominations is not going to take home the Best
Picture Oscar.
The Queen, while a very good
movie, wouldn’t have been if not for Mirren, as with
any other actress it would have been very slow. Not
going to get Best Picture.
Babel took this from the Golden
Globes, but, again, I think the real contest is
between Letters from Iwo Jima and The Departed.
This is the hardest thing to predict here, but I’m
going to take a chance.
My vote: Letters from Iwo Jima
My prediction: Letters from
Iwo Jima
BY
THIS POINT IN THE CEREMONY I REALLY THOUGHT ANYTHING
COULD HAPPEN. IF BIODOME WAS ANNOUNCED I
WOULDN'T HAVE FALLEN OVER. I'M REALLY GLAD FOR
MARTY AND THE DEPARTED. I REALLY THINK CLINT
SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN IT FOR LETTERS, BUT I'M OKAY WITH
THIS.
Short
Film – Animated
The Danish Poet, hands down.
One of the most interesting and wonderful shorts
I’ve seen in a long time, very original and quirky.
This is just excellent. My very close second is
Pixar’s Lifted with No Time For Nuts (great title)
from Dreamworks in third. The Maestro is very
clever and worth a watch but not ultimately enough,
and The Little Matchgirl is well animated, but not
overwhelmingly so, and a bit pretentious. Plus,
we’ve heard this story before… a lot.
My vote: The Danish Poet
My prediction: The Danish Poet
HAD TO
WIN, AND I'M THRILLED IT DID. TRY TO SEE THIS
SOON.
Short
Film – Live Action
- Binta and the great Idea:
Socialist idealogical, propaganda crap with no
real story and one message after another to be
digested and accepted without question by the
audience. Between this, Indigenes, and Blood
Diamond, we never really have to think again.
Crap. And it’s going to win.
- Eramos Pocos: Wonderful,
funny, clever and ultimately rewarding, this
short tells a great story of the most hapless,
European men ever caught on film, unsure what to
do without a woman to take care of their daily
needs. Very fun.
- Helmer and Son: Like all
other movies from people who speak Dutch, this
one is about a man who has taken over his
father’s business and doesn’t want to (why is
that all they think about over there?). This is
fun and fits nicely into the time it’s allotted,
saying a lot about a family in a short time, all
the while being pretty funny and unsentimentally
poignant.
- The Saviour: I loved this
one. The story of Mormons and adultery, this
one really made me laugh a lot, and I look
forward to more from this director.
- West Bank Story:
Literally, West Side Story in the Middle East.
Excellent, brilliant, like the Zuckers in their
prime and even better. Hysterically clever and
very, very well executed. Screw Binta, this
should win.
My vote: West Bank Story
My prediction: Binta and
Marx’s Communist Ideal… I mean, and the Great Idea
I'M SO
HAPPY I WAS WRONG BECAUSE THE RIGHT FILM WON.
PERHAPS WILL FERRELL, JACK BLACK AND JOHN C.
REILLY'S SONG GOT ITS POINT ACROSS.
Sound
Editing
I say give this to Flags of
Our Fathers, and I’m going to take a guess that this
happens.
My vote: Flags of Our Fathers
My prediction: Flags of Our
Fathers
FLAGS
SHOULD HAVE WON. THE SOUND IN FLAGS WAS FOR ME MORE POWERFUL AND WELL USED THAN IN LETTERS,
BUT CLINT GETS IT ANYWAY.
Sound Mixing
My vote: Flags of Our Fathers
My prediction: Flags of Our
Fathers
This movie deserves these two
and more. Some of the best war filming in some
time.
SAME
AS ABOVE. THESE TWO CATEGORIES KILLED MY
CHANCES OF WINNING ON MY BALLOT.
Visual
Effect
While Superman was impressive,
and Poseidon apparently had a huge wave, there was a
freaking Kraken in Pirates. Come on.
My vote: Pirates of the
Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
My prediction: Pirates of the
Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
BUT OF
COURSE. THERE WAS A FREAKIN' KRAKEN.
Screenplay – Adapted
Wow. Another big category.
This year I actually read all three of the books in
this category, Little Children, Children of Men and
Notes on a Scandal. I’ve seen the early Borat skits
and the movie, and I’ve watched Infernal Affairs
before seeing The Departed. In other words, bring
it.
Children of Men was a mostly
dry and boring book written by a 90 year old British
woman who writes like she’s a 90 year old British
woman. The plot is very, very loosely lifted from
the book, and the movie does a much better job with
the subject matter than the book, something I rarely
say.
Notes on a Scandal is based on
What Was She Thinking: Notes on a Scandal, a
fun and at time laugh-out-loud funny book that the
movie took and did and even better, tauter and more
suspenseful and funny job with.
Little Children is a
brilliant book, as is the film they made of it,
which is almost exactly like the book, except for
the last five minutes of the movie and some small
details left, wisely for the film medium, out of the
movie. Tom Perrotta does a great job adapting his
own book for the screen with writer/director Todd
Field, and makes all the right choices.
Borat… well, I hate that this
is in this category, but the movie is like the show
character, if not a bit repetitious. Very good,
though disturbing, comedy.
The script for The Departed is
a phenomenal Americanization, as I said earlier, of
a very Chinese script. This is a script adaptation
to be proud of.
My vote: Little Children
My prediction: The Departed
HAD TO
BE. AND WELL DESERVED.
Screenplay
– Original
Now this is an interesting
category because here, I think is where Little Miss
Sunshine stands a very good chance, but with stiff
competition from Letters from Iwo Jima. The Queen,
oddly enough, also is a contender for a script rife
with nuance, a real actor’s script, while Babel,
again is so story driven that dialogue seems only a
vehicle for the movement of the story. And then
there’s Pan’s Labyrinth, which, if my sweep theory
be continued, does stand a very good chance for the
phenomenal mix of fantasy and brutal reality, all
with a child’s mindset. This is another shaky one.
My vote: Little Miss Sunshine
My prediction: Little Miss
Sunshine
GOT
THIS ONE RIGHT AS WELL, AND A WELL DESERVED WIN FOR
AN EXCELLENT CHALLENGING AND VERY FUNNY SCRIPT.
So there you have ‘em, just
one man talkin but worth a shot. I’ll be back
post-Oscars to comment on my comments and either
indulge in monumental acts of self-aggrandizement,
or angrily defend my choices.
I
didn't do terrible, but I could have done better.
This was an excellent Oscars, something I don't
often say. Hopefully the future will yield
more of Mr. Haley and Clint and the team
behind Little Miss Sunshine. And we're
guaranteed more Forest, who I'm very proud of.
Mr. O'Toole, you're still one of my, and the rest of
the world's, acting heroes. Maurice will live
forever now, and so will you.
Christian
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