Yay Oscars!
I am, of course, mightily pleased that my favorite movie of 2007, No Country For Old Men, won the big awards last night. For those just joining the conversation, or those who are wondering why No Country was actually the year’s Best Picture, my thoughts on the movie can be found here: part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4. If that is not enough Coen analysis for you, the whole kit and kaboodle of my thoughts on the Coens movies can be found here.
I know I’m getting old when the Oscars start making sense to me.
Attention Variety
I am available for writing post-Oscar-ceremony headlines.
Here are some examples:
QUEEN CATE APPROXIMATELY
Blanchett wins for two historic roles
NO OSCARS FOR “OLD MEN”
Surprise shut-out for Coen pic
THERE WILL BE OSCARS
WGA reaches agreement in time for broadcast
DEPP DRINKS DAY-LEWIS’S MILKSHAKE
Surprise upset for Blood actor
LINNEY “SAVAGES” CHRISTIE
Takes Oscar “Away From Her”
Yay Oscars!
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Well, close readers of this journal know what my favorite is. But these are five pretty strong movies. Well I’m guessing in the case of Atonement — has anyone out there seen it? It looks too much like The English Patient to me. Which may mean, of course, that it will win. Because let’s face it, not only are three of the nominees about the murderous roots of capitalism, none of them were runaway hits. They may split the “I dislike the evils of capitalism” vote in Hollywood. And then there’s the fact that Juno is the only movie here that resembles anything like a popular hit. There Will Be Blood seems to have the critical momentum, and it is a fine, fine movie, but in my heart of hearts I hope it’s the Coens’ year.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
I hate bowing to conventional wisdom, but this really seems like Daniel Day-Lewis in a walk. No one saw In the Valley of Elah (and frankly I preferred TLJ in No Country), and if Viggo Mortensen wins an Oscar, I don’t think it’s going to be for playing a Russian Gangster. Johnny Depp was great in Sweeney Todd, but Clooney just won recently and Day-Lewis has all the momentum.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Julie Christie in a walk. No one saw Elizabeth (and besides, Blanchett will probably win for I’m Not There), Laura Linney will one day have a part equal to her stature as an actress but her role in The Savages isn’t it, Ellen Page is great in Juno but, well, it’s a comedy, and I didn’t see the French movie.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Obviously, Javier Bardem will crush the competition. Given his performance in No Country, who would dare vote against him?
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Five more wonderful performances from great actors (again, I’m giving Atonement-girl the benefit of the doubt) but I think Blanchett’s only real competition is from Ruby Dee. And given American Gangster’s otherwise stunning lack of nominations, I don’t see it happening.
Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
I’ve heard weird buzzes around town that Schnabel stands a real shot at winning this thing. And his direction for Diving Bell is original, daring and innovative. But come on, so is PTA’s work on Blood. My heart is on the Coens, but I’m always wrong about these things.
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
Of these movies, I liked the screenplay for Michael Clayton best, and Ratatouille a close second, but I’m going to guess that Juno will win this one (and not its other nominations).
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
Hey, there are four women nominated for writing awards this year! What the hell am I paying dues for in my Boys’ Club moviemaking guild if we’re going to keep encouraging these people?!
Again, my heart is with the Coens here, but these are all swell screenplays. Looking at this list, I get the feeling that Blood may win Picture and Director, but the Academy will give the Coens the writing award just to show, you know, no hard feelings.
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:
These are all handsome movies, but Jesse James has the best cinematography I’ve seen in a decade.
Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:
Again, good work here by everyone. I’m a big fan of Roderick Jaynes’s work, but Bourne was surprisingly well-reviewed this year and they might just go ahead and acknowledge that, especially if Blood or No Country sweeps other awards.
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Nominees:
I think the best work here is in Blood, but American Gangster, like all of Ridley Scott’s movies, has stunning art direction. Sweeney Todd may win for having the most obvious art direction.
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Nominees:
I think Sweeney has this category, er, all sewn up.
Best Achievement in Makeup
Nominees:
How odd that Sweeney wasn’t nominated for its extraordinary hair and makeup. I have no idea about this category.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:
Having no memory of the score in Michael Clayton, having disliked the score in 3:10, and not having seen the others, I’m going to say Ratatouille.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Nominees:
Best Achievement in Sound
Nominees:
Again, good work here by everyone, but boy the sound in No Country is so subtle and so crucial to the success of the picture.
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Nominees:
I think it’s about time to expand this category to five nominees. Since everyone hated Compass and Transformers, I’m going to say Pirates.
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Nominees:
I have a hard time imagining Ratatouille not winning this.
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Nominees:
Best Documentary, Features
Nominees:
Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Nominees:
Best Short Film, Animated
Best Short Film, Live Action
Nominees:
No freakin’ clue.
Good luck to everyone! And remember, I’m always wrong!
Some Oscar thoughts
I don’t really know why, but the show seemed a whole lot more compelling this year than other years. It wasn’t the set, which was ugly, non-glamorous and bluntly utilitarian, and it wasn’t that I knew anyone up for an award.
Maybe it was, as Ellen Degeneres noted, the international flavor of the thing. It seemed like less of a clubhouse kind of affair than usual, and the people who stuck out weird were the ones who treated it as such. All kinds of people from all over the world and all kinds of backgrounds are making movies these days, and their movies are quickly becoming better, and in some cases more popular, than what Hollywood is producing.
Or maybe, taking a cue from casting Ellen Degeneresas host, it’s that the show business community is finally going back to saying “Oh yeah, that’s right, we’re liberal, and we actually don’t have to apologize for it. We forgot about that for a moment. We’re the cool kids, the Washington guys are the jerks.” The routine with Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore was funny to me because I honestly half-suspected that Gore really was going to take the moment to announce his candidacy (although I’m glad he did not, at least not at a showbiz event). The only thing that would have made Gore’s presence more gratifying was if someone had referred to him as the President of the United States.
Maybe it was the montages offered on the various themes. It’s always baffled me how, for decades, so much of the Oscar broadcast is handed over to dance numbers. Why are we watching (bad) dance during a program dedicated to the art of film? The montages made me remember what I was watching this for, that I am part of (or at least witness to) a long artistic tradition, that greatness is possible in all times, and that there’s nothing wrong or shameful about wanting to be a filmmaker. It made me sit up and, involuntarily, name aloud the movies I’d seen of those referenced, and feel a lack where there were ones I hadn’t seen. It made me want to see more movies, which is, to say the least, not the usual effect of the Oscar broadcast.
Maybe it was that I felt like the movies being honored were worth being honored, and that the winners deserved their awards. There wasn’t a single moment where I felt “so-and-so got screwed” or “this is all political” (with the possible exception of Eddie Murphy losing to Alan Arkin). I preferred Pan’s Labyrinth to The Lives of Others, but I wouldn’t say that the latter movie, a gripping political drama, didn’t deserve to win. In fact, I’ll say the opposite: I’m glad that The Lives of Others won so that maybe people will go see it this weekend. I made a joke in an earlier post about how “West Bank Story” would win because it’s about Israel, but when I saw the actual clip I thought “Wow, that’s a great idea for a movie, I want to see that.”
Maybe it was my daughter Kit (4), who got caught up in the dresses, particularly the red number Jennifer Hudson wore during the Dreamgirls medley. “She’s bee-yoo-tee-full,” cooed Kit. Then when Beyonce came on, she said “Who’s that?” When I told her who was who, she thought for a moment and declared that both were “bee-yoo-tee-full,” but Jennifer Hudson was the most “bee-yoo-tee-full.”
Or maybe it was the bag of gourmet caramel corn that ate during the show. What the hell do they put in that stuff that makes it so you can’t stop eating it?
CONFIDENTIAL TO
![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
:
I know you have no plan of moving to LA, but if you do, you could probably make a living off of people mistaking you for Jackie Earle Haley. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
Todd’s Oscar picks
Note: although I am a member of the Writer’s Guild, I am not a member of the Academy. I’m just a guesser like anybody.
Further, note that I have never won an Oscar pool in my life. If you want to know who is going to win at the Oscars, ask Mrs. James urbaniak. She has won every Oscar pool I’ve ever entered.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio – BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling – HALF NELSON
Peter O’Toole – VENUS
Will Smith – THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker – THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
I actually haven’t seen any of these movies. I’m going to say Forest Whitaker, because the trailer for Venus set my teeth on edge.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin – LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley – LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou – BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy – DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg – THE DEPARTED
A strong field, but Eddie Murphy is due. He is one of our greatest actors and a national treasure. I am astonished he was not nominated for The Nutty Professor.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz – VOLVER
Judi Dench – NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren – THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep – THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet – LITTLE CHILDREN
These are all extraordinary performances. I wish Cate Blanchett was in this category so we could have three Queen Elizabeths fighting against each other.
Everyone is saying Helen Mirren is going to win it, but I preferred Meryl Streep’s performance. She was astonishing in that movie.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza – BABEL
Cate Blanchett – NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin – LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson – DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi – BABEL
I’m baffled by Cate Blanchett in this category — she’s easily the co-lead in Notes, and extraordinary as always, easily the most gifted actress of her generation. Abigail Breslin gives one of several excellent kid performances of the year. But Jennifer Hudson is the walk-away favorite here.
Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE
Happy Feet, although it gets weighted down with a “message” in Act III, is by far the best animated film of the year. Utterly original in a year of achingly similar talking-animal movies, character design that is authentic and subtle without sacrificing kid appeal, an organic, felt storyline instead of a forced, programmatic formula, and living, breathing characters.
Achievement in art direction
DREAMGIRLS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
PAN’S LABYRINTH
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
THE PRESTIGE
Dreamgirls.
Achievement in cinematography
THE BLACK DAHLIA
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE ILLUSIONIST
PAN’S LABYRINTH
THE PRESTIGE
All of these movies are really well shot. Children of Men has two sequences which count as two of the most jaw-dropping action sequences ever shot, but I’ll say Pan’s Labyrinth.
Achievement in costume design
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE QUEEN
Dreamgirls.
Achievement in directing
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93
Has to be Scorsese. Has to be. Babel and Iwo Jima feel like homework, The Queen feels too performance driven, United 93, while amazingly directed, far too painful to sit through. Has to be Scorsese.
Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Inconvenient Truth. They can’t pass it up. Plus I don’t think any of the others are about the Holocaust.
Best documentary short subject
THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT
RECYCLED LIFE
REHEARSING A DREAM
TWO HANDS
No idea.
Achievement in film editing
BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
UNITED 93
I’m going to say United 93.
Best foreign language film of the year
AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
PAN’S LABYRINTH
WATER
Oh, Pan’s Labyrinth. Definitely.
Achievement in makeup
APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN’S LABYRINTH
The makeup in Apocalypto is quite an achievement, but I don’t think the Academy can give it an award. And if they can’t give it to Apocalypto, they can’t give it to an Adam Sandler movie. A lot of the makeup effects in Pan’s Labyrinth are computer generated, but I still say it will win.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
BABEL
THE GOOD GERMAN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
PAN’S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN
I’m going to say Notes on a Scandal, only because it’s by my favorite living composer, Philip Glass, and I want to see him win.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“I Need to Wake Up” – AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
“Listen” – DREAMGIRLS
“Love You I Do” – DREAMGIRLS
“Our Town” – CARS
“Patience” – DREAMGIRLS
I’m going to say one of the songs from Dreamgirls. But I could be wrong.
Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN
Has to be The Departed. The other ones on this list don’t even come close.
Best animated short film
THE DANISH POET
LIFTED
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL
MAESTRO
NO TIME FOR NUTS
Not a clue.
Best live action short film
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA (BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA)
ÉRAMOS POCOS (ONE TOO MANY)
HELMER & SON
THE SAVIOUR
WEST BANK STORY
West Bank Story. (It’s about Israel, right?)
Achievement in sound editing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
Hmmm — a toss up. I’m going to say Flags, just because that’s the only one where I remember being impressed by the sound effects editing. (Last time I used this logic was for Dances With Wolves, and I was right then too.)
Achievement in sound mixing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
DREAMGIRLS
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
Dreamgirls.
Achievement in visual effects
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS
Pirates. Bill Nighy with an octopus on his face is, hands down, the greatest, most sophisticated, most successful, most daring visual effect of the year.
Adapted screenplay
BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Not sure what makes Borat an “adapted screenplay,” but whatever. Little Children is the best screenplay of the year.
Original screenplay
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
PAN’S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN
Gosh. I’m actually going to say Little Miss Sunshine, only because I don’t think they’ll give it to Pan’s Labyrinth. Plus, Little Miss Sunshine was, you know, this year’s “little movie that could,” and otherwise won’t win anything.
There you go. And remember, I’m always wrong about these things.
Oscar Special
My thoughts on the Oscar ™ show:
This was the first Oscars that my son Sam watched. He’s 4.5 years old, but he made it through the whole show. Of course, we’re in Santa Monica so the show ended only at 8:30.
I had to explain the whole idea of the Oscars to Sam, but he caught on pretty fast. I don’t think he understands how many people it takes to make a movie, and he was unfamiliar with most of the nominees this year, but George Clooney got his attention early in the evening when Clooney mentioned Batman twice in his acceptance speech.
SAM: You mean, he made a Batman movie?
DAD: Yeah, a few yeas ago, he made a Batman movie.
SAM: What’s it called?
DAD: It’s called Batman and Robin. We’ll rent it sometime.
Sam, of course, was familiar with March of the Penguins, which I think was the only nominated film he saw this year.
He was glad that Crash won best picture, because Crash had the song with the burning car in it, and he liked that part of the show.
However, it seemed unfair to him that Crash won two prizes and King Kong (which he hasn’t seen) didn’t win any.
In the middle part of the show he went off to his own room to watch The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, then he came back for the end. But he remembered who everyone was and what movies were competing.
As for me, all I can say is that, for the first time in memory, I liked the set.
I noticed that Loreal was a “proud sponsor” of the Academy Awards. It made me wonder how many reluctant sponsors there were, or perhaps sponsors who were downright ashamed.
I’m sure there are many political things to be read into the competition, but it’s late.