Showing posts with label no country for old men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label no country for old men. Show all posts
Sunday, November 01, 2009
No Country for Old Men
Probably not the best movie to watch before bed? Probably not the best movie to watch before bed.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
CROSSOVER!!!
So in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, there's a scene (I think it's even in the preview) where Javier Bardem's character invites Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (ScarJo) to his room "to make love to them." And the entire time, of course, I'm like, "NOOOO!!! DON'T GO!!! HE'LL KILL YOU WITH THE AIR PUMP GUN THING!!!!"
... but at least he changed his hair.
Oh, as for the movie? Loved it. Maybe Woody's best since Bullets over Broadway? It's certainly better than all his stuff in the new millennium, as fond as I am of Match Point and Scoop. VCB was hot and steamy, just like Barcelona is in real life. It really captured Spain perfectly, in that it's incredibly interesting and boring as shit all at once (no, really). The cast was fantastic, and I have to disagree that Penelope was head and shoulders above the others; they all rocked (save Patty Clarkson, who was totally boring).
... but at least he changed his hair.
Oh, as for the movie? Loved it. Maybe Woody's best since Bullets over Broadway? It's certainly better than all his stuff in the new millennium, as fond as I am of Match Point and Scoop. VCB was hot and steamy, just like Barcelona is in real life. It really captured Spain perfectly, in that it's incredibly interesting and boring as shit all at once (no, really). The cast was fantastic, and I have to disagree that Penelope was head and shoulders above the others; they all rocked (save Patty Clarkson, who was totally boring).
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Brill.
Why haven't I seen this before? Also, it's amusing how only like 3 of the films in there had any sort of Oscar success (Atonement, Sweeney, No Country), and the rest flopped like all hell (Things We Lost..., Rendition, Lions for Lambs, Reservation Road, Dan in Real Life).
Sunday, February 24, 2008
One last little treat before tonight!
About 5 people nationwide probably got this, SNL...but I was one of 'em :)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Analyzing: Best Picture.
Before I start, let me just say that Oscar's Best Picture lineup this year is the best in an extremely long time. Every year that I can think of has a film that I would have gone "NOOOOOO!!!!" if it won Best Picture. This year? Not at all. I've rated all these films A- or better. So, sorry to say, this is probably just going to be a lot of gushing (sometimes literally, in the case of There Will Be Blood. HA. So funny, I am.). The claws ain't comin' out on this one.
5. Juno.
People are such bullshit. Everyone always complains about how comedy movies and comedic roles don't get nominated for Oscars, and then when they do - Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Marisa Tomei, Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt in As Good As It Gets - they get hopelessly bashed as "lightweight" or (as Sunshine and Juno have faced) "pretentious." You can't have it both ways, so just shut up. Anyway, Juno has been dismissed by many as pretentious and hopelessly hipster. And whenever I hear people bash it as the latter (ALWAYS citing the "homeskillet," "etch-a-sketch," or "honest to blog" line), I have to wonder - did these people see the movie beyond the first twenty minutes? Cuz I wanted to shoot myself the first twenty minutes, too. But then, lo and behold, the pretense fell away, and we came to realize - Juno talks like this as a shield. As the movie goes on, it only gets better and better. Is it overwritten? Probably. But that doesn't stop real character arcs from happening. The ending is beyond perfect. Diablo Cody could have fucked it up in any number of ways, but it just strikes a perfect chord. Lovely. This is the weakest of the five nominees, if only because of the near-unbearable first twenty minutes (and those are - I am so sorry, Dwight - kind of Rainn Wilson's fault), but it picks up so much after that that the first twenty minutes are absolutely forgiveable. A win for it would still be lovely.
My grade: A-
Why it might win: The happiest, by far, of the Best Picture nominees. The biggest money-maker, by far, of the Best Picture nominees. The fact that it got the Best Director nomination proves it has a lot more support than we thought. Roger Ebert!
Why it might not: It has its very loud detractors. It skews very young and the Academy...does not. It lost the Globe to a movie that wasn't even nominated for Best Picture. It's got the least nominations of all the Best Picture-nominated films. Not No Country for Old Men.
4. Michael Clayton.
Michael Clayton also gets bashed a lot. I don't get its bashing either, other than the fact that everyone who seems to do it is like, 16, which I can understand. It is a tad underdirected, but that's understandable as it's Tony Gilroy's first film, which is actually amazing when you consider its quality. Michael Clayton is a total throwback to the films of the 1970s, where films were bold and actually critiqued society and those that were powerful within it. This film does that with both huge corporations and the law profession. I love Law and Order, but Michael Clayton is like an incredibly deep episode of that show that actually says something about society. It's not nearly as prophetic or darkly funny as Network but it functions in much the same way, even with Wilkinson's character being a ton like Peter Finch. Also, the three lead performances are just great.
My grade: A-
Why it might win: Vote-splitting? George Clooney. Everyone loves a legal drama! Some viewers may love the throwback to the '70s.
Why it might not: It's the least showy/flashy of these nominees by far, and it doesn't have the passionate supporters the other four have. It's probably the most likely to be forgotten or ignored. It isn't the frontrunner in any of its nominated categories. Not No Country for Old Men.
3. Atonement.
Atonement is a movie people are either scary batshit crazy over (some guy on IMDb was saying something along the lines of that there is no excuse for people not having it in their top 5, but in a much scarier way than that that I basically blocked out of my head for my own sanity) or spend all their time, like, insulting. I see where the insulters and detractors come from, and before I saw it I thought I might be one of them, what with the sniffly Keira Knightley and the overrated James MacAvoy starring in this film - but then I saw it, and it was in fact, really really good and, at least for me, incredibly touching, so yeah. I gotta hand it to Atonement. The ending is either going to hit you like a sack of bricks and make you realize how damn sad the past two hours were, or is going to make you go "wait, I sat through that for this?" There's no getting around it, and I see both sides (though I clearly side with the former). Why does it feel like I'm just backhandedly insulting Atonement the entire time I've been writing this? It's a truly great movie. Also, Atonement deserves bonus points for just getting the damn thing on screen. It's an incredible book but I never once thought "This would make a great movie." But, it did. Kudos, Joe Wright & Co.
My grade: A-
Why it might win: Prestige picture. The frontrunner forever or at least until the guilds attacked. Literary prestige. Even amazingly horrific scenes somehow look like gorgeous postcards and the Academy loves that shit. It won the Globe against No Country.
Why it might not: Tell me the last film that won without Editing and Director nominations. Totally ignored by the guilds. Couldn't get its flashiest stars to a nomination. Lately, the Globe Drama winners don't win Best Picture (since 2002, only one of them has, and that's because what else was going to win in 2003 besides Lord of the Rings?). Not No Country for Old Men.
2. No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood just reduce my brain to mush. I just... al068u4okjafls. Okay, to talk about No Country, I'll have to use another great great movie, The Departed. The Departed is amazing (and quite frankly, I like it more than No Country, but it's probably not the better movie). Do you all remember that scene where Matt Damon's character first gets the phone number to Leonardo DiCaprio's character's phone and calls him and they just sit there...in silence...? No Country for Old Men is like that the entire movie. Add to that gorgeous cinematography, incredible acting, and a feeling that this entire little story has repercussions for the whole world, somehow, and it's just...gahhhh.
My grade: A
Why it might win: Frontrunner! Hooray, it's got Editing & Director nods (and many other nominations). Coen brothers. Best-reviewed film of the year. Won most precursors. Actually made a pretty darn good amount of money for an Oscar film.
Why it might not: Atonement beat it at the Globes. Too violent or dark?
1. There Will Be Blood.
aflsjfljlg. Really, I just...I...I wanted to write a review of There Will Be Blood, but I had to hold it off. There Will Be Blood is one of those films you see and just "...". And then, you have to forget it, so you can do normal things like eat and sleep. It's just...brain. fried. I'm not gonna lie: even when the trailer first came out, I wasn't so sure how good this was gonna be. I'm afraid I was still terribly wary from Punch-Drunk Love. But this...this...gahhhhhh. How is it that PT Anderson and company manage to borrow and work on so many movies of the past, and yet advance cinema so far at once? I know, my write-ups for No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood just come off as stupid and overly general. That's because they're the best kind of movies - the kind that do not leave your head once they get there, the ones you can't describe as "oh, that was good" and that's that. Just...I...I'm finished. ;)
My grade: A
Why it might win: If it makes me feel this way, I imagine it makes others feel this way too. Editing & Director nods and many other nominations. Daniel Day-Lewis. It's period material, but the issues are contemporary. I would say that its supporters are the most passionate. Won the few precursors No Country didn't (besides the Globe).
Why it might not: If the Oscar voters think No Country is bleak, I'd love to hear what they thought about this one. It's got its detractors that say it's too over-the-top. Not No Country for Old Men.
Will win: No Country for Old Men.
Might win: There Will Be Blood has very passionate supporters and is being thrown about as a possible spoiler, but I dunno. I don't really see it happening (though I'd be thrilled if it did).
Dark horse: Juno's light touch, place in pop culture, and $$$ might lead it to victory.
Snubbed: If we're talking about the three other films that were also thrown around for Best Picture, those would be Into the Wild, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and Sweeney Todd. I haven't seen Diving Bell (it's finally playing at the teeny indie theater near me, so I really really hope either tonight or some time next week I have time to see it), and I prefer all of these to Into the Wild and Sweeney Todd by far.
Blaaaargh. Final predictions coming later. And I guess my personal awards will have to wait until either tomorrow before the show (if I have time, which I probably won't) or Monday...
5. Juno.
My grade: A-
Why it might win: The happiest, by far, of the Best Picture nominees. The biggest money-maker, by far, of the Best Picture nominees. The fact that it got the Best Director nomination proves it has a lot more support than we thought. Roger Ebert!
Why it might not: It has its very loud detractors. It skews very young and the Academy...does not. It lost the Globe to a movie that wasn't even nominated for Best Picture. It's got the least nominations of all the Best Picture-nominated films. Not No Country for Old Men.
4. Michael Clayton.
My grade: A-
Why it might win: Vote-splitting? George Clooney. Everyone loves a legal drama! Some viewers may love the throwback to the '70s.
Why it might not: It's the least showy/flashy of these nominees by far, and it doesn't have the passionate supporters the other four have. It's probably the most likely to be forgotten or ignored. It isn't the frontrunner in any of its nominated categories. Not No Country for Old Men.
3. Atonement.
My grade: A-
Why it might win: Prestige picture. The frontrunner forever or at least until the guilds attacked. Literary prestige. Even amazingly horrific scenes somehow look like gorgeous postcards and the Academy loves that shit. It won the Globe against No Country.
Why it might not: Tell me the last film that won without Editing and Director nominations. Totally ignored by the guilds. Couldn't get its flashiest stars to a nomination. Lately, the Globe Drama winners don't win Best Picture (since 2002, only one of them has, and that's because what else was going to win in 2003 besides Lord of the Rings?). Not No Country for Old Men.
2. No Country for Old Men
My grade: A
Why it might win: Frontrunner! Hooray, it's got Editing & Director nods (and many other nominations). Coen brothers. Best-reviewed film of the year. Won most precursors. Actually made a pretty darn good amount of money for an Oscar film.
Why it might not: Atonement beat it at the Globes. Too violent or dark?
1. There Will Be Blood.
My grade: A
Why it might win: If it makes me feel this way, I imagine it makes others feel this way too. Editing & Director nods and many other nominations. Daniel Day-Lewis. It's period material, but the issues are contemporary. I would say that its supporters are the most passionate. Won the few precursors No Country didn't (besides the Globe).
Why it might not: If the Oscar voters think No Country is bleak, I'd love to hear what they thought about this one. It's got its detractors that say it's too over-the-top. Not No Country for Old Men.
Will win: No Country for Old Men.
Might win: There Will Be Blood has very passionate supporters and is being thrown about as a possible spoiler, but I dunno. I don't really see it happening (though I'd be thrilled if it did).
Dark horse: Juno's light touch, place in pop culture, and $$$ might lead it to victory.
Snubbed: If we're talking about the three other films that were also thrown around for Best Picture, those would be Into the Wild, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and Sweeney Todd. I haven't seen Diving Bell (it's finally playing at the teeny indie theater near me, so I really really hope either tonight or some time next week I have time to see it), and I prefer all of these to Into the Wild and Sweeney Todd by far.
Blaaaargh. Final predictions coming later. And I guess my personal awards will have to wait until either tomorrow before the show (if I have time, which I probably won't) or Monday...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
so, ummmmmmmmmmmm...
So first I heard Sean Penn won the DGA. Then I heard PT Anderson and the Coens tied (note: this would be the hottest result ever). Then I heard just the Coens won. WHO WON??!!?!? SO CONFUSED!!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
and the oscar (nomination) goes to...
YEAH IT DOES.For my predictions, see here. Note I only predicted the major ones.
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Thoughts: This lineup is hot. When the worst of them is Juno, you know something happened to the Academy, and that something was awesome. AHHHH Atonement YAYYY!!! No, it's not the best of these nominees, but it's fantastic, in my Best Picture lineup, and I'm glad to see it recover. Take THAT, guilds!
Will win: No Country for Old Men has the most nominations and it's got the (deserved) hype going for it since it opened.
Alternate: It's clear they loved There Will Be Blood too, but that has way more detractors than No Country.
Dark horse: Juno has been surprising everyone all season.
Should win: All of these movies are absolutely exemplary for what they are, but There Will Be Blood is a true frontrunner in the quest to revolutionize cinema. Damn, PTA.
I predicted: 4/5, missing Atonement for Into the Wild; Atonement was my 6th placer. I'm extremely pleased with that and rather happy in a schadenfreude-ish way that Oscar clearly didn't like Into the Wild, as it's one of very few films this year that I didn't think lived up to their hype (the other notable ones being I'm Not There, Knocked Up, and especially Once). Toldja Oscar wouldn't go for Diving Bell.
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Ethan & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman - Juno
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Thoughts: I'm not quite sure what Reitman's direction had to do with Juno being so good, but it only proves that the Academy loved it. Diving Bell gets the lone arty spot, I guess. And YES for PTA. After being ignored for two masterpieces in the '90s, he finally gets the nomination for what might be his greatest film yet. I do find it shocking that all the actor-directors were snubbed this year - Denzel, Sean Penn, Ben Affleck. I realize Denzel and Ben weren't really in the race to begin with, but you know.
Will win: It's the Coens' to lose.
Alternate: Like I said before, Oscar loved There Will Be Blood, and Anderson is all over that movie.
Dark horse: Schnabel won the Globe (from the Foreign Press, mind you) and clearly has support... but when's the last time the lone director won?
Should win: As I said before, P.T. Anderson makes what might be the greatest film of his career (and that's saying a lot when you've made Boogie Nights and Magnolia), and There Will Be Blood just wouldn't be the same without him. That's a stupid statement, I realize - aren't the directors what make their films, after all? - but There Will Be Blood is just very, very, Paul Thomas Anderson.
I predicted: 4/5 missing Reitman (didn't we all) for Penn, whose film I thought had more support in general + actor-turned-director. Reitman wasn't even in my (four!) alternates =/
Best Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Thoughts: When I first watched the Oscar broadcast at lunchtimeish here and they got to Best Actor and they said Tommy's name, I thought someone had made some sort of cruel joke and when I really checked the Oscar nominations, it would be like...Cate Blanchett again or something. But NO! He really got nominated! AMAZING. That said, wow, Oscar hates its youngin's. Hirsch, Gosling, and McAvoy, all serious contenders, got left out for Lee Jones, which means the youngest is Depp, who is... 44? 45?
Will win: Daniel Day-Lewis has kind of had this in the bag since the trailer came out, and for good reason.
Alternate: Clooney has the (very few) awards DDL doesn't, and the love of, well, everyone! Plus, the film was clearly liked.
Dark horse: Haha hey, remember how back in like February/March '07 some big/main Oscar coverer guy made a blog post that was like "THERE IS A 90% CHANCE JOHNNY DEPP WILL WIN THE OSCAR WHOAMG." Well...you don't make claims like that a year in advance =/ Depp's hype still isn't dead, though, and he clearly has fans (and detracters, finally, thank God. Just when I start to be less annoyed by him...).
Should win: Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Though all these nominees are good, and actually, three of these are my top 3 (you'll just have to wait a little to see who, though. Ha.)...
I predicted: 4/5 missing Lee Jones (not in my alternates...but was he in yours either? Probably not...) for Hirsch.
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno
Thoughts: OMG OMG OMG OMG LAURAAA!!!!!!! When I watched the nomination video and they said Blanchett first, I actually went "BAH" and prepared to sleep through the rest of the nomination... but ohhh noooo it was JOLIE who got the snub, for the Lovely Laura Linney! AHHHHH I love the Oscars sometimes!!!! I'm so very thrilled about Laura I'm almost - almost - okay with Jesus getting snubbed.
Will win: Julie Christie.
Alternate: Ellen Page. I don't care that Cotillard won the Globe, that's the Foreign Press and Juno clearly had a lot of support (Director...yeah, who saw that getting in?). Or...okay, I just don't want to think about Cotillard winning. Blah.
Dark horse: Oh, I so want to say Linney's going to pull a Gay Harden. Sorry, Julie, but I'd about cry in joy if that happened. But, yeah, I'm not deluding myself. Unfortunately, Cotillard is way more likely, which means her fans would continue being the most obnoxious ever until the end of time. Yes, we know you thought she was good. Do you have to keep insulting the person who's going to win the Oscar over her? Ass (es).
Should win: Both Linney and Christie were superb, but LAURA LINNEY!!!! AAAAHHH I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE SHE ACTUALLY GOT IN!!!!!!
I predicted: 3/5 going with Blanchett for the snub instead of Jolie (I wasn't the biggest fan of Jolie either, but booooo) and Adams instead of Linney for the "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE" spot. I also said that I would cry of happiness if Linney got in...I can't say I did, but I did let out quite a loud shriek of utter joy. I swear, the Oscars make crazy people out of all of us.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination...
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
Thoughts: This has been locked up for uh, a long time, so yeah. It really is an excellent lineup, though.
Will win: Javier Bardem. And Spain, for some reason, hates him (my host mom, while I was there, tried to explain it to me, but I was very confused and I'm still not sure why), so I'm sure they won't mention it. Hee.
Alternate: Casey Affleck has the critics' wins Bardem doesn't. Oscars for the whole Affleck family! Hooray! (Imagine if Ben got in somehow, too, and Jennifer Garner for Juno. That'd be adorable.)
Dark horse: Holbrook could concievably pull an Alan Arkin, beating other, much better, nominees, but there's a pretty significant difference - Arkin's film was beloved by the Academy and Holbrook's isn't.
Should win: Javier Bardem was kind of beyond words in No Country. From the very beginning...that look on his face when he strangles the guy who arrests him is amazing (and obviously, terrifying). Ahhh... but as I said above, it's an excellent lineup. Even if Holbrook - the least of the group - pulls an Arkin I won't have to do a "what? NO!" like I did last year.
I predicted: 5/5. Hooray. Me, and everyone else, I think.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
Thoughts: It's fine. Neither Ryan nor Dee really excite me, but both are okay (and Dee was in Do the Right Thing! And Ryan was in You Can Count on Me! Both of these, quite frankly, get you eternal love from me!). And hey, Tilda Swinton finally gave a performance that made me understand her hype!
Will win: Hard to call between Ryan and Blanchett. I'm gonna wait until the SAG is over to make a final call, I think... for now, I'm going with Blanchett.
Alternate: Ryan's right on her heels, though. I think this one is far from locked.
Dark horse: ...or, I can still easily see Blanchett and Ryan splitting votes and Swinton getting it, especially since the film is a Best Picture nominee, supported in other categories, and not seeming likely of a win anywhere...
Should win: Cate Blanchett. Fine, universe! You win! (Seriously, she was excellent in I'm Not There. The...only excellent thing about that movie. =/)
I predicted: 4/5, going for Keener over Dee. I wish it had gone to, I dunno, Kelly MacDonald or Jennifer Garner or something, but between Keener and Dee, I'm glad I was wrong.
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Thoughts: Yup, pretty standard. It was always going to be 4 great screenplays and one that had no chance and was bad (Lars and the Real Girl or Knocked Up). Also...this lineup is estrogen-riffic!
Will win: Juno. Have you been paying attention for the past month or so?
Alternate: Michael Clayton, if the "homeskillet" backlash kicks up enough...
Dark horse: Ratatouille. OMG if this won I would be SO HAPPY.
Should win: Ratatouille. Though, as I said, four of these screenplays are great and one is...Lars and the Real Girl.
I predicted: 4/5, going for Knocked Up instead of Lars and the Real Girl, assuming Oscar couldn't ignore Apatow any more. I guess they can... and quite frankly, I'm damn thankful for that!
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
Away from Her
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Thoughts: Away from Her is an absolutely lovely surprise. Sarah Polley deserved a nomination (and a win!) all the way back in 1997 for The Sweet Hereafter, so that's great for her. I didn't think she was quite as deserving for director - she was a tad too detached - but here, totally. Congrats, Sarah!
Will win: No Country for Old Men, which isn't only the frontrunner but also had an unlikely Globe win.
Alternate: There Will Be Blood is clearly the second-placer in a lot of these categories...
Dark horse: Atonement, if it had had more support throughout the season in general, is the British prestige-y type movie that Oscar loves.
Should win: Atonement, for deftly adapting an incredibly complex novel (though I still haven't seen Diving Bell, and probably won't for a long time :( ).
I predicted: 4/5, going for Into the Wild instead of Away from Her. But we all know what was Into the Wild's fate...
Note: after here, the predictions get kinda list-y and less analysis-y...
Best Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Will win: No Country for Old Men
Alternate: Atonement
Dark horse: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Should win: of these, Atonement, though I give Deakins the win for Assassination and No Country together
Best Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Will win: No Country for Old Men
Alternate: There Will Be Blood
Dark horse: The Bourne Ultimatum
Should win: There Will Be Blood (or No Country for Old Men...hmm)
Best Art Direction
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Will win: hmmm, Sweeney Todd
Alternate: Atonement
Dark horse: There Will Be Blood
Should win: There Will Be Blood
Best Costume Design
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La vie en rose
Sweeney Todd
Will win: Atonement
Alternate: Sweeney Todd
Dark horse: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Should win: Atonement (ahhh, the green dress!)
Best Makeup
La vie en rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Will win: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Should win: La vie en rose
Best Score
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
Will win: Atonement
Alternate: Ratatouille
Dark horse: Michael Clayton
Should win: Atonement (why oh why is There Will Be Blood not eligible again)
Best Original Song
August Rush - "Raise It Up"
Enchanted - "Happy Working Song"
Enchanted - "So Close"
Enchanted - "That's How You Know"
Once - "Falling Slowly"
Will win: "Falling Slowly"
Alternate: "That's How You Know"
Dark horse: "So Close"
Should win: "Falling Slowly"
Best Sound
3:10 to Yuma
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Thoughts: This lineup is hot. When the worst of them is Juno, you know something happened to the Academy, and that something was awesome. AHHHH Atonement YAYYY!!! No, it's not the best of these nominees, but it's fantastic, in my Best Picture lineup, and I'm glad to see it recover. Take THAT, guilds!
Will win: No Country for Old Men has the most nominations and it's got the (deserved) hype going for it since it opened.
Alternate: It's clear they loved There Will Be Blood too, but that has way more detractors than No Country.
Dark horse: Juno has been surprising everyone all season.
Should win: All of these movies are absolutely exemplary for what they are, but There Will Be Blood is a true frontrunner in the quest to revolutionize cinema. Damn, PTA.
I predicted: 4/5, missing Atonement for Into the Wild; Atonement was my 6th placer. I'm extremely pleased with that and rather happy in a schadenfreude-ish way that Oscar clearly didn't like Into the Wild, as it's one of very few films this year that I didn't think lived up to their hype (the other notable ones being I'm Not There, Knocked Up, and especially Once). Toldja Oscar wouldn't go for Diving Bell.
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Ethan & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman - Juno
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Thoughts: I'm not quite sure what Reitman's direction had to do with Juno being so good, but it only proves that the Academy loved it. Diving Bell gets the lone arty spot, I guess. And YES for PTA. After being ignored for two masterpieces in the '90s, he finally gets the nomination for what might be his greatest film yet. I do find it shocking that all the actor-directors were snubbed this year - Denzel, Sean Penn, Ben Affleck. I realize Denzel and Ben weren't really in the race to begin with, but you know.
Will win: It's the Coens' to lose.
Alternate: Like I said before, Oscar loved There Will Be Blood, and Anderson is all over that movie.
Dark horse: Schnabel won the Globe (from the Foreign Press, mind you) and clearly has support... but when's the last time the lone director won?
Should win: As I said before, P.T. Anderson makes what might be the greatest film of his career (and that's saying a lot when you've made Boogie Nights and Magnolia), and There Will Be Blood just wouldn't be the same without him. That's a stupid statement, I realize - aren't the directors what make their films, after all? - but There Will Be Blood is just very, very, Paul Thomas Anderson.
I predicted: 4/5 missing Reitman (didn't we all) for Penn, whose film I thought had more support in general + actor-turned-director. Reitman wasn't even in my (four!) alternates =/
Best Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Thoughts: When I first watched the Oscar broadcast at lunchtimeish here and they got to Best Actor and they said Tommy's name, I thought someone had made some sort of cruel joke and when I really checked the Oscar nominations, it would be like...Cate Blanchett again or something. But NO! He really got nominated! AMAZING. That said, wow, Oscar hates its youngin's. Hirsch, Gosling, and McAvoy, all serious contenders, got left out for Lee Jones, which means the youngest is Depp, who is... 44? 45?
Will win: Daniel Day-Lewis has kind of had this in the bag since the trailer came out, and for good reason.
Alternate: Clooney has the (very few) awards DDL doesn't, and the love of, well, everyone! Plus, the film was clearly liked.
Dark horse: Haha hey, remember how back in like February/March '07 some big/main Oscar coverer guy made a blog post that was like "THERE IS A 90% CHANCE JOHNNY DEPP WILL WIN THE OSCAR WHOAMG." Well...you don't make claims like that a year in advance =/ Depp's hype still isn't dead, though, and he clearly has fans (and detracters, finally, thank God. Just when I start to be less annoyed by him...).
Should win: Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel Day-Lewis. Though all these nominees are good, and actually, three of these are my top 3 (you'll just have to wait a little to see who, though. Ha.)...
I predicted: 4/5 missing Lee Jones (not in my alternates...but was he in yours either? Probably not...) for Hirsch.
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno
Thoughts: OMG OMG OMG OMG LAURAAA!!!!!!! When I watched the nomination video and they said Blanchett first, I actually went "BAH" and prepared to sleep through the rest of the nomination... but ohhh noooo it was JOLIE who got the snub, for the Lovely Laura Linney! AHHHHH I love the Oscars sometimes!!!! I'm so very thrilled about Laura I'm almost - almost - okay with Jesus getting snubbed.
Will win: Julie Christie.
Alternate: Ellen Page. I don't care that Cotillard won the Globe, that's the Foreign Press and Juno clearly had a lot of support (Director...yeah, who saw that getting in?). Or...okay, I just don't want to think about Cotillard winning. Blah.
Dark horse: Oh, I so want to say Linney's going to pull a Gay Harden. Sorry, Julie, but I'd about cry in joy if that happened. But, yeah, I'm not deluding myself. Unfortunately, Cotillard is way more likely, which means her fans would continue being the most obnoxious ever until the end of time. Yes, we know you thought she was good. Do you have to keep insulting the person who's going to win the Oscar over her? Ass (es).
Should win: Both Linney and Christie were superb, but LAURA LINNEY!!!! AAAAHHH I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE SHE ACTUALLY GOT IN!!!!!!
I predicted: 3/5 going with Blanchett for the snub instead of Jolie (I wasn't the biggest fan of Jolie either, but booooo) and Adams instead of Linney for the "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE" spot. I also said that I would cry of happiness if Linney got in...I can't say I did, but I did let out quite a loud shriek of utter joy. I swear, the Oscars make crazy people out of all of us.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination...
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
Thoughts: This has been locked up for uh, a long time, so yeah. It really is an excellent lineup, though.
Will win: Javier Bardem. And Spain, for some reason, hates him (my host mom, while I was there, tried to explain it to me, but I was very confused and I'm still not sure why), so I'm sure they won't mention it. Hee.
Alternate: Casey Affleck has the critics' wins Bardem doesn't. Oscars for the whole Affleck family! Hooray! (Imagine if Ben got in somehow, too, and Jennifer Garner for Juno. That'd be adorable.)
Dark horse: Holbrook could concievably pull an Alan Arkin, beating other, much better, nominees, but there's a pretty significant difference - Arkin's film was beloved by the Academy and Holbrook's isn't.
Should win: Javier Bardem was kind of beyond words in No Country. From the very beginning...that look on his face when he strangles the guy who arrests him is amazing (and obviously, terrifying). Ahhh... but as I said above, it's an excellent lineup. Even if Holbrook - the least of the group - pulls an Arkin I won't have to do a "what? NO!" like I did last year.
I predicted: 5/5. Hooray. Me, and everyone else, I think.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
Thoughts: It's fine. Neither Ryan nor Dee really excite me, but both are okay (and Dee was in Do the Right Thing! And Ryan was in You Can Count on Me! Both of these, quite frankly, get you eternal love from me!). And hey, Tilda Swinton finally gave a performance that made me understand her hype!
Will win: Hard to call between Ryan and Blanchett. I'm gonna wait until the SAG is over to make a final call, I think... for now, I'm going with Blanchett.
Alternate: Ryan's right on her heels, though. I think this one is far from locked.
Dark horse: ...or, I can still easily see Blanchett and Ryan splitting votes and Swinton getting it, especially since the film is a Best Picture nominee, supported in other categories, and not seeming likely of a win anywhere...
Should win: Cate Blanchett. Fine, universe! You win! (Seriously, she was excellent in I'm Not There. The...only excellent thing about that movie. =/)
I predicted: 4/5, going for Keener over Dee. I wish it had gone to, I dunno, Kelly MacDonald or Jennifer Garner or something, but between Keener and Dee, I'm glad I was wrong.
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Thoughts: Yup, pretty standard. It was always going to be 4 great screenplays and one that had no chance and was bad (Lars and the Real Girl or Knocked Up). Also...this lineup is estrogen-riffic!
Will win: Juno. Have you been paying attention for the past month or so?
Alternate: Michael Clayton, if the "homeskillet" backlash kicks up enough...
Dark horse: Ratatouille. OMG if this won I would be SO HAPPY.
Should win: Ratatouille. Though, as I said, four of these screenplays are great and one is...Lars and the Real Girl.
I predicted: 4/5, going for Knocked Up instead of Lars and the Real Girl, assuming Oscar couldn't ignore Apatow any more. I guess they can... and quite frankly, I'm damn thankful for that!
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
Away from Her
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Thoughts: Away from Her is an absolutely lovely surprise. Sarah Polley deserved a nomination (and a win!) all the way back in 1997 for The Sweet Hereafter, so that's great for her. I didn't think she was quite as deserving for director - she was a tad too detached - but here, totally. Congrats, Sarah!
Will win: No Country for Old Men, which isn't only the frontrunner but also had an unlikely Globe win.
Alternate: There Will Be Blood is clearly the second-placer in a lot of these categories...
Dark horse: Atonement, if it had had more support throughout the season in general, is the British prestige-y type movie that Oscar loves.
Should win: Atonement, for deftly adapting an incredibly complex novel (though I still haven't seen Diving Bell, and probably won't for a long time :( ).
I predicted: 4/5, going for Into the Wild instead of Away from Her. But we all know what was Into the Wild's fate...
Note: after here, the predictions get kinda list-y and less analysis-y...
Best Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Will win: No Country for Old Men
Alternate: Atonement
Dark horse: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Should win: of these, Atonement, though I give Deakins the win for Assassination and No Country together
Best Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Will win: No Country for Old Men
Alternate: There Will Be Blood
Dark horse: The Bourne Ultimatum
Should win: There Will Be Blood (or No Country for Old Men...hmm)
Best Art Direction
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Will win: hmmm, Sweeney Todd
Alternate: Atonement
Dark horse: There Will Be Blood
Should win: There Will Be Blood
Best Costume Design
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La vie en rose
Sweeney Todd
Will win: Atonement
Alternate: Sweeney Todd
Dark horse: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Should win: Atonement (ahhh, the green dress!)
Best Makeup
La vie en rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Will win: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Should win: La vie en rose
Best Score
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
Will win: Atonement
Alternate: Ratatouille
Dark horse: Michael Clayton
Should win: Atonement (why oh why is There Will Be Blood not eligible again)
Best Original Song
August Rush - "Raise It Up"
Enchanted - "Happy Working Song"
Enchanted - "So Close"
Enchanted - "That's How You Know"
Once - "Falling Slowly"
Will win: "Falling Slowly"
Alternate: "That's How You Know"
Dark horse: "So Close"
Should win: "Falling Slowly"
Best Sound
3:10 to Yuma
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
Transformers
Will win: Transformers
Alternate: The Bourne Ultimatum
Dark horse: No Country for Old Men
Should win: ummm... No Country for Old Men?
Best Sound Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers
Will win: Transformers
Alternate: The Bourne Ultimatum
Dark horse: No Country for Old Men
Should win: Transformers
Best Visual Effects
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers
Will win: Transformers
Should win: Transformers
Best Animated Film
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up
Will win: Ratatouille
Should win: Ratatouille
and for Foreign Language, Documentary, and the Shorts, just...look on IMDb or something. Lazy, I am.
Overall notes:
- AHHHHH LAURA LINNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- They really didn't like Sweeney Todd or Into the Wild very much.
- HAHAHAHA NORBIT THE OSCAR NOMINEE HAHAHAHA. Between this and Click last year, I think the Makeup department is just insane and wants to fuck with all of us.
- Okay, three nominations for Enchanted's songs (including the inane "Happy Working Song," which wouldn't have been shit without the genius person who sings it), but you couldn't manage a nod for Amy Adams? Boo. At least she'll be singing it live (I guess)!!!
- As long as I'm on the subject, Best Song is very strange. August Rush was awful and I don't enjoy thinking about it, but "Raise It Up" was the best song in the movie...not that that really says too much. Once is the most overrated film of 2007, but it should honestly take up all five spaces in this category ("Falling Slowly," "If You Want Me," "Lies," "Fallen from the Sky," "When Your Mind's Made Up" is a much better lineup than what they have).
- Surf's Up over The Simpsons Movie might be the strangest nominee of all, next to the very idea of Norbit as an Oscar nominee. Jesus Christ, the Academy loves penguins!
- Okay, I gotta say it: both Cate Blanchett and Jodie Foster were leads in crap films that got awful reviews and were way below them this year. Cate Blanchett was fine but far from outstanding or even very good in her movie. Jodie Foster was, well, not Silence of the Lambs or Contact level, but she was Jodie, that is to say, approximating brilliant. Who's got the Oscar nomination, though? Sigh.
- Do you think Keira is having a fabulous little fit that she didn't get a nomination but the scrawny Irish unknown did?
- SO happy for Ratatouille's many nominations. It's such a great movie.
- Teehee, one of the Best Foreign Film nominations (which are bizarre... where is 4 Months and Persepolis and Diving Bell????? Utterly weird) is from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan greatest country in the world. All other countries are run by little girls. Kazakhstan number one exporter of potassium. Other countries have inferior potassium...
- ... could Kevin O'Connell actually win the Oscar? If he does, I'm predicting he gives one of the best speeches of the night (please, God, let us have an Oscar ceremony.) - in freakin' Sound!
- AHHHHHHH LAURA LINNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
Transformers
Will win: Transformers
Alternate: The Bourne Ultimatum
Dark horse: No Country for Old Men
Should win: ummm... No Country for Old Men?
Best Sound Editing
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers
Will win: Transformers
Alternate: The Bourne Ultimatum
Dark horse: No Country for Old Men
Should win: Transformers
Best Visual Effects
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers
Will win: Transformers
Should win: Transformers
Best Animated Film
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up
Will win: Ratatouille
Should win: Ratatouille
and for Foreign Language, Documentary, and the Shorts, just...look on IMDb or something. Lazy, I am.
Overall notes:
- AHHHHH LAURA LINNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- They really didn't like Sweeney Todd or Into the Wild very much.
- HAHAHAHA NORBIT THE OSCAR NOMINEE HAHAHAHA. Between this and Click last year, I think the Makeup department is just insane and wants to fuck with all of us.
- Okay, three nominations for Enchanted's songs (including the inane "Happy Working Song," which wouldn't have been shit without the genius person who sings it), but you couldn't manage a nod for Amy Adams? Boo. At least she'll be singing it live (I guess)!!!
- As long as I'm on the subject, Best Song is very strange. August Rush was awful and I don't enjoy thinking about it, but "Raise It Up" was the best song in the movie...not that that really says too much. Once is the most overrated film of 2007, but it should honestly take up all five spaces in this category ("Falling Slowly," "If You Want Me," "Lies," "Fallen from the Sky," "When Your Mind's Made Up" is a much better lineup than what they have).
- Surf's Up over The Simpsons Movie might be the strangest nominee of all, next to the very idea of Norbit as an Oscar nominee. Jesus Christ, the Academy loves penguins!
- Okay, I gotta say it: both Cate Blanchett and Jodie Foster were leads in crap films that got awful reviews and were way below them this year. Cate Blanchett was fine but far from outstanding or even very good in her movie. Jodie Foster was, well, not Silence of the Lambs or Contact level, but she was Jodie, that is to say, approximating brilliant. Who's got the Oscar nomination, though? Sigh.
- Do you think Keira is having a fabulous little fit that she didn't get a nomination but the scrawny Irish unknown did?
- SO happy for Ratatouille's many nominations. It's such a great movie.
- Teehee, one of the Best Foreign Film nominations (which are bizarre... where is 4 Months and Persepolis and Diving Bell????? Utterly weird) is from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan greatest country in the world. All other countries are run by little girls. Kazakhstan number one exporter of potassium. Other countries have inferior potassium...
- ... could Kevin O'Connell actually win the Oscar? If he does, I'm predicting he gives one of the best speeches of the night (please, God, let us have an Oscar ceremony.) - in freakin' Sound!
- AHHHHHHH LAURA LINNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Oscar predictions post Globe/PGA
Best Picture
Into the Wild
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Atonement, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I don't think the Globe win saves Atonement in any way, it just makes the race a little more interesting. Sad, but whatever. At least Atonement has a likely sweep of the BAFTAs, right? I still can't see AMPAS going for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly when Pan's Labyrinth couldn't get in last year (though knowing me, Diving Bell will be nominated, of course). If one of these is most vulnerable, I think it might actually be There Will Be Blood, as it's...um...a tad too crazy for AMPAS, no?
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Alternates: Burton, Scott, Fincher, Lumet
Take DGA. Copy + paste. Hooray! If AMPAS gets sentimental they could go for Lumet or Scott, and if they're feeling crazy they could go for Fincher. Burton still stands a pretty good chance, but I can't think of who to bump out.
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Alternates: Gosling, Washington, McAvoy
Wow, if this happens, what a strong lineup. Not a performance I didn't like in the bunch. Of course, this means Gosling (sorry, Ryan. Looooved you in Half Nelson.) or Washington will get in at the expense of, like, Viggo. *cries*
Best Actress
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page, Juno
Alternates: Blanchett, Linney, Knightley
I know, predicting Adams over Blanchett is sheer lunacy. But...Adams might be on less ballots overall, but get way more #1s; ain't no one votin' #1 for Blanchett except Blanchett. And...I'm thinking optimistically. Shhh! I would cry of happiness if Linney got in, but I just don't think it's happening.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James...
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Travolta (please, no...), Lee Jones, Finney
I don't really see too many people spoiling this party. If Travolta gets in I shan't be happy.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Redgrave, Dee, Garner
I liked Breslin a lot last year but if she got in, Ronan should get in...
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Alternates: Lars and the Real Girl, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Don't really have any comments for this one. I just don't see Oscar going for Lars at all. shrug
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Charlie Wilson's War, Zodiac, Away from Her
I think, even if it gets left out of Picture/Director/the other majors, the Academy would really have to absolutely despise Atonement to leave it out here.
Hmm.
Into the Wild
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Atonement, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I don't think the Globe win saves Atonement in any way, it just makes the race a little more interesting. Sad, but whatever. At least Atonement has a likely sweep of the BAFTAs, right? I still can't see AMPAS going for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly when Pan's Labyrinth couldn't get in last year (though knowing me, Diving Bell will be nominated, of course). If one of these is most vulnerable, I think it might actually be There Will Be Blood, as it's...um...a tad too crazy for AMPAS, no?
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Alternates: Burton, Scott, Fincher, Lumet
Take DGA. Copy + paste. Hooray! If AMPAS gets sentimental they could go for Lumet or Scott, and if they're feeling crazy they could go for Fincher. Burton still stands a pretty good chance, but I can't think of who to bump out.
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Alternates: Gosling, Washington, McAvoy
Wow, if this happens, what a strong lineup. Not a performance I didn't like in the bunch. Of course, this means Gosling (sorry, Ryan. Looooved you in Half Nelson.) or Washington will get in at the expense of, like, Viggo. *cries*
Best Actress
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page, Juno
Alternates: Blanchett, Linney, Knightley
I know, predicting Adams over Blanchett is sheer lunacy. But...Adams might be on less ballots overall, but get way more #1s; ain't no one votin' #1 for Blanchett except Blanchett. And...I'm thinking optimistically. Shhh! I would cry of happiness if Linney got in, but I just don't think it's happening.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James...
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Travolta (please, no...), Lee Jones, Finney
I don't really see too many people spoiling this party. If Travolta gets in I shan't be happy.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Redgrave, Dee, Garner
I liked Breslin a lot last year but if she got in, Ronan should get in...
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Alternates: Lars and the Real Girl, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Don't really have any comments for this one. I just don't see Oscar going for Lars at all. shrug
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Charlie Wilson's War, Zodiac, Away from Her
I think, even if it gets left out of Picture/Director/the other majors, the Academy would really have to absolutely despise Atonement to leave it out here.
Hmm.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Globe reactions '07 (or '08. whatever)
- Okay, I'm reading an article about the Globes, and did you know there are only 82 members?! Christ. AMPAS has over 6000.
- My predictions weren't that bad, though woohoo I fucked up the major categories (screenplay, director, both Best Pictures).
- Wow, they really did not like No Country all that much. And they hated Juno. Duh, I should have gone with the age-old "Globes love musicals" card. I guess Sweeney Todd/Juno is like last year's Dreamgirls/Little Miss Sunshine.
- Atonement yayyyy!!! Even if you despise it, at least it made the race a little more interesting, right? I don't think it's winning Best Picture, but I think it can at least get the nomination now.
- Schnabel Diving Bell WHAT. You're the one movie I can't see or *cough* find... and you keep winning/being nominated for things. I enjoyed Basquiat and Before Night Falls enough, but didn't think the direction was notable in either, really. You know what, Diving Bell? I'm just gonna have to tough it through Oscar season not having seen you. I can't believe I forgot Julian Schnabel was a famous artist, though. Duh.
- Billy Bush could not be more stupid. Insulting many of the wins (saying Cate Blanchett "just played a man" or something like that and saying Marion Cotillard shouldn't have won because her movie wasn't actually a comedy/musical, which...actually...is a decent criticism), calling virtually every TV show a "movie," and just being generally an idiot... Duh. I mean, he said Amy Ryan should have won because she was "an established actress in the movie business" or whatever, thus inferring that Cate Blanchett is not. I know I'm not her biggest fan, but um, duhhh... and also. "When you team together Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, you get something really special, like Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio." Uh?! I think that only got great just last year, after two previous tries, and well, MARTIN SCORSESE AND ROBERT DENIRO? Jesus. Moron.
- I have no real problems with any of the wins. I would have preferred any of the other nominees over Cotillard, but I'm not like GAR ARGH RAAHHH etc. I actually - and this may shock some of you - love Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There, but she's lead. Still great though, and borderline, so we'll let it slide.
- TV: What is Mad Men? I'm not the most into TV (though as is brutally obvious, I do enjoy The Office, as well as Sex and the City, which I've seen every episode of at least three times. Seriously. No, I don't have a life, why do you ask?), though I do tend to watch one or two episodes of a show just to try it out, but like... I haven't even heard of it. I guess this is what happens when you go to Spain for a semester.
- Katherine Heigl lost. I'm shocked, and of two minds about her. First, I do appreciate that she's not being controlled by her publicist and actually has opinions, and it's kind of hypocritical that everyone applauded her for saying bad things about Isaiah Washington, who everyone hated at the time, but everyone turned on her when she said bad things about Knocked Up, which everyone loved. She's also a good actress and totally likeable in, say, well, Knocked Up, even if she was playing "a shrew." On the other hand, she is everywhere, and I'm getting really tired of her, and it seems clear she's quite full of herself. However, Samantha Morton (and Andy Serkis, and Jim Broadbent) was (were) just fucking amazing in Longford, so I'm incredibly glad she got the recognition she did. And hey, Hugh Lawrie and House lost! YAY!!
- I think Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold should win Best Supporting Actor in a TV Comedy for the rest of time. One of my favorite characters ever.
- In basic conclusion: if this is what the Oscars are like, I'm gonna have to shoot somebody.
- My predictions weren't that bad, though woohoo I fucked up the major categories (screenplay, director, both Best Pictures).
- Wow, they really did not like No Country all that much. And they hated Juno. Duh, I should have gone with the age-old "Globes love musicals" card. I guess Sweeney Todd/Juno is like last year's Dreamgirls/Little Miss Sunshine.
- Atonement yayyyy!!! Even if you despise it, at least it made the race a little more interesting, right? I don't think it's winning Best Picture, but I think it can at least get the nomination now.
- Schnabel Diving Bell WHAT. You're the one movie I can't see or *cough* find... and you keep winning/being nominated for things. I enjoyed Basquiat and Before Night Falls enough, but didn't think the direction was notable in either, really. You know what, Diving Bell? I'm just gonna have to tough it through Oscar season not having seen you. I can't believe I forgot Julian Schnabel was a famous artist, though. Duh.
- Billy Bush could not be more stupid. Insulting many of the wins (saying Cate Blanchett "just played a man" or something like that and saying Marion Cotillard shouldn't have won because her movie wasn't actually a comedy/musical, which...actually...is a decent criticism), calling virtually every TV show a "movie," and just being generally an idiot... Duh. I mean, he said Amy Ryan should have won because she was "an established actress in the movie business" or whatever, thus inferring that Cate Blanchett is not. I know I'm not her biggest fan, but um, duhhh... and also. "When you team together Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, you get something really special, like Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio." Uh?! I think that only got great just last year, after two previous tries, and well, MARTIN SCORSESE AND ROBERT DENIRO? Jesus. Moron.
- I have no real problems with any of the wins. I would have preferred any of the other nominees over Cotillard, but I'm not like GAR ARGH RAAHHH etc. I actually - and this may shock some of you - love Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There, but she's lead. Still great though, and borderline, so we'll let it slide.
- TV: What is Mad Men? I'm not the most into TV (though as is brutally obvious, I do enjoy The Office, as well as Sex and the City, which I've seen every episode of at least three times. Seriously. No, I don't have a life, why do you ask?), though I do tend to watch one or two episodes of a show just to try it out, but like... I haven't even heard of it. I guess this is what happens when you go to Spain for a semester.
- Katherine Heigl lost. I'm shocked, and of two minds about her. First, I do appreciate that she's not being controlled by her publicist and actually has opinions, and it's kind of hypocritical that everyone applauded her for saying bad things about Isaiah Washington, who everyone hated at the time, but everyone turned on her when she said bad things about Knocked Up, which everyone loved. She's also a good actress and totally likeable in, say, well, Knocked Up, even if she was playing "a shrew." On the other hand, she is everywhere, and I'm getting really tired of her, and it seems clear she's quite full of herself. However, Samantha Morton (and Andy Serkis, and Jim Broadbent) was (were) just fucking amazing in Longford, so I'm incredibly glad she got the recognition she did. And hey, Hugh Lawrie and House lost! YAY!!
- I think Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold should win Best Supporting Actor in a TV Comedy for the rest of time. One of my favorite characters ever.
- In basic conclusion: if this is what the Oscars are like, I'm gonna have to shoot somebody.
Friday, January 11, 2008
so, like, golden globe predix. i guess.
"Atonement, YOU FOOLS. Do you think just because you lead the field in nominations you're getting anything notable? HA. Also, why do I always play some sort of figure of law/authority?"...yay for "press releases." Oh and I suck at this, so if I go, like, 1/whatever, that would be why. Hah.
Best Picture - Drama: No Country for Old Men (alt. Atonement)
Best Picture - Musical/Comedy: Juno (alt. Sweeney Todd)
Best Actor - Drama: DDL (alt. Clooney)
Best Actor - M/C: Depp (alt. uh, Hoffman? Depp should win this quite easily.)
Best Actress - Drama: Christie (alt. Jolie)
Best Actress - M/C: Page (alt. Adams. Okay, I know I'm supposed to say alt. Cotillard BUT I'M NOT, OKAY???)
Best Supporting Actor: Bardem (alt. Affleck)
Best Supporting Actress: Ryan (alt. Blanchett)
Best Director: Coens (alt. Burton)
Best Screenplay: Juno (alt. Atonement)
Best Original Song: "Guaranteed," Into the Wild (alt. "That's How You Know," Enchanted)
Best Original Score: Atonement (alt. The Kite Runner)
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille (alt. The Simpsons Movie)
Best Foreign Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (alt. Lust, Caution)
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
BFCA thoughts.
- to quote No Country for Old Men, "you can't stop what's coming." And that would be No Country / the Coens / DDL / Christie / Bardem / Ryan (or maybe Blanchett)...
- Why was no one there??? It's like, the one awards show with an actual waiver!
- Daniel Day-Lewis is incredibly charming. He still freaks me out because I've never seen more than one picture of that man where he looked the same.
- Javier Bardem's speeches were probably the best part of the night. He was hilarious, and the fact that he has problems with English makes his performance in No Country even more outstanding.
- The host was horrible.
- As far as the winners go, I have no real complaints. Yes, there were sometimes nominees I preferred over the winners but nothing made me gasp and go "HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!" except maaaybe Best Young Actor. Ed Sanders deserved it about 100000%.
- Enchanted won something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Oh my God, I felt so bad for poor Marion Cotillard. First, she's like, the only Best Actress nominee to actually show up (okay, her and Ellen Page, but at least Ellen Page got to ride a wave of Juno is the best movie evarrrr!!!! love). Then, the stupid red carpet reporter mis-identifies her as Emily Deschanel and she has to talk about things she probably knows absolutely nothing about. Then, she has to sit there while she loses to someone who wasn't even there (okay, Christie's win was deserving). Poor thing. I had no idea she was so pretty, though. My only reference for her looks is La vie en rose, which I keep trying to block out of my mind, and that still from La vie en rose where she looks kind of like she has to...sneeze, or cry weirdly, or something.
- I still have no desire to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Yeah, I'm sure it's great, but... I dunno... I guess if it gets the DGA/Oscar Best Director nod, I've gotta see it...
- That girl from Hairspray is adorable.
- Was I the only one that didn't think Leslie Mann was that funny?
- Angelina Jolie made the funniest faces ever.
- Can everyone please stop complaining about how "boring" every award season is? Yes, critics tend to agree on certain movies/directors/actors that go on to win the Oscar. But every award season, people act like this is new. Every year, anew, people declare "this is the most boring awards season ever!" Deal with it.
- Why was no one there??? It's like, the one awards show with an actual waiver!
- Daniel Day-Lewis is incredibly charming. He still freaks me out because I've never seen more than one picture of that man where he looked the same.
- Javier Bardem's speeches were probably the best part of the night. He was hilarious, and the fact that he has problems with English makes his performance in No Country even more outstanding.
- The host was horrible.
- As far as the winners go, I have no real complaints. Yes, there were sometimes nominees I preferred over the winners but nothing made me gasp and go "HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!" except maaaybe Best Young Actor. Ed Sanders deserved it about 100000%.
- Enchanted won something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Oh my God, I felt so bad for poor Marion Cotillard. First, she's like, the only Best Actress nominee to actually show up (okay, her and Ellen Page, but at least Ellen Page got to ride a wave of Juno is the best movie evarrrr!!!! love). Then, the stupid red carpet reporter mis-identifies her as Emily Deschanel and she has to talk about things she probably knows absolutely nothing about. Then, she has to sit there while she loses to someone who wasn't even there (okay, Christie's win was deserving). Poor thing. I had no idea she was so pretty, though. My only reference for her looks is La vie en rose, which I keep trying to block out of my mind, and that still from La vie en rose where she looks kind of like she has to...sneeze, or cry weirdly, or something.
- I still have no desire to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Yeah, I'm sure it's great, but... I dunno... I guess if it gets the DGA/Oscar Best Director nod, I've gotta see it...
- That girl from Hairspray is adorable.
- Was I the only one that didn't think Leslie Mann was that funny?
- Angelina Jolie made the funniest faces ever.
- Can everyone please stop complaining about how "boring" every award season is? Yes, critics tend to agree on certain movies/directors/actors that go on to win the Oscar. But every award season, people act like this is new. Every year, anew, people declare "this is the most boring awards season ever!" Deal with it.
Monday, January 07, 2008
No Country for Old Men.
I'm still not sure I understood anything that went on in that movie. But yeah...not since I saw Magnolia have I been so sure I've been in the presence of a masterpiece that I may not fully comprehend, but am not to argue with. Damn.
And because you all are lovely and I care about your readership, if you ever find a ton of money in a suitcase in the middle of nowhere in Texas, and there's a bunch of dead bodies around it, trust me: just leave it there. Your life will be much better because of it.
Friday, January 04, 2008
BAFTA longlist thoughts.
WTF doesn't necessarily indicate bad choices (though sometimes it does), just...weird ones
BEST PICTURE
American Gangster
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Eastern Promises
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
The Lives of Others
Lust, Caution
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: The Bourne Ultimatum, Control, The Kite Runner, The Lives of Others
BEST DIRECTOR
the same, except instead of Nichols for CWW there's James Mangold for 3:10 to Yuma
BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale :: 3:10 to Yuma
Daniel Day-Lewis :: There Will Be Blood
Denzel Washington :: American Gangster
Emile Hirsch :: Into the Wild
George Clooney :: Michael Clayton
James McAvoy :: Atonement
Johnny Depp :: Sweeney Todd
Josh Brolin :: No Country for Old Men
Matt Damon :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Russell Crowe :: 3:10 to Yuma
Sam Riley :: Control
Tom Hanks :: Charlie Wilson's War
Tommy Lee Jones :: In the Valley of Elah
Ulrich Muhe :: The Lives of Others
Viggo Mortensen :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Bale (they couldn't go for Rescue Dawn?), Damon, Crowe (they couldn't go for American Gangster? Well, okay, they did in supporting), Muhe
BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie :: A Mighty Heart
Cate Blanchett :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Charlize Theron :: In the Valley of Elah
Ellen Page :: Juno
Halle Berry :: Things We Lost in the Fire
Helena Bonham Carter :: Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie :: Away from Her
Katherine Heigl :: Knocked Up
Keira Knightley :: Atonement
Marion Cotillard :: La vie en rose
Marketa Irglova :: Once
Martina Gedeck :: The Lives of Others
Naomi Watts :: Eastern Promises
Nikki Blonsky :: Hairspray
Tang Wei :: Lust, Caution
WTF?: Theron, Berry, Irglova, Gedeck, Watts
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada :: The Kite Runner
Armin Mueller-Stahl :: Eastern Promises
Casey Affleck :: The Assassination...
Chiwetel Ejiofor :: American Gangster
Clive Owen :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Geoffrey Rush :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hal Holbrook :: Into the Wild
Javier Bardem :: No Country for Old Men
John Travolta :: Hairspray
Paul Dano :: There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman :: Charlie Wilson's War
Russell Crowe :: American Gangster
Tom Wilkinson :: Michael Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones :: No Country for Old Men
Vincent Cassel :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Mahmoodzada, Mueller-Stahl, Ejiofor, Owen, Rush, Cassel
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney :: Juno
Brenda Blethyn :: Atonement
Cate Blanchett :: I'm Not There
Catherine Keener :: Into the Wild
Joan Allen :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Julia Roberts :: Charlie Wilson's War
Kelly MacDonald :: No Country for Old Men
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Hairspray
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Stardust
Romola Garai :: Atonement
Samantha Morton :: Control
Samantha Morton :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Saoirse Ronan :: Atonement
Tilda Swinton :: Michael Clayton
Vanessa Redgrave :: Atonement
WTF?: Janney, Blethyn, Allen, Pfeiffer x2
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Gangster
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Eastern Promises
Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hot Fuzz
In the Valley of Elah
Juno
Knocked Up
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
Once
Ratatouille
Things We Lost in the Fire
This Is England
La vie en rose
WTF?: The Golden Age, Things We Lost in the Fire, This Is England, La vie en rose
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Brick Lane
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
Letters from Iwo Jima
Lust, Caution
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: 3:10 to Yuma, The Bourne Ultimatum, Brick Lane, Control
Okay, so, thoughts, thoughts, as I catch up on the movies of 2007 (thank god for *cough* certain...locations)...
- Imelda Staunton still can't get nominated, even in a list of freaking 15, on her home turf?
- The BAFTA longlist always goes apeshit for one big blockbuster smash every year, don't they? Last year it was Casino Royale, which was understandable. This year, it's... The Bourne Ultimatum? Sure, why not. It was a good movie, and the Damon had a good year.
- Sweeney snubbed for Picture and Director? That can't be good. For crap like The Kite Runner?
- At first, I was pretty weirded out that Gone Baby Gone was a complete snub (especially Amy Ryan), but then I remembered that its British premiere won't be until next year; it's been pushed back becuase of the Madeleine McCann case.
- No Amy Adams? MAY GOD DEVOUR THEIR SOULS!
- Brenda Blethyn? I love her, but puhleeze, she had nothing to do in Atonement. They left out Imelda for that?
- While Michelle Pfeiffer was highly entertaining in Stardust, she really did nothing in Hairspray besides look really really bad (seriously, she looked awful. Sorry to those of you out there who are all like "SHE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ON EARTH BLAH BLAH BLAH"). John Travolta was just flat-out awful in the same movie and I truly hope he doesn't get an Oscar nomination.
- Casey Affleck is just great in The Assassination..., but LEAD. LEAD LEAD LEAD LEAD. Like, undebatable. This is possibly worse than Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. Possibly worse than Jamie Foxx in Collateral. Jesus. The same goes for Russell Crowe in American Gangster.
- I'm glad to see all three Brionys from Atonement get in. They were all pretty damn amazing.
- I think this is the year where I realized the genius of Tommy Lee Jones. He's never quite impressed me before, but he just MIRACULOUS in No Country for Old Men and In the Valley of Elah. Thanks, BAFTA, for agreeing with me.
- Janney over Garner for Juno? BOO.
- the supporting actor noms are so... Brit-loving. Oh Clive, you know I love you...but you don't deserve to get shortlisted over... a lot of people. Chiwetel Ejiofor did nothing in American Gangster.
- I did like Marketa in Once and I'm glad she got shortlisted here, as she's pretty underrated. Her character was annoying and bizarre (dragging a vacuum cleaner through Dublin? Durrr...), but she was adorable and charming. Though, really, if you want potentially annoying/bizarre turned into adorable and charming, again, you need my girl Amy Adams.
- Jesus Christ can we get over Elizabeth, The Golden Age? That movie was a pile of suck. Cate Blanchett was highly entertaining in it, but in the same way as Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro in Stardust: bad, but so very over-the-top that you can't help but feel grateful every time she's on screen.
- the Original Screenplay longlist is half-inspired and half-horrendous.
- Yay for Atonement love, among others...
- why oh why are Laura Linney's Oscar chances/precursors d-e-a-d dead :( ?
BEST PICTURE
American Gangster
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Eastern Promises
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
The Lives of Others
Lust, Caution
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: The Bourne Ultimatum, Control, The Kite Runner, The Lives of Others
BEST DIRECTOR
the same, except instead of Nichols for CWW there's James Mangold for 3:10 to Yuma
BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale :: 3:10 to Yuma
Daniel Day-Lewis :: There Will Be Blood
Denzel Washington :: American Gangster
Emile Hirsch :: Into the Wild
George Clooney :: Michael Clayton
James McAvoy :: Atonement
Johnny Depp :: Sweeney Todd
Josh Brolin :: No Country for Old Men
Matt Damon :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Russell Crowe :: 3:10 to Yuma
Sam Riley :: Control
Tom Hanks :: Charlie Wilson's War
Tommy Lee Jones :: In the Valley of Elah
Ulrich Muhe :: The Lives of Others
Viggo Mortensen :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Bale (they couldn't go for Rescue Dawn?), Damon, Crowe (they couldn't go for American Gangster? Well, okay, they did in supporting), Muhe
BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie :: A Mighty Heart
Cate Blanchett :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Charlize Theron :: In the Valley of Elah
Ellen Page :: Juno
Halle Berry :: Things We Lost in the Fire
Helena Bonham Carter :: Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie :: Away from Her
Katherine Heigl :: Knocked Up
Keira Knightley :: Atonement
Marion Cotillard :: La vie en rose
Marketa Irglova :: Once
Martina Gedeck :: The Lives of Others
Naomi Watts :: Eastern Promises
Nikki Blonsky :: Hairspray
Tang Wei :: Lust, Caution
WTF?: Theron, Berry, Irglova, Gedeck, Watts
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada :: The Kite Runner
Armin Mueller-Stahl :: Eastern Promises
Casey Affleck :: The Assassination...
Chiwetel Ejiofor :: American Gangster
Clive Owen :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Geoffrey Rush :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hal Holbrook :: Into the Wild
Javier Bardem :: No Country for Old Men
John Travolta :: Hairspray
Paul Dano :: There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman :: Charlie Wilson's War
Russell Crowe :: American Gangster
Tom Wilkinson :: Michael Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones :: No Country for Old Men
Vincent Cassel :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Mahmoodzada, Mueller-Stahl, Ejiofor, Owen, Rush, Cassel
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney :: Juno
Brenda Blethyn :: Atonement
Cate Blanchett :: I'm Not There
Catherine Keener :: Into the Wild
Joan Allen :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Julia Roberts :: Charlie Wilson's War
Kelly MacDonald :: No Country for Old Men
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Hairspray
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Stardust
Romola Garai :: Atonement
Samantha Morton :: Control
Samantha Morton :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Saoirse Ronan :: Atonement
Tilda Swinton :: Michael Clayton
Vanessa Redgrave :: Atonement
WTF?: Janney, Blethyn, Allen, Pfeiffer x2
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Gangster
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Eastern Promises
Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hot Fuzz
In the Valley of Elah
Juno
Knocked Up
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
Once
Ratatouille
Things We Lost in the Fire
This Is England
La vie en rose
WTF?: The Golden Age, Things We Lost in the Fire, This Is England, La vie en rose
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Brick Lane
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
Letters from Iwo Jima
Lust, Caution
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: 3:10 to Yuma, The Bourne Ultimatum, Brick Lane, Control
Okay, so, thoughts, thoughts, as I catch up on the movies of 2007 (thank god for *cough* certain...locations)...
- Imelda Staunton still can't get nominated, even in a list of freaking 15, on her home turf?
- The BAFTA longlist always goes apeshit for one big blockbuster smash every year, don't they? Last year it was Casino Royale, which was understandable. This year, it's... The Bourne Ultimatum? Sure, why not. It was a good movie, and the Damon had a good year.
- Sweeney snubbed for Picture and Director? That can't be good. For crap like The Kite Runner?
- At first, I was pretty weirded out that Gone Baby Gone was a complete snub (especially Amy Ryan), but then I remembered that its British premiere won't be until next year; it's been pushed back becuase of the Madeleine McCann case.
- No Amy Adams? MAY GOD DEVOUR THEIR SOULS!
- Brenda Blethyn? I love her, but puhleeze, she had nothing to do in Atonement. They left out Imelda for that?
- While Michelle Pfeiffer was highly entertaining in Stardust, she really did nothing in Hairspray besides look really really bad (seriously, she looked awful. Sorry to those of you out there who are all like "SHE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ON EARTH BLAH BLAH BLAH"). John Travolta was just flat-out awful in the same movie and I truly hope he doesn't get an Oscar nomination.
- Casey Affleck is just great in The Assassination..., but LEAD. LEAD LEAD LEAD LEAD. Like, undebatable. This is possibly worse than Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. Possibly worse than Jamie Foxx in Collateral. Jesus. The same goes for Russell Crowe in American Gangster.
- I'm glad to see all three Brionys from Atonement get in. They were all pretty damn amazing.
- I think this is the year where I realized the genius of Tommy Lee Jones. He's never quite impressed me before, but he just MIRACULOUS in No Country for Old Men and In the Valley of Elah. Thanks, BAFTA, for agreeing with me.
- Janney over Garner for Juno? BOO.
- the supporting actor noms are so... Brit-loving. Oh Clive, you know I love you...but you don't deserve to get shortlisted over... a lot of people. Chiwetel Ejiofor did nothing in American Gangster.
- I did like Marketa in Once and I'm glad she got shortlisted here, as she's pretty underrated. Her character was annoying and bizarre (dragging a vacuum cleaner through Dublin? Durrr...), but she was adorable and charming. Though, really, if you want potentially annoying/bizarre turned into adorable and charming, again, you need my girl Amy Adams.
- Jesus Christ can we get over Elizabeth, The Golden Age? That movie was a pile of suck. Cate Blanchett was highly entertaining in it, but in the same way as Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro in Stardust: bad, but so very over-the-top that you can't help but feel grateful every time she's on screen.
- the Original Screenplay longlist is half-inspired and half-horrendous.
- Yay for Atonement love, among others...
- why oh why are Laura Linney's Oscar chances/precursors d-e-a-d dead :( ?
Friday, December 21, 2007
quick update...
...home soooo soon. But I decided to randomly update my Oscar predictions...
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
No Country for Old Men *
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men *
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Joe Wright, Atonement
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood *
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
James McAvoy, Atonement
Denzel Washington, American Gangster
Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her *
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
(I left out Blanchett for my own sanity.)
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James…
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men *
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone *
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best Original Screenplay
Juno *
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement *
Charlie Wilson’s War
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
No Country for Old Men *
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men *
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Joe Wright, Atonement
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood *
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
James McAvoy, Atonement
Denzel Washington, American Gangster
Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her *
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
(I left out Blanchett for my own sanity.)
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James…
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men *
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone *
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best Original Screenplay
Juno *
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement *
Charlie Wilson’s War
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
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