Oscars

Oscars

Yeah, I know it's a TinselTown back-slapping fest - but there was some good stuff coming out of there this year.

Any hunches for the big categories? Mine are:

Best Picture: Haven't seen Babel or Letters from Iwo Jima - but based on Clint Eastwood's form, I'd guess he's got the goods. Thought The Departed was disappointing. Having said all that, though, Little Miss Sunshine is a gem. One of the funniest films I've ever seen. Why isn't United 93 in this category, I wonder?

Best Actor: Far and away, Forest Whittaker for The Last King of Scotland - with Leonardo DiCaprio coming in a close second for Blood Diamond. He's really coming of age as an actor now.

Best Actress: Oh, Helen Mirren for The Queen. Sexiest Actress, too. It's an 'older woman' thing (not that her dressing up as Her Majesty did it for me!)

Best Supporting Actor: Tough one. Djimon Hounsou or Mark Wahlberg. Alan Arkin was great in LMS, but he wasn't in it for long enough.

Best Supporting Actress: Abigail Breslin was brilliant in LMS - but she's only 10! Remember what happened to Tatum O'Neal? Her or Cate Blanchett.

Best Director: Paul Greengrass for United 93, imo. Though I've a feeling Clint or Scorsese will be favoured. If I had to put my money on either, then Scorsese.

The full nominations are here, if you're interested:
http://www.imdb.com/features/rto/2007/oscars

Mon, 2007-01-29 18:19

Oh... and Best Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine.

Sun, 2007-02-04 12:18

Just seen 'Notes on a Scandal', which has almost made me change my mind about Best Actress. I don't usually go much for Judi Dench, but she gives a fabulous performance in this. Maybe she and Helen Mirren could share?

Sun, 2007-02-04 17:22

styx

Have just seen 'The Page Turner', it's a French film and surely should be in there for something. Phew! It's a revenge movie and it goes to show that you can achieve much more, without guns and banging and flashing so loved of American cinema. (Which I love by the way, Mulholland Drive is one of my favourite films) The film also incorporates sexual awakening and repression, the stultifying atmosphere of upper crust French society. If you think our upper crust is bad the French have it with knobs on. And very cultured knobs they are too. It chronicles the nervous tension that precedes going on-stage to perform to an audience, something close to my heart. I used to suffer extreme stage-fright. Mind you a couple of slugs of wine made it much better, but then my playing suffered. But the film Le Tournouse De Page (I think that's how it's spelt) is just so claustrophobic that I wished I had it on video so that I could stop it and go out and get some fresh air occasionally. And for all you Hetero males out there it's worth the admission just to see the 18 year old babysitter, who'd inveigled her way into this family to exact her revenge, coming out of the swimming pool in her bikini, suffering 'camel's foot syndrome.' Great film.

Mon, 2007-01-29 19:18

ivoryfishbone

little miss sunshine is the best film i have seen for years

Mon, 2007-01-29 19:49

Due to cinema prices rises getting silly round here (cheaper to wait and buy the dvd if there's two of you), and general laziness, I've hardly seen anything nominated this year. Rooting for Pan's Labyrinth.

Mon, 2007-01-29 20:37

I'll second that, Ivory. Ain't she a cutie? Freak show America as road movie. Haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth, Dan, but it looks damn good. I'm quite lucky in having a cinema over the road, plus an old-fashioned, huge screened, pillars 'n' velvet drapes, armchair-comfy Odeon 20 minutes away, and an art-house cinema at the local uni - all reasonably cheap (dearest seats: Â£5.20). Well, the area's got to have something going for it! Trouble with all this is, it means I don't get much reading done. Or writing, come to that.

Mon, 2007-01-29 22:39

If it's any comfort, I find that stopping going to the cinema (which i claim to have done, but time will tell) hasn't made me write a jot more. I also liked very much the bit of Little Miss Sunshine I saw on a plane.

Mon, 2007-01-29 23:07

Ah, but then you wrote a whole novel in November! I didn't read all of it, but I was enjoying what I read (6 chapters). I must get back to it. Little Miss Sunshine's just out on DVD. I rented it, but I think I'll have to get a copy to keep.

Tue, 2007-01-30 09:14

#10

I never posted much more than six chapters (there are two chapters missing in the middle that were stolen), I'm still working on it. Besides, November was about the last time I went to the cinema anyway. I am dissapointed by the lack of technical nominations for Children Of Men.

Tue, 2007-01-30 09:52

#11

Sorry, Dan - I meant Parts. Haven't seen Children of Men, though I've heard good reports.

Tue, 2007-01-30 09:53

#12

'Fraid I haven't seen any of those nominated except the more "commercial" ones - Devil Wears Prada, Pirates, Superman... DWP was, I think, one of the most over-rated films of the year. Superman looked good and Spacey acted well, but otherwise a little bland. Pirates, however, had it all! Great acting, humour, excitement, adventure and fantastic effects! But where's Bond...? :-/ pe ps oid ... What is "The Art of Tea"? ... (www.pepsoid.wordpress.com)

The All New Pepsoid the Second!

Tue, 2007-01-30 10:07

#13

I agree about Superman, Peps. Batman Begins takes some beating as a superhero movie, I think - though the second Spidey film was good. Haven't seen DWP, though the trailer looked enticing (don't they all?) I saw the first POTC film and wasn't too impressed - except with Johnny Depp. Orlando Bloom's a lump of wood beside him. Kiera Knightley's a bit creaky, too. Was the second film better? Bond? Hmm. Didn't like the film much, but I thought Daniel Craig was excellent in the role. Still think United 93 should have been in the Best Picture category. Maintained its political objectivity, I thought - unlike World Trade Center.

Tue, 2007-01-30 10:20

#14

Agree re Batman Begins, Alan - best superhero film... probably since the first Batman! DWP, like I said, was, I thought, greatly over-rated - one of those that it's "cool" to like, and supposedly had this deep and meaningful message, but one which pretty much washed over me. "Ugly Betty" is better - and that's saying something! I liked the first Pirates, but the second was still, I thought, vastly superior - Orlando and Kiera were still pretty bland, but Depp and Nighy stole the show. And humorous and exciting throughout - I implore you to stick it in your DVD player! I've expressed my views on Bond multitudinously, but I shall say no more, for fear that I come across as having a "thing" for DC... pe ps oid ... What is "The Art of Tea"? ... (www.pepsoid.wordpress.com)

The All New Pepsoid the Second!

Tue, 2007-01-30 11:17

#15

~
www.fabulousmother.co.uk

Superman was good if only because of the music, but it was more of a love-letter to the Richard Donner films than anything else and never really seemed to get going itself. I liked Bond, but I can't forgive it for creating the only know cinematic poker scene entirely devoid of any tension whatsoever, that must have taken conscious effort, but by the standards of recent bonds it was citzen caine. Pirates was little more than a series of brilliantly made set pieces and if it had been about an hour shorter I'd really want to watch it again, but it's only half a story so maybe it will all come together with the second one (I have faith in Chow Yun Fat). Orlando Bloom really impressed me in something recently and I can't remember what. Keira Knightly is sort of like an an actress shaped hole in the room. With all this talk of Forest Whittaker's portrayal of Idi Amin, does anyone else remember Yaphet Kotto's brilliant cameo in the movie Raid On Entebbe.

Wed, 2007-01-31 11:41

#16

2Lou

Little Miss Sunshine was wonderful. That car horn... had me choking on my skittles. ~ www.fabulousmother.com

Wed, 2007-01-31 12:08

#17

ivoryfishbone

yes ... the horn lou! and i'm afraid 'goddamn fucking chicken' has rapidly become a saying in our family ...

Wed, 2007-01-31 12:41

#18

archergirl

Oh, I really want to see LMS so much; have wanted to since the trailers came out. I, on the other hand, DO have a thing for Daniel Craig, and if they came up with an Oscar category for 'Best Emergence from a Tropical Sea Clad in Scanty Swim Trunks', Daniel would win, hands down. Forrest Whittaker would be no competition whatsoever. I have seen so few films at the cinema in the last several years... my favourite film that I *have* seen this past year would have to be 'Volver'. Brilliant, hilarious, moving. Saw it twice, I liked it so much, and it was worth forking out a stupid amount of money for a cinema seat.

Wed, 2007-01-31 14:14

#19

Is it me, or has there not been any decent intelligent sci-fi lately? pe ps oid ... What is "The Art of Tea"? ... (www.pepsoid.wordpress.com)

The All New Pepsoid the Second!

Wed, 2007-01-31 15:05

#20

you mean apart from Children Of Men

Wed, 2007-01-31 16:18

#21

Doh... :-/ Haven't seen it! Having a blonde moment there (some might say a "pepsoid" moment...) pe ps oid ... What is "The Art of Tea"? ... (www.pepsoid.wordpress.com)

The All New Pepsoid the Second!

Wed, 2007-01-31 16:41

#22

another smart sci-fi out last year was A Scanner Darkly, which you might have thought deserved a nod for visual effects, but apparently not.

Wed, 2007-01-31 16:59

#23

Borat is up for best adapted screenplay! Adapted from what?

Wed, 2007-01-31 18:05

#24