After my Oscar predictions blogs of a couple of weeks ago I thought it only fair that I post a follow-up blog looking at how I did, and the quality of the show in general.
First of all, my opinion on this year's Oscars. While it certainly wasn't a vintage year in any way, shape or form, I have to say that I enjoyed this year's show. They didn't seem to drag as much as in previous years, surprising considering this was the first time I've actually watched them live, without the ability to fast forward. Ellen DeGeneres made for a very funny host, and kept things moving along at a good pace, and there were enough surprises and feel-good moments to leave me satisfied. I could have done without the acrobats (though one can't deny they were good at what they did), and as is customary the musical performances weren't exactly cutting edge (what I wouldn't give for another Elliott Smith-type moment) - if I never see Celine Dion perform again it will be much too soon, but those things aside the curtain dropped with my desire to one day be on the podium, fighting through the orchestra's attempts to cut me off, undiminished, if not heightened. And while I'm on the subject, while I accept that the show needs to be kept to a manageable timeframe, I really dislike seeing some guy, who is clearly rushing to thank everybody he wants to, being drowned out by music and ushered off the stage. Just had to get that off my chest.
Anyway, onto my not-so-stellar predictions. In my defence I made my predictions fairly early and had I waited another week I think that I may have been more accurate. But you live and learn.
As I mentioned, there were a few surprises at this year's ceremony. While I wouldn't class The Departed's snaggling of the Best Picture award, in a weak category, an out-and-out surprise, it was another year in which the favourite, Babel (the film I predicted would win), was trumped. Of course by the time this was announced it was significantly less surprising considering that Babel had failed to dominate the awards the way a Best Picture winner usually does, and in the most gratifying moment of the night, Martin Scorsese had finally won a Best Director Oscar. Let's ignore the fact that I predicted disappointment once again for Marty (to be fair to me, I did state that the best director award usually went to the director of the best picture); I was very pleased when Scorsese's name was announced and the standing ovation that ensued reminded me just why I love the movies so much.
The Departed walked away with 4 awards in total, the other two coming in the editing category (in which it tellingly beat my pick Babel), and Best Adapted Screenplay. I went out on a limb and picked Borat in the latter category, meaning that all four of The Departed's wins leave me at 0-4 in my predictions. Babel has let me down big time, so it's time to pull this back.
I think everyone must have predicted wins for Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker in the two main acting categories, so I won't boast about getting those right. Same goes for Jennifer Hudson for Best Supporting Actress. The most open of the acting categories was Best Supporting Actor, in which I gave a chance to both Eddie Murphy, my eventual pick, and the veteran Alan Arkin. In another feelgood moment it was Arkin who walked away with the Oscar, leaving my record at a not-too-healthy 3-5.
The one award Babel did win, for best original score, also cost me dearly as I predicted a sympathy win for Notes on a Scandal. Little did I know it would be Inarritu's feature picking up the sympathy vote in this one. One award for Babel has to be a big disappointment, considering that the film was even out-duked by Al Gore's global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Melissa Etheridge won Best Song for her contribution to the film, surprisingly beating all three of Dreamgirls' efforts (which obviously cancelled each other out, though I unfortunately didn't have the foresight to predict that), and the film also picked up the Best Documentary feature award. In fact, it was this film, and Gore's presence at the ceremony which provided some of the funnier moments of the night as George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio both joked about the possibility of the Democrat running for president in 2008. Gore's win in '07 however took me to 4-7.
Pan's Labyrinth was also a somewhat surprising success on the night, picking up 3 awards; cinematography, art direction, and makeup. Happily for me I predicted all three of these wins bringing my total back up to 7-7. All in all, I'd say that Pan's Labyrinth, rather than The Departed, was the biggest winner of the night as this kind of recognition will do wonders for its reputation, and subsequently its DVD sales. It could have been even better for Guillermo Del Toro's film had it not been squeezed out in the Best Foreign Language Film category by German film The Lives of Others. This win represented my biggest victory of the night also, as I predicted a German win against all the odds. Maybe it's watching all those England-Germany football matches that did it. The German cinema renaissance continues...
Okay, let's wrap this up. The best original screenplay award went to Little Miss Sunshine, not Babel as I predicted (man, that film cost me), and the costume award went to Marie Antoinette. I did say that Sofia Copolla's film deserved the award, but predicted it would go to The Queen, leaving me at 8-9.
I apparently know my sound, as I rightly predicted best sound would go to Dreamgirls, and best sound editing would go to Letters From Iwo Jima, that film's only award of the night. The final awards went to Pirates of the Caribbean for best visual effects (over my pick Poseidon), and Happy Feet for best animated feature (over Cars). This leaves my overall Oscar predictions record at an underwhelming 10-11.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, this year's Oscars were full of surprises so maybe under the circumstances batting at just under 500 isn't too bad, although I expected much better. Still, I'll be back next year, better than ever.
Tuesday 27 February 2007
Monday 5 February 2007
Academy Awards 2007: Part Two
This is the second part of my Oscars analysis and predictions.
Best adapted screenplay category - Sacha Baron Cohen et al (Borat); Alfonso Cuaron et al (Children of Men); William Monahan (The Departed); Todd Field, Tom Perrotta (Little Children); Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal)
It seems obvious that the best picture winner would win one of the screenplay awards, which is why The Departed immediately leaps off the page here, and is certainly in with a chance. Borat has been a cultural phenomenom in the States, and I'm sure the Academy would like to show how 'cool' they are by recognising it in some way. I'd rule out Children of Men. Though the premise is good, Cuaron and his co-writers made a meal of the characterisation. The subject matter of Little Children may be too edgy for the Academy's tastes, whereas Notes on a Scandal seems tailor-made for Oscar night.
Something in me wants to see Field and Perrotta win for Little Children. I just feel it would be a refreshingly brave choice. I have a feeling that Sacha Baron Cohen and his team of writers may run out popular winners though.
Best supporting actor category - Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine); Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children); Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond); Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls); Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)
Jack Nicholson casts a giant shadow over this category. Everyone talked of his Oscar-worthy performance in The Departed, yet it's co-star Mark Wahlberg who gets the films only acting nomination. That could work against him. Eddie Murphy won the Golden Globe which would have to make him the favourite here, though veteran actor Alan Arkin would be a popular winner. Playing a paedophile probably won't win Jackie Earle Haley many votes, and Hounsou's second nomination is unlikely to yield any better results than his first.
I like the underdog so I'll be rooting for Haley, though I can't see anything other than a Murphy win.
Best supporting actress category - Adriana Barraza (Babel); Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal); Rinko Kikuchi (Babel); Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls); Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
This one is fairly clear-cut and should see a supporting actor/actress double for the otherwise largely ignored Dreamgirls. Jennifer Hudson proved to be a very popular winner at the Golden Globes and that should carry her to success here. With Hudson around it's hard to see youngster Abigail Breslin doing a Tatum O'Neal and walking away with this award but stranger things have happened. Blanchett is also always worth a shout. The two Babel girls will cancel each other out.
Well, I'm a big Blanchett fan but she's won this one before so maybe I'll root for the Japanese girl just to be different. Ultimately it doesn't matter as Hudson will dance away with this one.
Best cinematography category - Vilmos Zsigmond (The Black Dahlia); Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men); Dick Pope (The Illusionist); Guillermo Navarro (Pan's Labyrinth); Wally Pfister (The Prestige)
Strange to see none of the major films being nominated in this category, which makes it a very open field. Of the five, Pan's Labyrinth was the most highly acclaimed by the critics and offers something vastly different which could make it stand out in the crowd. However, Zsigmond's recreation of 1940's Hollywood will surely appeal to the voters.
I'd like to see Guillermo Navarro win, and I think I'll get my wish.
Best foreign language film category - After the Wedding; Days of Glory; Pan's Labyrinth; The Lives of Others; Water
Pan's Labyrinth would seem a likely winner on paper due to its recognition in other categories and comparitively large US distribution, but this category rarely works that way. German cinema is going through a purple patch right now which means The Lives of Others is a strong contender. Canadian film The Barbarian Invasions won this award two years ago so that may count against Water.
Pan's Labyrinth is hailed as one of the films of the year so I think it would be fitting if it won this award. But I feel the Germans will take it. Not on penalties.
The others
I expect Babel to take the editing honours, whereas Pan's Labyrinth should win for art direction and makeup. Marie Antoinette deserves to take the costume design award but it will probably go to The Queen. One of the three songs from Dreamgirls to be nominated will likely win best original song, whilst Notes on a Scandal could pick up a sympathy award for best score after missing out in the bigger categories. Best sound will probably go to Dreamgirls, with Letters From Iwo Jima getting the sound editing nod. That just leaves Poseidon to win best visual effects for the technical awards.
John Lasseter is something of an Oscar favourite which should see his Cars get the best animated feature gong, and the L.A liberals should finally see Al Gore voted in, this time in the shape of An Inconvenient Truth winning the best documentary feature award.
That concludes my look at the 2007 Academy Awards. Not a vintage year by any means but there's plenty of interesting stories waiting to be told. I'll probably do a follow up blog looking at where I went wrong. Enjoy the show.
Best adapted screenplay category - Sacha Baron Cohen et al (Borat); Alfonso Cuaron et al (Children of Men); William Monahan (The Departed); Todd Field, Tom Perrotta (Little Children); Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal)
It seems obvious that the best picture winner would win one of the screenplay awards, which is why The Departed immediately leaps off the page here, and is certainly in with a chance. Borat has been a cultural phenomenom in the States, and I'm sure the Academy would like to show how 'cool' they are by recognising it in some way. I'd rule out Children of Men. Though the premise is good, Cuaron and his co-writers made a meal of the characterisation. The subject matter of Little Children may be too edgy for the Academy's tastes, whereas Notes on a Scandal seems tailor-made for Oscar night.
Something in me wants to see Field and Perrotta win for Little Children. I just feel it would be a refreshingly brave choice. I have a feeling that Sacha Baron Cohen and his team of writers may run out popular winners though.
Best supporting actor category - Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine); Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children); Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond); Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls); Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)
Jack Nicholson casts a giant shadow over this category. Everyone talked of his Oscar-worthy performance in The Departed, yet it's co-star Mark Wahlberg who gets the films only acting nomination. That could work against him. Eddie Murphy won the Golden Globe which would have to make him the favourite here, though veteran actor Alan Arkin would be a popular winner. Playing a paedophile probably won't win Jackie Earle Haley many votes, and Hounsou's second nomination is unlikely to yield any better results than his first.
I like the underdog so I'll be rooting for Haley, though I can't see anything other than a Murphy win.
Best supporting actress category - Adriana Barraza (Babel); Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal); Rinko Kikuchi (Babel); Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls); Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
This one is fairly clear-cut and should see a supporting actor/actress double for the otherwise largely ignored Dreamgirls. Jennifer Hudson proved to be a very popular winner at the Golden Globes and that should carry her to success here. With Hudson around it's hard to see youngster Abigail Breslin doing a Tatum O'Neal and walking away with this award but stranger things have happened. Blanchett is also always worth a shout. The two Babel girls will cancel each other out.
Well, I'm a big Blanchett fan but she's won this one before so maybe I'll root for the Japanese girl just to be different. Ultimately it doesn't matter as Hudson will dance away with this one.
Best cinematography category - Vilmos Zsigmond (The Black Dahlia); Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men); Dick Pope (The Illusionist); Guillermo Navarro (Pan's Labyrinth); Wally Pfister (The Prestige)
Strange to see none of the major films being nominated in this category, which makes it a very open field. Of the five, Pan's Labyrinth was the most highly acclaimed by the critics and offers something vastly different which could make it stand out in the crowd. However, Zsigmond's recreation of 1940's Hollywood will surely appeal to the voters.
I'd like to see Guillermo Navarro win, and I think I'll get my wish.
Best foreign language film category - After the Wedding; Days of Glory; Pan's Labyrinth; The Lives of Others; Water
Pan's Labyrinth would seem a likely winner on paper due to its recognition in other categories and comparitively large US distribution, but this category rarely works that way. German cinema is going through a purple patch right now which means The Lives of Others is a strong contender. Canadian film The Barbarian Invasions won this award two years ago so that may count against Water.
Pan's Labyrinth is hailed as one of the films of the year so I think it would be fitting if it won this award. But I feel the Germans will take it. Not on penalties.
The others
I expect Babel to take the editing honours, whereas Pan's Labyrinth should win for art direction and makeup. Marie Antoinette deserves to take the costume design award but it will probably go to The Queen. One of the three songs from Dreamgirls to be nominated will likely win best original song, whilst Notes on a Scandal could pick up a sympathy award for best score after missing out in the bigger categories. Best sound will probably go to Dreamgirls, with Letters From Iwo Jima getting the sound editing nod. That just leaves Poseidon to win best visual effects for the technical awards.
John Lasseter is something of an Oscar favourite which should see his Cars get the best animated feature gong, and the L.A liberals should finally see Al Gore voted in, this time in the shape of An Inconvenient Truth winning the best documentary feature award.
That concludes my look at the 2007 Academy Awards. Not a vintage year by any means but there's plenty of interesting stories waiting to be told. I'll probably do a follow up blog looking at where I went wrong. Enjoy the show.
Academy Awards 2007: Part One
As a graduate in film studies, part-owner of a film production company, and a self-confessed film geek, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the runners and riders for the 79th Academy Awards, and give my thoughts and predictions.
I generally make it a point to record the Oscars, and that way I can fast forward through all the crap and just watch the good stuff. This year, as I will be in America on Oscar night, I may make the effort to watch them live. The truth is that I don't really hold a great deal of esteem for the Academy Awards. Well, that isn't strictly true. I think they're a great opportunity for the finest filmmaking achievements of the previous 12 months to be recognised. But there just seems to be too much cynicism about them. The way that the various studios campaign for their movies to be awarded leaves me feeling that the Oscars aren't really about who is most deserving of an award, but which studio has the greater clout. Also, considering some of the Academy's past decisions, I'm not sure how seriously they can be taken as the industry's definitive gauge of cinematic excellence.
All that being said, if I wasn't at least a little seduced by all the glitz, glamour, rumour and rumination, I wouldn't be writing this blog. And if the Academy saw fit to one day honour me, I certainly wouldn't turn them down. So, onwards we go.
I should note at this time that I rarely get a chance to see new films at the cinema, and when I do they tend to be films which don't appeal to the Academy, so I'm basing my predictions on my knowledge of the Oscars.
The host - Ellen DeGeneres
A good choice in my opinion. Ellen is witty and likeable, and it will be a good change of pace to have a female host
Best picture category - Babel; The Departed; Letters From Iwo Jima; Little Miss Sunshine; The Queen
Not a particularly strong bunch this time round, which makes it hard to predict a winner. It would appear that Babel is the favourite, having won the Golden Globe for Best Drama, but we all know what happened to Brokeback Mountain last year. From the reviews I've read this is actually a bit of a mis-step for Alejandro Inarritu, although it has genuine star power in the shape of Brad Pitt and Academy favourite Cate Blanchett. I wouldn't discount The Queen. It has all the hallmarks of the archetypal 'worthy' awards flick, though Frears' involvement suggests to me it may have greater artistic ambitions. Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby won in 2005 so I'd be surprised to see Iwo Jima come out on top. That leaves The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine. The former is the highest profile candidate on the list; Scorsese, DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Wahlberg. For this reason is has to be considered a genuine contender. Conversely, Little Miss Sunshine is the outsider, an honour which befell Crash last year. Two years on the trot? I'll say no more.
It's disappointing when you're not strongly rooting for any one film in this category. I think I was such a fan of Inarritu's previous films that I really want Babel to be good, and for that reason I'd probably like it to win this award. In a weak category I think it will just about come out on top.
Best actor category - Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond); Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson); Peter O'Toole (Venus); Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness); Forest Whitaker (The Last King Of Scotland
For me this is a two-horse race. Whitaker has won all the awards coming into this and is considered the favourite. Anytime somebody plays a real-life character such as Idi Amin to the acclaim that Whitaker has here, they have to be instantly considered an Oscar favourite. His only opposition in my opinion is Peter O'Toole. O'Toole was offered a lifetime achievement award a few years back but turned it down on the grounds that he thought he could still win a best actor award (he never has). This could very well be his last chance and for that reason he could get the sympathy vote. DiCaprio seems to be becoming an Academy favourite, but could be hindered by the fact he was also in the high-profile The Departed. Will Smith has been nommed before but if he wasn't going to win for Ali, I can't see him winning for The Pursuit Of Happyness. I'm pleased to see Ryan Gosling nominated. I saw him in The Believer a few years back and thought he had the potential to be one of the great actors of his generation. He's the rank outsider but this nomination could propel him to greater things.
I've always been a fan of Forest Whitaker, and after another of my character actor favourites, Philip Seymour Hoffman, walked away with this award last year, nothing would please me more than to see Whitaker do the same this time around. I expect to see Reese Witherspoon handing him the award on the 24th.
Best actress category - Penelope Cruz (Volver); Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandel); Helen Mirren (The Queen); Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada); Kate Winslet (Little Children)
Or 'the English category'. Helen Mirren is the biggest certainty of this year's awards, despite being surrounded by 4 proven award season heavy hitters. Judi Dench was also nommed last year, and won a best supporting actress Oscar in 1998. Streep is an Oscar-winning machine and won a Golden Globe for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada. Penelope Cruz was awarded at Cannes for Volver, her latest collaboration with director Pedro Almodovar, but of the 5 looks the outsider. Winslet is also a multi-time nominee, although Little Children has stirred up controversy with it's depiction of a child sex offender, which could work against her.
I'm not a particular fan of any of these actresses, though I think they are all very good. I think I would most like to see Winslet win. This, more than any of the others, seems to be her time. It won't happen though. Mirren is a shoo-in.
Best director category - Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima); Stephen Frears (The Queen); Paul Greengrass (United 93); Martin Scorsese (The Departed) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Will this finally be Marty's year? This is his 8th nomination and he should definitely have won in '77, '81, and '91, for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas respectively. But you get the feeling that his time has past and any award now would be merely apologetic for those glaring errors of judgment. However, buzz is good and he is the favourite after winning at the Globes. He lost out to Clint Eastwood a couple of years ago, and Eastwood is again nominated against him, but this time is an outsider and could suffer from having put out two films this year. Greengrass is included despite United 93 not being in the best picture category, which makes him an unlikely winner. Frears and Inarritu are both contenders. I think a lot of people vote for the director of their best picture pick, which for me would give Inarritu in particular a very good chance.
I would honestly love to see Scorsese win an Oscar, even if he doesn't deserve it, but I have a sneaking feeling it will be first-time nominee Inarritu celebrating.
Best original screenplay category - Guillermo Arriaga (Babel); Iris Yamashita, Paul Haggis (Letters From Iwo Jima); Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine); Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth); Peter Morgan (The Queen)
Paul Haggis won this award last year for Crash, and could be in for another win here. With Iwo Jima not really being in the running for any of the major awards, people could see this category as a chance to recognise it. Arriaga could also profit from the overall success of Babel, though his multilayered narrative, much like Crash last year, and expansive story set on 3 different continents, would perhaps make him a worthy winner. Michael Arndt is also in with a chance. Good storytelling is a staple of indie filmmaking and Little Miss Sunshine is the big independent film of the year. Peter Morgan is a dark horse with The Queen's subject matter likely appealing to the Academy, whereas del Toro, with his foreign language fantasy film, is a rank outsider.
Arriaga is a great writer and I'd like to see him or del Toro win this award, just to upset the apple-cart. My money is on Arriaga.
That's all for part one of my Oscars blog. I'll cover the rest of the categories in part two.
I generally make it a point to record the Oscars, and that way I can fast forward through all the crap and just watch the good stuff. This year, as I will be in America on Oscar night, I may make the effort to watch them live. The truth is that I don't really hold a great deal of esteem for the Academy Awards. Well, that isn't strictly true. I think they're a great opportunity for the finest filmmaking achievements of the previous 12 months to be recognised. But there just seems to be too much cynicism about them. The way that the various studios campaign for their movies to be awarded leaves me feeling that the Oscars aren't really about who is most deserving of an award, but which studio has the greater clout. Also, considering some of the Academy's past decisions, I'm not sure how seriously they can be taken as the industry's definitive gauge of cinematic excellence.
All that being said, if I wasn't at least a little seduced by all the glitz, glamour, rumour and rumination, I wouldn't be writing this blog. And if the Academy saw fit to one day honour me, I certainly wouldn't turn them down. So, onwards we go.
I should note at this time that I rarely get a chance to see new films at the cinema, and when I do they tend to be films which don't appeal to the Academy, so I'm basing my predictions on my knowledge of the Oscars.
The host - Ellen DeGeneres
A good choice in my opinion. Ellen is witty and likeable, and it will be a good change of pace to have a female host
Best picture category - Babel; The Departed; Letters From Iwo Jima; Little Miss Sunshine; The Queen
Not a particularly strong bunch this time round, which makes it hard to predict a winner. It would appear that Babel is the favourite, having won the Golden Globe for Best Drama, but we all know what happened to Brokeback Mountain last year. From the reviews I've read this is actually a bit of a mis-step for Alejandro Inarritu, although it has genuine star power in the shape of Brad Pitt and Academy favourite Cate Blanchett. I wouldn't discount The Queen. It has all the hallmarks of the archetypal 'worthy' awards flick, though Frears' involvement suggests to me it may have greater artistic ambitions. Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby won in 2005 so I'd be surprised to see Iwo Jima come out on top. That leaves The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine. The former is the highest profile candidate on the list; Scorsese, DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Wahlberg. For this reason is has to be considered a genuine contender. Conversely, Little Miss Sunshine is the outsider, an honour which befell Crash last year. Two years on the trot? I'll say no more.
It's disappointing when you're not strongly rooting for any one film in this category. I think I was such a fan of Inarritu's previous films that I really want Babel to be good, and for that reason I'd probably like it to win this award. In a weak category I think it will just about come out on top.
Best actor category - Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond); Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson); Peter O'Toole (Venus); Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness); Forest Whitaker (The Last King Of Scotland
For me this is a two-horse race. Whitaker has won all the awards coming into this and is considered the favourite. Anytime somebody plays a real-life character such as Idi Amin to the acclaim that Whitaker has here, they have to be instantly considered an Oscar favourite. His only opposition in my opinion is Peter O'Toole. O'Toole was offered a lifetime achievement award a few years back but turned it down on the grounds that he thought he could still win a best actor award (he never has). This could very well be his last chance and for that reason he could get the sympathy vote. DiCaprio seems to be becoming an Academy favourite, but could be hindered by the fact he was also in the high-profile The Departed. Will Smith has been nommed before but if he wasn't going to win for Ali, I can't see him winning for The Pursuit Of Happyness. I'm pleased to see Ryan Gosling nominated. I saw him in The Believer a few years back and thought he had the potential to be one of the great actors of his generation. He's the rank outsider but this nomination could propel him to greater things.
I've always been a fan of Forest Whitaker, and after another of my character actor favourites, Philip Seymour Hoffman, walked away with this award last year, nothing would please me more than to see Whitaker do the same this time around. I expect to see Reese Witherspoon handing him the award on the 24th.
Best actress category - Penelope Cruz (Volver); Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandel); Helen Mirren (The Queen); Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada); Kate Winslet (Little Children)
Or 'the English category'. Helen Mirren is the biggest certainty of this year's awards, despite being surrounded by 4 proven award season heavy hitters. Judi Dench was also nommed last year, and won a best supporting actress Oscar in 1998. Streep is an Oscar-winning machine and won a Golden Globe for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada. Penelope Cruz was awarded at Cannes for Volver, her latest collaboration with director Pedro Almodovar, but of the 5 looks the outsider. Winslet is also a multi-time nominee, although Little Children has stirred up controversy with it's depiction of a child sex offender, which could work against her.
I'm not a particular fan of any of these actresses, though I think they are all very good. I think I would most like to see Winslet win. This, more than any of the others, seems to be her time. It won't happen though. Mirren is a shoo-in.
Best director category - Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima); Stephen Frears (The Queen); Paul Greengrass (United 93); Martin Scorsese (The Departed) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Will this finally be Marty's year? This is his 8th nomination and he should definitely have won in '77, '81, and '91, for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas respectively. But you get the feeling that his time has past and any award now would be merely apologetic for those glaring errors of judgment. However, buzz is good and he is the favourite after winning at the Globes. He lost out to Clint Eastwood a couple of years ago, and Eastwood is again nominated against him, but this time is an outsider and could suffer from having put out two films this year. Greengrass is included despite United 93 not being in the best picture category, which makes him an unlikely winner. Frears and Inarritu are both contenders. I think a lot of people vote for the director of their best picture pick, which for me would give Inarritu in particular a very good chance.
I would honestly love to see Scorsese win an Oscar, even if he doesn't deserve it, but I have a sneaking feeling it will be first-time nominee Inarritu celebrating.
Best original screenplay category - Guillermo Arriaga (Babel); Iris Yamashita, Paul Haggis (Letters From Iwo Jima); Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine); Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth); Peter Morgan (The Queen)
Paul Haggis won this award last year for Crash, and could be in for another win here. With Iwo Jima not really being in the running for any of the major awards, people could see this category as a chance to recognise it. Arriaga could also profit from the overall success of Babel, though his multilayered narrative, much like Crash last year, and expansive story set on 3 different continents, would perhaps make him a worthy winner. Michael Arndt is also in with a chance. Good storytelling is a staple of indie filmmaking and Little Miss Sunshine is the big independent film of the year. Peter Morgan is a dark horse with The Queen's subject matter likely appealing to the Academy, whereas del Toro, with his foreign language fantasy film, is a rank outsider.
Arriaga is a great writer and I'd like to see him or del Toro win this award, just to upset the apple-cart. My money is on Arriaga.
That's all for part one of my Oscars blog. I'll cover the rest of the categories in part two.
Saturday 3 February 2007
Pool Memories 1; The Umbrella Match and the Origin of The Dream Team
This is something of a claim to fame for me. I was studying English Language at Wilmorton College, and it was in one of Jim Smith's classes that I first met Jagjit Dusanjh, recipient of many humbling and embarrassing defeats in the college common room and beyond, all of which began most spectacularly with the infamous umbrella match.
Upon striking up a friendship with the big man, based mainly on exchanging insults and boasts, I was pleased to hear that he enjoyed a game of pool now and then. Back then I was never shy to tell people of my proficiency on the green baize and, after much cajoling, we agreed to have ourselves a game. Not only did I claim I would beat Jagjit, but I insisted that I could do it playing each shot with an umbrella instead of a cue. Thus the umbrealla match was born. He with cue and I with umbrella (which he would provide) would battle it out with pride, and those all-important bragging rights, on the line.
As it turned out this match drew a fair bit of interest. When I entered the common room Jagjit was already there, along with his cousin, the future Blackheart, Harry Sanghera, and an entourage who would come to be known as the Sanghera Family. I suppose they wanted to see who this guy was who thought that he could play pool with an umbrella. I of course was joined by a group of friends, prominent amongst tham being my partner in crime and doubles partner, Darren Hibbert. Of course, once it became apparent what was going on a few other eyes from around the common room were fixed on our corner table. Jagjjit handed me the famed implement - a standard black umbrella, about 18 inches in length, with a thick plastic tip - and battle commenced.
The most astonishing thing about my victory is the ease at which it was achieved. Now, Jagjit turned out to be a woefully inept player, but even so, this was Adam Russell at the beginning of his career playing with an UMBRELLA. After the black was deposited, a barrage of gloating taunts cascaded out of my mouth as Jagjit's bemused cousin shook his head in disappointment. True to form Darren couldn't help but get it on the act. After all, rubbing our opponents' noses in their humiliating defeats was what we did best. It was then that Sanghera looked up, his eyes settling on the two young braggarts before him, and said, 'Who are you two? The dream team?'
'Yes,' Darren replied quick as a flash. 'That's exactly who we are'. And from that moment on we were The Dream Team. And always will be.
Upon striking up a friendship with the big man, based mainly on exchanging insults and boasts, I was pleased to hear that he enjoyed a game of pool now and then. Back then I was never shy to tell people of my proficiency on the green baize and, after much cajoling, we agreed to have ourselves a game. Not only did I claim I would beat Jagjit, but I insisted that I could do it playing each shot with an umbrella instead of a cue. Thus the umbrealla match was born. He with cue and I with umbrella (which he would provide) would battle it out with pride, and those all-important bragging rights, on the line.
As it turned out this match drew a fair bit of interest. When I entered the common room Jagjit was already there, along with his cousin, the future Blackheart, Harry Sanghera, and an entourage who would come to be known as the Sanghera Family. I suppose they wanted to see who this guy was who thought that he could play pool with an umbrella. I of course was joined by a group of friends, prominent amongst tham being my partner in crime and doubles partner, Darren Hibbert. Of course, once it became apparent what was going on a few other eyes from around the common room were fixed on our corner table. Jagjjit handed me the famed implement - a standard black umbrella, about 18 inches in length, with a thick plastic tip - and battle commenced.
The most astonishing thing about my victory is the ease at which it was achieved. Now, Jagjit turned out to be a woefully inept player, but even so, this was Adam Russell at the beginning of his career playing with an UMBRELLA. After the black was deposited, a barrage of gloating taunts cascaded out of my mouth as Jagjit's bemused cousin shook his head in disappointment. True to form Darren couldn't help but get it on the act. After all, rubbing our opponents' noses in their humiliating defeats was what we did best. It was then that Sanghera looked up, his eyes settling on the two young braggarts before him, and said, 'Who are you two? The dream team?'
'Yes,' Darren replied quick as a flash. 'That's exactly who we are'. And from that moment on we were The Dream Team. And always will be.
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