Tonight is the big night for movie fans everywhere: the Oscars! I could care less about the World Series, the NBA championship, or the Superbowl but I get giddy thinking about the stars, stars, stars out in L.A. tonight. I predict that there are no predictions to be had tonight. Everything seems so up in the air with few shoe-ins. But I'm going to give it my best and devote today's blog to my Oscar winners. Now, I have seen very few of these films so this will probably be one of the worst years ever for my guesses. Tomorrow we'll see how I did.
Picture - No Country for Old Men
Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis (the only sure thing)
Actress - Julie Christie is the "old fav" in the category but she could be upset by Marion Cotillard
Supporing Actor - Javier Bardem but I wouldn't be surprised if Hal Holbrook got the sentimental vote
Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett may be a favorite, but I'm going with Tilda Swinton on this one; that said, Ruby Dee may come in on the sentimental vote
Director - Coen Brothers
Original Screenplay - Juno
Adapted Screenplay - No Country for Old Men
Documentary Feature - Sicko, but just because Michael Moore is an old favorite
Documentary Short - I have no idea
Animated Feature - Where is The Simpsons????? I'm going with Ratatouille even though I hate animal movies and the Oscar should go to Persepolis
Foreign Language Film - The Counterfeiters
Foreign Language Film - Stupid voters in this categroy; the Oscar should go to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Cinematography - No Country for Old Men
Visual Effects - Transformers
Animated Short Feature - Again, no idea
Live Action Short Film - Nope, no idea
Art Direction - Sweeney Todd
Costume Designer - Atonement, just for Kiera Knightley's green dress
Film Editing - The Bourne Ultimatum, though I doubt it will actually win
Sound Mixing - The Bourne Ultimatum (my friend Brenda once said that a movie with bullets usually wins this category; she's been right more times than not)
Sound Editing - The Bourne Ultimatum (see above)
Original Score - Should have been There Will Be Blood - probably will be Atonement
Original Song - Most likely one of the Enchanted songs - retch...
Makeup - La Vie en Rose - Marion Cotillard's eyebrows should be out Johnny Depp's teeth and hair
So those are my picks. I hope you all settle in with some snacks and enjoy tonight's show!
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31 comments:
Solid pics.
Spidey pig, Spidey pig. :-)
Wait, by agreeing with me that means I can't call tonight to talk smack...what a mean trick!
T-bone's keeping score and will let u know how u did in the morning! ha! ha!
You were pretty close - just wrong on the music mostly.
I'm so glad that song won. It was the best one of the night.
Also, was Bee Movie "teh suck"? Why wasn't it nominated in animated movie?
It was an OK Oscars. Jon Stewart was good--very low-key and relaxed.
Loved it when the "Once" song won! But what's with the "Enchanted" retching? I haven't seen it but from what I understand, it's not a bad movie. And the songs weren't bad either. Actually, I was thinking the songs overall this year were better than previous ones, where there are usually very bland options, Celine Dion, Beyonce, or some type of awful power ballad.
I haven't heard anything about Bee Movie...but maybe the animated film category is limited to only three selections? It's a pretty new category.
Indeed, the over-wrought, over-produced, over everything power ballad does tend to dominate the song category. The last time I was really routing for an Oscar song was when Elliott Smith was up for "Miss Mysery". It was really cool that that song won, and even cooler that Jon Stewart let that woman finish her speech. That was maybe the best "moment" from this year's show.
I think The Simpsons did deserve a nod, and so did the Aqua Teen Movie...okay I am half-joking about that.
I haven't seen Rattatulie [sic] but Persepolis changed the way I thought about every other animated feature I have ever seen. Actually diminishing the memory every other animated film that I have ever seen and enjoyed.
I liked that Crash song from last year, I mean, as far as Oscar songs go. And wasn't Aimee Mann nominated one year? I can never root against Paul McCartney (Vanilla Sky). And I liked those 2 Cold Mountian songs.
I retched about "Enchanted" because I am tired of sickly-sweet music for the Oscars. The best years are when unusual songs (Eminem, for example) are nominated. Actually, I am not surprised that "Enchanted" lost; the same thing happened to "Dreamgirls" last year.
I thought Jon Stewart's opening monologue was okay. There were some funny moments. I also liked that he brought the songwriter back to give her speech.
Why is everyone so surprised about Tilda Swinton? She's brilliant in everything. I was happy she won. Not that I don't like the other women, mind you! The only major surprise for me was Marion Cotillard; I really thought Julie Christie would get the Oscar since she had both a stunning performance (so I've heard) and the career to go with it.
Best Dress: Jennifer Garner (Anne Hathaway's would have been excellent without the flower thing)
Best Jewelry: Nicole Kidman
Best Looking in His Tux: Daniel Day-Lewis
I LOVED when Jon Stewart brought the girl back. That whole award was such a happy moment, especially when the guy talked about how the movie was shot. It's great to see average people win Oscars!
I have to disagree with you about Enchanted, Heather. The songs were supposed to be parodies of Disney songs. "Whistle While You Work," "Under the Sea," etc. The ballad in the ballroom production was awful, IMO, though, mainly because I thought the singer was terrible. Personally, I was just glad another forgettable Randy Newman song wasn't in the running yet again. (No offense to Randy Newman--but I can't stand the songs he's written for animated movies.)
Oh yeah--Vanilla Sky is still a great song.
Aimee Mann was nominated--possibly for Magnolia?
I'm OK with Marion Cotillard. I mean, Julie Christie already has an Oscar, so it's not so bad. But has anyone seen La Vie en Rose? I found out that Cotillard was dubbed and some of her performance lost its luster. It would have been more impressive if she had also done the singing. (They found a girl a la Marni Nixon who could imitate Edith Piaf.)
There wasn't a dress that really blew me away, honestly. Most of them looked OK. Jennifer Garner looked good but I didn't care for how her hair hung in her eye when she was presenting.
I liked Katherine Heigls' red dress better than Ann Hathaway's. Jennifer Garner looked good too - as did Keri Russell and Laura Linney. And give it up for Helen Mirren.
Why does Cameron Diaz always get such a prominent role in the Oscars? The closest she's come to an Oscar was just being in Gangs of New York. She did nothing in 2007 but Shrek voice-overs.
Can you say "casting couch?" LOL. Just kidding. But I did wonder the same thing! She seems to be there every year. The last thing I remember seeing her in was "The Holiday" (beautiful people, scenery, and clothes, but lackluster storyline). Of course, there were also other random presenters like the Rock too.
Does Helen Mirren EVER look bad? Her dress was gorgeous. Everything she wears always manages to be both beautiful AND age-appropriate without being frumpy.
I forgot about Aimee Mann. Also, there was that faint moment a many years ago when South Park was funny.
Helen Miren does always look good. Tonight was the season premere of Top Gear and she even looked good in a fire suit and white racing helmet!
It is super when down to earth people who care and sacrifice for their art get rewarded over the corporate culture machine, and that was the best part of a small indie film beating Disney.
I left the Oscars wanting to see Once, Juno, Taxi to the Dark Side, and, with a little help from Netflix, the 50 or so "Best Pictures" we haven't seen yet. We counted during the montage and the 30's, 40's, and 50's really did us in. Though we have already decided to skip Lord of the Rings, and I endured The Departed on a bus trip but Danelle hasn't seen it so that will be a tough one.
Helen Mirren's sleeves were Svorski crystal. How cool is that!
Yes, I have yet to see many of the Best Picture pics. I tried to sit through "The Departed" and just couldn't. As much as I can appreciate Scorcese, I just don't enjoy his films; it's the same with Kubrick. I have now seen 2/3 of "2001" and some day I will sit through the final hour.
Some of the so-called "Best Pictures" are not so much anymore. I remember Entertainment Weekly made a list a year or two ago where they ranked the 70-something Best Pictures from Best to Worst. At the bottom was "The Greatest Show on Earth", I believe, or maybe "How Green Was My Valley." So you may want to be selective when making your choices!
In fact, I may have that list somewhere. Hmmm. If I can find it, I'll post with EW's opinion.
"Once" is out on DVD. "Juno" isn't yet. Yeah, I want to see both of them too.
2001 is about 1969, that's part of why its almost unwatchable today. The thing that killed me about The Departed was the overwhelming sense that I had seen everything in that film several times before.
Our Oscar challange is in part inspired by our theatre prof at St. Francis. His life's goal is to see a performance of every one of Shakespeare's plays. And I think at 66 he only has one or two to go. I joked with him once that he will probably drop dead in the lobby of the last one. And he responded, "Well, in that case I would have lived a great life."
I kind of liked The Departed (Ty actually really liked it - go figure). I found the loud music and the soft dialog incredibly annoying. But Damon and DiCaprio were great. It was a complete remake of a Hong Kong version though. As far as Scorcese films go, I liked it more than many of his others.
Ha, I added Juno to my Netflix waitlist yesterday too. I didn't see the winning documentary, but I did see No End in Sight (great) and Sicko (also really good - there are always parts in MM movies that just become unbearably preachy).
For best pictures, definitely skip Greatest Show on Earth. It was all about spectacle. It beat out High Noon and The Quiet Man that year - injustice! I must say, I've probably seen about 3/4 of the best picture winners. I used to have a lot more free time!
I was rewatching "Wings" a couple of weeks ago - the first Best Picture - and I have to say it has help up well. I think the themes are pretty universal, though. Yeah, and what about "Chariots of Fire"? Was that really worthy of Best Picture?
Too true...I love Woody Allen but Annie Hall is just utterly unwatchable, especially for someone born in 1977.
I want to do it more as a multi-year exploration of film history...ooh interesting factoid I just found. I wanted to make sure that Annie Hall did win and I found out that Godfather III was nominated for best picture. So Jon Stewart's Norbit joke, "far too long the academy has been ignoring films that are not good," is not true!
Indeed, Chariots of Fire...yeah...On Golden Pond got robbed.
Oooh, here is a great argument...worst Best Picture travasty. Here is the list of winners and nominees to help: http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1204076077878
Oops that URL got cut off. Just go to the official oscar page, and from the "basic search" page you can set up the official list of nominees and winners.
http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearchInput.jsp
okay I give up, cut off again. I don't know why I even bothered...you're all google-savvy.
On Golden Pond totally got robbed.
How Green Was My Valley beat out Citizen Kane AND Maltese Falcon in 1941. That's pretty bad. The aforementioned 1952 travesty of Greatest Show on Earth . .
1967 was a great year for nominations, and I think The Graduate should have won out of that awesome field (save Dr. Dolittle :) )
What do we all think about Crash? I liked it, but I don't know if it was better than Brokeback Mountain or Good Night, and Good Luck.
I loved Crash. It was an amazing ensemble piece, which is immediately a plus in my book for best picture. I've never directed so I can't say if it's easier to direct one or two great performances or negotiate several, but I am always impressed when a director can get many top-notch performers to come together as equals and not outshine one another. I also think the storyline is beautifully woven together. Paul Haggis may be one of the best screenwriters today. These are the two main reasons why I think Crash deserved best picture. Now, I have to admit that I haven't seen all of Brokeback so maybe someday, after I do, my opinion will change.
How Green is a disturbing upset, as Krista said. How about Oliver over The Lion in Winter? And Rocky? I enjoy the film, don't get me wrong, but better than Taxi Driver, Network, and All the President's Men? Oh, and I've never been a big Forrest Gump fan, especially given that it beat out, well, the other way more awesome movies that year. (And we all know I'm always a bit bitchy when it comes to Titanic.)
'41 has to be the worst.
Let's not forget Capote as part of the list of films that were better than Crash. Brokeback and Good Night...are films that I still think about. I forgot most of Crash already. And while I am at it lets add Match Point (which wasn't even nominated) into the mix. I liked Crash at the time but now it just looks nike some naive after school special. This is especially the case after Borat, which so eloquently makes the point about race in America that Crash so awkwardly and heavy handedly tried to make.
Indeed, Rocky and Forest Gump have also not aged well.
I'll always love Rocky. Can't help it. But yeah, the competition that year was stiff.
I think Forrest Gump and Titanic were big impressive movies a the time, but upon rewatching, they don't hold up very well. They're still entertaining, but the characters are either annoying or undeveloped, and the special effects can only mask a thin story for so long. And I must admit, the sheen is off Braveheart for me now too. (Heather, don't spit out whatever you're drinking)
I haven't see Oliver but I love The Lion in Winter. And I'm not really that into musicals so I would pick Dr. Strangelove over My Fair Lady any day.
Oliver! Ack. I love musicals, and I HATE Oliver. I can't believe that won.
Everyone has forgotten the queen mother of upsets: Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan. I LOVE SiL, but even I will admit that SPR was a bigger accomplishment. It's similar to the Crash/Brokeback upset.
I don't know--I think Capote was very much all about the lead. (I'm blanking on his name.) The movie was so cold. He did a good job, but overall, the movie didn't make too much of an impression on me.
You like Match Point, but not Annie Hall?! Blasphemy! Just kidding. As Heather and Krista know, I love me some Woody Allen. Match Point definitely had some stylistic aspects that were very Woody. But there are other Woody movies I would rather watch than Annie Hall, granted.
Newsweek did a story last week about the 1967 Oscars. It was the year Oscar began to shift from sentimental, popular films to films that were more challenging. The pictures that were up for the award that year were Dr. Doolittle, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Bonnie and Clyde, the Graduate, and In the Heat of the Night. Even the following year, Oliver and Funny Girl were nominated and Rosemary's Baby and 2001 weren't, so it was a slow change.
The Citizen Kane year is a real tragedy. The 1976 one too, since there are at least 3 films that are more accomplished.
When that "79 years of best pictures" montage got to 2007, I bet the Oscar producers really wished that Brokeback had won so they could have ended with a scene of Heath Ledger.
I guess this discussion opens another door: Should Best Picture go to films that will stand the test of time or that do something fantastic in the here and now? I'm of two minds on that. On one side, we can't predict the future. On the other, we can tell when something is truly amazing and ground-breaking.
Jennica, I really like what you said about the sentimental movie. I guess I've always known that shift occurred but it's really easy to see when all 80 years are laid out in front of you. That would explain Oliver and the early Oscar love of the movie musical.
I do think that some movie musicals ARE really accomplished, though. West Side Story. Wow, that's STILL a great movie. Even Sound of Music is not a bad choice. (It's a far better movie than a stage production, definitely.) But Oliver and My Fair Lady--I'm not sure those hold up as well.
And musicals were hugely popular in the late 40s/50s/60s (following Oklahoma, but also because of movie musicals). It's not a surprise musicals did well at the Oscars because they were much more a part of the culture than they are now. Songs from musicals were regularly hits on the radio too. It's a definite cultural shift in that way and it was probably hard for Oscar voters to let go in favor of darker movies. So that feeds into your "fantastic in the here and now"--people believed they were.
But what you said about the time period is important too, I think. Ideally, I think Best Pictures should be both: indicative of the time period and yet accomplished as a piece of art. So if you're looking at those two items, then Annie Hall is not a bad choice even if it hasn't "held up." If Star Wars had won, we'd probably be saying that it hadn't held up well because of Luke's '70s haircut and the effects.
Can we tell when something is really amazing and ground-breaking? Maybe not all the time. Maybe Oscar voters in 1977 thought that stylistically, Annie Hall was more inventive than Star Wars. And in 1998, maybe they thought that Titanic was more of an accomplishment for technical reasons than LA Confidential (which was the better movie). Last year, they probably went with Crash because of its' style and not with Brokeback, which was more about individual performances and cinematography.
Fun fact about My Fair Lady. Julie Andrews did the original part on Broadway. When they decided to make the film, they kept star Rex Harrison but decided to cast the better-known Audrey Hepburn--even though she couldn't sing! It was a huge slight to Julie Andrews. Julie Andrews then starred in Mary Poppins the same year, and she beat out Hepburn for Best Actress!
I was raised by Annie Hall; I took classes taught by Annie Hall; I have worked for Annie Hall; and as a result there is nothing funny or touching to me about that movie. It is so imbued with an aesthetic and ideology that I want so desperately to get so away from that I just can't watch that film in almost the same way people have problems studying Birth of a Nation or Triumph of the Will.
But, and this is perhaps the beginning of an answer to H's quesiton, in order to understand the "me generation" aesthetic of the post-fall of Saigon 1970s how could one not watch Annie Hall in the same way people watch Easy Rider to get a sense of the late-60s?
I think that history is important when chosing something like Best Picture, and the anticipation of the way in which history may remember a film should be part of the equation, the same way literary critics try to sort out contemporary literature. Some films are both timely and timeless. Perhaps one could argue that Easy Rider and Annie Hall fit that bill. And in the same breath, one could argue that Citizen Kane did not win in '41 simply because it was ahead of its time. I read somewhere it took the American mainstream 20 years to realize how messed up Birth of a Nation was. I wonder what will happen after the inevitable fall of institutionalized homophobia. Will Brokeback Mountain still be remembered as a great film, or does it need its social/political context in order to be moving?
One year in recent memory that I find interesting is '99, when American Beauty beat out Cider House Rules, The Insider, The Sixth Sense, and The Green Mile. I loved American Beauty, saw it in the theatres twice. I still like the film, and when I saw it then I thought very strongly that it epitomized the late '90s, for better or worse. And I think that someday perhaps college students born after 9/11 will watch this movie in dorm rooms as a means of understanding why their parents are the way they are. It will be interesting to see how American Beauty will look next year, and in 2019, 2029, and beyond.
A theatre in Pittsburgh shows classic and cult films in the summers on Saturday nights at midnight. One of the selections last summer was Saturday Night Fever. It was strange because, that film was SUCH an artifact of its time. And it was a great example of a mainstream exploitation film, but...we kind of really liked it.
PS I think Brokeback will still be remembered as great.
FYI everyone. According to CMJ the "once" duo, actually known as "The Swell Season," just signed a deal with Warner Music that includes the music from the movie. So there will be an album forthcoming. They are also doing a US tour in the spring.
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