Here we go again
So for the first time ever, I have actually seen every single movie nominated for an Oscar in the major categories. That being said,
Best Actress
Penelope Cruz- Volver
Judi Dench- Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren- The Queen
Meryl Streep- The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet- Little Children
Interesting year for women in Hollywood, seeing as the usual trend of rewarding young actresses who are making their "real acting debut" was reversed, with the exception of Penelope Cruz. All of the acting awards this year are givens, including Helen Mirren's win for The Queen, in which she looked a lot like Queen Elizabeth and didn't really do much otherwise. Judi Dench was fiery and frightening in a great role reversal from the stately matriarchs she's played lately, Kate Winslet was just ok for Kate Winslet, which translates as pretty damn good compared to the rest of the world, and Meryl Streep got a nomination because she's freaking Meryl Streep and can get nominated even for a mid-summer sleeper.
Will win: Helen Mirren
Should win: Judi Dench
Overlooked: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio- Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling- Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole- Venus
Will Smith- The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whittaker- The Last King of Scotland
For the first time in Oscar history, none of the best actors were nominated for a best picture film. Interesting. So again, it's a given that Forest Whittaker wins this one; no one thinks that's not going to happen. He's good, don't get me wrong, but his part is really a supporting role and it's one of those Oscar bait roles- he gets a lot of opportunities to go over the top crazy. On the other hand, Will Smith gives a pleasant performance with one moment (right at the end) of truly inspired greatness; DiCaprio (who should have been nominated for The Departed) gets that consolation nomination when you've just had a good year; and Peter O'Toole gets screwed out of yet another Oscar, this time for becoming vulnerable enough to play a man that anyone with half a brain knows is an extension of himself. And Ryan Gosling is really, really, ridiculously good in Half Nelson. Too bad no one saw it.
Will win: Forest Whittaker
Should win: Ryan Gosling
Overlooked: Clive Owen, Children of Men
Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza- Babel
Abigail Breslin- Little Miss Sunshine
Cate Blanchett- Notes on a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson- Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi- Babel
It's sad when the weakest nominee in a category wins it. Jennifer Hudson is mediocre at best (go to Youtube and look up Jennifer Holliday in that role, and you'll see what it could be), and this is a primary example of the role winning, not the performance. Both women in Babel breathe subtlety and life into those roles, but Ms. Blanchett, who won an undeserved Oscar a couple years ago, finally earns one. Did anyone see the SNL skit "The Dakota Fanning Show," cause it's pretty freaking hilarious.
Will Win: Jennifer Hudson
Should Win: Cate Blanchett
Overlooked: Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin- Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley- Little Children
Djimon Hounsou- Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy- Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg- The Departed
Marky Mark is nominated for an Oscar!!! Marky-freaking-Mark. That's the coolest thing that has ever happened. Ok, anyway, he won't win. Eddie Murphy will. Eddie Murphy probably deserves it- he was the best part of that boring little movie. All these performances were good, Hounsou played the over the top role well, and Haley... well, I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen Little Children (has anyone? Not you, Eric), but the last minute of that film is just creepy, thank you Mr. Haley. Alan Arkin and Wahlberg ended up being the token nominations out of outstanding ensemble casts- I guess they thought Jack Nicholson should stop getting nominated for being Jack Nicholson. But Eddie earned this one, and he will take it home.
Will Win: Eddie Murphy
Should Win: Eddie Murphy
Overlooked: Everyone that's not Mark Wahlberg in The Departed, everyone in Letters from Iwo Jima
Best Director
Clint Eastwood- Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears- The Queen
Paul Greengrass- United 93
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu- Babel
Martin Scorsese- The Departed
OK, raise your hand if your name is synonymous with artistry in film. Clint Eastwood, put your hand down. Letters from Iwo Jima was a beautifully directed piece, but you have two Oscars now, and one of them is for the worst movie that has ever won best picture. The rest of you: good work this year- Babel was no easy feat, what with all those crazy locations and plot shifts, so good job. United 93 was grossly underrated, but our collective memory of that day did most of the work for you, Mr. Greengrass. Mr. Frears, I just have one question? Did Ms. Mirren's coattails make for a bumpy ride? Come on- The Departed may not have been the best movie of the year, or even the most well-directed movie of the year, but it doesn't matter. Scorsese wins, and it's about damn time.
Will Win: Martin Scorsese
Should Win: Martin Scorsese
Overlooked: Alfonso Cauron, Children of Men
Best Picture
Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
What a tough field of nominees. There are things I liked and didn't like about each movie, and there is only one (The Queen) that I honestly think was not one of the best five movies this year. So... I think Babel loses out because Crash won last year, and the two are stylistically and thematically similar. It's sad, because Babel is a far superior movie. The Queen is all about Helen Mirren; otherwise it reads too much like a TV mini-series to win. The Departed is not Scorsese's best work, and though he deserves an Oscar just because HE DOESN'T HAVE A FREAKING OSCAR, the movie itself was a good piece of pulp fiction, not exactly best picture material. Letters from Iwo Jima is a beautifully realized piece that is well-directed, well-acted, well-written, and literally made me cry for the last half hour. It is a scathing indictment of war and the shaky reasons for fighting it. Brilliant. But Clint Eastwood can't win every year. So, I think, in a year of heavy contenders, Little Miss Sunshine is going to be the not so secret underdog and take the final honors.
Will Win: Little Miss Sunshine
Should Win: Letters from Iwo Jima
Overlooked: Children of Men
Best Actress
Penelope Cruz- Volver
Judi Dench- Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren- The Queen
Meryl Streep- The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet- Little Children
Interesting year for women in Hollywood, seeing as the usual trend of rewarding young actresses who are making their "real acting debut" was reversed, with the exception of Penelope Cruz. All of the acting awards this year are givens, including Helen Mirren's win for The Queen, in which she looked a lot like Queen Elizabeth and didn't really do much otherwise. Judi Dench was fiery and frightening in a great role reversal from the stately matriarchs she's played lately, Kate Winslet was just ok for Kate Winslet, which translates as pretty damn good compared to the rest of the world, and Meryl Streep got a nomination because she's freaking Meryl Streep and can get nominated even for a mid-summer sleeper.
Will win: Helen Mirren
Should win: Judi Dench
Overlooked: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio- Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling- Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole- Venus
Will Smith- The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whittaker- The Last King of Scotland
For the first time in Oscar history, none of the best actors were nominated for a best picture film. Interesting. So again, it's a given that Forest Whittaker wins this one; no one thinks that's not going to happen. He's good, don't get me wrong, but his part is really a supporting role and it's one of those Oscar bait roles- he gets a lot of opportunities to go over the top crazy. On the other hand, Will Smith gives a pleasant performance with one moment (right at the end) of truly inspired greatness; DiCaprio (who should have been nominated for The Departed) gets that consolation nomination when you've just had a good year; and Peter O'Toole gets screwed out of yet another Oscar, this time for becoming vulnerable enough to play a man that anyone with half a brain knows is an extension of himself. And Ryan Gosling is really, really, ridiculously good in Half Nelson. Too bad no one saw it.
Will win: Forest Whittaker
Should win: Ryan Gosling
Overlooked: Clive Owen, Children of Men
Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza- Babel
Abigail Breslin- Little Miss Sunshine
Cate Blanchett- Notes on a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson- Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi- Babel
It's sad when the weakest nominee in a category wins it. Jennifer Hudson is mediocre at best (go to Youtube and look up Jennifer Holliday in that role, and you'll see what it could be), and this is a primary example of the role winning, not the performance. Both women in Babel breathe subtlety and life into those roles, but Ms. Blanchett, who won an undeserved Oscar a couple years ago, finally earns one. Did anyone see the SNL skit "The Dakota Fanning Show," cause it's pretty freaking hilarious.
Will Win: Jennifer Hudson
Should Win: Cate Blanchett
Overlooked: Shareeka Epps, Half Nelson
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin- Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley- Little Children
Djimon Hounsou- Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy- Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg- The Departed
Marky Mark is nominated for an Oscar!!! Marky-freaking-Mark. That's the coolest thing that has ever happened. Ok, anyway, he won't win. Eddie Murphy will. Eddie Murphy probably deserves it- he was the best part of that boring little movie. All these performances were good, Hounsou played the over the top role well, and Haley... well, I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen Little Children (has anyone? Not you, Eric), but the last minute of that film is just creepy, thank you Mr. Haley. Alan Arkin and Wahlberg ended up being the token nominations out of outstanding ensemble casts- I guess they thought Jack Nicholson should stop getting nominated for being Jack Nicholson. But Eddie earned this one, and he will take it home.
Will Win: Eddie Murphy
Should Win: Eddie Murphy
Overlooked: Everyone that's not Mark Wahlberg in The Departed, everyone in Letters from Iwo Jima
Best Director
Clint Eastwood- Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears- The Queen
Paul Greengrass- United 93
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu- Babel
Martin Scorsese- The Departed
OK, raise your hand if your name is synonymous with artistry in film. Clint Eastwood, put your hand down. Letters from Iwo Jima was a beautifully directed piece, but you have two Oscars now, and one of them is for the worst movie that has ever won best picture. The rest of you: good work this year- Babel was no easy feat, what with all those crazy locations and plot shifts, so good job. United 93 was grossly underrated, but our collective memory of that day did most of the work for you, Mr. Greengrass. Mr. Frears, I just have one question? Did Ms. Mirren's coattails make for a bumpy ride? Come on- The Departed may not have been the best movie of the year, or even the most well-directed movie of the year, but it doesn't matter. Scorsese wins, and it's about damn time.
Will Win: Martin Scorsese
Should Win: Martin Scorsese
Overlooked: Alfonso Cauron, Children of Men
Best Picture
Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
What a tough field of nominees. There are things I liked and didn't like about each movie, and there is only one (The Queen) that I honestly think was not one of the best five movies this year. So... I think Babel loses out because Crash won last year, and the two are stylistically and thematically similar. It's sad, because Babel is a far superior movie. The Queen is all about Helen Mirren; otherwise it reads too much like a TV mini-series to win. The Departed is not Scorsese's best work, and though he deserves an Oscar just because HE DOESN'T HAVE A FREAKING OSCAR, the movie itself was a good piece of pulp fiction, not exactly best picture material. Letters from Iwo Jima is a beautifully realized piece that is well-directed, well-acted, well-written, and literally made me cry for the last half hour. It is a scathing indictment of war and the shaky reasons for fighting it. Brilliant. But Clint Eastwood can't win every year. So, I think, in a year of heavy contenders, Little Miss Sunshine is going to be the not so secret underdog and take the final honors.
Will Win: Little Miss Sunshine
Should Win: Letters from Iwo Jima
Overlooked: Children of Men