[Movie] '07 Academy Awards

Nominees List

Anyone who uses the oscars as a barometer for quality is a fool, but just because we don't like it doesn't mean we can't be obsessed (see Iraq War).

So after last year's Crash, probably one of the most indefensible Best Picture wins ever (not a hyperbole), I'm reasonably excited they have two good films up for their top award. My reactions:

Pros:
- Dreamgirls/Bill Condon off the Best Pic/Nomination shortlist. Sends a big "fuck you" to hype-charlatans such as Dave Poland, who probably gets a check from Paramount every time they write about it
- Letters of Iwo Jima considered a Best Pic nominee as opposed to foreign
- Penelope Cruz's career-best caught the eyes of voters
- The Black Dahlia up for cinetog. In fact, the noms here (with exception of Children of Men) surprised me. I'm most pleased with this category
- and Ennio fucking Morricone getting the honorary statuette

Cons:
- Inland Empire absent
- Babel/Little Miss Sunshine up for anything (besides Kinkuchi's performance)
- DiCaprio nominated for the wrong picture
- Three Times not up for foreign picture
- Where is Jack Nicholson?

as an aside can anyone imagine that Click (yea, the Sandler flick) is an Oscar nominee?!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Cal

Are you weeaboo, or just averse to films only one fifth English-language?

Being that I have no more interest in Japanese culture than any other country's and that I'd rank the likes of L'Enfant, 4, Volver, Three Times, and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu in last year's 10 best, I'd have to go with neither.

Regarding Amores Perros III, how many times can a director direct the same film? Babel showed little to no character insight at all, and aesthetically makes a fool of new Iranian/Japanese cinema (let's not forget the last shot and the words "For my children").

As for Little Miss Sunshine - strictly mediocre, are we really supposed to believe the academy respects the work of Dayton and Faris more than the latest from say Cuaron, Lynch, Almodovar, Altman, etc? Abigail Breslin is cute, but there was a far deeper performance seen in Shareeka Epps whose debut in Half Nelson was nothing short of spectacular. Good movie, but Best Picture nominee is a joke. Its self-conscious, self-proclaimed "this-is-an-indie" film is mildly condescending.

I echo Mikey sentiment, and if there is a so-called threat to Marty this year, I'd say it's more Inarritu than Eastwood, if only because of the similarity of "storytelling" between Babel and last year's favorite.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by BigHairyFeet

I'll just ask for more information from you about how Innaritu mocked it.

I too am not an expert, drawing from only the ~4 Irani new wave films I've seen. New Irani cinema particularly is interested in nuance, philosophy, and above all, politics, but I believe Inarritu's Babel is a large cartoon (instead of an homage) of what Iran has to offer.

Quote:

I disagree with your opinion about character insight too. He did such an amazing job showing us the Japanese girl's life

Oh but I more than agree on the Japan segment. I believe it's the strongest and richest of the three, showing how a girl becomes ridiculed and leads to thoughts of suicide due to her disconnection. Kikuchi (and I failed to mention before, but Barazza - the nanny) give very nuanced performances. However, the connect-the-dot-isms and other segments are superfluous. In fact, the fragmented storyline is not what harms the film, but I think its the storylines themselves, with their self-consciously manipulating setups, sometimes riding on ridiculous. When Gael Garcia fires that pullet in the air during the party, everyone was wondering whether or not it'd ricochet the stringed up tin cans, and enter through someone's skull. Same for the scene when he rips the head off the chicken and frightens the children. Like United 93, life is portrayed as a grim roller coaster ride, but after it's over, what did it have to say beyond the 'thrill' experience while riding it?

It's not entirely unmeriting but as with Little Miss Sunshine, I'm merely annoyed that they're getting so much undeserved recognition, when at least a dozen more American films this year - Inland Empire, Miami Vice, A Prairie Home Companion, even Perfume and Apocalypto I think are far more daring.

Though I too am dismayed, it's not at all a surprise to see Sacha Boren Cohen's omittance. I find it a slap in the face that Borat is up for "best adapted screenplay" as if to suggest the majority of the film is fiction.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Capo

I think you mean to say, "as if there was a screenplay."

That's another way to put it. While there were scripted elements, practically the whole film was improvised in character (I'm arguing it should be placed under Best Original Screenplay). I think Jim Emerson puts it best when he states "what was the movie supposed to be "adapted" from? Life?"

[quote=The only slap in the face you should concern yourself with is that DiCaprio is up for Blood Diamond and NOT for The Departed.[/quote]
Definitely (I lamented this in post 1). We're getting slapped all over the place. The Departed had a handful of this year's best male performances, yet only one's up for Academy recognition. Their over-sight must have something to do with the cranberry juice they all seem to be imbibing in large doses.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I'll dish out a few thoughts, bullet form

Too long, though unlike most, I enjoyed Pilobolus Dance Troupe's pointless shadow art. Sure, blame acceptance speeches for running time then pull out 50 montages and song n dance numbers from a party hat. Was the sound effects chorus really necessary?

Ellen was okay.

The Academy loves corsets.

Alan Arkin and The Departed's BP win were both both very pleasant surprises

Jennifer Hudson will probably never act again.

The announcement that attempted to connect Volver actress Penelope Cruz with Wolver-rine Hugh Jackman as they trotted on stage together was both the most creative and cringe inducing PA of the evening.

Most bummed about cinetog. How did the cinematographer of Spy Kids win over the DP behind Children of Men? Somebody needs to explain to AMPAS that Art Direction and Cinematography aren't the same damn thing.

The cut from Ennio Morricone's Italian to Ken Watanabe's confused face was priceless.

When Spielberg, Coppola, and Lucas took their first step towards the stage, Scorsese's name was practically read.

Scorsese's improve with Ellen (when she handed him the script) was brilliant - we tend to forget how good an actor he is.

In the end, though, I must ask how we got from there, to here.

I was speaking idiomatically.