2007 Academy Awards

[criterionmaster]

Use this thread to discuss the awards and post any speculations you may have about what films could or should win and which you hope to see nominated.

[captainofbeef]

Nominations:
Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN

Performance by an actor in a leading role
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

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza - BABEL
Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL

Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE

Achievement in art direction
DREAMGIRLS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
PAN'S LABYRINTH
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
THE PRESTIGE

Achievement in cinematography
THE BLACK DAHLIA
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE ILLUSIONIST
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE PRESTIGE


Achievement in costume design
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE QUEEN

Achievement in directing
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93

Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY

Best documentary short subject
THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT
RECYCLED LIFE
REHEARSING A DREAM
TWO HANDS

Achievement in film editing
BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
UNITED 93

Best foreign language film of the year
AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATER

Achievement in makeup
APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN'S LABYRINTH

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
BABEL
THE GOOD GERMAN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS
"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS
"Our Town" - CARS
"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS

Best animated short film
THE DANISH POET
LIFTED
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL
MAESTRO
NO TIME FOR NUTS

Best live action short film
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA (BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA)
ÉRAMOS POCOS (ONE TOO MANY)
HELMER & SON
THE SAVIOUR
WEST BANK STORY

Achievement in sound editing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Achievement in sound mixing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
DREAMGIRLS
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Achievement in visual effects
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS

Adapted screenplay
BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

Original screenplay
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

[Clark Nova]

some surprises to say the least.

borat got a nomination, but not the one i was expecting. interesting.

but i'm not surprised at all that dreamgirls got shut out of the top 2 categories. i so called that when the movie became the overblown hype that it did.

and i'm gonna try to do something i tried last year but failed in: see all 5 best pic nominees, starting, of course, with the departed.

[captainofbeef]

Marty is gonna lose to Clint. Again. I predicting it now.

[Clark Nova]

any other year that marty and clint were up against each other i'd agree with you, but i gotta disagree here. it's happened twice already, and i think the golden globe results were a real wakeup call to these voters to get their act together and just give this guy his loooong-deserved oscar while they still have the chance.

[captainofbeef]

I think that the Oscars will respect the fact that Clint made two (supposedly) great films in one year. I want Marty to win, he deserves it. But I still think Clint is gonna win.

[criterionmaster]

Like I said before, I don't think Scorsese should win since it would be an insult to give the award to him NOW. Although out of those choices it looks like he should win. I will post soon who I think should win from each category even if I haven't seen the films.

[PTAhole]

If Scorsese made the best films (it looks like he did), then he should win. If it's just a "sorry for shafting you' thing, then that's not only an insult to him, but it's unfair to the other nominees.

[slapshot63]

I'm happy with Little Miss Sunshine getting the BEst Picture nod.

[Clark Nova]

well, having just watched The Departed last night, i can wholeheartedly say that he deserves to win. and no, i haven't seen any of the other nominees. this is easily scorsese's best film since goodfellas.

[criterionmaster]

The year that 'Rocky' won (but why?)

[criterionmaster]

A list of the worst films to win best picture

Do you agree? Have anything to add? Personally, while I like some of these movies, I actually agree with this list. The only movie I disagree with is American Beauty, which I love.

EDIT: Just read a hilarious comment on there: "Although highly entertaining, what is the message behind Forrest Gump? That a semi-retarded man with superhuman speed and superhuman luck, heeding Momma's good-'ol-fashioned advice, can become highly successful? Set to a soundtrack that SUCKS??!!? Momma always said, "Life's like a box of shit."""

"Soundtrack that sucks," haha, nice try.

[Clark Nova]

thank goodness crash was # 1...i really hate that fucking movie...and i like how my big 3 of shitty best pic winners (crash, gladiator, titanic) were all pretty high. i also agree about rocky. though i don't think it's at all a bad movie, i'd rank it 3rd in that infamous year of 1976, behind taxi driver and network.

[PTAhole]

I LOVE Forrest Gump, Titanic, and Rocky. Like a few other ones.

[criterionmaster]

Oscar Odds: From a Vegas Oddsmaker!
Posted Jan 29th 2007 9:31PM by Jay Kornegay

[Ed Note: Hi, there -- Angie from Moviefone to introduce another awards-rific regular post we'll be bringing you. We have Oscar odds from a real Vegas oddsmaker(!), Jay Kornegay. Jay is executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook with more than 17 years of race and sports book experience. And I must (as in, I'm legally required to) provide a disclaimer: Predictions made by Jay Kornegay are for entertainment purposes only. We do not accept, and this information should not be used for, any wagering, betting, gaming or gambling in any form or manner. In other words, folks: Please, no wagering.]

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio, 'Blood Diamond' (3-1)
Ryan Gosling, 'Half Nelson' (8-1)
Peter O'Toole, 'Venus' (6-1)
Will Smith, 'The Pursuit of Happyness (10-1)
Forest Whitaker, 'The Last King of Scotland' (6-5)
Actors drive the movie and the man in the driver's seat seems to be Forest Whitaker. Diamonds are forever, however, so look for a possible surge from the No. 2 position by Leonardo DiCaprio. Even if Will Smith doesn't win, he will have happiness from the nomination alone.


Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Penelope Cruz, 'Volver' (6-1)
Judi Dench, 'Notes on a Scandal' (6-1)
Helen Mirren, 'The Queen' (EV)
Meryl Streep, 'The Devil Wears Prada' (9-5)
Kate Winslet, 'Little Children' (4-1)
It looks like a royal win with Helen Mirren, but sometimes fashion (especially 'Prada') will not be denied. After all, Meryl Streep won the Golden Globes award (for a slightly different category).


Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin, 'Little Miss Sunshine' (5-2)
Jackie Earle Haley, 'Little Children' (4-1)
Djimon Hounsou, 'Blood Diamond' (3-1)
Eddie Murphy, 'Dreamgirls' (8-5)
Mark Wahlberg, 'The Departed' (6-1)
Without support, a structure can fall, so the odds favor Eddie Murphy in a "Supreme" role. Don't be surprised, though, if there's a little "Sunshine" peeking through the Oscar curtains with versatile Alan Arkin.


Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Adriana Barraza, 'Babel' (4-1)
Cate Blanchett, 'Notes on a Scandal' (2-1)
Abigail Breslin, 'Little Miss Sunshine' (8-1)
Jennifer Hudson, 'Dreamgirls' (7-5)
Rinko Kikuchi, 'Babel' (6-1)
Why challenge a winning streak for an actress who has been "idolized"? We look for Jennifer Hudson to take the win, but it wouldn't be scandalous if Judi Dench got the votes (or the 'Notes') and came in first.


Achievement in Directing
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 'Babel' (3-1)
Martin Scorsese, 'The Departed' (5-2)
Clint Eastwood, 'Letters From Iwo Jima' (2-1)
Stephen Frears, 'The Queen' (6-1)
Paul Greengrass, 'United 93' (10-1)
In a photo finish, we pick the Letterman (Clint Eastwood) to win, but Martin Scorsese shouldn't depart the building just yet -- he'll get best picture.



Best Motion Picture of the Year
'Babel' (3-1)
'The Departed' (5-2)
'Letters From Iwo Jima' (4-1)
'Little Miss Sunshine' (10-1)
'The Queen' (6-1)
We pick Martin for the big prize, but tears can take still take it at the last minute with 'Babel' (remember: the Golden Globes made that decision

[wkw]

What? Rocky Balboa isn't even nominated?

[criterionmaster]

Best-picture Oscar is anyone's guess
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer
Wed Feb 21, 3:59 PM ET


The Academy Awards usually are like one of those high school popularity contests where all the other contenders show up, but there's that one girl everybody just knows is going to be crowned prom queen.

Not this time.

For the first year in longer than anyone in Hollywood can remember, the best-picture category is so wide open that any of the five films could come away with the big prize.

The typical Oscar ceremony has a clear front-runner or two, with the other best-picture nominees lumped into the thanks-for-showing-up crowd.

The main trophy for the 79th annual Oscars this Sunday is up for grabs among the far-flung ensemble drama "Babel," the crime epic "The Departed," the war story "Letters From Iwo Jima," the road comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" and the British-royalty tale "The Queen."

A final look at the five nominees going into the homestretch:

"BABEL" — A shot fired in the African desert is heard 'round the world as the wounding of an American tourist holds stinging repercussions for families in North America and Japan.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's tale had the grandest of coming-out parties, premiering at last spring's Cannes Film Festival, the filmmaker winning the best-director prize there the same weekend as the publicity frenzy over the birth of a daughter to Angelina Jolie and "Babel" star Brad Pitt.

Though not a universally beloved film, "Babel" has ridden a wave of admiration over its intricate structure, which weaves passionate stories in multiple languages, the action flitting back and forth among characters on three continents.

"Always through the whole process, I was very conscious of how I was going to put in four stories, three continents, five languages, and translate that into a visual grammar, a visual language in one single film that makes sense," Inarritu said.

Anchored by great performances from Pitt, Cate Blanchett and supporting-actress nominees Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel" leads the best-picture field with seven nominations. It's the sort of heavy, ambitious drama academy members historically have anointed as best picture.

Yet despite its Golden Globe win for best drama, "Babel" is a film that may resonate more in the head than the heart. In keeping with the global expanses that separate the film's characters, some Oscar voters may appreciate it more from a distance, rather than holding it close to their breasts.

"THE DEPARTED" — If you haven't heard someone say that Martin Scorsese has never won an Oscar, you haven't been paying attention to awards season this year — or two years ago, when his "The Aviator" was in the running, or four years ago, when his "Gangs of New York" was nominated.

Revered as he is, Scorsese has been a perpetual bridesmaid, somehow trekking through one of the most eclectic, ambitious careers of any American filmmaker without winning a thing on Hollywood's big night.

After going oh-for-five on past nominations, Scorsese looks like a lock to finally win best director. With its ferocious action, macabre humor and snappy wiseguy patter, "The Departed" also could bring home the best-picture trophy, a prize his films have never won.

"To be in a movie when he finally gets his due would be awesome," said "The Departed" co-star Mark Wahlberg, a supporting-actor nominee for playing a distrustful, foul-mouthed cop. "I would just kind of look around at the surroundings, being on the set with all those talented people and Marty, and I really felt like wow, I arrived. It was the best experience of my career."

Many Scorsese fans think "The Departed" was not the best of Scorsese's career, though it's his biggest box-office hit. Critics welcomed the film as a return to the blood-soaked crime epic he has done so masterfully in the past, yet the sense among awards watchers is that "The Departed" falls a few notches below such Scorsese films as "Raging Bull" or "Goodfellas."

"LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA" — The results of his half-century-and-counting career are in: Clint Eastwood can do anything.

His far-flung World War II saga "Flags of Our Father" came out in October, greeted with solid critical acclaim but relative indifference from audiences, who were not all that interested in the ambitious account of the raising of the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima.

As "Flags" faltered, Eastwood's companion film "Letters From Iwo Jima," chronicling the lives of the Pacific island's doomed Japanese defenders, was moved from its 2007 debut date to a December release to qualify for the Oscars.

And Eastwood, a two-time best-picture and directing winner, scored his fourth nominations in both categories for the film that even he had viewed as the "smaller brother" to the more expansive "Flags."

"The whole thing was just to tell a story of what it must have been like to be defending this little island that had no significance when you look back at it now, but it did back then," Eastwood said. "The irony is I talked to many Iwo veterans who were very supportive of the idea of making `Flags.' They couldn't wait to see `Letters From Iwo Jima.' They were all still curious about what it was like for the other side."

The Japanese-language "Letters" was a surprise best-picture nominee, and a win would be even more unexpected, especially considering academy voters may figure they've already given Eastwood his due for past Oscar champs "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby."

Then again, this is Eastwood, so anything's possible.

"LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE" — The little film that could holds many parallels to "Crash," the surprise best-picture winner a year ago.

Both were low-budget independent films shot outside the Hollywood studio system, "Crash" costing $6.5 million to make, "Little Miss Sunshine" $7.5 million. Both were film-festival acquisitions, Lionsgate buying "Crash" at the Toronto fest, Fox Searchlight snapping up "Sunshine" at Sundance.

Both are ensemble flicks, "Crash" following a broad range of intersecting characters over a tumultuous day in Los Angeles, "Sunshine" focusing on a feuding family on the road trip from hell, including supporting-acting nominees Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin. Both went into Oscar night fresh off a win from the Screen Actors Guild for best performance by an ensemble cast.

And both came out fairly early in the year, well before the fall onslaught of awards contenders, becoming critical darlings and big indie successes, each finishing with $55 million to $60 million at the box office.

"There's something about our film that truly connected with audiences in a very real way. A little bit of magic happened," said "Little Miss Sunshine" producer David Friendly. "Everybody can relate to the dysfunctional family. What's actually unrelatable is the functional family, which I don't know if it exists."

Directed by husband-and-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the film is all about learning to make peace with your lot in life and gracefully accept the notion that you may be a loser. Come Oscar night, "Little Miss Sunshine" could be a winner.

"THE QUEEN" — For the second straight year, director Stephen Frears delivers a movie centered on a British dame of a certain age.

In 2005, it was Judi Dench as an upper-crust socialite in "Mrs. Henderson Presents." This time, it's Helen Mirren as the uppermost of the upper crust in "The Queen," a fiercely intelligent, surprisingly saucy drama about Elizabeth II's worst week on the job, the aftermath of Princess Diana's death and the public's criticism that the royal family bungled the period of national mourning.

Still alluring in her 60s, Mirren gleefully cloaks her sexiness beneath Elizabeth's frumpy, shapeless wardrobe and presents a truly profound glimpse into the psyche of a leader who has been uncompromising in her propriety and respect for tradition.

"I love the fact that she has never changed, and there's a consistency there that's admirable and so extraordinary. If her hairstyle one minute was a beehive in the '60s and then it was a shag cut or mullet in the '70s," Mirren joked. But "it's always been the same, and as one gets older in life, you realize the power of that consistency. ... You realize that consistency now has been there for 40, 50 years."

As good as the film is, Oscar voters may feel they've done loyal service to "The Queen" by giving Mirren the best-actress prize, leaving best picture to another contender.

[wkw]

What I don't get about the Academy Awards is that why a British film like The Queen can contend for Best Picture while films from other non-US countries cannot.

[Clark Nova]

wkw said:

What I don't get about the Academy Awards is that why a British film like The Queen can contend for Best Picture while films from other non-US countries cannot.

that's not true...of course any movie from any country is allowed to be nominated. it just doesn't happen that often.

[criterionmaster]

Yeah, wasn't Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon nominated or won or something?

[Clark Nova]

that was nominated, life is beautiful was nominated a few years before that, and i'm sure there's more.

[wkw]

true, but only foreigns that were shown widely throughout the US theaters were nominated, otherwise they would just be nominated for Best Foreign Film.

[criterionmaster]

Anyone watching tonight? Who do you think will win the big two? Or any of the awards for that matter.

Picture: Little Miss Sunshine
Director: Eastwood

Not that I want either of those to win, that is just what I am guessing. I probably won't even watch it.

[captainofbeef]

Picture- Departed and Babel cancel each other out, leaving the field wide open for a true surprise, The Queen.
Director-Its gotta be Marty

[PTAhole]

Wahlberg should have won Supporting Actor. Cars should have won Animated feature. Not off too a good start. Ugh. At least Monahan won to the Adapted Screenplay for the Departed.

[dontdigonswine]

Anyone just see that awesome Wes Anderson Mastercard commercial???

[PTAhole]

Yes! That was better than all this Oscar crap

[Clark Nova]

my predictions for the big two:

Picture: Little Miss Sunshine
Director: Martin Scorsese

and I so called Alan Arkin for supporting actor...definitely deserved it

[criterionmaster]

My dad called me up for that foreign films clips, I was so happy, then that fat black bitch won and me and my dad just had to stop watching. Her fake "shocked oh I won” bullshit, I agree with the hatred on the faces of all the other nominees when she won. I fucking can't stand her and I don't even have to see the film.

[dontdigonswine]

Yeah, I definitely would rather have Abigail Breslin win. Jennifer Hudson's award was more like a Grammy than an Oscar, in my book.