A&E - Oscar Nominations

Yes, I really am so uncreative that the title for any media-related articles will simply be filed as A&E.

I meant to post this yesterday, but then I made plans to see THE QUEEN today, and since it got six nominations, I figured I'd have more to say once I got to it. So away we go!

Overall, it's a damned good list. I mean, sure I have my problems (NOTHING for THE FOUNTAIN…dear Lord, not even an effects or sound or score nom…shafted), and almost no love for THE PRESTIGE, MARIE ANTOINETTE, but then I remember that back in September, no one expected any love for THE DEPARTED, and now it has five nominations and is looking to be Scorsese’s year (finally). Up ‘til December, people figured Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece PAN’S LABYRINTH only had a distant shot at a Best Foreign Film, and now it has SIX nominations including Original Screenplay and is pretty much a shoo-in for the aforementioned award. Del Toro would have the best acceptance speech ever, too. I can’t express how happy I was to see all those nominations for that movie…it’s such an unusual movie in a lot of ways for the Oscars. And LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE? Until it started making the rounds in late July, it was expected to be a modest indie hit at best. What a cool year.

Here's the complete list of nominations (excluding categories no one really cares about...sorry, but as much as I love that short filmmakers - that is, makers of short films, not height-challenged filmmmakers - are honored here, nobody has seen their work), along with some comments.

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

Evidence that I really haven’t seen enough movies this year. I need, need, NEED to see VENUS, but Forest Whitaker will win anyway, which is fine, as I have no real allegiance to anyone in this category (except Leo, but why he keeps getting nominated for the crapfest BLOOD DIAMOND and not THE DEPARTED is so far beyond me).

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

These are the best nominees ever (except for the lack of love for Ben Affleck). I’m pulling for Alan Arkin, but really, I’d be excited for anyone to win. Even though I already know it’ll be Eddie.

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

Helen Mirren will take it. Everyone knows it. And it's not undeserved. But I’d be all about Kate Winslet taking it. Ah, you’re right, I don’t really care. Kirsten Dunst got the shaft (that was an unfortunate choice of words).

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

Again, everyone knows Jennifer Hudson will win (not underserved, either…I can’t believe she’d never acted before), but how cool would it be if Abigail Breslin (the little kid in LMS) wins? And I would scream with joy if they give it to Rinko Kikuchi (the deaf-mute Japanese girl in BABEL…she’s INCREDIBLE, and totally made the movie for me).

Best animated feature film of the year

CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE

No SCANNER DARKLY? Seriously?

Achievement in art direction

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

Oh I love all of these movies…PAN’S and PIRATES both totally deserve it.

Achievement in cinematography

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

These are great choices, but CHILDREN OF MEN better as hell win. But props for sneaking THE ILLUSIONIST in there, it’s a beautiful film. It is strange that none of the best picture nominees showed up in this category, but they're not exceptionally well-shot films, so I can dig it.

Achievement in costume design

CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE QUEEN

MARIE ANTOINETTE. Please.

Achievement in directing

Alejandro González Iñárritu - BABEL
Martin Scorsese - THE DEPARTED
Clint Eastwood - LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Stephen Frears - THE QUEEN
Paul Greengrass - UNITED 93

I can't believe they nominated Paul Greengrass. I wish this had a spot on the Best Picture list, but this is such a great show of support it's hard not to be overjoyed, considering there was a very good chance the movie would get nothing. Just about everyone is convinced this is Scorsese’s year, and Lord knows I’ll be about as happy as can be when he wins, but I’m pissed all to hell than Alfonso Cuaron didn’t get recognized for CHILDREN OF MEN, and when I’m honest with myself I know Paul Greengrass is the one who really deserves it. Just don’t give it to Clint, for the love of God. Fine film, but c'mon...we're good.

Best documentary feature

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

Go Al Gore!

Achievement in film editing

BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
UNITED 93

Seriously, no FOUNTAIN? These are all pretty solid choices though. Except BLOOD DIAMOND. What a bad movie. Thelma Schoomaker (Scorsese’s longtime editor) seems like an automatic choice, even though THE DEPARTED wasn’t an exceptionally well-assembled film.

Best foreign language film of the year

AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATER

Wow. I can’t believe they didn’t nominate Pedro Almodover’s VOLVER. Not that I care, this is the year for all things Guillermo del Toro (that’s PAN’S LABYRINTH, ladies).

Achievement in makeup

APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN'S LABYRINTH

CLICK. Seriously. CLICK is now an Oscar nominee. Doesn’t matter. PAN’S baby!

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

Gustavo Santaolalla, BABEL
Thomas Newman, THE GOOD GERMAN
Philip Glass, NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Javier Navarrete, PAN'S LABYRINTH
Alexandre Desplat, THE QUEEN

HOW COULD YOU NOT NOMINATE CLINT MANSELL FOR THE FOUNTAIN? HOW?! PAN’S had a great score, though.

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

Three DREAMGIRLS songs. Wonder who’ll win?

Best motion picture of the year

BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN

For most of this year, everyone was convinced DREAMGIRLS was THE movie to beat this year, and now it’s not even nominated. Lord knows I’d have picked many, many movies over these, but the first four I can’t help but support. Still haven’t seen THE QUEEN (although I now have to). I have a sinking feeling BABEL will win, and here’s my problem if it does – it feels like an obvious cop-out choice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very, very good movie, but it tackles a lot of themes that are clearly trying to entice liberal Oscar voters, which is how CRASH unfairly won anything. And how awesome would it be if LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE or THE DEPARTED won? Movies that are just great movies, both of which are highly entertaining but also have a lot of heart and brains (THE DEPARTED, remake or no, is one of the smartest-written screenplays of the year), with no political agenda to speak of (except maybe beauty pageants are strange, strange things).

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

I know that I don’t know the difference between sound mixing and editing. I guess the Academy doesn’t either.

Achievement in visual effects

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS

Seriously. No nom for THE FOUNTAIN. Seriously. POSEIDON? Seriously. God knows I love SUPERMAN RETURNS, but DEAD MAN’S CHEST better take this thing lock, stock, and barrel.

Adapted screenplay

Sacha Baron Cohen and Anthony Hines and Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer and Todd Phillips, BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN

Alfonso Cuaron and Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, CHILDREN OF MEN

William Monahan, THE DEPARTED

Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, LITTLE CHILDREN

Patrick Marber, NOTES ON A SCANDAL

That’s awesome that the BORAT team got the nom. But William Monahan better snap this up. But take out Todd Field and Tom Perrotta’s LITTLE CHILDREN screenplay (fine film, but it wasn’t in the screenplay) and give some love to Christopher and Jonathon Nolan’s PRESTIGE.

Original screenplay

Guillermo Arriaga, BABEL

Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

Michael Arndt, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Guillermo del Toro, PAN'S LABYRINTH

Peter Morgan, THE QUEEN

GUILLERMOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Very good choices, though. Except for the whole part where they totally forgot about Darren Aronofsky and THE FOUNTAIN. And LETTERS isn’t an original screenplay. Like at all. And I don't understand where all the love for Peter Morgan's QUEEN screenplay is coming from. It's a fine screenplay, but nowhere near as good as the rest of these.

THE QUEEN was recently re-released in theaters for its awards publicity. THE DEPARTED goes on the same route on Friday, the same day PAN’S LABYRINTH will hit its full release. BABEL should still be playing across the nation. Check local show times.