What Movies Would YOU Personally Give The Oscar To?

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 1:55pm

Imagine that you are your own Academy. What would YOU award?

BEST PICTURE
The Departed
Children of Men
Babel
The Science of Sleep
Little Children

WINNER: The Departed

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio in THE DEPARTED
Sacha Baron Cohen in BORAT
Will Oldham in OLD JOY
Gael Garcia Bernal in THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP

WINNER: Sacha Baron Cohen in BORAT (He actually had much higher challenges than those set to other actors. He was out in the real world interacting with people, not following a script.)

BEST ACTRESS
Sook-Yin Lee in SHORTBUS
Isabelle Huppert in GABRIELLE
Abigail Breslin in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Charlotte Gainsbourg in THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP

WINNER: Abigail Breslin in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Caine in CHILDREN OF MEN
Jack Nicholson in THE DEPARTED
Jackie Earle Haley in LITTLE CHILDREN
Eddie Murphy in DREAMGIRLS

WINNER: Jack Nicholson in THE DEPARTED

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Hudson in DREAMGIRLS
Adriana Barraza in BABEL
Rinko Kikuchi in BABEL
Catherine O'Hara in FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

WINNER: Adriana Barraza in BABEL

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese (THE DEPARTED)
Michel Gondry (THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP)
Paul Greengrass (UNITED 93)
Alfonso Cuaron (CHILDREN OF MEN)
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu (BABEL)

WINNER: Martin Scorsese

BEST DOCUMENTARY: This Film is Not Yet Rated

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Monster House

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Thomas Newman for LITTLE CHILDREN

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 1:59pm

Well, to start with, I don't like your list of nominees, so I wouldn't be voting.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:00pm

No, as in list your OWN nominees and winners.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:02pm

I'll get back to you, once I see a few more films in the running.

[DG]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:08pm

Cruel - you honestly wouldn't include Forest Whitaker in the Best Actor category? He's won every award given so far.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:10pm

LITTLE CHILDREN was the best picture of the year for me.

As far as the acting awards: I don't have much issue with the probable Oscar winners: Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy.

I don't feel there are too many "ignored" heros of the season - though I think CHILDREN OF MEN is far superior film making to THE DEPARTED and I lament that its not getting half the attention of Scorcese's pic.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:35pm

Children of Men is one I want to see.

I'm wondering if it might sneak in the Oscar race in a few categories and surprise everyone.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 2:44pm

I probably WOULD have put Whitaker in but I never was able to see the movie. (I couldn't find it playing ANYWHERE!)

[Musical_nerd]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 3:51pm

Snakes on a Plane.

For everything.

[PJ]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 3:56pm

Best Picture: The Departed
Best Director: Martin Scorsese
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Best Actress: Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

[bschneid76]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 4:41pm

Best Picture: Dreamgirls
Best Director: Martin Scorsese...The Departed
Best Actress: Helen Mirran...The Queen
Best Actor: Aaron Eckhart...Thank You For Smoking
Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy...Dreamgirls
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson
Best Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine

If the Academy Awards just happens to Nominated Catherine O'Hara with Jennifer Hudson, it'd be a tough choice as both gave superior performances!

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 4:52pm

Any list of nominees that doesn't include Helen Mirren can't be taken seriously.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 5:04pm

In my dreamland, it would be a Children of Men/Cuaron/Whitaker/Dench/Wahlberg/Kikuchi year.

But alas, that won't happen in a million years :0)

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 5:06pm

Plus I'm almost positive Abigail Breslin, if anything, would be supporting.

[StephenSondheimWHOO]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 6:28pm

Yay for Abigal Breslin love

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 6:49pm

Not what I think will win, but what I would vote for if I had a ballot (and they were nominated):

Picture: Pan's Labyrinth or Letters From Iwo Jima
Director: Scorcese
Actor: Forest Whitaker or Ken Watanabe
Actress: Judi Dench
Supporting Actor: Jackie Earle Haley
Supporting Actress: Hudson or Cate Blanchett
Original Screenplay: Letters From Iwo Jima (if it's original -- if not then Pan's Labyrinth)
Adapted Screenplay: The Departed?

[PJ]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 7:44pm

Ah, finally someone else who didn't think Helen Mirren's performance in The Queen was the performance this year. Don't get me wrong, I highly respect Mirren and think of her as a lovely actress, but I was not crazy about The Queen or her performance. To me, the whole picture looked and felt like a Lifetime movie. Her nomination is certainly warranted, but perhaps I just didn't see what everyone has been raving about for the past several months. If I were a member of the Academy, I would vote for Dench, or hell, even Streep before I would Mirren.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 7:49pm

Here are my "Should Be" nominations...

But first off, so far, I have seen the following films:

So far I have seen 35 films this year:

- An Inconvienent Truth
- A Prairie Home Companion
- Babel
- Blood Diamond
- Bobby
- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
- Children of Men
- Click
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Departed
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Dreamgirls
- Flags of Our Fathers
- The Good German
- The Good Shepherd
- The History Boys
- The Illusionist
- The Last Kiss
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Man of the Year
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
- The Prestige
- The Pursuit of Happyness
- The Queen
- RV
- Snakes on a Plane
- Step Up
- Stranger Than Fiction
- Thank You For Smoking
- United 93
- Volver
- Who Killed The Electric Car?
- Wordplay
- World Trade Center
- X-Men: The Last Stand

As it stands right now, my top 10 films in order are Blood Diamond, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Departed, Bobby, The Queen, Flags of Our Fathers, and The History Boys.

The nominees:

BEST PICTURE:
1) Babel
2) Blood Diamond
3) Dreamgirls
4) Little Miss Sunshine
5) The Pursuit of Happyness

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
1) Sacha Baron Cohen, BORAT
2) Leonardo DiCaprio, BLOOD DIAMOND
3) Will Smith, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
1) Cate Blanchett, THE GOOD GERMAN
2) Jennifer Hudson, DREAMGIRLS
3) Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
1) Djmon Honsou, BLOOD DIAMOND
2) Danny Glover, DREAMGIRLS
3) Richard Griffiths, THE HISTORY BOYS
4) Ian McKellan, THE DA VINCI CODE
5) Eddie Murphy, DREAMGIRLS

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
1) Adriana Barraza, BABEL
2) Beyonce Knowles, DREAMGIRLS
3) Anika Noni Rose, DREAMGIRLS
4) Meryl Streep, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
5) Emma Thompson, STRANGER THAN FICTION

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
1) Babel
2) Blood Diamond
1) Little Miss Sunshine
2) Man of the Year
5) Stranger Than Fiction

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
1) Children of Men
2) The Departed
3) Dreamgirls
4) Flags of Our Fathers
5) The History Boys

BEST DIRECTOR:
1) Bill Condon, DREAMGIRLS
2) Alfonso Cuarón, CHILDREN OF MEN
3) Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
4) Clint Eastwood, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
5) Martin Scorsese, THE DEPARTED

Updated On: 1/13/07 at 07:49 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 7:54pm

Margo - I'm surprised you would pick THE DEPARTED for screenplay over NOTES ON A SCANDAL which I assume you liked given your reward to Dench and Blanchett.

I actually would vote for Dench over Mirren as well. Mirren is wonderful, but I think Dench had the bigger challange - and she succeeds in making a potentially campy wicked character seem completely believable and empathetic.

I was a little disappointed in PANS LABYRINTH - I think it has holes in it.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 8:18pm

I did like the screenplay for NOTES ON A SCANDAL and would consider voting for it. I only tentatively chose THE DEPARTED because it seemed a bit more complicated structurally with all the various plot twists. Ultimately, while I think both were completely accomplished and thoroughly professional, I don't think I'd call either one a particularly "great" piece of writing.

I think Mirren's performance is terrific -- very fine, subtle understated work for an actress capable of chewing scenery with the best of them. I just think Dench had an even greater challenge and really nailed it. She walks a very fine line throughout and, as you suggest, never lets her performance descend into camp, though it very easily could have (imagine Kathy Bates with the same part).

I actually think Pan's Labyrinth does hold together for the most part, but I'd need to see it again to be sure of that (separating what was real from what was metaphorical fantasy wasn't always clear as I was watching it, but in hindsight, I think it all makes sense).

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 8:43pm

BEST PICTURE: Pan's Labyrinth
BEST DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
BEST ACTOR: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
BEST ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz, Volver
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls OR Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Volver
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Notes on a Scandal

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 8:49pm

Dench
Ryan Gosling
Blanchett
Jackie Earl Hailey.

Director: Clint Eastwood.

Screenplays: SCANDAL. THE QUEEN.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 9:29pm

I don't get all the love for Cruz in VOLVER. I think this, like Mirren, has more to do with cumulative respect than the actual single performance.

Ditto with the direction of VOLVER. I think it's worthy in the ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY and FOREIGN FILM categories.

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 9:41pm

I found Cruz to be incredible, and it has NOTHING to do with cumulative respect. She was simply brilliant, and I didn't realize that she had that kind of a performance in her. I was totally blown away by her, which I wasn't by Mirren.

Personally, VOLVER was my second favorite film of the year, just behind PAN'S LABYRINTH, and I think it is one of Almodovar's finest ever.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 1/13/07 at 9:43pm

Have yet to see LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, NOTES ON A SCANDAL, VENUS and VOLVER.

Best Picture: Pan's Labryinth
Runner-up: Children of Men

Best Director: Martin Scorcese
Runner-Up: Guillermo del Toro

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Forest Whitaker
Runner-up: Ryan Gosling or Leonardo DiCaprio

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Helen Mirren
Runner-Up: Kate Winslet

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Jackie Earl Haley
Runner-Up: Eddie Murphy

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Adriana Barraza
Runner-Up: Jennifer Hudson

Best Original Screenplay: Pan's Labrynith
Runner-Up: Little Miss Sunshine

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Departed
Runner-Up: Little Children