Comments on the Ceremony

Just a few comments on the Academy Award ceremony:

-For an 80th birthday celebration, there was nothing quite special about this year's ceremony. I expected (and wanted) more clips of Oscar's history. They could have at least made a better presentation of the 79 Best Picture winners.

-Jon Stewart did a good job this time around, in my opinion.

-Kudos to Amy Adams, a non-professional in singing. But I expected her to at least be in costume and for the stage to be all made up for such a happy Disney tune. It was a disappointment.

-As for the other Enchanted song...Kristin Chenoweth fans will hate me, but I did NOT like how she interpreted That's How You Know. It was NOT meant to be sung as a Broadway song. And somehow the direction of the performance seemed all wrong.

-Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova performed BEAUTIFULLY. Good thing they won!

-MARION COTILLARD!!!!!!

-What happened to Transformers? That film deserved the Best Visual Effects Oscar, at the very least.

-Not enough funny people and skits this year. What a bland ceremony.

-Umm...did they just forget Brad Renfro and Roy Scheider in the "In Memoriam" reel?

Well, that's another Oscar year brought to a close. On to the next! Very crazily early first predictions for the 81st coming in a jiffy!

80th Academy Award Winners

Prediction score: 13/24. Correct predictions marked with asterisk. Out of the 11 categories that I predicted incorrectly, I correctly called 5 of the eventual winners as upsets.

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Scott Rudi, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men*

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men*

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood*

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose*

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men*

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno*

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men*

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
Brad Bird, Ratatouille*

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Austria, The Counterfeiters

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Taxi to the Dark Side

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Alexandra Byrne, Elizabeth: The Golden Age*

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
Christopher Rouse, The Bourne Ultimatum*

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose*

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Dario Marianelli, Atonement*

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Glen Hansard, Market Irglova, "Falling Slowly," Once*

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
The Bourne Ultimatum

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Freeheld

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Peter & the Wolf

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Les Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)

Independent Spirit Awards Winners

BEST FEATURE
Juno

BEST DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST MALE LEAD
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Talk To Me

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

BEST SCREENPLAY
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Crazy Love

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Once (Ireland)

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
August Evening

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
I'm Not There

BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Lookout

Film-Otaku Awards 2007

2. THERE WILL BE BLOOD
3. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
4. LUST, CAUTION
5. SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

6. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
7. Juno
8. No Country for Old Men
9. The Kite Runner
10. American Gangster


2. PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON (THERE WILL BE BLOOD)
3. ANG LEE (LUST, CAUTION)
4. JULIAN SCHNABEL (THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY)
5. ANDREW DOMINIK (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD)

6. Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
7. Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
8. Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
9. David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises)
10. Todd Haynes (I'm Not There)


2. JAMES MCAVOY (ATONEMENT)
3. JOHNNY DEPP (SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET)
4. CASEY AFFLECK (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD)
5. SAM RILEY (CONTROL)

6. Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)
7. Brad Pitt (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
8. Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)
9. Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
10. Denzel Washington (American Gangster)


2. ANGELINA JOLIE (A MIGHTY HEART)
3. ASHLEY JUDD (BUG)
4. NICOLE KIDMAN (MARGOT AT THE WEDDING)
5. CATE BLANCHETT (ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE)

6. Julie Christie (Away From Her)
7. Ellen Page (Juno)
8. Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
9. Keri Russell (Waitress)
10. Keira Knightley (Atonement)


2. MAX VON SYDOW (THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY)
3. JAVIER BARDEM (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN)
4. TOMMY LEE JONES (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN)
5. TOM WILKINSON (MICHAEL CLAYTON)

6. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War)
7. Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma)
8. James Marsden (Enchanted)
9. Armin Mueller-Stahl (Eastern Promises)
10. Ed Harris (Gone Baby Gone)


2. SAOIRSE RONAN (ATONEMENT)
3. KELLY MACDONALD (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN)
4. ROMOLA GARAI (ATONEMENT)
5. TILDA SWINTON (MICHAEL CLAYTON)

6. Leslie Mann (Knocked Up)
7. Juliette Binoche (Paris, Je T'aime)
8. Jennifer Garner (Juno)
9. Samantha Morton (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
10. Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)


2. DIABLO CODY (JUNO)
3. TODD HAYNES, OREN MOVERMAN (I'M NOT THERE)
4. STEVEN KNIGHT (EASTERN PROMISES)
5. TONY GILROY (MICHAEL CLAYTON)


2. RONALD HARWOOD (THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY)
3. JAMES SCHAMUS, HUI-LING WANG (LUST, CAUTION)
4. PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON (THERE WILL BE BLOOD)
5. JOEL AND ETHAN COEN (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN)


2. SEAMUS MCGARVEY (ATONEMENT)
3. ROBERT ELSWIT (THERE WILL BE BLOOD)
4. JANUSZ KAMINSKI (THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY)
5. RODRIGO PRIETO (LUST, CAUTION)


2. COLEEN ATWOOD (SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET)
3. ALEXANDRA BYRNE (ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE)
4. RUTH MYERS (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)
5. RITA RYACK (HAIRSPRAY)


2. PAUL TOTHILL (ATONEMENT)
3. DYLAN TICHENOR (THERE WILL BE BLOOD)
4. CHRISTOPHER ROUSE (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM)
5. JAY RABINOWITZ (I'M NOT THERE)


2. LA VIE EN ROSE
3. SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
4. THE GOLDEN COMPASS
5. HAIRSPRAY


2. JONNY GREENWOOD (THERE WILL BE BLOOD)
3. OLIVIER BERNET (PERSEPOLIS)
4. ALBERTO IGLESIAS (THE KITE RUNNER)
5. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)


2. JUNO
3. HAIRSPRAY
4. ENCHANTED
5. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE


2. "THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW" (ENCHANTED)
3. "LA MEME HISTOIRE" (PARIS, JE T'AIME)
4. "IF YOU WANT ME" (ONCE)
5. "LYRA" (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)


2. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END
3. THE GOLDEN COMPASS
4. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
5. 300


2. LUST, CAUTION (TAIWAN)
3. THE KITE RUNNER (U.S.A.)
4. LA VIE EN ROSE (FRANCE)
5. PERSEPOLIS (FRANCE)


2. EVANGELION 1.0: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE
3. RATATOUILLE
4. BEOWULF
5. THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME


2. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
3. INTO THE WILD
4. 3:10 TO YUMA
5. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD


2. FRANK LUCAS (AMERICAN GANGSTER)
3. MRS. COULTER (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)
4. PEOPLE OF SANDFORD (HOT FUZZ)
5. DOLORES UMBRIDGE (HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX)


2. JASON BOURNE (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM)
3. LYRA BELACQUA (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)
4. BEOWULF (BEOWULF)
5. SGT. NICHOLAS ANGEL (HOT FUZZ)


2. STELIOS AND ASTINOS VS. THE PERSIANS (300)
3. OPERATION YASHIMA (EVANGELION 1.0: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE)
4. SEA BATTLE (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END)
5. TRAIN STATION SCENE (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM)


2. JASON BOURNE VS. DESH BOUKSANI (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM)
3. BEAR FIGHT (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)
4. BEOWULF VS. THE DRAGON (BEOWULF)
5. BATHHOUSE FIGHT (EASTERN PROMISES)


2. VANESSA REDGRAVE (ATONEMENT)
3. HELENA BONHAM CARTER (HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX)
4. SACHA BARON COHEN (SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET)
5. MARY-LOUISE PARKER (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD)


2. ED SANDERS (SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET)
3. ANAMARIA MARINCA (4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS)
4. MARKETA IRGLOVA (ONCE)
5. DAKOTA BLUE RICHARDS (THE GOLDEN COMPASS)

Film-Otaku Awards 2006

Film-Otaku Awards 2005
Film-Otaku Awards 2004
Film-Otaku Awards 2003

The Guilds Thus Far

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (SAG)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) (WINNER)
Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl)
Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild)
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Julie Christie (Away From Her) (WINNER)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart)
Ellen Page (Juno)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) (WINNER)
Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men)
Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
Ruby Dee (American Gangster) (WINNER)
Catherine Keener (Into the Wild)
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
3:10 to Yuma
American Gangster
Hairspray
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men (WINNER)

DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICAN (DGA)

Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) (WINNER)
Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA (WGA)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judd Apatow (Knocked Up)
Diablo Cody (Juno) (WINNER)
Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)
Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) (WINNER)
Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
James Vanderbilt (Zodiac)

PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA (PGA)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men (WINNER)
There Will Be Blood

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN ANIMATED THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Bee Movie
Ratatouille (WINNER)
The Simpsons Movie

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR IN DOCUMENTARY THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Body of War
Hear and Now
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
Sicko (WINNER)
White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

AMERICAN CINEMA EDITORS (ACE)

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Christopher Rouse) (WINNER)
Into the Wild (Jay Cassidy)
Michael Clayton (John Gilroy)
No Country for Old Men (Roderick Jaynes)
There Will Be Blood (Dylan Tichenor)

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL)
Hairspray (Michael Tronick)
Juno (Dana E. Glauberman)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Craig Wood, Stephen Rivkin)
Ratatouille (Darren Holmes)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Chris Lebenzon) (WINNER)

COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD (CDG)

CONTEMPORARY FILM
Blades of Glory (WINNER)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
Ocean's Thirteen

PERIOD FILM
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (WINNER)
3:10 to Yuma

FANTASY FILM
Enchanted
The Golden Compass (WINNER)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
300

VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY (VES)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS IN A VISUAL EFFECTS DRIVEN MOTION PICTURE
The Golden Compass
I Am Legend
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spider-Man 3
Transformers (WINNER)

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS (ASC)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Roger Deakins)
Atonement (Seamus McGarvey)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Janusz Kaminski)
No Country for Old Men (Roger Deakins)
There Will Be Blood (Robert Elswit) (WINNER)

ART DIRECTORS GUILD (ADG)

PERIOD FILM
American Gangster
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood (WINNER)

FANTASY FILM
The Golden Compass (WINNER)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Ratatouille
300

CONTEMPORARY FILM
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men (WINNER)

CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY (CAS)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING FOR MOTION PICTURES
The Bourne Ultimatum
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men (WINNER)
300
Transformers

MOTION PICTURE SOUND EDITORS (MPSE)

BEST SOUND EDITING IN FEATURE FILM: ANIMATED
Bee Movie
Meet the Robinsons
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Shrek the Third
The Simpsons Movie
Surf's Up
Tekkonkinkreet

BEST SOUND EDITING IN FEATURE FILM: FOREIGN
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Eastern Promises
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Orphanage
Redacted
Sharkwater

BEST SOUND EDITING IN FEATURE FILM: MUSIC
American Gangster
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Golden Compass
The Great Debaters
Into the Wild
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spider-Man 3

BEST SOUND EDITING IN FEATURE FILM: MUSIC - MUSICAL
Enchanted
Hairspray
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

BEST SOUND EDITING IN FEATURE FILM: DIALOGUE AND AUTOMATED DIALOGUE REPLACEMENT
American Gangster
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bucket List
Ghost Rider
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

BEST SOUND EDITING IN FEATURE FILM: SOUND EFFECTS AND FOLLEY
3:10 to Yuma
American Gangster
The Bourne Ultimatum
I Am Legend
No Country for Old Men
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Spider-Man 3
Transformers

2007 made westerns so fashionable

Marion Wins BAFTA!

This makes me SO happy.

BAFTA winners

Best Film - Atonement

Best Director - Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

Best Leading Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

Best Leading Actress - Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)

Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

Best Supporting Actress - Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

Best Original Screenplay - Diablo Cody (Juno)

Best Adapted Screenplay - Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

Best British Film - This is England

Best Film Not in the English Language - The Lives of Others

Best Animated Film - Ratatouille

Best Costume Design - La Vie en Rose

Best Editing - The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Make Up & Hair - La Vie en Rose

Best Music - La Vie en Rose

Best Production Design - Atonement

Best Sound - The Bourne Ultimatum

Special Visual Effects - The Golden Compass

Orange Rising Star Award - Shia LaBeouf