Crash
Manderlay
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Doom, Cinderella Man, The Upside of Anger
May
Initial D
V for Vendetta
Nanny McPhee
MirrorMask
Fearless
Just Friends
The Hills Have Eyes
Silent Hill
Mission: Impossible III
The Da Vinci Code
X-Men: The Last Stand
The Omen
Superman Returns
United 93
Romance & Cigarettes
Donsol, Batad: Sa Paang Palay, Mudraks, Rotonda
Lady in the Water
Kubrador
American Dreamz
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
The Devil Wears Prada
Sarong Banggi
The Departed
Pulse, Keeping Mum, Akeelah and the Bee
The Banquet, The Prestige, The King and the Clown
The Grudge 2, World Trade Center, Marie Antoinette
The Science of Sleep
The Queen
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
Flags of Our Fathers
Ang Pamana: The Inheritance
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, A Scanner Darkly
An Inconvenient Truth, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, Babel, The Nativity Story
Little Miss Sunshine
Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Moveeh, Ligalig, Super Noypi
Blood Diamond
Eragon, Volver, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Good Shepherd, Stranger Than Fiction
Apocalypto, Children of Men, The Good German, Sherrybaby
300
Spider-Man 3
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Gone Baby Gone, Eastern Promises, The Golden Compass, Control
Day of the Dead
La Terza Madre
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
79th Academy Awards winners
79th Academy Awards winners (asterisks indicate correct predictions):
BEST PICTURE
The Departed*
BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, The Departed*
BEST ACTOR
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland*
BEST ACTRESS
Helen Mirren, The Queen*
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
predicted: Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls*
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
predicted: Peter Morgan, The Queen
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
William Monahan, The Departed*
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Lives of Others, Germany
predicted: Pan's Labyrinth, Mexico
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Happy Feet
predicted: Cars
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
An Inconvenient Truth*
BEST ART DIRECTION
Pan's Labyrinth*
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Guillermo Navarro, Pan's Labyrinth
predicted: Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Milena Canonero, Marie Antoinette
predicted: Chung Man Yee, Curse of the Golden Flower
BEST FILM EDITING
Thelma Schoonmaker, The Departed*
BEST MAKEUP
Pan's Labyrinth*
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Gustavo Santaolalla, Babel
predicted: Alexandre Desplat, The Queen
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth
predicted: "Listen," Dreamgirls
BEST SOUND MIXING
Dreamgirls*
BEST SOUND EDITING
Letters from Iwo Jima*
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest*
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Blood of Yingzhou District*
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Danish Poet
predicted: The Little Matchgirl
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
West Bank Story*
FINAL SCORE: 15/24, 6/8 in the major categories. Enough surprises to keep the ceremonies interesting, with sweet wins by Martin Scorses and The Departed. Three results I'm not happy with: Alan Arkin for Supporting Actor, Pan's Labyrinth's loss in the Foreign Language Film category (travesty!), and the loss of "Listen" after Beyonce and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson perform it so amazingly.
BEST PICTURE
The Departed*
BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, The Departed*
BEST ACTOR
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland*
BEST ACTRESS
Helen Mirren, The Queen*
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
predicted: Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls*
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
predicted: Peter Morgan, The Queen
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
William Monahan, The Departed*
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Lives of Others, Germany
predicted: Pan's Labyrinth, Mexico
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Happy Feet
predicted: Cars
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
An Inconvenient Truth*
BEST ART DIRECTION
Pan's Labyrinth*
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Guillermo Navarro, Pan's Labyrinth
predicted: Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Milena Canonero, Marie Antoinette
predicted: Chung Man Yee, Curse of the Golden Flower
BEST FILM EDITING
Thelma Schoonmaker, The Departed*
BEST MAKEUP
Pan's Labyrinth*
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Gustavo Santaolalla, Babel
predicted: Alexandre Desplat, The Queen
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth
predicted: "Listen," Dreamgirls
BEST SOUND MIXING
Dreamgirls*
BEST SOUND EDITING
Letters from Iwo Jima*
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest*
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Blood of Yingzhou District*
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Danish Poet
predicted: The Little Matchgirl
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
West Bank Story*
FINAL SCORE: 15/24, 6/8 in the major categories. Enough surprises to keep the ceremonies interesting, with sweet wins by Martin Scorses and The Departed. Three results I'm not happy with: Alan Arkin for Supporting Actor, Pan's Labyrinth's loss in the Foreign Language Film category (travesty!), and the loss of "Listen" after Beyonce and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson perform it so amazingly.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Mini-Reviews
Apocalyp
to
Whatever controversial thing Mel Gibson ends up doing next, it cannot be contested that as a director, he is truly a gifted artist. Apocalypto is essentially a big extended chase scene, an action/adventure film set at an intriguingly dark time and place of savage beasts and human sacrifices. What could have been a cheesy National Geographic special becomes a major achievement because of Gibson's gift for authenticity (the dialect in the whole film is Mayan) and visual beauty, with the costume designs, makeup, and production design being among this year's most memorable. The ensemble is of highly capable, naturalistic actors, thus making it easy to sympathize with them despite the strangeness of the language. For sheer beauty and exhilaration, but not so much for the story itself, Apocalypto is definitely a film worth watching and ignoring Gibson's latest controversies for. Grade: B+
Children o
f Men
From stark beginning (the youngest person in a sterile future human world has just been murdered) to hopeful yet still gloomy end, Children of Men is what many recent science fiction films have tried and failed to be: smart without being condescending, futuristic without being glaringly modern, dark without being constantly shrouded in night, engaging and character-driven without milking audiences for cheap tears or thrills. Its vision of the future, as adapted from P.D. James's novel, is terrifying, with no new births replacing a dying race steeped in chaos and lawlessness, but without resorting to the usual post-apocalyptic tactics of covering everything in a blanket of darkness, the brilliant Alfonso Cuaron makes this future scary and depressing. A comparable movie, at least in terms of general feel, would perhaps be the 1973 film Soylent Green, but Cuaron ups the ante with a fabulous cast (Clive Owen is as good as always, and Michael Caine and Julianne Moore offer strong support), an appropriately "retro" British soundtrack, and the small strokes of genius that he is known for (a deer darting amidst ruins, dogs and cats overrunning the homes of a dying species). Add to the mix astounding cinematography, perhaps this year's best, and you have a certified masterpiece. Grade: A
The Go
od German
Anyone who thought that Steven Soderbergh had just a little too much fun in making Ocean's Twelve (Julia Roberts as Julia Roberts...ummm, ok), sacrificing substance in the process, would probably be inclined to think the same about his latest, The Good German. It is so obviously and admittedly inspired by Casablanca, from the poster to the ending shots, that it becomes little more than a misguided homage to the film and its genre (with a bit of film noir thrown in). The film is ultimately a waste of Cate Blanchett's talent and the beautiful photography, with a rudimentary story and serious miscasting in George Clooney (never more awkward) and Tobey Maguire. Soderbergh should realize that rather than offering an inferior copy, a better way to honor a film genre he loves would be to give the audiences something that they would remember on its own merits. Grade: C
SherryBa
by
The plot and style of SherryBaby are extremely simple; it's a linear story of how Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Sherry Swanson, tries to rebuild her life, principally as a mother, after a three-year prison sentence. It is a good film, certainly, but there is nothing remotely special about it except Gyllenhaal's brave performance. While her perf is nowhere near being this year's best, it is definitely worthy of praise, and so she has this film to thank for making audiences take notice. Ultimately, however, they might as well entitle this film The Maggie Gyllenhaal Awards Showcase for all its worth. Grade: C+
Images from IMDb.
toWhatever controversial thing Mel Gibson ends up doing next, it cannot be contested that as a director, he is truly a gifted artist. Apocalypto is essentially a big extended chase scene, an action/adventure film set at an intriguingly dark time and place of savage beasts and human sacrifices. What could have been a cheesy National Geographic special becomes a major achievement because of Gibson's gift for authenticity (the dialect in the whole film is Mayan) and visual beauty, with the costume designs, makeup, and production design being among this year's most memorable. The ensemble is of highly capable, naturalistic actors, thus making it easy to sympathize with them despite the strangeness of the language. For sheer beauty and exhilaration, but not so much for the story itself, Apocalypto is definitely a film worth watching and ignoring Gibson's latest controversies for. Grade: B+
Children o
f MenFrom stark beginning (the youngest person in a sterile future human world has just been murdered) to hopeful yet still gloomy end, Children of Men is what many recent science fiction films have tried and failed to be: smart without being condescending, futuristic without being glaringly modern, dark without being constantly shrouded in night, engaging and character-driven without milking audiences for cheap tears or thrills. Its vision of the future, as adapted from P.D. James's novel, is terrifying, with no new births replacing a dying race steeped in chaos and lawlessness, but without resorting to the usual post-apocalyptic tactics of covering everything in a blanket of darkness, the brilliant Alfonso Cuaron makes this future scary and depressing. A comparable movie, at least in terms of general feel, would perhaps be the 1973 film Soylent Green, but Cuaron ups the ante with a fabulous cast (Clive Owen is as good as always, and Michael Caine and Julianne Moore offer strong support), an appropriately "retro" British soundtrack, and the small strokes of genius that he is known for (a deer darting amidst ruins, dogs and cats overrunning the homes of a dying species). Add to the mix astounding cinematography, perhaps this year's best, and you have a certified masterpiece. Grade: A
The Go
od GermanAnyone who thought that Steven Soderbergh had just a little too much fun in making Ocean's Twelve (Julia Roberts as Julia Roberts...ummm, ok), sacrificing substance in the process, would probably be inclined to think the same about his latest, The Good German. It is so obviously and admittedly inspired by Casablanca, from the poster to the ending shots, that it becomes little more than a misguided homage to the film and its genre (with a bit of film noir thrown in). The film is ultimately a waste of Cate Blanchett's talent and the beautiful photography, with a rudimentary story and serious miscasting in George Clooney (never more awkward) and Tobey Maguire. Soderbergh should realize that rather than offering an inferior copy, a better way to honor a film genre he loves would be to give the audiences something that they would remember on its own merits. Grade: C
SherryBa
byThe plot and style of SherryBaby are extremely simple; it's a linear story of how Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Sherry Swanson, tries to rebuild her life, principally as a mother, after a three-year prison sentence. It is a good film, certainly, but there is nothing remotely special about it except Gyllenhaal's brave performance. While her perf is nowhere near being this year's best, it is definitely worthy of praise, and so she has this film to thank for making audiences take notice. Ultimately, however, they might as well entitle this film The Maggie Gyllenhaal Awards Showcase for all its worth. Grade: C+
Images from IMDb.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Mini-Reviews
Erago
n
Eragon might be the worst film of the year (I've seen Pulse, so that's saying a lot), on the levels of acting, visual effects , direction, writing, and editing. One word to describe all these aspects: MESSY. Putting aside the glaring, senseless omissions from the book (it is never mentioned, for example, that Arya is princess of the Elves), the film is a technical disaster, with one scene fleeting to the next with no subtlety or grace. What should have been the most exciting part of the film (the war between the King's forces and the rebels) becomes an orgy of weird shots, disastrous pacing, and forced drama. The whole film has the feel of a terribly long, extended trailer for a fantasy miniseries (of which there have been many that are much better executed than this one). Small surprise: Jeremy Irons, who contributed significantly to making the Dungeons & Dragons film unbearable, is this film's lone saving grace, acting with gravitas yet not overdoing it as he did in that other stinkfest. Grade: F
Volver
Let me begin by saying that the snub for this film in the Best Foreign Language Film category, and to a lesser extent in the Best Screenplay and Best Director races, is a travesty. Volver may not be Pedro Almodovar's best film, but it proves beyond doubt how masterful he is directing an ensemble of great actresses in a film without excesses. Vibrant, bittersweet, heartwarming, Volver is proof that small films can pack a large punch. Penelope Cruz's performance is one of the best for female actors this year , subtly strong and affecting, and costars Carmen Maura and Lola Duenas are formidable performers in supporting roles. In fact, it wouldn't be so easy or fair to label theirs as merely supporting performances. Volver is truly an ensemble piece to be treasured for generations to come. Grade: B+
The Pursu
it of Happyness
Consider yourselves warned: if you don't like films that make you cry as early as the first few sequences, then you probably won't like The Pursuit of Happyness. Then again, it is a significant strength of the film that doesn't too consciously or overbearingly try to squeeze tears out of its audience like a sponge. With a performance as rooted and as honest as Will Smith's, the film doesn't have to try too hard. It is a simple film with no flair, making it all the easier for the audience to connect with Smith's character as he traverses a life that is all too familiar to us, whether or not we have lived something like it. It's a very human, organic story, and if it makes you cry along the way, then it would have achieved part of its purpose. Grade: B+
The Good
Shepherd
I find it hard to comprehend why The Good Shepherd hasn't taken off among critics and Academy voters, as it is common Oscar fodder, with a big cast (headed by Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie) and having been directed by the great Robert De Niro. As far as I am concerned, its only flaw is that it is too long (at nearly three hours), and yet it isn't the type of three-hour movie where you would be tempted to quit viewing it halfway. It is an engrossing story of how the CIA became the leading intelligence agency in the world, smoothly and elegantly directed by De Niro, and adequately acted by its ensemble cast. The frames are shot beautifully, and the set pieces are admirable (it deserves its lone nomination of Best Art Direction). What went wrong? This is a film that should be cherished, if you have three hours to spare. Grade: B+
Stranger
Than Fiction
What a delicious concoction of, yes, fiction, this film is. Stranger Than Fiction has a novel story (Will Ferrell's character hears in his head his life being narrated), strongly affecting performances (primarily by Ferrell and Emma Thompson, but Maggie Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman also offer strong support), and adequately magical direction by Marc Forster. It is ultimately a story about controlling one's destiny and living life to the fullest until it ends, but, as a friend of mine had said, the film achieves getting this message across without being preachy about it. With all the good things going for it on all levels, Stranger Than Fiction doesn't have to try too hard to make us feel for its characters and the story. This is truly a gem of a film (one that should have easily gotten a Best Original Screenplay nod). Grade: A
Images from IMDb
nEragon might be the worst film of the year (I've seen Pulse, so that's saying a lot), on the levels of acting, visual effects , direction, writing, and editing. One word to describe all these aspects: MESSY. Putting aside the glaring, senseless omissions from the book (it is never mentioned, for example, that Arya is princess of the Elves), the film is a technical disaster, with one scene fleeting to the next with no subtlety or grace. What should have been the most exciting part of the film (the war between the King's forces and the rebels) becomes an orgy of weird shots, disastrous pacing, and forced drama. The whole film has the feel of a terribly long, extended trailer for a fantasy miniseries (of which there have been many that are much better executed than this one). Small surprise: Jeremy Irons, who contributed significantly to making the Dungeons & Dragons film unbearable, is this film's lone saving grace, acting with gravitas yet not overdoing it as he did in that other stinkfest. Grade: F
Volver
Let me begin by saying that the snub for this film in the Best Foreign Language Film category, and to a lesser extent in the Best Screenplay and Best Director races, is a travesty. Volver may not be Pedro Almodovar's best film, but it proves beyond doubt how masterful he is directing an ensemble of great actresses in a film without excesses. Vibrant, bittersweet, heartwarming, Volver is proof that small films can pack a large punch. Penelope Cruz's performance is one of the best for female actors this year , subtly strong and affecting, and costars Carmen Maura and Lola Duenas are formidable performers in supporting roles. In fact, it wouldn't be so easy or fair to label theirs as merely supporting performances. Volver is truly an ensemble piece to be treasured for generations to come. Grade: B+
The Pursu
it of HappynessConsider yourselves warned: if you don't like films that make you cry as early as the first few sequences, then you probably won't like The Pursuit of Happyness. Then again, it is a significant strength of the film that doesn't too consciously or overbearingly try to squeeze tears out of its audience like a sponge. With a performance as rooted and as honest as Will Smith's, the film doesn't have to try too hard. It is a simple film with no flair, making it all the easier for the audience to connect with Smith's character as he traverses a life that is all too familiar to us, whether or not we have lived something like it. It's a very human, organic story, and if it makes you cry along the way, then it would have achieved part of its purpose. Grade: B+
The Good
ShepherdI find it hard to comprehend why The Good Shepherd hasn't taken off among critics and Academy voters, as it is common Oscar fodder, with a big cast (headed by Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie) and having been directed by the great Robert De Niro. As far as I am concerned, its only flaw is that it is too long (at nearly three hours), and yet it isn't the type of three-hour movie where you would be tempted to quit viewing it halfway. It is an engrossing story of how the CIA became the leading intelligence agency in the world, smoothly and elegantly directed by De Niro, and adequately acted by its ensemble cast. The frames are shot beautifully, and the set pieces are admirable (it deserves its lone nomination of Best Art Direction). What went wrong? This is a film that should be cherished, if you have three hours to spare. Grade: B+
Stranger
Than FictionWhat a delicious concoction of, yes, fiction, this film is. Stranger Than Fiction has a novel story (Will Ferrell's character hears in his head his life being narrated), strongly affecting performances (primarily by Ferrell and Emma Thompson, but Maggie Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman also offer strong support), and adequately magical direction by Marc Forster. It is ultimately a story about controlling one's destiny and living life to the fullest until it ends, but, as a friend of mine had said, the film achieves getting this message across without being preachy about it. With all the good things going for it on all levels, Stranger Than Fiction doesn't have to try too hard to make us feel for its characters and the story. This is truly a gem of a film (one that should have easily gotten a Best Original Screenplay nod). Grade: A
Images from IMDb
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
79th Academy Award nominations
Surprise snubs for Dreamgirls (Best Picture), Volver (Best Foreign-Language Film), and Jack Nicholson (Best Supporting Actor)! Here's the list, with my score for each category.
Taken from Oscarwatch
Achievement in directing
Taken from Oscarwatch
Best motion picture of the year
Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
Achievement in directing
Babel, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
The Departed, Martin Scorsese
Letters from Iwo Jima, Clint Eastwood
The Queen, Stephen Frears
United 93, Paul Greengrass
4/5. Greengrass was my alternate (#6).
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson
Peter O’Toole in Venus
Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland
4/5. Wow, Leo gets a nom for Diamond instead of for The Departed. It was #8 on my list, but I had expected an upset by Watanabe or Baron Cohen instead.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children
Djimon Hounsou in Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg in The Departed
4/5. It's this year's sympathy category, doling out noms for a vet (Arkin) and a comebacking actor (Haley). Happy about the Wahlberg nod, shocked at the Nicholson snub. Haley was #7 in my list, below Nicholson and Michael Sheen.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penelope Cruz in Volver
Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren in The Queen
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet in Little Children
5/5. Boringly predictable, and yet all of them are truly deserving.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza in Babel
Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi in Babel
5/5. No surprises here.
Adapted screenplay
Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer
Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines & Todd Phillips
Children of Men
Screenplay by Alfonso Cuaron & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
The Departed
Screenplay by William Monahan
Little Children
Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta
Notes on a Scandal
Screenplay by Patrick Marber
3/5. Borat and Notes take it from more expected nominees Dreamgirls and Thank You For Smoking.
Original screenplay
Babel
Written by Guillermo Arriaga
Letters from Iwo Jima
Screenplay by Iris Yamashita
Story by Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis
Little Miss Sunshine
Written by Michael Arndt
Pan’s Labyrinth
Written by Guillermo del Toro
The Queen
Written by Peter Morgan
3/5. Pan's (the hot film of the year) and Letters displace Stranger Than Fiction and unjustly ignored Volver.
Best animated feature film of the year
Cars, John Lasseter
Happy Feet, George Miller
Monster House, Gil Kenan
3/3. No comment.
Achievement in art direction
Dreamgirls
The Good Shepherd
Pan’s Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
2/5. Got Dreamgirls and Pan's.
Achievement in cinematography
The Black Dahlia, Vilmos Zsigmond
Children of Men, Emmanuel Lubezki
The Illusionist, Dick Pope
Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo Navarro
The Prestige, Wally Pfister
1/5. Eew. Only got Children right.
Achievement in costume design
Curse of the Golden Flower, Yee Chung Man
The Devil Wears Prada, Patricia Field
Dreamgirls, Sharen Davis
Marie Antoinette, Milena Canonero
The Queen, Consolata Boyle
3/5. Got Curse, Dreamgirls, and Marie Antoinette. Should have expected the nod for Prada.
Best documentary feature
Deliver Us from Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country
3/5. Missed Iraq and My Country.
Best documentary short subject
The Blood of Yingzhou District
Recycled Life
Rehearsing a Dream
Two Hands
Achievement in film editing
Babel, Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise
Blood Diamond, Steven Rosenblum
Children of Men, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Cuaron
The Departed, Thelma Schoonmaker
United 93, Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson
3/5. Got Babel, The Departed, and United 93.
Best foreign language film of the year
After the Wedding, Denmark
Days of Glory (Indigenes), Algeria
The Lives of Others, Germany
Pan’s Labyrinth, Mexico
Water, Canada
3/5. Where the heck is Volver?! Got the German, Mexican, and Canadian entries right.
Achievement in makeup
Apocalypto
Click
Pan’s Labyrinth
2/3. Click? Ummm...ok. I thought it would be Pirates.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Babel, Gustavo Santaolalla
The Good German, Thomas Newman
Notes on a Scandal, Philip Glass
Pan’s Labyrinth, Javier Navarrete
The Queen, Alexandre Desplat
4/5. Wow, some love for German. Then again, it's Thomas Newman. Missed out on him and (quite foolishly) predicted Shore instead for The Departed.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth, Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
"Listen" from Dreamgirls, Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler, Lyric by Anne Preven
"Love You I Do" from Dreamgirls, Music by Henry Krieger, Lyric by Siedah Garrett
"Our Town" from Cars, Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Patience" from Dreamgirls, Music by Henry Krieger, Lyric by Willie Reale
3/5. No love for Bobby; the Academy isn't interested in seeing Aretha Franklin sing at the Oscars? Three songs from Dreamgirls, with "Patience" being unpredicted by yours truly. Also missed out on "Our Towb," figuring that the voters would choose to have fun and nom Borat's "O Kazakhstan" instead.
Best animated short film
The Danish Poet, A Mikrofilm and National Film Board of Canada Production Torill Kove
Lifted - A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Gary Rydstrom
The Little Matchgirl - A Walt Disney Pictures Production, Roger Allers and Don Hahn
Maestro - A Kedd Production, Geza M. Toth
No Time for Nuts - A Blue Sky Studios Production, Chris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier
Best live action short film
Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)
Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)
Helmer & Son
The Saviour
West Bank Story
Achievement in sound editing
Apocalypto, Sean McCormack and Kami Asgar
Blood Diamond, Lon Bender
Flags of Our Fathers, Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Letters from Iwo Jima, Alan Robert Murray
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Christopher Boyes and George Watters II
2/3(5). I only predicted three nominees instead of five, and of those only Letters and Pirates got in.
Achievement in sound mixing
Apocalypto, Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Camara
Blood Diamond, Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock
Dreamgirls, Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton
Flags of Our Fathers, John Reitz, Dave Campbell, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Paul Massey, Christopher Boyes and Lee Orloff
1/5. Only got Dreamgirls. Never was good at the sound stuff. Good showing from Diamond.
Achievement in visual effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns
Monday, January 22, 2007
PGA winner: Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine has won the top prize from the Producers Guild of America, significantly boosting its run for a Best Picture nomination and maybe even a win.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
A Song of Fire and Ice TV series!!
One of the most exciting news I've read recently:
HBO will be making a TV series based on George R.R. Martin's brilliant "A Song of Fire and Ice" fantasy series! The intention is to have one whole season devoted to one book, with Martin himself writing one episode per season (the other eps will be written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss). HBO makes great series; I'm thinking that this project is going to be on the scale of "Rome."
I can't wait!
Read the full official press release here.
HBO will be making a TV series based on George R.R. Martin's brilliant "A Song of Fire and Ice" fantasy series! The intention is to have one whole season devoted to one book, with Martin himself writing one episode per season (the other eps will be written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss). HBO makes great series; I'm thinking that this project is going to be on the scale of "Rome."
I can't wait!
Read the full official press release here.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
64th Golden Globe winners (film)
Best Picture (Drama)
Babel
Best Picture (Comedy/Musical)
Dreamgirls
Best Actor (Drama)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical)
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan)
Best Actress (Drama)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Best Director
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Best Screenplay
Peter Morgan (The Queen)
Best Animated Feature
Cars
Best Foreign-Language Film
Letters from Iwo Jima
Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat (The Painted Veil)
Best Song
"The Song of the Heart" (Happy Feet)
Babel
Best Picture (Comedy/Musical)
Dreamgirls
Best Actor (Drama)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical)
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan)
Best Actress (Drama)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Best Director
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Best Screenplay
Peter Morgan (The Queen)
Best Animated Feature
Cars
Best Foreign-Language Film
Letters from Iwo Jima
Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat (The Painted Veil)
Best Song
"The Song of the Heart" (Happy Feet)
Friday, January 12, 2007
What will it take to win Kate Winslet an Oscar?
Few actors of her age are as highly regarded by critics, fellow actors, and audiences alike as Kate Winslet. This love for her work has translated into countless accolades and citations from various award-giving bodies, among them four Academy Award nominations by the ripe young age of 30 (she beat the great Marlon Brando's record for the most Oscar nods by that age). She is likely going to receive a fifth mention this year for her searing portrayal of a neglected wife looking for love in the wrong places in Todd Field's Little Children. But despite the general affection for her in the industry, acting's top honor has remained elusive; she has never won an Oscar. In all of those four times that she has been nominated--five, if this year's likely mention is included--her performance was greatly praised, but she was never the frontrunner. A possible exception is her first nomination, for playing sensitive Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, a role for which she won the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Supporting Actress over eventual Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (who also won the Globe). A nomination for her Rose DeWitt Bukater in the box-office and Oscar blockbuster Titanic was inevitable. But the ensemble's acting was not the strength of the film, and so Winslet was never the favored winner; that designation went to Helen Hunt (Judi Dench was perhaps a close second that year). When Oscar came calling again for her performance as the younger version of Dench's character, Iris Murdoch, in Iris, it was already a safe bet that awards neophyte Jennifer Connelly would get the award. Her latest nominated performance and perhaps the most well loved, as the unpredictable Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, ultimately failed to break through the two-way struggle between perennial opponents Annette Bening and eventual winner Hilary Swank. This year, a nomination for her role of Sarah Pierce is the most that she could hope for, with fellow Brit Helen Mirren poised to win her first Oscar.
Will Kate Winslet ever win an Oscar? If Hilary Swank can do it twice, why can't she? There's no lack of love from people, and the films for which she gets awards notice are usually stalwart contenders themselves. Many film icons have gone on to be nominated several times without a single win (though Peter O'Toole and especially Martin Scorsese seem likely to break their dry spells this year), so an Oscar-less career hardly means a lack of talent. Still, this writer (and Kate Winslet fan) would like to put forward the question: What will it take to win Kate Winslet an Oscar?
I offer the following possible routes, in no particular order, that the great Kate can take in pursuit of that golden statuette:
1) Play a really famous person, an icon, in a biopic. Any decent Oscar prognosticator knows that starring in a biographical film instantly ups your chances for both a nomination and a win from the Academy. In recent years, many nominees in the acting categories (and some winners, like Jamie Foxx) played famous people on the way to citations. But starring in a biopic is not enough; Winslet has done so several times (e.g., Quills, Finding Neverland, etc.), but with the exception of Iris, she was never nominated for such work. It is undoubtedly because she was never the true star in these biopics. If she played the lead, taking the role of an icon, then the Academy would surely take notice and highly consider her for a first win. Say, for example, she played J.K. Rowling, or Elizabeth Taylor (just random possibilities). Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator proved too irresistible for her fellow actors. The same could happen to Winslet.
2) Take a strong British role in a decently sized British movie. Two of Winslet's four nominations have been for playing distinctly British characters. While this statistic is in no way an indication that she's better at playing someone of her nationality, it is important to take note of the fact that the Academy has always shown a strong liking for British actors, especially when they sound the way they normally do. Winslet's last three British roles since Iris (in Finding Neverland, Flushed Away, and The Holiday) were not awards fodder. Now, if she played a Queen in a period piece, or a female Prime Minister ala Margaret Thatcher, that's another award-bait role right there. It need not be some fabulous costume epic; Mirren's awards vehicle The Queen is far from being one. British actors in powerful roles have always been a glorious sight (and sound) to behold.
3) Pair up with Leonardo DiCaprio again. Since their glorious cinematic time together in Titanic, Winslet and DiCaprio have each steadily gained in maturity and acclaim as actors, but without their paths crossing each other for a second time. Fresh from resounding praise for his roles in The Aviator, The Departed, and Blood Diamond, DiCaprio would be a formidable co-star for Winslet in an intense drama or biopic (a romantic comedy would be cute, but hardly Oscar-bait; and DiCaprio seems to be actively avoiding that genre). Box office draw is nearly certain for a second pairing between these two. All they need now are a good script and director.
4) Be directed by an actor's director, like Martin Scorsese or Clint Eastwood. Some directors, among them Scorsese and Eastwood, have successfully led their actors to nominations at the very least, wins at best. None of the directors with whom she has worked, with the possible exception of Ang Lee, is recognized for that same ability. Maybe if she worked again for Lee, or for either Scorsese or Eastwood, these directors' own mojo could help her secure a first win.
5) Star in a musical. Dreamgirls is bringing the musicals back to awards derbies, and with highly likely wins by Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy coming just four years after Catherine Zeta-Jones's for Chicago, the genre could be a goldmine for award-worthy performances. Winslet showed in Christmas Carol: The Movie, with the single "What If?", that she has the pipes. If it's a substantial role in a musical that can’t be dismissed, then maybe a win would be in the offing.
6) If all else fails, the usual tactics. These include but are not limited to: a) playing against type (Winslet as lesbian, or psychopath? Oh wait, she was both to some extent in Heavenly Creatures); b) having a handicap (a wheelchair-bound Winslet, or deaf-mute, or mentally challenged?); c) de-glamming (Winslet not looking beautiful? A definite stretch.); and d) going sexually provocative (she sheds her clothes in nearly every film, but she has hardly ever been overtly sensual). If these options still do not work, I don't know what can.
Of course, there are various factors that can perpetually keep the statuette an arm's length away from Winslet's grasp. For instance, no matter how good she is in a film, or how good the film itself is, if she has to go against a Dame, or a come-backing actress, or someone the Academy would want to give a career award to (doesn't Winslet herself qualify for one of those yet?), she won't win it. It is, of course, a glowing comfort to us admirers of Ms. Winslet that Oscar win or no Oscar win, we are blessed to have the opportunity to bask in her brilliance.
Image source
Final Oscar predictions...
...are coming early next week or maybe this weekend, to reflect the announcements from the Guilds (check Oscarwatch for those) and the BAFTA nominations. I won't be waiting for the Golden Globe winners, as those have no bearing on the Oscar noms this year.
Review: Blood Diamond
Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond doesn't quite know what it wants to be. An action flick (there are a lot of gunfire and explosions in virtually every sequence, and lead Leonardo DiCaprio gets to play action hero)? A morality play (it's about how involved we are in the atrocities in Africa over 'blood diamonds,' and puts forward the question of whether humans are inherently good or evil)? An intense drama (we all know Djimon Hounsou shouts a lot in this one)? It's a messy ride, but that isn't saying that it's not a fun one.Much has been said about Hounsou's hysterics here, and this writer does not really know what to make of it. On the one hand, he simply screams too much, to the point where his every loud utterance is cringe-worthy. On the other hand, there is no denying that his performance is intense and riveting, and that much of that cringing could probably be attributed to how the power in his voice and expression can shake you inside. That's probably why he's getting a lot of citations, most notably from fellow actors, who we suppose know it best.
DiCaprio is, as ever, amazing in this one. The accent is spot-on; it makes you think, for the whole 143-minute runtime, that he is truly an actor from Africa. People should not be surprised that he's getting nominations left and right for this performance and for that in The Departed. While this writer prefers that he get a lead Oscar nod for the latter (easily his best perf to date), each is special in its own way and solidifies DiCaprio's status as one of the best actors of his generation, if not the best.
Aside from the performances (Jennifer Connelly is just OK), a major bright spot in this otherwise flawed film is the fact that the images of chaotic Sierra Leone, while repetitive and sometimes forced, drive into the audience with undeniable strength. For those incendiary sequences alone, Blood Diamond is easily one of the scariest films released this year, and this viewer does not mean that in a bad way at all. Grade: B
Image from IMDb
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Great C/Kates
I just love this pic of two of the greatest and most beautiful living actresses (and my favorites) together, taken at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala. Both of them are likely going to be Oscar nominees again this year, though not in the same category.
DGA nominations
The Directors Guild of America nominees for 2006 are:
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine)
Stephen Frears (The Queen)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine)
Stephen Frears (The Queen)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Friday, January 05, 2007
SAG Nominations
The Screen Actors Guild nominees for 2006 are (with my prediction scores):
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE 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)
4/5. Predicted Baron Cohen instead of Gosling. Nice boost here for the indie favorite. Watanabe still missing despite acclaim for the film and his performance.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
5/5. Shaping up to be the most boringly predictable category this year.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
2/5. Left out Arkin, Haley, and Hounsou for Nicholson (where is he?!), Pitt, and Sheen. This category is the most confusing. I personally liked neither Arkin's nor Haley's performances, but apparently the actors do. I hope category confusion with his role in The Departed doesn't hurt DiCaprio's chances for an Oscar nom.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Adriana Barraza (Babel)
Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
4/5. They sure love the Babel girls. I predicted O'Hara instead of Barraza, though of course the latter deserves all the attention. Boost for generally ignored Breslin, though Dakota Fanning was also nominated before for I Am Sam but didn't make the Oscar cut.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
3/5. Silly me, left out Little Miss Sunshine at the last minute for Letters from Iwo Jima, and disregarded the uber actor-movie Bobby for Notes on a Scandal. Still, this lineup will hardly translate into the Oscar noms for Best Picture.
The full official list, including TV nominations, is here.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE 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)
4/5. Predicted Baron Cohen instead of Gosling. Nice boost here for the indie favorite. Watanabe still missing despite acclaim for the film and his performance.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
5/5. Shaping up to be the most boringly predictable category this year.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children)
Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
2/5. Left out Arkin, Haley, and Hounsou for Nicholson (where is he?!), Pitt, and Sheen. This category is the most confusing. I personally liked neither Arkin's nor Haley's performances, but apparently the actors do. I hope category confusion with his role in The Departed doesn't hurt DiCaprio's chances for an Oscar nom.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Adriana Barraza (Babel)
Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
4/5. They sure love the Babel girls. I predicted O'Hara instead of Barraza, though of course the latter deserves all the attention. Boost for generally ignored Breslin, though Dakota Fanning was also nominated before for I Am Sam but didn't make the Oscar cut.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
3/5. Silly me, left out Little Miss Sunshine at the last minute for Letters from Iwo Jima, and disregarded the uber actor-movie Bobby for Notes on a Scandal. Still, this lineup will hardly translate into the Oscar noms for Best Picture.
The full official list, including TV nominations, is here.
PGA Nominations
The Producers Guild of America nominees for this year are:
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
Thursday, January 04, 2007
SAG Awards Predictions
*Revisions made on account of recent developments as reported by Kris Tapley and Tom O'Neil.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will be announcing its nominees for film and television on 4 January. Here are my predictions for the film side of things:
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond)
Peter O'Toole (Venus)
Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Brad Pitt (Babel)
Michael Sheen (The Queen)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
Catherine O'Hara (For Your Consideration)
OUTSTANDING PEFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Letters from Iwo Jima
Notes on a Scandal
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will be announcing its nominees for film and television on 4 January. Here are my predictions for the film side of things:
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond)
Peter O'Toole (Venus)
Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Brad Pitt (Babel)
Michael Sheen (The Queen)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
Catherine O'Hara (For Your Consideration)
OUTSTANDING PEFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Letters from Iwo Jima
Notes on a Scandal
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Mini-reviews: 3 MMFF films
Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Moveeh
Probably director Joel Lamangan's most inspired work in years, Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Movie is a visual and aural delight. It's a fun musical based on (and quite faithful to) Carlo Vergara's hit graphic novel about a gay parlor owner who becomes a super-powered babe upon swallowing a large rock from outer space. Despite some shortcomings, the visual effects are highly commendable for a local production and adequately capture the humor inherent in even the most sophisticated of sequences. Rustom Padilla as Ada and Zsa Zsa Padilla as Ada transformed into the superheroine Zaturnnah are both amazing in their respective roles, both showing great vulnerability and, in Padilla's case, just the right amount of flair to be believable as someone who has just newly acquired a much-wanted female anatomy. Chokoleit as sidekick Didi has good comic timing (though it can be argued that the role isn't much of a stretch for him), and Alfred Vargas is appropriately charming (and undressed) as the object of Ada/Zsa Zsa's fantasies. Pops Fernandez's screen presence fizzles despite being the main antagonist Femina Baroux, but she makes up for the general lack of luster with a fiery musical showdown with Padilla (both of them are highly skilled singers). The musical numbers are all fun sequences (one has enemy zombies singing in the background as Zaturnnah pleads in song with her undead father to accept his son's chosen way of life) but do not dominate the movie, giving the actors time to show their mettle and the story to develop until the satisfactory though slightly gratuitous and artificial (one of the departures from the source material) ending. Grade: B+
Ligalig
Director Cesar Montano should probably be commended for trying a different approach at storytelling and directing, especially since his Ligalig is a thriller, but here is an example of good intentions gone seriously wrong. While the cinematography and editing work in a few sequences, it usually borders on being completely abominable. Short sequences with Montano's character Jun in his cab provide a harrowing glimpse into how a director could use too much of something he thinks would be cool to see in a movie. In this case, the camera angle turns carelessly and annoyingly from one side of the car to the other without dramatic sense. The plot is utterly predictable and the concept a tired cliche in thrillers, though in an industry steeped in tearjerkers and teen dramas and superhero movies, Montano will still probably get [overly] praised for his effort. To this viewer, who has more respect for what Filipinos are capable of doing, Montano's latest is a pretentious waste of cinematic style. One of the few things going for it: an impressive performance from Montano's wife, Sunshine Cruz. Grade: D
Super Noypi
Quark Henares, the director of Super Noypi, is of that generation of filmmakers to which audiences and industry insiders have looked to renew the local film industry with new ideas and styles. That is what makes this film, already a dud in all aspects, even more disappointing. The visual effects are a painful throwback to the inadequate and cringe-worthy attempts in staple Filipino fantasy films of the 80s and the early 90s. The acting is atrocious. Why do two movies in this film festival have as the main villain Monsour del Rosario, a wooden, lifeless actor who should just focus on sports (at least he excels in that field)? The cheap puppets used as monsters in local horror flicks can give him acting lessons. Did Henares simply tell Sandara Park: "Just act as dumb and annoying as most people think you are"? Why are the kids acting like their parents haven't been kidnapped by the villain (unless they know how pathetic he really is and aren't that worried)? And do the parents, after being rescued, enjoy watching their children get tossed aside by said pathetic villain on a video screen in their safe and comfy aircraft? What was Quark Henares thinking? He obviously does not know how to handle a large budget for a film. Logical flaws, plot holes, and acting duds aside, the film has an even greater sin: blatantly ripping off many aspects of the Marvel comic book "Runaways" without due credit. The few funny moments, mostly courtesy of a surprisingly scene-stealing John Pratts, are not enough to even make this insipid, innane film remotely watchable. Grade: F
Probably director Joel Lamangan's most inspired work in years, Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Movie is a visual and aural delight. It's a fun musical based on (and quite faithful to) Carlo Vergara's hit graphic novel about a gay parlor owner who becomes a super-powered babe upon swallowing a large rock from outer space. Despite some shortcomings, the visual effects are highly commendable for a local production and adequately capture the humor inherent in even the most sophisticated of sequences. Rustom Padilla as Ada and Zsa Zsa Padilla as Ada transformed into the superheroine Zaturnnah are both amazing in their respective roles, both showing great vulnerability and, in Padilla's case, just the right amount of flair to be believable as someone who has just newly acquired a much-wanted female anatomy. Chokoleit as sidekick Didi has good comic timing (though it can be argued that the role isn't much of a stretch for him), and Alfred Vargas is appropriately charming (and undressed) as the object of Ada/Zsa Zsa's fantasies. Pops Fernandez's screen presence fizzles despite being the main antagonist Femina Baroux, but she makes up for the general lack of luster with a fiery musical showdown with Padilla (both of them are highly skilled singers). The musical numbers are all fun sequences (one has enemy zombies singing in the background as Zaturnnah pleads in song with her undead father to accept his son's chosen way of life) but do not dominate the movie, giving the actors time to show their mettle and the story to develop until the satisfactory though slightly gratuitous and artificial (one of the departures from the source material) ending. Grade: B+
Ligalig
Director Cesar Montano should probably be commended for trying a different approach at storytelling and directing, especially since his Ligalig is a thriller, but here is an example of good intentions gone seriously wrong. While the cinematography and editing work in a few sequences, it usually borders on being completely abominable. Short sequences with Montano's character Jun in his cab provide a harrowing glimpse into how a director could use too much of something he thinks would be cool to see in a movie. In this case, the camera angle turns carelessly and annoyingly from one side of the car to the other without dramatic sense. The plot is utterly predictable and the concept a tired cliche in thrillers, though in an industry steeped in tearjerkers and teen dramas and superhero movies, Montano will still probably get [overly] praised for his effort. To this viewer, who has more respect for what Filipinos are capable of doing, Montano's latest is a pretentious waste of cinematic style. One of the few things going for it: an impressive performance from Montano's wife, Sunshine Cruz. Grade: D
Super Noypi
Quark Henares, the director of Super Noypi, is of that generation of filmmakers to which audiences and industry insiders have looked to renew the local film industry with new ideas and styles. That is what makes this film, already a dud in all aspects, even more disappointing. The visual effects are a painful throwback to the inadequate and cringe-worthy attempts in staple Filipino fantasy films of the 80s and the early 90s. The acting is atrocious. Why do two movies in this film festival have as the main villain Monsour del Rosario, a wooden, lifeless actor who should just focus on sports (at least he excels in that field)? The cheap puppets used as monsters in local horror flicks can give him acting lessons. Did Henares simply tell Sandara Park: "Just act as dumb and annoying as most people think you are"? Why are the kids acting like their parents haven't been kidnapped by the villain (unless they know how pathetic he really is and aren't that worried)? And do the parents, after being rescued, enjoy watching their children get tossed aside by said pathetic villain on a video screen in their safe and comfy aircraft? What was Quark Henares thinking? He obviously does not know how to handle a large budget for a film. Logical flaws, plot holes, and acting duds aside, the film has an even greater sin: blatantly ripping off many aspects of the Marvel comic book "Runaways" without due credit. The few funny moments, mostly courtesy of a surprisingly scene-stealing John Pratts, are not enough to even make this insipid, innane film remotely watchable. Grade: F
Friday, December 22, 2006
Dream cast for Evangelion
Most fans of the groundbreaking anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion" like myself are both excited and more than a bit wary about the potential of a live-action adaptation (which has been reported to be in progress from as far back as 2004). It's undoubtedly going to be a visual spectacle, with WETA onboard to take charge of its production design, but who's going to direct it? Who will play Shinji, Misato, Asuka, and the other characters? Will it be in Japanese?
Eva.trivialbeing.net is the primary source for news on the live-action project, and there hasn't been any concrete update regarding its development. A fan-designed trailer is up on that site, however, and despite questionable casting choices (see for yourself), it shows the vast potential that the live-action film has as a sci-fi epic unlike anything we have even seen.
So my interest has been reawakened. I'm crossing my fingers that it's Peter Jackson or some great director dedicated to keeping the spirit of the anime. The casting has to work on the basis of cultural nuances and the actors' ability to capture the eccentricities of perhaps Japanese animation's most psychologically complex characters. I came up with this list before in my old website, but I'm posting it here again. Tell me what you think. (Forgive the edited photos; I'm a mere amateur in photoshop editing, was just having fun with these).
Yagira Yuuya as Ikari Shinji
Ikari Shinji just HAS to be Japanese. And if it's to be a young Japanese actor, who better than Yagira Yuuya, a Best Actor awardee at Cannes? Shinji is a disturbingly complex character. I don't want some pouting Caucasian boy making him nothing more than a brooding adolescent. Whoever plays him has to be a great actor.
Emma Watson as Soryu Asuka Langley
Up until the writing of this, I was still choosing between Emily Browning, who impressed me a lot as Violet Baudelaire in 2004's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Emma Watson, who we all know and have come to love (in varying degrees) as Hermione Granger. Looking at photos of both, and considering what I've seen from them, I'm finally choosing Watson. I'm convinced that she can effectively portray spunky, naughty, tragically unhinged Asuka, and she'll look great with the character's signature red hair.
Matsushima Nanako as Katsuragi Misato
Most film fans know her as the lead of Ringu, but to see how brilliant she would be as Katsuragi Misato, one has to watch her performance in the live-action "Great Teacher Onizuka" series. After watching that, I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Misato. She has the beauty, the stance, and the general attitude to pull it off perfectly. I can imagine Matsushima as drunk Misato, stern tactician Misato, emotionally ravaged Misato... She'll be perfect.
Sanada Hiroyuki as Ikari Gendou
Matsushima's ex
-husband in Ringu, Sanada Hiroyuki, has a dark, brooding intensity that has landed him such strong roles as that and as the originally unaccepting samurai in The Last Samurai. Just imagine him glaring over overlapping fingers as Shinji's villainous father, Gendou. He'd be chilling, with just enough cold humanity to make him at least remotely worthy of sympathy.
Maggie Cheung as Akagi Ritsuko
The brilliant NERV scientist Ritsuko has ever been described as cold, even by her close friends. Respected Chinese actress Maggie Cheung has the looks of cold steel and intellect that would be perfect for this role. Gong Li is another possibility, but Akagi's hair (even if only in style and not in color) would fit Cheung better, and Cheung's body frame seems a better fit.
Takeshi Kaneshiro as Ryoji Kaji
There are few Japanese men as ruggedly handsome as Takeshi Kaneshiro. Need I say more? Kaji is a real ladies' man, a charmer, and few can capture that on film better than Kaneshiro would. Plus, that's one big segment of the market already in the bag if he's in.
Takeshi 'Beat
' Kitano as Commander Fuyutsuki
Beat Kitano has a powerful presence, but he can be quiet and subtle when he wants to be. He can bring the necessary calmness, humility, and strength of character that Fuyutsuki is known for.
What about Ayanami Rei?
One of Japanese animation's most popular characters of all time is also one of the most difficult to cast, especially for someone like me who hasn't watched a lot of recent Japanese films. Suzuka Ohgo was a revelation in Memoirs of a Geisha, but she may be too cute to play the iconically eerie Rei (unless some transformation happens to the actress in a year). A lot of people are probably going to erupt with indignation upon my even suggesting this, but Dakota Fanning has proven that 1) she can act very well and 2) she can look pretty creepy. Imagine her with a red-eyed glare, saying almost nothing. Shudder. But I'm making the call out of ignorance, so it's not necessarily my ideal casting.
I really hope that this film gets made, and that it ends up being one of the most kick-ass sci-fi movies ever made. If you agree with my choices and know someone in the film's production team (or are in it yourself), then I hope you help make this dream cast a reality.
Eva.trivialbeing.net is the primary source for news on the live-action project, and there hasn't been any concrete update regarding its development. A fan-designed trailer is up on that site, however, and despite questionable casting choices (see for yourself), it shows the vast potential that the live-action film has as a sci-fi epic unlike anything we have even seen.
So my interest has been reawakened. I'm crossing my fingers that it's Peter Jackson or some great director dedicated to keeping the spirit of the anime. The casting has to work on the basis of cultural nuances and the actors' ability to capture the eccentricities of perhaps Japanese animation's most psychologically complex characters. I came up with this list before in my old website, but I'm posting it here again. Tell me what you think. (Forgive the edited photos; I'm a mere amateur in photoshop editing, was just having fun with these).
Yagira Yuuya as Ikari Shinji
Ikari Shinji just HAS to be Japanese. And if it's to be a young Japanese actor, who better than Yagira Yuuya, a Best Actor awardee at Cannes? Shinji is a disturbingly complex character. I don't want some pouting Caucasian boy making him nothing more than a brooding adolescent. Whoever plays him has to be a great actor.
Emma Watson as Soryu Asuka Langley
Up until the writing of this, I was still choosing between Emily Browning, who impressed me a lot as Violet Baudelaire in 2004's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Emma Watson, who we all know and have come to love (in varying degrees) as Hermione Granger. Looking at photos of both, and considering what I've seen from them, I'm finally choosing Watson. I'm convinced that she can effectively portray spunky, naughty, tragically unhinged Asuka, and she'll look great with the character's signature red hair.Matsushima Nanako as Katsuragi Misato
Most film fans know her as the lead of Ringu, but to see how brilliant she would be as Katsuragi Misato, one has to watch her performance in the live-action "Great Teacher Onizuka" series. After watching that, I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Misato. She has the beauty, the stance, and the general attitude to pull it off perfectly. I can imagine Matsushima as drunk Misato, stern tactician Misato, emotionally ravaged Misato... She'll be perfect.
Sanada Hiroyuki as Ikari Gendou
Matsushima's ex
-husband in Ringu, Sanada Hiroyuki, has a dark, brooding intensity that has landed him such strong roles as that and as the originally unaccepting samurai in The Last Samurai. Just imagine him glaring over overlapping fingers as Shinji's villainous father, Gendou. He'd be chilling, with just enough cold humanity to make him at least remotely worthy of sympathy.Maggie Cheung as Akagi Ritsuko
The brilliant NERV scientist Ritsuko has ever been described as cold, even by her close friends. Respected Chinese actress Maggie Cheung has the looks of cold steel and intellect that would be perfect for this role. Gong Li is another possibility, but Akagi's hair (even if only in style and not in color) would fit Cheung better, and Cheung's body frame seems a better fit.
Takeshi Kaneshiro as Ryoji Kaji
There are few Japanese men as ruggedly handsome as Takeshi Kaneshiro. Need I say more? Kaji is a real ladies' man, a charmer, and few can capture that on film better than Kaneshiro would. Plus, that's one big segment of the market already in the bag if he's in.
Takeshi 'Beat
' Kitano as Commander FuyutsukiBeat Kitano has a powerful presence, but he can be quiet and subtle when he wants to be. He can bring the necessary calmness, humility, and strength of character that Fuyutsuki is known for.
What about Ayanami Rei?
One of Japanese animation's most popular characters of all time is also one of the most difficult to cast, especially for someone like me who hasn't watched a lot of recent Japanese films. Suzuka Ohgo was a revelation in Memoirs of a Geisha, but she may be too cute to play the iconically eerie Rei (unless some transformation happens to the actress in a year). A lot of people are probably going to erupt with indignation upon my even suggesting this, but Dakota Fanning has proven that 1) she can act very well and 2) she can look pretty creepy. Imagine her with a red-eyed glare, saying almost nothing. Shudder. But I'm making the call out of ignorance, so it's not necessarily my ideal casting.
I really hope that this film gets made, and that it ends up being one of the most kick-ass sci-fi movies ever made. If you agree with my choices and know someone in the film's production team (or are in it yourself), then I hope you help make this dream cast a reality.
Friday, December 15, 2006
64th Golden Globe Award Nominations
This is, in my opinion, one of the best lineups I've seen out of the HFPA nominations. I just love the surprises (comments below)! Here are the nominees (with results of my predictions and some comments):
BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA (3/5)
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen
Bobby's the small surprise (it was always a tough contender), but I haven't seen it yet so I can't comment.
BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA (4/5)
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
Maggie squeaks in due to bad reception of Cate Blanchett's The Good German. Lucky her.
BEST ACTOR - DRAMA (4/5)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Peter O'Toole (Venus)
Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Didn't see that one coming! Just a few days after the BFCA gave double noms for DiCaprio, the HFPA does the same. He so deserves it. Can the Academy do the same? Ken Watanabe's chances are slipping fast with this snub.
BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY/MUSICAL (3/5)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You For Smoking
Yey! The Devil Wears Prada!
BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY/MUSICAL (4/5)
Annette Bening (Running With Scissors)
Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine)
Beyonce Knowles (Dreamgirls)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Renee Zellweger (Miss Potter)
I loved Toni Collette in Little Miss Sunshine. Kudos to the HFPA for nominating her instead of [slightly] overrated Abigail Breslin!
BEST ACTOR - COMEDY/MUSICAL (4/5)
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat)
Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)
Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots)
Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)
The snub of Jamie Foxx isn't at all a surprise. Should have thought of Ejiofor. Cohen is taking this, for sure.
BEST DIRECTOR (3/5)
Clint Eastwood (Flags of Our Fathers)
Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima)
Stephen Frears (The Queen)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
All worthy nominees, with Eastwood scoring double for an artistic feat. But where's Bill Condon? How will this affect his Oscar chances?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (4/5)
Adriana Barraza (Babel)
Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
I love the HFPA for nominating Emily Blunt! Hers isn't my favorite supporting turn of the year (so far, it's Kikuchi), but she surely deserves a nod for her scene-stealing turn in Prada. THIS is the lineup that I want to see come Oscar nominations.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (3/5)
Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Brad Pitt (Babel)
Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)
Pity that Michael Sheen didn't make it, but I'm so excited to see that Mark Wahlberg did. Just like Emily Blunt in the ladies' category, Wahlberg stole every scene he was in and truly deserves this. Hopefully it translates into an Oscar nom. Thanks, HFPA, for choosing Affleck and Wahlberg over the [extremely] overrated Alan Arkin!
BEST SCREENPLAY (2/5)
Babel
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal
The Departed
The Queen
The biggest surprise is probably the exclusion of Little Miss Sunshine, but the Academy has two categories for screenplay, so no one will lose sleep over it.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM (4/5)
Apocalypto
Letters from Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver
After snubbing The Passion of the Christ two years ago, the HFPA opts for a bloodier Mel Gibson epic. Pretty expectable lineup, though I had predicted Curse of the Golden Flower (the HFPA loves Chinese martial arts epics) instead of Apocalypto.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE (no predictions)
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (1/5)
The Painted Veil
The Fountain
Babel
Nomad
The Da Vinci Code
Wow, I got 1 out of 5. Biggest surprise is probably the exclusion of the score for Notes on a Scandal.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG (2/5)
"A Father's Way" (The Pursuit of Happyness)
"Listen" (Dreamgirls)
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" (Bobby)
"The Song of the Heart" (Happy Feet)
"Try Not to Remember" (Home of the Brave)
Most notable snub: Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" (from An Inconvenient Truth).
Post-Golden Globe nominations predictions will be up soon.
On a quick TV noms note: I'm happy that Heroes and its star Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) are nominated in the Best TV Series - Drama and Best Supporting Actor categories, respectively.
BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA (3/5)
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen
Bobby's the small surprise (it was always a tough contender), but I haven't seen it yet so I can't comment.
BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA (4/5)
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
Maggie squeaks in due to bad reception of Cate Blanchett's The Good German. Lucky her.
BEST ACTOR - DRAMA (4/5)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Peter O'Toole (Venus)
Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Didn't see that one coming! Just a few days after the BFCA gave double noms for DiCaprio, the HFPA does the same. He so deserves it. Can the Academy do the same? Ken Watanabe's chances are slipping fast with this snub.
BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY/MUSICAL (3/5)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You For Smoking
Yey! The Devil Wears Prada!
BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY/MUSICAL (4/5)
Annette Bening (Running With Scissors)
Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine)
Beyonce Knowles (Dreamgirls)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Renee Zellweger (Miss Potter)
I loved Toni Collette in Little Miss Sunshine. Kudos to the HFPA for nominating her instead of [slightly] overrated Abigail Breslin!
BEST ACTOR - COMEDY/MUSICAL (4/5)
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat)
Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)
Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots)
Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)
The snub of Jamie Foxx isn't at all a surprise. Should have thought of Ejiofor. Cohen is taking this, for sure.
BEST DIRECTOR (3/5)
Clint Eastwood (Flags of Our Fathers)
Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima)
Stephen Frears (The Queen)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
All worthy nominees, with Eastwood scoring double for an artistic feat. But where's Bill Condon? How will this affect his Oscar chances?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (4/5)
Adriana Barraza (Babel)
Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)
I love the HFPA for nominating Emily Blunt! Hers isn't my favorite supporting turn of the year (so far, it's Kikuchi), but she surely deserves a nod for her scene-stealing turn in Prada. THIS is the lineup that I want to see come Oscar nominations.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (3/5)
Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Brad Pitt (Babel)
Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)
Pity that Michael Sheen didn't make it, but I'm so excited to see that Mark Wahlberg did. Just like Emily Blunt in the ladies' category, Wahlberg stole every scene he was in and truly deserves this. Hopefully it translates into an Oscar nom. Thanks, HFPA, for choosing Affleck and Wahlberg over the [extremely] overrated Alan Arkin!
BEST SCREENPLAY (2/5)
Babel
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal
The Departed
The Queen
The biggest surprise is probably the exclusion of Little Miss Sunshine, but the Academy has two categories for screenplay, so no one will lose sleep over it.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM (4/5)
Apocalypto
Letters from Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver
After snubbing The Passion of the Christ two years ago, the HFPA opts for a bloodier Mel Gibson epic. Pretty expectable lineup, though I had predicted Curse of the Golden Flower (the HFPA loves Chinese martial arts epics) instead of Apocalypto.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE (no predictions)
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (1/5)
The Painted Veil
The Fountain
Babel
Nomad
The Da Vinci Code
Wow, I got 1 out of 5. Biggest surprise is probably the exclusion of the score for Notes on a Scandal.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG (2/5)
"A Father's Way" (The Pursuit of Happyness)
"Listen" (Dreamgirls)
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" (Bobby)
"The Song of the Heart" (Happy Feet)
"Try Not to Remember" (Home of the Brave)
Most notable snub: Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" (from An Inconvenient Truth).
Post-Golden Globe nominations predictions will be up soon.
On a quick TV noms note: I'm happy that Heroes and its star Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) are nominated in the Best TV Series - Drama and Best Supporting Actor categories, respectively.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)