Nominations for the Oscars 2008

Full list here.

that's odd. nomination for best pic for "Atonement" with no mention of nominations for best actors in that film (except supporting actress). how can a film be good and its actors not? I wanted to see Sweeney Todd over the holidays, but I read such poor reviews I thought I'd just save my money. It's also a creepy musical.

Already the Michael Clayton bashing has begun on some forums, found it poignant that Angelina Jolie and Sean Penn were not nominated for a 'Mighty Heart' or 'Into the Wild'...

I did give a very little (cold induced cheer) when Viggo Mortensens name was called out for Eastern Promises and I was surprised that James McAvoy wasn't nomianted for Atonement seeing as though he was overlooked last year for 'Last King of Scotland'.

I reckon (IMHO) that it will be Cate Blanchett - I'm not there, Javier Bardem - No country for old men, Julie Christie - Away from her and though Daniel Day Lewis appears a shoo in for Best Actor, Tommy Lee Jones - In the valley of Elah may be the shocker of the bunch. Day Lewis was the potential favourite the last time he was nominated for Gangs of New York though Adrien Brody nabbed it. I only say that as he was predicted to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor and it could be the George Clooney/Judi Dench/Russell Crowe effect where they win to compensate for previous/same year miss outs and the age factor .

Just my opinion before I get slated for being a cynic!

Absolutely no surprises there. I am rooting for Michael Clayton all the way but I am a sucker for legal drama.
Looks like Enchanted has the original song clinched.
Kate Blancett should get it for I'm Not There and an Honorable Mention for versitality.
Johnny Depp is said not to be bothered about winning an Oscar as long as he can live in France and smoke in public.
Hurray for Michael Moore, he has made documentaries popular. That used to be one of the well, yeah, there is such a thing categories.

P+S Technik, a company based in Ottobrunn, will be awarded a technical Oscar for its "Skater Mini", a mini mobile camera that has experienced a breakthrough in the advertising business and is seeing more and more use in movies as well. Its functions include short, low camera movements and panning, it is easy to assemble and can be used in confined spaces.

source: Süddeutsche Zeitung e-paper 22 January 2008

It'll be a shame, but of all its nominations, I can't see No Country For Old Men picking up Best Picture. It deserves it, but it's too dark.

At least Once was nominated for Best Song.

Once, great movie, I'd have given the lead actor an award and I'd have definitely given the lead actress one.

Once takes the essence of Roman Holiday and crossbreeds it with the soul of Dublin in the 1990s and the essence of the hearts of folk who didn't get dragged along by the Celtic Tigers avarice. It's a joyful wonder of a wee film and for me, it's a kind of time capsule of the Ireland I left behind. One that I'm probably romanticising now, but dammit, I love this film.

Nice to see the Coens picking up the top prize for their No Country For Old Men flick from the Directors Guild of America yesterday. This gives them a good shot at collecting the Best Picture Oscar come February 24th.

I've seen the Coens NCFOM three times now and I love it. Admittedly I was baffled and intrigued the first time I saw or it, but by the next two times I'd fallen for it. What a fantastic movie. Whether I want this to win best picture at the Oscars or There Will Be Blood, or even Atonement (just saw the latter two yesterday), is a bit of a dilemma in regards to making a choice - they're all damn good. Man, Atonement was bizarre - the twist at the end blew me away. And I haven't even got around to viewing Juno or Michael Clayton yet.

Coens Win DGA Award For 'No Country For Old Men'


No Country For Old Men (2007) - Trailer



Best Film Editing has to go to The Bourne Ultimatum and Best Actor in a Leading Role has go to be snatched up by Daniel Day-Lewis who is thoroughly awesome as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood.
The official website here: The Oscars

Now let's hope that damned writers strike, which f**ked up the Golden Globes ceremony, is resolved in time for the Academy Awards.

Actually, there are a countless number of movies that are great while the actors in them perform unspectacularly. With Atonement I thought Knightley and McAvoy did a reasonable job but not enough for me to go "Ooh!" and "Aah!". Still, it's a great movie full of twists and fast edits that grip the viewer with intrigue - the betrayal and jealousy just oozes throughout the movie. And Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) who, at the end, wanted to atone for her previous interference and bearing false witness, was ultimately too late in reality despite her vivid imaginings. I'd love to read Ian McEwan's novel. If nobody's seen this movie, I recommend it entirely. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it wins Best Picture. Check out the trailer below.

As for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, I've actually heard quite a few people like it. I haven't seen it yet (perhaps tomorrow night if I got time), but I've been encouraged by a lot of people to do so. Rotten Tomatoes has given it a commendable 87% rating, and rarely are there poor results coming from Depp, Bonham-Carter and Burton when they work together.

Atonement (2007) - Trailer

Sweeney Todd is very, very good. It's really scary, and much gorier than you can show on stage. I know the stage musical quite well, as I was in it myself professionally in Milwaukee. I was extremely impressed with the film and the actors.

I know musicals aren't for everyone, but really, you should see it.

I loved Once, too.

Scary? if you're 10. Not very gory at all.

Good? both my gf and I thought it was alright, but certainly nothing to write home about.

Depp shouldda got one for pirates. Well, for the first pirates. Oh well.

No Country For Old Men is so good. Best film I've seen for years, it works on so many levels, so incredibly layered and nuanced and visceral. The scene with Bardem in the gas station with the old guy has an unparalleled intensity that alone is worthy of award. "Call it."
But I still think it's too dark a film to win Best Oscar, too morally ambiguous, Antons character is the only character to maintain a semblance of consistency of principle, despite being evil/randomness personified. Although, the academy may feel the time is right to reward the Coens. GREAT film.

Yep, that gas station scene blew me away. The dialog between the proprietor (played by Gene Jones) and Anton Suger Chigurh (Javier Bardem) gave me the willies.

Anton Chigurh: Let me ask you something. What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?
Gas Station Proprietor: Sir?
Anton Chigurh: The most...you ever lost...on a coin toss?
Gas Station Proprietor: I don't know. I couldn't say.
[Chigurh flips a quarter from the change on the counter and covers it with his hand]
Anton Chigurh: Call it.
Gas Station Proprietor: Call it?
Anton Chigurh: Yes.
Gas Station Proprietor: For what?
Anton Chigurh: Just call it.
Gas Station Proprietor: Well, we need to know what we're calling it for here.
Anton Chigurh: You need to call it. I can't call it for you. It wouldn't be fair.
Gas Station Proprietor: I didn't put nothin' up.
Anton Chigurh: Yes, you did. You've been putting it up your whole life, you just didn't know it. You know what date is on this coin?
Gas Station Proprietor: No.
Anton Chigurh: 1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.
Gas Station Proprietor: Look, I need to know what I stand to win.
Anton Chigurh: Everything. Just call it, friendo.
Gas Station Proprietor: How's that?
Anton Chigurh: You stand to win everything. Call it.
Gas Station Proprietor: Alright. Heads then.
[Chigurh removes his hand, revealing the coin is indeed heads]
Anton Chigurh: Well done.
[The gas station proprietor nervously takes the quarter with the small pile of change he's apparently won while Chigurh starts out]
Anton Chigurh: Don't put it in your pocket, sir. Don't put it in your pocket. It's your lucky quarter.
Gas Station Proprietor: Where do you want me to put it?
Anton Chigurh: Anywhere not in your pocket, where it'll get mixed in with the others and become just a coin... Which it is.
[Chigurh leaves and the gas station proprietor stares at him as he walks out]




By the way, did you notice the name of the pharmacy where Chigurh blew up the car outside? 'Mike Zoss Pharmacy'. Coen Brother fans like myself should be familiar with that name.

Ah but the preamble to it makes it. Pure random nemesis, arbiter of Fate descends upon aging piece of Americana. It's intense, horrific and simultaneously drenched in nuance. It's what cinema should be. Then again, if it was all this good, we'd be satt.I saw similarities to Takeshis Brother boardroom scene here. And the Coens are unapologetic magpies. Not a bad thing.

Edit: Mike Zoss. I must admit, I only watched Blood Simple for the first time recently, and the films are very similar in tone, but NCFOM has the assured, mature delivery of their later material. They're getting closer, if not now on the money, to their own take on a Kubrickian appraisal of chance, circumstance and human frailty. Blood Simple still has that yuck-yuck, we're still hangin around with Sam Raimi at the time element, replete with skatedolly camera and gore. Million miles from NCFOM. But I fucking love this film. The ending just opens it wide open to speculation and despite its initial inconclusiveness, leaves you reeling in giddy sworls of interpretation. Lovely.

To be specific, on stage you can show Sweeney cutting throats and blood on the razor and on the "victim's" neck. You can't show a scene like the one where he kills the judge, which has way too much blood and wouldn't have the effect from a distance as it does close up, as in the film. You can also show the victims being tipped head first and backwards out of the chair, down the chute to the cellar, but you can't show them hitting bottom and their skulls breaking open.

I'd call the film pretty gory, but maybe it depends on what you're used to.

I need to see Juno and Michael Clayton before Oscar night, but for now my heart is set on NCFOM to win best picture. I love the movie too.

For those not familiar with the Mike Zoss reference, I double-checked IMDB and they had a trivia note about it:




Something else I hadn't realized but just saw when reading the same trivia notes:


Now he has lots of time off, poor fella.

What Oscar night should be like:


(Read on)

Great! Ratatouille wins the Oscar for best Animated Feature Film.



And was that Katherine Heigl?

I'm really surprised that Tilda Swinton won for best supporting actress for her role in Michael Clayton beating out Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There. I mean, good for Tilda, I liked her in Clayton, and no doubt she did a good job, but even Saoirse Ronan out-performed her in Atonement.



Anyway, congratulations to Javier Bardem for winning best supporting actor. No surprise there.

Well done, No Country For Old Men. Best picture winner, and the brilliant Coen brothers winning for best director. Well deserved.
Also, congrats to Daniel Day-Lewis for best actor and Marion Cotillard for best actress.

Oh yes, Once did win the best original song category for the tune "Falling Slowly".



Full winners list here: 80th Annual Academy Awards Winners

CNN: 'No Country' Wins Best Picture

Pleasantly very surprised to see that Tilda Swinton won for her role in "Michael Clayton" and that "Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters)" won in Best Foreign was also a great pick - it's an absolute cracker.

Now the important bit: frocks!

If that is Katharina Heigl her dress is mind-blowing, my favorite. Her make-up is not very convincing; strangely enough she announced the make-up Oscar.
A couple of big upsets there, what with Marion Cotillard walking off with best actress and an anti-torture documentary getting the award. Did anyone else notice Cate Blanchett's reaction? As soon as the presenter had said Marion, she was all bouncing up and down with her hands over her mouth. She was, therefore, a. surprised and b. ungrudging. I liked her dress a lot as well. And Jennifer Hudson - big girl, that one, with that white dress held together with snakeskins. Seriously cool.
Red, assymetric, with a train and some kind of decoration around the bosom, that was the main trend. Anne Hathaway took the cake in the decorated dress category with that garland from the left shoulder across the bust. Some of the dresses, however, looked as if the upper half had sort of drooped down and settled on the lady's boobs.
I liked how Glen Hansard, the singer, said "T'anks" and didn't even try to hide his Irish accent. And how Jon Stewart complimented the girl, Marketa Irglova, back on stage so she could make an acceptance speach as well. And Diablo Cody who did a great job of keeping her cool until she thanked her family for accepting her the way she is and broke down.
All in all there were some very moving and some very boring moments - a typical Oscar night.
Oh, and good for Owen Wilson standing there on his hind legs with millions of eyes upon him wondering, why, why, why did he want to kill himself?
Last thought: Kudos to Austria, I thought Poland would walk away with the Oscar for Katyn.

she deserved it, really.

Was it such a big upset? She won the Golden Globe for that role (plus the BAFTA, plus the César), so it's not as if she came out of nowhere. Au contraire, she made a clean sweep.

Cate Blancett, who looked like a sure-in, didn't get either of the awards she was nominated for.

she has enough awards. we don't need another meryl streep (just yet).

This picture just made me go awwwwwwwwwwwwww.
Yes I am a big soppy gal, but it is just a lovely picture.

Why would he, he's Irish. Her accent is great though, pure Dub.




"For all udder independent ardists".

Did you notice how many non-Americans ended up on the stage? French, Italian, Austrian sorry, foreign language film, Irish, British, Spanish (or at least Spanish mother tongue), quite an international harvest there.

I'm still rapt that Daniel Day-Lewis won for best lead actor (again). I mean don't get me wrong, Viggo Mortensen's performance in Eastern Promises was outstanding, Tommy Lee Jones was very moving in In The Valley Of Elah, George Clooney absolutely magnificent in Michael Clayton (it's been a while since I've been impressed with Clooney's acting) and then there's Johnny Depp, who I thought would be Day-Lewis's biggest challenge on Oscar night. His Sweeney Todd performance blew me away. But in the end, it was Daniel's night, and what a well deserved win. Each time I've seen There Will Be Blood I'm just awestruck with Day-Lewis's character Daniel Plainview. He, alongside the excellent acting of Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, Fast Food Nation), lift the movie immenseley, much like this final scene in the movie:

Is Once out yet on DVD? Or even in the theatres? Missed that completely.

Not sure if it's released on DVD here in Germany as yet, but you can get it as a U.K. import from Amazon.de.

German cinema release was in January: official German site (with a free song download). Have tissues handy.

It looks like a really emotional movie and I want to see it but everyone says that it's sad. Boo hoo, not looking forward to a sad ending.

It's on in Monopol, Münchner Freiheit, until Wednesday, at 7pm.

I was as wrong as sticking a monkey dildo wrapped in a petrol soaked nappy up my bunghole at Christmas dinner.
At the table.

How did other Dubs feel about Once taking the Best Song Dong? I thought I was stone until a vagrant rivulet of sentiment wound its way cross my broken cheek.