THE ACADEMY AWARDS - 2007

[happyfilmluvguy]

Okay folks, it is 13 days till the MOST glamourous event of the year in the movie industry. The Academy Awards. The star studded event will take place on February 25th, 2007 in the heart of Hollywood, at the Kodak Theater on Hollywood and Highland. Let's start a nominee game for those who intend on watching the Oscars and are rooting for their favorite films to win an award of choice. A poll has been placed with the nominees for Best Leading Male Actor. Please do discuss the films in which are nominated, why you think they are worthy of an Oscar and previous award winning films since the beginning of the legacy, as well as lesser known movie awards in which were won. I wish there were a way of putting more than one poll, but I'll do my best.

Here are the other nominees:

NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY - 79TH AWARDS

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza - BABEL
Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL
Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE
Achievement in art direction
DREAMGIRLS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
PAN'S LABYRINTH
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
THE PRESTIGE
Achievement in cinematography
THE BLACK DAHLIA
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE ILLUSIONIST
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE PRESTIGE
Achievement in costume design
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE QUEEN
Achievement in directing
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93
Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Best documentary short subject
THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT
RECYCLED LIFE
REHEARSING A DREAM
TWO HANDS
Achievement in film editing
BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
UNITED 93
Best foreign language film of the year
AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATER
Achievement in makeup
APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN'S LABYRINTH
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
BABEL
THE GOOD GERMAN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS
"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS
"Our Town" - CARS
"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS
Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN
Best animated short film
THE DANISH POET
LIFTED
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL
MAESTRO
NO TIME FOR NUTS
Best live action short film
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA (BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA)
ÉRAMOS POCOS (ONE TOO MANY)
HELMER & SON
THE SAVIOUR
WEST BANK STORY
Achievement in sound editing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Achievement in sound mixing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
DREAMGIRLS
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Achievement in visual effects
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS
Adapted screenplay
BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Original screenplay
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

 

[Spitfire]

As a dane I should be happy with having "After the Wedding" nominated.:eusa_doh:
But I just can not understand how it got there. Think of "Volver"!!!! A much better movie.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Definitely Whitaker -- I've rarely seen an actor dominate every frame of film he was in the way he did in this picture.

Other picks -- Mirren, Haley, Breslin, and "The Queen" for best picture.

 

[J.S.Udontknowme]

I need to get out more. I haven't seen any of these movies.

 

[Feraud]

On a related note from IMDB:

Morricone "Disappointed" by Honorary Oscar
Hollywood composer Ennio Morricone is disappointed he will receive an honorary Academy Award later this month, because it was his lifelong ambition to avoid winning an Oscar. Morricone, who has scored music for over 400 films, has been nominated for Best Original Score Academy Awards for Days Of Heaven, The Mission, The Untouchables, Bugsy and Malena in the past, but failed to pick up an Oscar for his efforts. The 70-year-old insists he liked the idea of joining iconic director Stanley Kubrick in missing out on a win - but concedes his Oscar may "fill a hole." He says, "After five nominations I expected nothing, in fact I hoped I'd remain without an Oscar. I would have remained in the company of illustrious non-winners. I see the Oscar as a little bit of a fluke - even if those who win deserve it. That doesn't mean that I'm not happy about it. I have received so many beautiful, incredible prizes, but there was a little hole. Maybe the Oscar fills the hole."

 

[CharlieH.]

Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE

Wotta fraud! Only Cars was actually animated.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

I wish "The US vs. John Lennon" was nominated. That was a good documentary.

 

[Lady Day]

Wotta fraud! Only Cars was actually animated.

First off, I :rage:HATE:rage: that category. They will do anything NOT to have another animate feature be a nod for best film.

Secondly, none of these deserve it. This is a filler category, and that saddens me

LD

 

[CharlieH.]

First off, I :rage:HATE:rage: that category. They will do anything NOT to have another animate feature be a nod for best film.

Secondly, none of these deserve it. This is a filler category, and that saddens me

LD

Well, at least there's good stuff in the animated short subject category, or so I've read, as I haven't seen any of those films (Who does outside animator circles anyway?). And I don't think that one's filler category, as it's been around since 1932. Still, I'll never understand why Hollywood regards animation as the ugly child.

 

[Lady Day]

Well, at least there's good stuff in the animated short subject category, or so I've read, as I haven't seen any of those films (Who does outside animator circles anyway?). And I don't think that one's filler category, as it's been around since 1932. Still, I'll never understand why Hollywood regards animation as the ugly child.

I meant best animated feature category. They only put that one in AFTER Beauty and the Beast got the best picture nod.

Best short is generally where all the good stuff is. Always has been.

LD

 

[CharlieH.]

I meant best animated feature category. They only put that one in AFTER Beauty and the Beast got the best picture nod.

Actually I meant that the best animated short subject category wasn't filler. It's a shame Beauty and the Beast didn't win best picture. I recall that the best animated feature category was only created when a few academy members complained that Chicken Run didn't get nominated for best picture (which it did deserve), but you know the academy has lost its marbles when motion capture films like Monster House are even considered! I hate modern Hollywood....

 

[Jack Scorpion]

Big fan of Forest Whitaker. Can watch his scene in The Color of Money over and over. His African tyrant impression earns a few laughs at parties, too!

Besides that, I want Scorcese to win and I really, really want Babel to lose.

 

[Feraud]

Besides that, I want Scorcese to win and I really, really want Babel to lose.

Is Babel better than The Departed? I have yet to see Babel but it looks good. I enjoyed The Departed but it ain't Oscar material.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm probably slanted because I had to look at Babel every day for two weeks, but I think as a picture it's way overrated. There's some very good individual performances -- Adriana Bazarra, especially -- but on the whole the picture is about forty minutes too long, and tends to way belabor the points it's trying to make. Just a little too self-consciously *important* for my taste.

 

[Hondo]

My two cents worth

Big fan of Forest Whitaker. Can watch his scene in The Color of Money over and over. His African tyrant impression earns a few laughs at parties, too!

Besides that, I want Scorcese to win and I really, really want Babel to lose.

I'm no longer interested in the Oscars, as go for SunDance fest. Its just been running and voting for the wrong films, Hollywood and its Oscars has seen better days where as Sundance has me captive with intrest, I just enjoy independent films.
I too am a big fan of Forest Whitaker (Ghost Dog and others) and althrough I hope he wins, I'm not interested in 'watered down' story of 1970s ex-President Idi Amin's horrific, tragic eight-year-rule of Uganda, history needs to remember not laugh at or with Amin's rule. The whole Continent of Africa deserves justice, and stop the blood that flows from all wars in Africa.
I don't mean rain down on anyones parade, if you go fur the oscars.
Hey enjoy it by all means, its only my 2 cents worth.

 

[Lady Day]

I'm no longer interested in the Oscars, as go for SunDance fest. Its just been running and voting for the wrong films, Hollywood and its Oscars has seen better days where as Sundance has me captive with intrest, I just enjoy independent films.
I too am a big fan of Forest Whitaker (Ghost Dog and others) and althrough I hope he wins, I'm not interested in 'watered down' story of 1970s ex-President Idi Amin's horrific, tragic eight-year-rule of Uganda, history needs to remember not laugh at or with Amin's rule. The whole Continent of Africa deserves justice, and stop the blood that flows from all wars in Africa.
I don't mean rain down on anyones parade, if you go fur the oscars.
Hey enjoy it by all means, its only my 2 cents worth.

Okay, are you reading my mind word for word!?

LD

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I'm probably slanted because I had to look at Babel every day for two weeks, but I think as a picture it's way overrated. There's some very good individual performances -- Adriana Bazarra, especially -- but on the whole the picture is about forty minutes too long, and tends to way belabor the points it's trying to make. Just a little too self-consciously *important* for my taste.

Babel: I thought the writing was horrid! Mislogic. Unrealistic setups. But mostly I disliked Babel because it came off as pretentious to me from the very start. I wouldn't be sad to see Bazarra win, though. She was the highlight of the film.

As for The Last King of Scotland ... I agree, Hondo. In fact, I didn't enjoy the film that much at all. Forest Whitaker still impressed me though. Screen presence. Power. Ghost Dog forever.

As for other film festival award ceremonies. I have my issues with every one. The Venice Film Festival has been on my hate list ever since something like Farenheit 911 was able to win it. As for Sundance, I like the the Audience Winner category a lot. Besides that, still seems pretty meaningless. Therefore I take them all with grains of salt and enjoy the Oscars regardless. I like rooting for people I like.

Sure, maybe Children of Men should win Cinematography -- or even Pan's Lab -- but I'm a long time worshipper of Vilmos Zsigmond so I'll be rooting for The Black Dahlia anyway!

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

Babel is supposedly an alternate version of last years best picture winner "Crash", and last year was a bad year for movies, there was no choice, so they picked Crash as best picture.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

What other films have you seen that were not nominated that you think were Oscar worthy?

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Would liked to have seen O'Toole win, but Whitaker probably will get it.

Helen Mirren for for best actress.

Jennifer Hudson for best supporting actress.

I don't care who wins best supporting actor.

Most of all, I'd like to see Scorcese win best director, long overdue. If The Departed takes best picture, that is OK, too.

karol