Amy's Robot

After Crash last year, I wouldn't put it past Babel to win. It has a lot of things the Academy likes: lots of actors, people crying, and a naive moral that can make even the dumbest actor feel smart.

I also think Children of Men will be shut out, much as it pains me to say. I'd bet The Departed gets the Screenplay award.

It's funny that this year there's no doubt about the acting awards. Everyone agrees it should and will be Idi Amin, Queen Elizabeth, and the two singers from Detroit. And I'm sure looking forward to all the smarmy self-congratulation when Hollywood gives three acting awards to African Americans. Just think of how happy Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, and George Clooney would be if they were alive today.

Posted by: T-Rock at February 21, 2007 11:47 AM

Not sure what 'minimally-directed' means but Million Dollar Baby was one of the most deserving Best Picture winners ever. The fact that Eastwood's direction of that emotional tale felt so discrete is actually the highest tribute one can pay. To do everything while appearing to do nothing is the highest form of skill and that's what Eastwood managed. From the sound of things he's done it again with Letters from Iwo Jima. I do wonder though whether enough voters have seen the film but this a weird year in which roughly 25% of the vote will be enough to win.

Posted by: Rob at February 21, 2007 3:20 PM

This year's Oscars will be especially interesting. There are several movies that I think deserve to win and quite a few ground-breaking documentaries too. One of them is the film “Jesus Camp” by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, which features what an organization called “Kids In Ministry International” does. Basically they recruit children and make them “talk to God.” The provocative nature of the film's contents have prompted outrage from non-evangelical Christians and secular people, who suggest that Kids In Ministry International founder and director Becky Fischer employs brainwashing and child abuse to achieve her ministry's goals. We recently got an exclusive interview with Pastor Becky Fischer if you and you readers are as intrigued as I was, please check this link: “Oscar-Nominated Jesus Camp's Leading Lady Speaks Out” http://www.orato.com/node/1820

Posted by: Orato Editor at February 21, 2007 4:42 PM

So much consensus this year, on everything but Best Picture. I wouldn't put much money on any of the five, and I'd love to know how close the balloting was. The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine are the co-favorites in Vegas, for what that's worth.

Posted by: Foster at February 21, 2007 5:19 PM

I think Peter O'Toole will win Best Actor category for his role in Venus. He played an old man in love brilliantly.

The cringe-worthy age difference between him and his love interest may prevent this, but I would love to be proven wrong.

Posted by: Georgina at February 21, 2007 10:14 PM

* best picture: seems like a toss-up. who knows. the departed?
* best director: scorsese, even though he doesn't deserve it this year
* best actor: forrest whitaker
* best actress: helen mirren. saw it last night. pretty great
* best supporting actor: alan arkin, but that would be cool/funny if mark wahlberg got it
* best supporting actress: jennifer hudson in a walk. you should change your ballot before sending it in.
* screenplay (adapted): the departed. should've cut the dinner date scene, though
* screenplay (original): babel? very tough category -- everything was very imaginative this year. the queen had a bad beginning, but a good rest of the movie.

the rest are wild guesses:

* animated: happy feet
* art direction: pan's labyrinth
* cinematography: children of men. if it doesn't win, the world sucks.
* costume design: the queen? i never get this category right. should be golden flower.
* documentary: gore
* editing: babel
* foreign language: pan's labyrinth
* makeup: pan's labyrinth
* score: who knows. babel?
* song: dreamgirls
* sound editing: iwo jima? that or brothers. toss-up.
* sound mixing: dreamgirls. category should be combined with editing. who even knows the difference.
* visual effects: superman. the best never seems to win, though.
* shorts, etc: who knows.

i feel bad for letters from iwo jima. it was a good movie, but it wasn't nominated for best foreign language film. maybe it will win, as voters split the difference despite the language? maybe sunshine will win in a devastating blow to scorsese? tough to say.

to the guy who was talking about million dollar baby. fine, maybe it deserverd best picture, but there WAS NO CHALLENGE TO DIRECTING THAT MOVIE. it had one set and 3 actors, one of whom was the director himself. say what you want about the quality of the film, but the aviator was a difficult film to direct, and given that it was nominated for best picture, too, one can't say that scorsese didn't get the award because the academy thought the movie wasn't any good.

Posted by: adm at February 25, 2007 1:10 PM