It’s too bad my parents never got me into gambling, because with all the nominations I got right at last year’s Oscars I coulda made a keeleeng! IQG is here to put in his devalued American dollar on whom HE, not you, not the Oscar people, not Ebert & Roeper, but HE thinks will and should win the I-do-care-but-I-pretend-not-to Academy Award. Incidentally, you know how some people might forget your name and then assign another? Do you know how many times I’ve been referred to as Oscar? Onward!
This week on, I, Queue Genius, first, I present the nominees, then I say something smartass about who I think should win.
Actress in a Supporting Role:
Cate Blanchett in "I’m Not There"
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement"
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swington in "Michael Clayton"
Because the Supporting Actress wins are usually given out to un-Hollywood-like performances, eg. fucked up addicts, murderers, whores and lesbians, I think that Amy Ryan has a seriously strong chance. But it’s also possible that Cate Blanchett will come away with it because there’s no way in hell she’ll get it for Leading Actress and EVERYBODY loves a woman in drag (see: the manish Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry).
Actor in a Supporting Role:
Casey Affleck in "The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson’s War"
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton"
Hal Holbrook is an institution. At 185 years old, the Academy might want to give him an Oscar for the first time. Too bad for the old geezer, Javier Bardem kicks so much ass, that I’ll bet my lunch money the Spanish actor will take the Oscar…and then perhaps kick pussy Affleck’s ass.
Actress in a Leading Role:
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie in "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney in "The Savages"
Ellen Page in "Juno"
Alzheimer’s is the new SARS and everybody’s going mad about it. People are talking about Julie Christie’s performance for being as nuanced and real and heartbreaking as your ailing grandma’s. And as much as I morbidly adore Cate Blanchett, she doesn’t really have much of a chance in this one. Sorry, pretty lady. The Oscar this year will go to Marion Cotillard for her amazing turn as the ugly, crabby, bitchy but important Edith Piaf.
Actor in a Leading Role:
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises"
Holy merde, friends this is like actor kryptonite cause here you’ve got some of the best actors around including Tom Wilkinson who always amazes me and Viggo Mortensen who scares my shit in Eastern Promises. But like the Leading Actress and Supporting Actor categories, the Oscar has to go to, please God, please, Daniel Day-Lewis whose oil-rich Henry Plainview literally carries the amazing film that is There Will Be Blood.
Achievement in Directing:
"The Diving Bell and the Buttefly", Julian Schnabel
"Juno", Jason Reitman
"Michael Clayton", Tony Gilroy
"No Country for Old Men", Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood", Paul Thomas Anderson
This one’s tough for me for a number of reasons. But first, let’s get rid of Jason Reitman whose Juno is sort of the Academy's way of saying, “look, we’re hip we’re young” but not hip and young enough to award this retard of a film. Then there’s the Coen Brothers whose No Country is one of the best films ever made. And of course, There Will Be Blood is my personal favorite. But for those five of us who saw The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (see my review), there’s no doubt that Julian Schnabel represents the best in the craft because he has created an amazing film while maintaining the highest qualities as an artist. Basically, Julian Schnabel is the shit and he should get the Oscar.
Best Motion Picture:
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
How it usually and lamely works at the Academy Awards is that the critic favorite that doesn’t get nominations elsewhere, the big nominations I mean, eg. Atonement, will win the award. But there’s no denying that There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men are just as likely to win this year. I’m gonna take the high road, which is my favorite route anyways, and bet on There Will Be Blood. You guys have to see this film, seriously. But let us not forget that this is the Academy Awards not The IQG Awards for Achievement in Artsy Fartsy Damn Good Moviemaking. And besides, those cronies love a good period drama, and it IS a good period drama, because it reminds them of when they were little and stuff.
That’s it folks. It’s not too late to catch any of these films and make your own conclusions. For those of you have gambling addictions, I’ve just introduced you to yet another excuse for your loved ones. Please leave comments, thoughts, berating witty banter, etc, etc, etc.
The 80th Annual Academy Awards
Sunday February 24, 2008
8 pm EST
ABC
God loves a cheerful giver.
we like you, cesar! we really like you!
no country for old men kicked ass. dude was creepy. i'll knock your lock out.
Good rule of thumb: all "edgy" movies clean up the script and supporting acting categories.
Then Atonement swoops in and gets the big one.
No Country for Old Men and There will be Blood may be too violent for the major honors
(see: any Scorcese, Pulp Fiction and the like for reference)
Also, who wants to bet that if Heath ODed a month a go, instead of yesterday, he would have gotten the post-humous
"I'm not there" supporting actor nomination?
"Also, who wants to bet that if Heath ODed a month a go, instead of yesterday, he would have gotten the post-humous “I’m not there” supporting actor nomination?"
totally.
did they finish that new batman joint?
best supporting wish for an upset:
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”
i saw American Gangster twice just for her
i was screaming "give her an Oscar!" both times
she's. just. perfect.
i wish she was my mom
Know you're covering the major categories, but since we're in DC, it bears mentioning DC-directors Andrea & Sean fine's nomination for best Documentary for their outstanding "War/Dance."
reviewer: "but not hip and young enough to award this retard of a film"
where is brutus when you need him?
f.o. i thougt it was a damn good film, cesar sassy-pants. go ellen page!
finally saw there will be blood. 'holy fucking shit' is really all i can say about that.
cesar - why do you think jonny greenwood was snubbed in the original score category? i mean WTF?!?!?!?!?!
also, what is the foreign film rule? i mean yes, schnabel is technically an american, but the film was in frech, filmed in france, based on an autobiography of a french man. i really wish i would've counted because he isn't going to win best director (nor do i think he deserves it against the coens or anderson). no way. maybe cinematography. or maybe he will get the adapted screenplay nod.
speaking of, i didn't see any of the foreign language contenders. am i missing something?!??!?
and julie christie is magical in away from her. i think that film deserved more nods than it got.
atonment = shit storm
Victoryrose: The major reason why I didn't talk about Foreign Film was the for the exact same reason I hope Schnabel get's the prize. Say what you will about the director/artist but this film deserves a top honor. It's mine own strike, if you will, against the Foreign Press and the category. Also, Romania's "4 Weeks..." isn't up there. It's a travesty. And finally, I am hurt that Greenwood was not even nodded at the Golden Globes. There's a serious lack of appreciation for his amazing score. Shall we start a support group?
does it qualify in the foreign film category? because i'm worried he isn't going to get anything...
i didn't see 4 weeks either. i think i need you to make me a list of the must see foreign films of the year. not sure how i missed all of them...
greenwood for president!
Diving Bell did qualify but France decided to be represented by Perseplois. Weirdly enough, that movie wasn't even considered for Foreign Film but rather Animated Feature. They could've also picked La Vie en Rose. It's tough for an entire country to pick one film to represent the year's movies.
There will be blood over No country. Beyond doubt, it is the better film between the two. No country was ... so Coens. I love Javier Bardem and he deserves his Oscar as supporting actor. But without him the film would have fallen apart. I wasn't sold on it. It's over-hyped.
However, rarely do films I like get best picture. So it will probably go to that Herz-Schmerz war drama. Hollywood loves war dramas.
I can't believe that they have nominated Juno. Wtf?
Best foreign language nominees are:
The Counterfeiters
12
Beaufort
Kathyn
and Mongol
Did anyone see any of these?
cesar - i found an answer to our greenwood question:
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/01/oscars-1-rocker.html
and NP - the movies i truly love NEVER win the best film category. and juno is this years little miss sunshine (there is always one). also, yeah, i didn't see any of those foreign language films. so strange. i was a firm believer in lives of others last year. wow. i'm thinking netflix asap.
Atonement is not a lock. Yes they gave the award to Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction (crime!)and Ordinary People over Raging Bull (WTF!?) but if you look at recent winners (Crash, Million Dollar Baby, The Departed), they have no problem awarding violent, non-costume drama shit too. BTW, not saying any of those three movies deserved it. Except Departed. Wahlberg's the shit.
No Country for Old Men, hands down the best movie of the year. And, wow, you really think it was "so Coens Brothers?" I thought, as a McCarthy fan, that it was "so Cormac McCarthy" and very, very little Coens Brothers. I've never seen a film more generous towards the voice of the original author. In other words, if I'd seen it without knowing who wrote or directed it, I'd've guessed McCarthy and never guessed the Coens. And I'm a fan of both. I think you let the hype get to you...
Also, TWBB was a deeply flawed film. The packed audience I saw it with laughed at a lot of the wrong bits and I was relieved - nay, thrilled - when it finally ended. DDL was a revelation (except his near-comical accent), but I wouldn't even put it on my annual top ten list.
Who said it was so Coen's Bros? I really liked No Country, but I am pushing for Blood. Flawed to you, amazing to me, brother.
our friend and utterly daft colleague (c.f., michael's sound kicking of twbb), nihilistic pleasures on January 23, 2008 at 7:31 pm.
by the way, np, juno was a spectacular entertainment, well-written, full of surprisingly great performances. that's why. call it the "miss sunshine" effect, but sometimes, a good-hearted but decidedly odd comedy is what's needed. for instance, while no one would argue that midsummer night's dream was better than hamlet, that doesn't mean the former isn't well worthy of praise, especially when the competition this year is otherwise unsound (atonement? really? and michael clayton? another thriller about photocopying? really?).
poor guy. william, it was really nothing, but rest assured that for my money, no country is awesome masterful filmmaking. and bardem was as amazing as day-lewis.
Oddly enough, I often find myself wishing that Ruby Dee was Lily's mom, too.