The coda around here is to cover the "Strange Little Films From Around The World." But that does not mean that a few of us around here avoid indulging in the celebratory backslapping of the Oscars. We even had a pool running last year, although the winner did not walk away a very rich person. Over the past decade (or two) the ceremony has become a cocktail of entertainment, masochism and schadenfreude (with increasing emphasis on the latter). However, always of curiosity are the awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film. In the case of the former, they often make the right choice (Pulp Fiction, Fargo, Witness, The Usual Suspects, etc.) and in the case of the latter, it can provide wider exposure to at least five films produced outside the US (and Britain). This helps, at least in some small way, to being able to see foreign films on North American Screens.
The Nominations for this years Awards were announced today as follows:
Best foreign language film of the year
AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATER
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
Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN
Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Achievement in directing
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93
Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE
Performance by an 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
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
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
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
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 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
Cause it's an american made film. It's for films produced outside Hollywood. I found it weird that it was nominated for that award at the Globes.
Award shows mean nothing.
Ah, so I guess whatever percentage of money Warner gave for Pan's Labyrinth it wasn't enough to make it a non-foreign movie. Got it. :)
Then you shouldn't waste your energy posting in threads about them.
Best oscars ever, PAN'S LABYRINTH, Children of man, Borat, what more do we want!!
I just want to see Guillermo Del Toro getting that award.
5 noms for the departed is pushing it... i know that martin scorsese is way overdue an oscar... but come on? the departed is really, really bad.. i cant understand how so many people think that this dumbed down remake with the traditional market friendly cop out in the end is actually oscar worthy.
kudos for the mark whalberg nomination though, come to think of it his performance really was the best thing about the movie.
iñárritu will be robbed and scorcese will win the best director award. as consolation for iñárritu, babel will win best movie and i hope jesus camp wins for best documentary... that movie scared the hell out of me.
"Supporting Actress - Jennifer Hudson (with the unintended side effect of legitimizing AMERICAN IDOL and moving the Doomsday Clock one minute closer to IDIOCRACY)"
Oh, that made me howl. You are a funny man Rhythm-x
Sorry Kurt but King And The Clown is vastly overrated. It just didn't captivate me in the least. But a lot of people like it so I'm definitely in the minority...but how many would say it's better than The Host?
The Departed a bad movie? I love the original Infernal Affairs and even I can't deny just how good Scorsese's adaptation is. Easily the most quotable film of the year. To even imply that Marty would win a little gold man out of pity is just wrong.
And Rhythm-X, as a testament to how INTERESTING and wide-open this year's nominees are I can tell you right now your picks are way off especially on the major categories...mark my words.
79th Academy Awards Rules For Disringuished [sic] Achievments [sic] During 2006:
Rule Fourteen:
Special Rules for the Best Foreign Language Film Award:
http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/rules/rule14.html
And the award for "disringuished achievments" in orthography goes to...
what? for once there IS a year with an absolute stunning soundtrack and it's written for a film that's Oscar-material and NO nomination? Obviously, I'm talking about John Tavener's score for "Children of men"
well....guess that's the fate of real talent (ask Ennio)
Can someone please tell me why the most over-rated movie of the year, BORAT, is up for best screenplay!? WHY!? Isn't it mostly improvised? Nobody wrote what those people are saying. There really isn't even a story with meaningful dialogue. A guy goes across America to find Pamela Anderson. The rest is all messing with people "on the street." Well, at least he wasn't nominated alongside Whitaker and Gosling for best actor... sigh.
KURT, hope you're ready for a long podcast tonight with some of my anger and joy on some of these nominations....
I was going to say, "Thank God, no penguins this year!!" but alas I forgot about those damned "Happy Feet" in the animation category.
DelToro should win but probably won't (I hope I'm wrong.) I can't forgive Scorcese for that blatent cheap visual image at the end of THE DEPARTED with the rat crossing the window frame. I'll admit at least there's not one sure thing this year in this "getting-very-old horse race" called the oscars.
ijaffery:
Japan's official submission was "Hula Girls".
http://www.ryuganji.net/news/index.php?entry=entry060915-083652
My Oscar pick: Ellen DeGeneres to be inoffensive and mildly humorous.
Definitely no love for "The Fountain" though it should definitely have received a nod for score and visual effects at the very least (since apparently none of the normal critics care for a unique plot). Illusionist and The Prestige did have good cinematography, but in comparison to The Fountain, The Illusionist at least, falls short.
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