andPOP's 2007 Oscar Blog

And it goes to...

2007-02-26T00:14:00.000-05:00

The Departed.

"Martin Scorcese calls The Departed the first movie I've ever done with a plot."

Good one. Well, if Marty has a weakness it's that he loses track of his stories. The Departed is a perfect example: for the last 45 minutes it forgets completely about Dignam, Mark Wahlberg's character, and leaves us with contrivances that would be solved in an instant if he ever showed up on screen. Finally he walks on and leaves us with a cheap ending.

I stand by my reaction that The Departed was not a great film. It was a very good one. Infernal Affairs was a great film. The reason The Departed won, I think, is partly because it was finally Martin Scorcese's moment, and partly because of its brilliant concept. I don't appreciate the producer not thanking the Hong Kong original, which actually delivered on said concept in a way The Departed did not.

As usual, the best picture award has not gone to the year's best movie. But how could it, since the year's best wasn't even nominated.

At least nothing important went to Babel.

And that's it for my blog on the Oscars. Goodnight everybody!

And now it's time for Best Picture

2007-02-26T00:11:00.000-05:00

I still say it'll be Babel. Though I'd be happier seeing Little Miss Sunshine win and will be happy if it goes to The Departed.

The way the awards have gone, it could go to any of them. This has been a really eclectic awards night.

Martin Scorcese!

2007-02-26T00:08:00.000-05:00

Good for him, good for him. The man deserves the award and everyone in the room knows it. Check out the standing ovation. Feel free to double-check your TV screen.

I lost count of my prediction rate, but I'm pretty sure it's around 50/50.

Best Director

2007-02-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

*fingers crossed for Martin Scorcese*

And the winner is...

Best Lead Actor

2007-02-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

So the winner is Forest Whitaker. Is anyone surprised?

I'm glad that he won. Forest Whitaker's a veteran actor who's never had trouble getting work, and he doesn't get very many accolades. I'm sure he's enjoying it while he can.

Classy speech too.

Helen Mirren had better not act surprised during her acceptance speech.

2007-02-25T23:54:00.000-05:00

Fortunately she isn't.

Best Lead Actress

2007-02-25T23:52:00.000-05:00

I predicted Helen Mirren. Like every other critic.

Incidentally, kudos to Ms. DeGeneres for her comment on the running time.

And the winner is...

2007-02-25T23:41:00.000-05:00

The Departed.

It deserves the award. But this means Children of Men officially received nothing. Which pisses me off.

Best Editing

2007-02-25T23:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not even trying to predict this one.

Why the Oscars are too long

2007-02-25T23:35:00.000-05:00

Will Smith and his recently shaved head are here to present the latest pointless montage: a look at America through its movies.

Best song

2007-02-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

It wouldn't be an overblown Oscar presentation without a gospel choir in the background.

I find it interesting that Bill Condon allowed Beyonce Knowles to upstage Jennifer Hudson, which he never did in the film (he even turned Hudson's first big number into a duet).

They're followed by Ellen DeGeneres, who says she could never follow it up, and John Travolta and Queen Latifah, who can. (I love John Travolta's comment: "I love a full-figured woman who knows how to sing. But enough about me...")

I'm guessing that Dreamgirls will win, the question is for...

WHAT? It's Melissa Etheridge?! This is an outrage!

I like Melissa, but "I Need To Wake Up" wasn't among her best work.

It was written for An Inconvenient Truth. That's probably why.

The winner is...

2007-02-25T23:20:00.000-05:00

Little Miss Sunshine.

Better than Babel.

Michael Arndt had to quit his job as Matthew Broderick's assistant to write the screenplay? That's bad discipline.

Does this mean Little Miss Sunshine is gonna win for best picture?

Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst

2007-02-25T23:11:00.000-05:00

Its not the same when he isn't upside down.

I predicted Babel. My fingers are crossed it doesn't win.

I'd also rather Little Miss Sunshine not win. Too paint-by-numbers. Though it would deserve the award more than Babel.

Best Original Score

2007-02-25T23:06:00.000-05:00

The best part of this award is seeing Penelope Cruz onstage.

Babel deserves this award. Here's hoping it doesn't take home awards for itself, its director, or screenplay.

I really hate Celine Dion.

2007-02-25T22:55:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say that.

And I like pop music.

Celine and Water. What is it about Canadians hating their own?

And the winner is...

2007-02-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

An Inconvenient Truth.

I'm still 2 for 5, and happy it won.

Best documentary feature

2007-02-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

Call me crazy, but I'm guessing An Inconvenient Truth is gonna win.

It isn't one of my predictions though, so if it loses I'm still 2 for 5.

It's good to see Jerry Seinfeld performing again. His riff on movie theatre practices is funny and relevant. As funny as that phrase isn't.

Best documentary short

2007-02-25T22:42:00.000-05:00

The Blood of Yingzhou District.

Like every other Oscar blogger, I haven't seen or really had the opportunity to see the documentary shorts, so I have nothing to say to that.

Jennifer Hudson!

2007-02-25T22:35:00.001-05:00

I am now 2 for 5.

Best supporting actress

2007-02-25T22:34:00.001-05:00

I predicted Jennifer Hudson, and so far I'm 1 for 4.

The winner is...

And the winner is The Lives of Others

2007-02-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

Guess it rode that last-minute buzz after all.

Until I see it though, I maintain that Pan's Labyrinth should have won.

Best Foreign Film

2007-02-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

I predicted Pan's Labyrinth. Let's see what wins.

*crosses fingers it isn't Water*

Best visual effects

2007-02-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

See what I wrote about sound.

This time, Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest wins. And you know what, I can't deny it deserved it.

I can't object TOO much because I loved Pan's Labyrinth

2007-02-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

But Children of Men was robbed. Cinematography teachers will be using that unbroken take in their classes for years to come.

That means Pan's Labyrinth is now 3 for 3.

Best cinematography

2007-02-25T22:12:00.000-05:00

Children of Men had better win.

Incidentally, notice how none of the nominees are nominated for best picture, a rarity (thanks to the Toronto Star's Peter Howell for pointing that out).

Props to Ellen for the MySpace joke

2007-02-25T22:11:00.001-05:00

See below. No commentary will improve that.

Best costume

2007-02-25T22:03:00.000-05:00

Marie Antoinette, which I didn't see, so I have nothing to say to that.

Yeah

2007-02-25T21:59:00.000-05:00

So Ellen DeGeneres walked in with a papoose just as my friends were talking about carrying babies.

Also, why wasn't Emily Blunt nominated for an Oscar?

...The Departed.

2007-02-25T21:52:00.000-05:00

Figured.

Rent Infernal Affairs. Trust me.

And note to the Academy: it's a Hong Kong film, not a Japanese film. Japan is home to some great filmmakers. Just not the ones who created Infernal Affairs.

Incidentally...

2007-02-25T21:50:00.000-05:00

I like it how the presenters read from the screenplay nominees.

Best Adapted Screenplay

2007-02-25T21:49:00.000-05:00

So far I'm 0 for 2.

I bet on The Departed. The winner is...

Happy Feet!

2007-02-25T21:43:00.000-05:00

Thank you. It went to a good movie.

And hopefully someone at Pixar will realize the reason Cars didn't win (Disney execs will probably think it was because of the advertising).

Best animated feature

2007-02-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

I bet on Cars. The winner is...

The Oscars have gone green

2007-02-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I'm happy to see this. Anything that contributes to the acknowledgement of global warming.

Also, I appreciate Leonardo DiCaprio suggesting Al Gore announce his intention to run for president.

Our Town

2007-02-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

I grew up with James Taylor. I like James Taylor. I enjoyed Randy Newman's music in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bugs Life, and Monsters Inc. I believe "You've Got A Friend In Me" is one of the better Disney songs that's been written. I think Randy Newman's award for Monsters Inc. was a more than worthy consolation prize.

None of this changes the fact that "Our Town" is one of the worst songs Newman's ever written, and belongs in one of Disney's direct-to-video sequels, not a major release like Cars. And for some reason the Academy nominated it.

...Alan Arkin?

2007-02-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

So far I'm 0 for 1.

I can't say I'm disappointed. Arkin was very good in Little Miss Sunshine, and he played Shmendrick in The Last Unicorn, so it's always a thrill to hear from him.

I stand by my belief that Eddie Murphy gave the best performance of those nominated. Mark Wahlberg was also terrific, and the Oscars chose two of the most boring clips to showcase them.

Best supporting actor

2007-02-25T21:22:00.001-05:00

My first prediction! I said Eddie Murphy. And the winner is...

Sound mixing

2007-02-25T21:17:00.000-05:00

One of these years, Oscar has to put together a presentation that explains the difference between sound mixing and sound editing. I've read it on E! Online's answer B!tch, and I still don't get the difference.

This time, Flags isn't even nominated. And it's Dreamgirls that wins. Dreamgirls is the night's most nominated movie. Let's see how many others it wins.

Sound editing

2007-02-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

First of all, props to Greg Kinnear and Steve Carrell. The sudden muting is especially funny.

The sound Oscars are typically used to reward films you might actually heard of, since those are the films that are the loudest. Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest, for instance, is nominated in this category.

But it's Letters From Iwo Jima that wins. You gotta wonder: why Letters and not Flags of Our Fathers, since from a technical standpoint they were the same movie?

...and the first waste of time

2007-02-25T21:11:00.000-05:00

"The Oscar sound effects choir"

You wanna know why Oscar ceremonies run too long?

CRAP LIKE THIS!

Live action short

2007-02-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

"And now we're presenting another short award."

"You'd think they'd let us make one short joke."

Lame.

The winner: West Bank Story, a riff on the Israel/Palestinian conflict which my (mostly Jewish) friends and I now owe ourselves to see.

Best animated short

2007-02-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, nothing like trotting out kids to bring legitimacy to the animated short Oscar.

The Scrat short should not have been nominated. Fortunately it doesn't win.

Another for Pan's!

2007-02-25T20:58:00.001-05:00

So far, this is a good night. Pan's Labyrinth wins best makeup for making us think the only non-Spanish guy in the movie is Spanish.

The first great performance of the night

2007-02-25T20:55:00.000-05:00

Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Reilly doing a Broadway-style number on how comedians never win the awards - even though their films make the most money.

Particularly enjoyable: Will Ferrell calling Mark Wahlberg badass and Wahlberg answering with a look that says "damn right."

What we missed

2007-02-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

Ellen DeGeneres' opening monologue (ah well, there's always YouTube).

Pan's Labyrinth winning best art direction (woo hoo!).

Maggie Gyllenhaal talking about the technical Oscars.

Seems about right.

Scratch the "45 minutes" thing...

2007-02-25T20:25:00.000-05:00

In case anyone wonders why my Oscar coverage is going to start a bit late, Toronto readers are free to look outside. All others, know this: there's a big snowstorm right now in Toronto. So my Oscar coverage will begin a bit late.

Not to worry, I'm sure there'll still be plenty to write about.

Let the blogging begin! (In 45 minutes)

2007-02-25T19:45:00.000-05:00

Hi, hello, and welcome to andpop's blog to the Oscars, to quote the late, legendary Johnny Carson, two hours of first class entertainment stretched over a four-hour show.

It's interesting how every year critics (including me) grouse about the Oscars, isn't it? Every year they complain that another crop of movies was ignored, that another set of undeserving actors are shoo-ins, and afterwards that another pair of speeches went on too long, the host was disappointing and overall it was a boring show. I've seen columnists write about how awful the Oscars are, how pointless the Oscars are, how self-congratulating the Oscars are, how we're all lemmings for playing into its hand, and how the Oscars have left us with nothing new to write about.

There's a dirty little secret, though, and it's this: we're grateful for the Oscars. For a few weeks it gives us something to write about - it lets us write about the same old garbage we've been writing about since the Academy Awards first started.

And me personally? I like the Oscars. I liked David Letterman when he imitated Jack Nicholson by smashing a car with a five-iron, I liked Steve Martin bringing Danny DeVito carrots and dip, I'm glad that I saw Halle Berry crying over her Oscar win, acting like she was the Rosa Parks of film history. I like that stuff. I didn't even mind watching Crash win undeserved awards last year for best picture and best screenplay, and I probably won't mind this year watching Babel deliver on one or two of its undeserved nominations. It's fun to watch upsets. It's fun to see things happen that we knew were gonna happen. And it's fun to cry foul when a movie you know deserving of a win loses.

So, time to see how many of my predictions were right (about half of them, I'm hoping), time to see how long it takes for Ellen DeGeneres to mention Finding Nemo (I'd be timing how long it takes for her to dance, but she already said she won't be), and, like many of you, time to head over to my friend's Oscar party, where I'll be updating from his laptop. Feel free to watch along with me; I can't promise it'll be more entertaining, but I'm sure I'll deliver more substance.

Let the blogging begin!