2.16.2008

The Envelope Please...

My college roommate, the Divine Miss L., is once again hosting her Oscar Pool. Normally, I love these things -- and usually do very well. I had a winning streak going for about three years straight in the late '90s BW = Before Will.

But this year, I'm at a bit of a loss, not having seen ANY -- I repeat, ANY -- of the major films or performances. There was a time when this would have been considered heresy in my world -- I was a movie-going machine, making sure I saw anything and everything that was worth seeing when it came out. Sometimes with a pal or group; sometimes all by myself. A Saturday afternoon solo double feature was one of my guilty pleasures.

Not no 'mo. Motherhood and grown-up hood and other assorted hoods have precluded my attendance at the cinema. Cannot remember the last time I saw a movie in a theatre.

Thus my predicament. I've read all about the films in question and the performances up for debate. But reading is not the same as seeing.

So... I'm looking for suggestions to help me at least make a decent showing in this pool.

Here's a list of the biggie categories, with my current choice indicated in the bold italics. Any and all help would be appreciated.

DON'T BE SHY ABOUT POSTING! Please!!!

My pop culture goddess status is at stake here. And that's my most prized cred. At the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~

Best motion picture of the year
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
“No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Performance by an 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"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination 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"
(note: Bardem is the safe bet, but I'd love to see Hal Holbrook walk away with this...)

Performance by an 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"

Performance by an 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 Swinton in "Michael Clayton"

Best animated feature film of the year
"Persepolis" : Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
"Ratatouille" : Brad Bird
"Surf's Up" : Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Achievement in directing
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" , 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

Best foreign language film of the year
"Beaufort" Israel
"The Counterfeiters" Austria
"Katyn" Poland
"Mongol" Kazakhstan
"12" Russia

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Atonement" Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner" : Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton" James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille" Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma" Marco Beltrami

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once" Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" : Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" : Nominees to be determined
"So Close" from "Enchanted" : Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" : Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Adapted screenplay
"Atonement" , Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
"Away from Her" , Written by Sarah Polley
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" , Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
"No Country for Old Men" Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"There Will Be Blood" , Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

Original screenplay
"Juno" Written by Diablo Cody
"Lars and the Real Girl" Written by Nancy Oliver
"Michael Clayton" , Written by Tony Gilroy
"Ratatouille" , Screenplay by Brad Bird; Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
"The Savages" Written by Tamara Jenkins

4 comments:

Sherrie said...

Yikes, as I look at the list of noms, I find that I have seen ONE of them- "Ratatouille". I used to see at least a movie a week in the 80's and early 90's, but as you said, once the wee child arrives all priorities change! In fact, in the 80's I worked in a movie theater so I got to see movies for free so I've seen nearly every mainstream movie released from 86 to 89, most more than once. Now, such a different story- I think I saw two movies in 2007- The Game Plan and Ratatouille. So, sprry to say I'll be of no assistance in your Oscar pool, but for a very good reason.

janey jay said...

Thanks for the support, sherrie. I'm jealous that you worked in a movie theater (It wasn't Tyrone, was it?) -- that was my dream job as a teenager. I always wanted to take the tickets and then sneak in to see the flicks.

I

Sherrie said...

No, I never worked at Tyrone. I worked for a couple years of high school/early college at the theater at (the now long gone) Sunshine Mall in Clearwater, with occasional shifts at our "sister theaters" Main Street cinemas down by 580 and the Cineplex Countryside (the little one across from the mall, not the one at the mall). I only made $3.35 an hour (up to $3.80 an hour after a few years!) but it was the funnest job ever.

janey jay said...

Ah -- you're a North County girl, Miss sherrie. And yes, I totally remember Sunshine Mall. There I go, showing my age again.