Cheers this year for the fact that "mature" actresses dominate the Best Actress category. We have Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep delivering top notch work in roles they can sink their teeth into. Also making their presence felt are Mexican filmmakers with Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu ( Babel ), Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth ) and Alfonso Cuaron ( Children of Men ) seeing nominations for their films. Forest Whitaker ( Last King of Scotland ) and Will Smith ( The Pursuit of Happyness ) will face off in the Best Actor category while Eddie Murphy ( Dreamgirls ) and Djimon Hounsou ( Blood Diamond ) square off in the Best Supporting Actor division in what I think marks the first time the Academy has filled two of the five acting slots in these categories with African American performers. Could we be approaching a time when such things are no longer novelties?
This year's awards also make me wish for a few amendments to the nominating rules.
1. If there are no good animated films in a year, just do away with the category.
2. If a film is bad, don't let it get nominated for any technical awards. The fact that Poseidon and Click could possibly walk away with an Oscar is just obscene.
3. Eliminate the best song category and then save a half hour during the awards broadcast. I mean can you remember the last song that was actually written for a film and that played an integral part in a film (not just playing over open or closing credits)?
4. Filmed lectures should not be eligible for Best Documentary no matter how good the message.
5. Clarify whether costume nominations are determined by the quality of the designs or the weight and yardage of the finished products.
Anyway, if you have any predictions, complaints or comments about the Oscars, post away! You can find all the nominations below and if you click on the highlighted titles you can read past reviews or listen to discussions of the films.
Here are the nominations.
Best motion picture of the year
Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
Achievement in directing
Babel
, Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu
The Departed
, Martin Scorsese
Letters from Iwo Jima,
Clint Eastwood
The Queen
, Stephen Frears
United 93
, Paul Greengrass
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
Letters From Iwo Jima
Original screenplay
Babel
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio in
Blood
Diamond
Ryan Gosling in
Half Nelson
Peter OToole in
Venus
Will Smith in
The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker in
The Last King of Scotland
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin in
Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley in
Little Children
Djimon Hounsou in
Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy in
Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg in
The Departed
Penelope Cruz nominated for Volver
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penlope Cruz in
Volver
Judi Dench in
Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren in
The Queen
Meryl Streep in
The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet in
Little Children
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza in
Babel
Cate Blanchett in
Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin in
Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson in
Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi in
Babel
Best foreign language film of the year
After the Wedding
Days of Glory (Indignes)
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Water
Best animated feature film of the year
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House
Best documentary feature
Deliver Us from Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country
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 DreamTwo Hands
Little Miss Sunshine
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 from An Inconvenient Truth
Listen from Dreamgirls
Love You I Do from Dreamgirls
Our Town from Cars
Patience from 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)
Ramos 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
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
There you have them. Cast your votes now or forever hold your peace.
