Oscar 2007 Nominations: Part I
Among those foreign invaders from across the Atlantic are best direction nominees Stephen Frears (for The Queen, which is also up for a best film nod) and Paul Greengrass (for United 93); best actress nominees Helen Mirren (right, for The Queen), Kate Winslet (for Little Children), and Judi Dench (for Notes on a Scandal); best original screenplay nominee Peter Morgan (for The Queen); and best adapted screenplay nominees Patrick Marber (for Notes on a Scandal) and Sacha Baron Cohen (who co-wrote Borat).
Additionally, several non-British nationals got nominated for their work in British productions, e.g., Australian Cate Blanchett (best supporting actress nominee for Notes on a Scandal); American Forest Whitaker (best actor nominee for The Last King of Scotland); American Philip Glass (best original score nominee for Notes on a Scandal); and Irish Peter O'Toole (best actor nominee for Venus).
Missing in action, however, was the much ballyhooed Casino Royale, one of the top nominees at this year's BAFTAs. Until fairly recently, there was even talk that Daniel Craig might get a best actor Oscar nod. Why was this much admired film completely ignored by the Academy? Too British? Too ballsy? Both too glitzy (the chase sequences) and not glitzy enough (the sex scenes)? Who cares, really?
Now…
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
The Good:
The five best actress nominees. For once, the Academy picked five performances that were more than adequate, more than good, more than very good. Penélope Cruz, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Judi Dench, and Helen Mirren are all superb as earth mothers, lonely bitch fashionistas, lonely adulterous housewives, lonely elderly lesbians, and lonely haughty queens. (Apart from Cruz's madre de la tierra – in case that's the actual Spanish translation — do I notice a pattern here?)
The omission of Jack Nicholson's disgraceful turn in The Departed.
Guillermo del Toro's nomination for best original screenplay and Guillermo Navarro's for best cinematography, both for Pan's Labyrinth.
The inclusion of best actor nominee Ryan Gosling for his idealistic, drug-addicted teacher in the little-seen Half Nelson.
(None of the best actor nominees have their films up for a best picture Oscar. That's quite possibly a first in the Academy's 79-year history — though I'm too lazy to look into that. Maybe in a future post.)
Iraq in Fragments by James Longley
And, taking a leap of faith, the best documentary and best short nominees. I haven't seen any of them — but they all sound quite intriguing. Those range from James Longley's Iraq in Fragments, which depicts the bloody Iraqi chaos through the eyes of Iraqi nationals, to Ruby Yang's documentary short The Blood of Yingzhou District, about Chinese children who have lost their parents to AIDS.
The Bad:
The omission of Volver in the best foreign-language film, best direction (Pedro Almodóvar), best supporting actress (Carmen Maura), best original screenplay (also Almodóvar), best cinematography (José Luis Alcaine), and best original score (Alberto Iglesias) categories.
The omission of Sergi López (above) for his superb military psycho in Pan's Labyrinth.
There are a number of nominees that I don't think should have made the Academy's top 100 list, let alone its top-five shortlist. Those range from Little Miss Sunshine as best anything to Vilmos Zsigmond's inappropriate cinematography in The Black Dahlia. (The veteran Zsigmond has done much better work elsewhere.)
The omission of Catherine O'Hara, who should have been a contender for her role as the failed contender in For Your Consideration.
No nominations for The Painted Veil.
and The Dull:
The Oscar telecast — inevitably. Next Feb. 25.
So many Mexicans indeed, and so many English — though not nearly enough Spaniards or great movies. Maybe next year.
Just don't keep your hopes up.