Before I update my score, allow me to assure you that I know this is crazy. Neurotic. Bizarrely obsessional. But fuck, it’s only once a year and I’m entertaining myself. I’m totally into seeing as many nominated films as possible. I saw Letters from Iwo Jima last night, and I have a date next Wednesday to see Babel with my friend Meri Sue, so that’ll up all my numbers as well.
As of now, I’ve seen six of the fifteen films with “major” nominations; four Best Picture nominees plus Dreamgirls and The Devil Wears Prada. I love me.
Here are the nominees in the five major categories:
Best Picture (I’ve seen four; as of next Wednesday, all five)
Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
Best Actor (I suck. I’ve seen none, but Half Nelson is on top of my Netflix.)
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
Best Actress (I’ve seen two.)
Penélope Cruz: Volver
Judi Dench: Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren: The Queen
Meryl Streep: The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet: Little Children
Best Supporting Actor (I’ve seen three.)
Alan Arkin: Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley: Little Children
Djimon Hounsou: Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy: Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg: The Departed
Best Supporting Actress (I’ve seen two, as of next Wednesday, four.)
Adriana Barraza: Babel
Cate Blanchett: Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin: Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson: Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi: Babel
So, what did you think of Letters & Dream Girls?
I haven’t seen either, or Babel. I likely will only see Dream Girls of that set.
Letters was complicated and interesting and, of course, very sad. Very thoughtful and just when you think you have it figured out, it moves elsewhere. Dreamgirls was flat out fantastic. Dragged in the middle, and should have lost about 15 minutes, but thrilling. Great cinematography, great editing.
Just saw Dreamgirls. Loved it, but agree with another online characterization of it as a mile wide and an inch deep.
Despite his singing & acting, I will be disappointed if Eddie Murray wins Best Supporting Actor because of it (& I figure that’s quite likely given that he’s already won Golden Globe & SAG awards for it). Richard Gere was every bit as deserving (& then some) for Chicago and wasn’t even nominated!
(Hudson, on the other hand, is a different story! Yes, it’s largely for her solo, but damn!!)
I found it fascinating the way this fluffy musical managed to convey an enormous amount of information about the racism of the music industry and the way that black musicians were able to package themselves for cross-over audiences. There’s a lot of meat on those bones.
But you had to be onto that information to begin with. My Colombian housemate (who isn’t well versed in history) missed all that.
Yes and no. They’re stating explicitly, black people can’t get airplay, black people’s songs are being stolen. The whitebread version of Cadillac was very illustrative. That doesn’t mean you’ll understand who Berry Gordy and Diana Ross are and what Motown was, but I think there’s a lot you can understand in terms of the racism these artists faced.
If you know enough about American history I agree with you. Many of those references come and go in quick sentences, so if you are ignorant of the history you miss the references.