Tuesday, January 25, 2005
9:52 PM |
Fresh Oscars in the Air
[turning off TV]
Oh my God. Oh my God. Catalina Sandino Moreno just got nominated for Best Actress. Her fresh turn as a Colombian mule in
Maria Full of Grace was so understated, and yet full of quiet tension, she had to snag
at least a nomination. The rest? The usual suspects of Hilary Swank of
Million Dollaw Baby, Imelda Staunton of
Vera Drake, Annette Bening of
Being Julia, and Kate Winslet of
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In a historic rematch, Swank will probably get the Oscar (M. says because she has great fashion sense), but I want Bening to win because ... well, I still can't forget her "You smell like Catalina" line in
Postcards From the Edge.
But where's Neve Campbell from
When Will I Be Loved? Or Julie Delpy from
Before Sunset? And for the supporting players, where's Meryl Streep from
The Manchurian Candidate? The amazing cast (composed of Regina King, Sharon Warren, and Kerry Washington) of
Ray? And Irma P. Hall of
The Ladykillers?
Virginia Madsen's supporting actress recognition, for
Sideways, is particularly giddy because she's been around forever, she even got slashed to pieces in the original
Candyman. But, oh, I
so wanted Sandra Oh from the same film to get a nod, too. Oh has been a constant source of inspired performances, from the days of
Double Happiness, to her supporting turn as the best friend in
Under the Tuscan Sun. But, nevertheless. There will be other movies. At least, here, she got good press coverage, too. (She must feel terribly left out though, together with Paul Giamatti, to be one of two cast members out of four who didn't get an Oscar nod.) Who are the rest of the supporting best? Sophie Okonedo as the Tutsi wife from
Hotel Rwanda, Natalie Portman as the American prostitute in London in
Closer, and Laura Linney as the beleaguered wife in
Kinsey. Who will win? Cate Blanchett, because she gives an ethereal Katharine Hepburn in
The Aviator. And because Gwyneth Paltrow in
Shakespeare in Love robbed her of her Oscar when she played the Virgin Queen in
Elizabeth.
And yet, it's really a lean year for female actresses. The Best Actor race, on the other hand, has a herd going on a stampede, thus, many great performances have been laid to waste in the wayside. Virtual reel roadkill. This is Jamie Foxx's year, however, getting both leading and supporting nominations in
Ray and
Collateral, respectively. He will win, of course. The Oscars will want the same kind of teary/jazzy acceptance speech he gave at the Golden Globes. Some friends are ecstatic that
Titanic's Leonardo DiCaprio, deprived of a nomination for that movie, is now back in the nomination roll, with a spirited performance in
The Aviator. Sometimes I want to remind them he
already got a nomination from way back, as the retarded boy in
What's Eating Gilbert Grape. In that movie, he played Johnny Depp's brother, but now, they are both facing off each other, awards-wise. Depp was last year's surprise but most welcome nominee for
Pirates of the Carribean; this year, his performance in
Finding Neverland as
Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie is more muted, but that, nevertheless, got him this latest nod. Everybody loves a beautiful bad boy. Clint Eastwood is also here for
Million Dollar Baby, but being a multinominee (as director and as producer for
Million) may hurt his chances. Not that I care. He has already gotten recognition as auteur, anyway, for
Unforgiven. Thank God, he wasn't nominated as well for his original score. (How talented can you be
ba?) And Don Cheadle of
Hotel Rwanda ? Not your typical leading man, at all. He will probably be happy for just getting nominated. Cheadle is a welcome nominee, him being the consummate professional (watch him steal most of the films he's been in, like last year's
Ocean's 12). Paul Giamatti of
Sideways was supposed to be a shoo-in last year for
American Splendor, but that speculation went nowhere. This year, that went nowhere again. Poor guy. (
And why Clint Eastwood instead of him?)
Let's not talk about Foxx for his supporting actor nomination anymore. Alan Alda's nomination for
The Aviator was something nobody saw coming. But it makes perfect sense, and the old man's been around for so long.
Sideway's Thomas Haden Church and his real-life story of obscure TV sitcom talent now hot film property will carry him, and probably give him the Oscar, but if everything is right in heaven, Morgan Freeman will win for
Million Dollar Baby. (Heck, he played God once, in
Bruce Almighty, and did the role well. I hope God enjoyed that performance, too.) Why Morgan? Because his is that acute, effortless performance that gives definition to grace in movies. Consider his star turn in
The Shawshank Redemption, or even in something like
Driving Miss Daisy. That's perfection. Clive Owen, on the other hand, has gone a long way, from that dreary Holocaust film
Bent, to this biting playboy in Mike Nichols'
Closer. Oh, but where's Peter Sarsgaard for
Kinsey? This is his second snub, after his brilliant performance last year in
Shattered Glass. And where's Freddie Highmore of
Finding Neverland?
Where's Kevin Bacon's reformed child molester in
The Woodsman? Or Christian Bale's thinning insomniac in
The Machinist? Or Javier Bardem's cheerful suicide in
The Sea Inside? Or Al Pacino's famous Shakespearean Jew in
The Merchant of Venice? Where are the musical renditions of Bobby Darin for Kevin Spacey in
Beyond the Sea, or Cole Porter for Kevin Spacey in
De-Lovely? And somebody just asked me, where's Jim Carrey in
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Alas for poor Jimmy, comedy still gets no respect in the Academy.
Martin Scorsese, the greatest living director, should get his Oscar now for
The Aviator. Like what Leo said, "This is the longest practical joke, not giving him an Oscar."
True. He has given us gems like
Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and
Mean Streets. Even his lesser efforts like
Gangs of New York, The Age of Innocence, The Last Temptation of Christ, Casino, and
New York, New York are still virtual masterpieces. Really, it's about time to give this film master a break. Consider the others in his company: Alexander Payne still has years of productive work ahead, and judging from the roster of films he has made (such as the brilliant
Election), there's no sign of him slowing down creatively anytime soon. So goes for Taylor Hackford of
Ray (who also gave us the surprising
8 Mile, and the dreamy
Wonder Boys). As for veterans
Clint Eastwood for
Million Dollar Baby and Mike Leigh for
Vera Drake, recognition may be enough.
And finally, we get to the Best Picture nominees. Which is a showcase of glaring omissions. Where's Michael Moore's
Fahrenheit 9/11, which won the Cannes Palme D'Or? He took it out of the running in the Best Documentary race, hoping for a Best Picture nod. The gamble did not pay off. So did Quentin Tarantino's
Kill Bill Vol. 2. Him chopping it to two movies may have proven to be box office bonanza, but straddling it between two Oscar years perhaps forfeited his chances at full honors. Where's Mel Gibson's
The Passion of the Christ? The movie was not that good. It was only controversial. Where's Brad Bird's
The Incredibles? Confined to the Best Animated Feature ghetto, together with
Shrek 2 and -- I can't believe it --
Shark Tale. (
Shark Tale? That horrid film?) So finally, we have
Million Dollar Baby. The Aviator. Sideways. Ray. And
Finding Neverland. I do not get the last one at all. It's an admirable film, yes, but
Neverland is
not Oscar material. It meanders, it makes
pa-cute, but there is no backbone at all to this handsome picture. Take it from me, come February 27,
The Aviator will fly over them all.
[the complete list of nominees can be found at the
Oscar website]
If you were wondering, did the Philippines get the nod
at last in the Best Foreign Language Film category? We sent Mark Meilly's
Crying Ladies. We ended up crying with nada instead.
[0] This is Where You Bite the Sandwich
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