This year I was surprised to realise, going through the lists for movie and television nominees, that I was actually more familiar with the television than the movies. It is normally the other way round, but here it just highlights how many films I have yet to see before the Oscars. (I'm a total award whore BTW. I love the whole process of bitching about the nominations, rooting for your favourite, bitching about the awards and examining everyone's dresses with a magnifying glass. So sue me.)
So basically I don't have major gripes with the movie shortlists, if only because I haven't seen enough of them to have an opinion. But running through the list and offering my immediately biased opinions anyway:
Best Motion Picture
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen
Bobby? Really? I have seen it, and... best picture? Puh-leeze.
Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You For Smoking
Don't even get me started on how wrong all this love for The Devil Wears Prada is.
Best Director
Clint Eastwood - Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood - Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Alejandro González Iñárritu - Babel
Martin Scorsese - The Departed
Does Clint Eastwood need 2 nominations?
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland
I'm absolutely certain Leo does not need two noms, by all accounts his accent in Blood Diamond is horrific.
Best Actress
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Sherrybaby
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Kate Winslet - Little Children
Possibly the one category I have no issues with - if only because I haven't seen any film.
Best Actor -- Musical or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean 2
Aaron Eckhart - Thank You For Smoking
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Kinky Boots
Will Ferrell - Stranger Than Fiction
The one category I have seen all the films in. I liked Aaron Eckhart... but I'm not certain it was nomination worthy. And I love Johnny Depp, and Jack Sparrow, but this was hardly the surprise it was for the first film. I don't have alternate nominations though, so not too much complaining.
Best Actress -- Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening - Running with Scissors
Toni Colette - Little Miss Sunshine
Beyonce Knowles - Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Renee Zellweger - Miss Potter
Again, I love Meryl Streep, but misplaced is the word I'm looking for.
Best Supporting Actor
Ben Affleck - Hollywoodland
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed
Brad Pitt - Babel
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed
IMO, this category could have been comprised entirely of The Departed. I'd have liked to see Alec Baldwin and Matt Damon recognised as well.
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson- Dreamgirls
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada
Kikuchi Rinko - Babel
Again with the wrongness that is the Devil Wears Prada.
Apocalypto
Letters from Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Pans Labyrinth
Volver
Apocalypto? Really? Really? Really?
I'm not getting into the other categories, because I really can't have an opinion on them without having seen the films.
So while all in all this is a decent list, the TV nominations? Not even close.
24
Big Love
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
Lost
I like Heroes. I love Grey's. I like 24. I like Lost (even though I have only watched season 1). I even like whatever Big Love I have watched. BUT. I mean, c'mon. Heroes is not even the best of the new shows on network TV. (Portentous writing and a grandiose feel to the whole show does not endear the writing to me. ) Friday Night Lights is possibly that. 4 episodes of Dexter have convinced me that it deserves to be on this list. And Dear God, why no Veronica Mars? Or Battlestar Galactica?
Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Evangeline Lilly, Lost
Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy
Kyra Sedgewick, The Closer
No Kristen Bell for Veronica Mars. Really, Edie Falco yet AGAIN? Evangeline Lilly for what?
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama
Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Hugh Laurie, House
Bill Paxton, Big Love
Kiefer Sutherland, 24
I love Patrick Dempsey. But even his biggest fan would admit that this is a tad undeserved. Thank God Michael C. Hall is on the list though. And I won't object Kiefer, coz he's, well, Kiefer. But I really wonder at the criteria here. I'd have like to see Matthew Perry on this list for Studio 60. And the coach in Friday Night Lights. Please, please get some imagination.
Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
The Office
Ugly Betty
Weeds
Urgggggggh. Desperate Housewives.... Urghhhhhhhhhhhh.
Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Desperate Housewives.... Urgh..................... Where is Jaime Pressly?
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Zach Braff, Scrubs
Steve Carell, The Office
Jason Lee, My Name Is Earl
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Yes! They nominated Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
EMILY BLUNT GIDEON’S DAUGHTER
TONI COLLETTE TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATH
KATHERINE HEIGL GREY’S ANATOMY
SARAH PAULSON STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
ELIZABETH PERKINS WEEDS
I haven't seen the Made for TV stuff, so I wont comment on that. But Katherine Heigl, who is ridiculously over the top and the most annoying thing about Grey's lately? No way. None of the girls from Big Love?
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
THOMAS HADEN CHURCH BROKEN TRAIL
JEREMY IRONS ELIZABETH I
JUSTIN KIRK WEEDS
MASI OKA HEROES
JEREMY PIVEN ENTOURAGE
Yes! Masi Oka and Jeremy Piven. Yes!
Also, several end-of-the-year, best movie lists are out. Check out Slant's list here, and a list from Ryan Stevens, one of Cinematical's contributers. The Observer has also released a 50 forgotten classics list. My thoughts will follow soon.
Also, Chelsea has won their game, Man Utd lost theirs. India has won the test match versus South Africa. Icicles were seen forming in hell.
1 comment:
Katherine Heigl is the best thing about Grey's Anatomy (along with Chandra Wilson and TR Knight). Definitely a deserved nom in my opinion.
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