In addition, the fact that every other doc in the category is about war (3 on Iraq, 1 on Uganda - though that one's more about music than war), will help Sicko stand out. That and the fact that it's helmed by the most financially successful and arguably well-known documentarian in the world.
Sicko's a great doc. Don't get me wrong. But No End in Sight is better. It's more powerful, even-handed and insightful. I haven't seen the other three, but they'll have to work pretty damn hard to beat my third favorite film of 2007. (Of those three, my guess is that Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room helmer Alex Gibney's Taxi could do the trick.) And of the other four, it does come closest to being a spoiler, with eight critics circle wins to Sicko's nine (though in Sicko's case that includes a Critic's Choice win).
By the way, where is The King of Kong, The Trials of Daryl Hunt, The Devil Came on Horseback or In the Shadow of the Moon? Just saying.
SOUND EDITING
- The Bourne Ultimatum
- No Country for Old Men
- Ratatouille
- There Will Be Blood
- Transformers
Will Win: Transformers
Should Win: Transformers
Big films tend to win this award, with the odd Letters From Iwo Jima thrown in from time to time. So, really, this could just as easily be Bourne Ultimatum's prize. Or even Ratatouille, following in the footsteps of The Incredibles.
The only sound effect I remember from any of these films is the sound the transformers make when they transform, which is cool. Not as cool as the sound on the TV show, but still cool.
SOUND MIXING
- The Bourne Ultimatum
- No Country for Old Men
- Ratatouille
- 3:10 to Yuma
- Transformers
Will Win: No Country for Old Men
Should Win: The Bourne Ultimatum
This award tends to skew more Best Picture-y, so look for No Country to close.
I'd say I liked the sound during the fights in Bourne Ultimatum, but I'm pretty sure most of that noise was added later, and isn't that technically sound editing? But in that case, how is Ratatouille, which presumably had no live sound recording, up in here? I'm so confused.
Oh, and do the sound guys from There Will Be Blood and 3:10 to Yuma feel like one-termers or something for being the only ones to not make it into both categories?
In our next installment: That's "the Academy Award-nominated Norbit," thank you very much!
Article comments
1 - handyguy
Taxi to the Dark Side is a very powerful movie, much more so than No End in Sight [and certainly more than Slicko]. It did win the Writers Guild award, so possibly it has a chance.
2 - David Dylan Thomas
Excellent point about the WGA. I'd say that puts Dark Side in play, but Sicko still has a considerable advantage.