Will win: Jennifer Hudson
Should win: Jennifer Hudson
Best Original Screenplay
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Queen
- Babel
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Letters from Iwo Jima
The Queen is wonderfully written, but it really is Helen Mirren's show, and the nomination should be honor enough. Babel is complicated and manipulative — then again, Crash won last year. Pan's Labyrinth is a wonderful, inventive story and might get some solid votes. Letters suffers for its subtitles. Sunshine has that Cinderella story written all over it, plus it really was a crowd-pleaser.
Will win: Pan's Labyrinth
Should win: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Adapted Screenplay
- The Departed
- Little Children
- Notes on a Scandal
- Borat
- Children of Men
This is tough. Okay, maybe not that tough. I think Borat's nomination is a joke. William Monahan (The Departed) did a marvelous adapting a Hong Kong action film into a drama about Bostonian Irish mobs, but the convoluted plot might hurt it. Little Chidren is a bit stark and slight. I find Patrick Marber's (a writer I admire) adaptation of Zoe Heller's controversial novel, Notes on a Scandal, too on the nose and obvious. Children of Men is extraordinarily dark and violent, but it leaves you with a sense of awe.
Will win: The Departed
Should win: Children of Men
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Article comments
1 - moonraven
Much as I would like to see more Oscars gathered in by Mexican filmmakers (I have lived in Mexico for about 15 years now), I feel the hype this year has been, more than usual, built on sand.
I saw El laberinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) last weekend and it was not necessary for me to draw on all those years I worked as a film critic in the States to give it a big NO.
I am interested in the context--post-Civil War persecution of the "losing" Republicans. I saw an excellent documentary a couple years ago at the Quito Documentary Film Festival that featured interviews with survivors, visits to the areas where they had camped out in the mountains, and so forth.
The script for Pan's Labyrinth, unfortunately, presented two hours of one-dimensional characters--especially on the Falangist side. Zero credibility of the supposedly real characters made his specially effected ones superfluous.
I have not been so disappointed in a film in several years.
On the other hand, when I saw "Volver" last May in France, I was very pleasantly surprised. Complex relationships and characters. Black humor that was almost an update of Hitchcock's charming "The Trouble with Harry"--and from a director who irritated me mightily in the past with hysterical posturing and drag queen antics.
If you haven't seen "Volver", give it a shot. And skip by Pan by at least 100 yards.
2 - Ty
"Meryl Streep is delicious in Prada but it's difficult to win for a comedy, especially with such strong dramatic competition"
The biggest reason Streep has no chance is because hers is a SUPPORTING ROLE in the Devil Wears Prada. She should not be up for Best Actress, but rather Best Supporting Actress.
Anne Hathaway is the lead actress in The Devil Wears Prada.
I too also feel Whitaker's role in The Last King of Scotland is a supporting role, but the argument there is a bit fuzzier than Prada.
3 - Ray
I agree that Anne Hathaway was the lead in Prada, but Streep's role is also pivotal -- without her role, there would be no story at all. So I don't have a problem with her being considered as the lead actress. Obviously, there can be more than one lead in any film (for example, both Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen were leads in The Queen). Same with Forest Whitaker. Sometimes, I guess, we can't really determine who is a lead simply by screen time.
4 - Krutic
I can't believe Jack Nicholson wasn't nominated.
5 - Kevin Lee
Moonraven, to each his own.
My views:
Pan's Labyrinth is a beautiful and inspiring film. Without doubt one of the best films I've ever seen. It is worthy of its awards.
Yes, it may be simple, but in it's simplicity lies a complexity that you obviously didn't see.
Also, before you go see a movie, watch an interview from it's creator, that way, with your deficient wisdow, you may grab an inkling as to what the bigger picture is about.