Marty Gets His Oscar Due…About Time!!

One of my favorite directors, Martin Scorcese finally won the Oscar for The Departed, after years of being snubbed by the Academy. Standing ovation and all, Scorcese accepted his award with zest. Congrats to Scorcese!!

Forest Finally Finds His Oscar!!

It’s about damn time!! Another one of my Oscar predictions comes to fruition! Forest Whitaker took home the gold tonight for his role in Last King of Scotland. Props to Whitaker. I haven’t seen the film yet, unfortunately but I’m definitely going to be making a date with that when it’s released on video. And his Oscar speech was truly inspirational and humbling. I love this guy. Yeah for Forest!!

J-Hud Wins Oscar Gold!

Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress tonight!! This woman was truly deserving. And once again, she stole the show away from Ms. Knowles as they performed, “I Love You, I Do” and “Listen” together onstage. Hmmm…I bet Ms. Knowles is licking her wounds now. No, she wasn’t nominated for anything, so she doesn’t really have a reason to be angry about anything. But, it’s Beyonce…so…yeah you know the rest. Apparently, Ms. Knowles is allegedly jealous that Hudson has been getting more attention than her for her show-stopping performance in Dreamgirls. So, with Hudson winning the Golden Globe and now the coveted Oscar, Ms. Knowles may be feeling even more jealous. Hopefully, Jay will come get his girl before she makes anymore statements to the press that clearly indicate her “uneasiness” with Hudson’s quick rise to fame.

http://www.damnimcute.com/the-juicy/beyonce-knowles/beyonce-snubs-jennifer-hudson/

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1565678,00.html

Sigh…

Predicting Oscar Gold

The road to Oscar will culminate tonight as winners are announced and acceptance speeches are delivered. Who will take home the gold tonight? Here are my final predictions!

Best Actor

Forest Whitaker, Last King of Scotland
Peter O’Toole, Venus
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson

***Forest Whitaker. Critics say he gives the performance of a lifetime as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. He’s already won more awards than any of the other nominees for 2006, including a Golden Globe. Plus, he’s been giving quality performances throughout his long-spanning career, which means it’s time for the Academy to give credit where it’s due.

Best Actress

Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Judi Dench, Notes on A Scandal
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Kate Winslet, Little Children

***Helen Mirren. Sure The Devil Wears Prada probably outsold all four of the other movies combined, (I loved it, of course), but let’s remember, this is the best actress category, not the best pop culture film category. Plus, we all know that the Academy loves Brits, so Mirren will probably take home the gold for her compelling performance as Queen Elizabeth II.

Supporting Actor

Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Mark Wahlberg,The Departed
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children

***Djimon Hounsou. I can honestly say that I saw all of the nominees’ performances in this category, with the exception of one, Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children. Wahlberg’s witty banter (“I’m the guy that’s doing his job. You must be the other guy”) and his surprising final scene with Matt Damon make him worthy of the prize. Eddie Murphy steals the show in Dreamgirls, which I think is his best performance of his career. And Alan Arkin, makes us laugh and cry in his short, but memorable performance as Olive’s drug-addicted, but supportive grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine. But, none of these performances hold a candle to Dijimon Hounsou’s role as Solomon Vandy as he risks his life to save his kidnapped son from rebels in Sierra Leone. His performance is mesmerizing and worthy of an Oscar.

Supporting Actress

Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Adriana Barraza, Babel

***Jennifer Hudson. I know Jennifer’s new to the game, but she delivers as Effie like she’s been in the acting game for a while. And I’m not even talking about her gut-renching performance of “I Am Telling You.” Placing singing aside, (we all know she’s got chops) Hudson’s dialogue is convincing and she brings the character to life.

Best Director

Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Paul Greengrass, United 93
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Babel
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima
***Martin Scorsese. Come on Academy, you know you’ve overlooked Marty way too many times. But, I wouldn’t even say give it to him because it’s long overdue. Scorsese is truly deserving of this prize. The Departed is one of the best films of 2006 and I don’t think anyone could have done it better justice than Scorsese when it comes to directing. He’s the master of the gritty, dark, and sarcastic crime drama.

Best Original Screenplay

Babel

Letters from Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine

Pan’s Labyrinth

The Queen

**Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine is this year’s little film that could. When I saw this film earlier last year, what impressed me the most, besides the cast, was the writing! This drama captures the heart of viewers with its softness and light-hearted comedic performances from a dysfunctional family on a roadtrip, who you just have to grow to love at the end. There’s also a realness to the film that resonates with people. It’s a timeless critique of American family life that’s well-worded in every scene.

Best Score

Babel, Santaolalla

Good German, Newman

Notes on A Scandal, Glass

Pan’s Labyrinth, Navarette

The Queen, Desplat

***Pan’s Labyrinth. While this film didn’t dazzle me as a whole (except for its cinematography), there was something else that I found outstanding about it. It’s musical score, which actually helped me get through watching the film, which was not all it was cracked up to be. The music was moving and captured what was transpiring in the film with every frame. That’s outstanding. I’ll admit it.

Best Original Song

Cars,”Our Town.”

An Inconveinent Truth, “I Need to Wake Up.”

Dreamgirls, “Listen”

Dreamgirls, “I Love You, I Do.”

Dreamgirls, “Patience.”

***Dreamgirl, “Listen.” It’s Beyonce. The film was a musical. Need I say more?

Best Picture

Babel

The Departed

Letters from Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine

The Queen

***The Departed. A fan favorite, this film was actually a commercial and critical success. It was my favorite movie of 2006. Remember when the commercial and critical Crash won for Best Picture? Looks like this will be yet another year where the Academy pays attention to the commercial and critical aspects of filmmaking. The film’s exciting, action-packed, witty, unpredictable, and the all-star cast gives some of the best performances of their careers. Think Leo, Alec, Mark, Martin and Matt. Damn right, The Departed wins hands down, and rightfully so.

What film should win more awards than it it will, but probably won’t…Children of Men…Loved it and if you didn’t, there must be something seriously wrong with you. Ahem…Oscar!!!