Oscar 2007 Wrap Up

12 out of 24 Ain't bad . . . Wait, Yes It Is!

Wow, this has got to be the worst prediction year for me in a long time! Last year I picked twenty winners . . . So what’s wrong with the world? I know it can’t be me so here is my Oscar recap!

First off, I knew Scorsese was going to get best director (Janaki right), but picture? (Janaki wrong) I thought it was one of his most technically weak films in a long time and the editing sucked as well (wrong again). When “Little Miss Sunshine” won for best original screenplay I knew that was the kiss of death and consolation prize. That I was right about.

Anyway, in grand Oscar tradition best supporting actor was the upset category. Eddie Murphy had been the hands down favorite but in came Alan Arkin to swoop in an register Oscar gold. I thought Murphy deserved it much more as his performance was much more of a departure than Arkin’s, in fact I fully expected Arkin’s speech to have tons of cursing in it!

I wanted Peter O’Toole to win and the fact that Forest Whitaker (and his rambling) won is unfortunate and even though many say his performance is amazing, I don’t care! O’Toole will be dead soon and if the Academy is all about rewarding past oversights then damn it, he should win for “Lawrence of Arabia”.As expected Helen Mirren won for “The Queen”, but what wasn’t expected is that Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly would be singing a song about “getting” with her. Yuck! I am sooooooooo tired of people kissing her ugly old British ass. “Oh, Helen Mirren is soooooo beautiful, she puts 20 year old’s to shame”, sorry but that’s complete and utter bullshit! I recently saw a film she did when she was in her 30’s and she wasn’t beautiful then and she most certainly isn’t now.

Also expected was Jennifer Hudson’s win for best supporting actress. I’m happy she won as her performance was devastatingly heart wrenching.
I was surprised to see that not only did “Pan’s Labyrinth” get robbed of best foreign film, that it won best cinematography right from underneath “Children of Men”. I mean how can you win best art direction, cinematography and makeup and lose best foreign film??

Other winners I picked were “Marie Antoinette” for best costume design (it looked like candy), “The Inconvenient Truth” for best documentary and “Babel” for best original score. War films always win best sound editing and musicals always win best sound mixing and this year was no different with “Letters From Iwo Jima” and “Dreamgirls” respectively winning Oscars.

As for the show itself?Ellen DeGeneres had some humorous if not bland moments. Her highlights? Giving Scorsese a script in the aisle and having Spielberg take a picture (and retake) of her and Clint Eastwood was priceless. Other than that she was pretty forgettable. Next year they will probably try Jerry Seinfeld as host, I thought his bit about movie trash was very funny and the fact he introduced the documentary films by saying that they are incredibly depressing was awesome and very, very true. Leave it to Seinfeld to say nothing and make it something!

I don’t care what anyone else says, I liked those dancers behind the lighted screen and I liked the sound effects choir. I am in the minority because I also think the telecast is not too long. Why streamline it? I mean c’mon this is once a year people, if you don’t like it than don’t fucking watch it, but I love everything about filmmaking and I wouldn’t mind if it was 6 hours long!

Who looked the best?

Jodie Foster, Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Jessica Biel, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz and of course Nicole Kidman.

Overall, the show was low key due to Ellen, but mostly the upsets were not only unexpected and unfortunate they were upsetting!

Wonder who will win next year???

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Oscar 2007 Predictions Part 3 - Best Pic, etc.

It Will Be Marty’s Year (Sort Of)

The buzz is huge for Martin Scorsese this year as well as the pressure. If he wins people will scream it’s about time! If he loses, people will say well, it wasn’t his best work. I for one believe Marty will win best director and not best picture, but let’s discuss!

Best Picture

Babel
I think that this is the best film (by far) of the bunch. After much early buzz the film seems to losing ground. Too bad, as it redefined a genre. This is what a best pic should do. (See My Full Review Here)
Buzz Factor - 7

The Departed
Not Marty’s best film by any stretch of the imagination but it just might have the best cast and all around performances. He might win it because of the pressure put on Academy members to reward him for a stellar career. (See My Full Review Here) Buzz Factor - 8

Letters From Iwo Jima
Clint’s darkhorse picture. It was a companion piece to the disappointing “Flag of Our Fathers”. The dismal showing of that film hurt Clint’s chances for Oscar gold once again. But never count out the Academy’s love for good old Clint Eastwood. Buzz Factor - 5

Little Miss Sunshine
The inclusion of this film makes it a three way toss up. Everyone knows the Academy doesn’t particularly like comedies. But behind the Departed this film actually has the best chance for Oscar Gold. While the cast was excellent and the story darkly funny, it was shot very pedestrian and it definitely didn’t define the genre. (See My Full Review Here)
Buzz Factor - 8

The Queen
A glorified TV film. Got here because of that damn Helen Mirren.
Buzz Factor - 5

Who will win? (and who should win?)
Babel
I’m going out on a serious limb here as if it’s not Babel than it will be Little Miss Sunshine.
Best Director

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Babel
Two months ago he was a shoe-in, but now? There has been some backlash against him and this film (damn politics).
Buzz Factor - 5

Martin Scorsese - The Departed
Marty is far and away the favorite here. His win is as close to a sure thing than you will ever see. His daughter said he wasn’t going to attend the Oscars (how ironic if he won) but he told me himself he would be there!
Buzz Factor - 10

Clint Eastwood - Letters From Iwo Jima
What can be said about Clint? He gets better with age and the Academy adores him. If it wasn’t for “Flags of Our Fathers” he would win best director. As it is he still might win.
Buzz Factor - 7

Stephen Frears - The Queen
No chance in hell.
Buzz Factor - 2

Paul Greengrass - United 93
History is against him as a best director win always accompanies a best pic nom. His film wasn’t nominated for best pic. The last 10 minutes of the film brought chills up and down my spine and made my hair stand on end. He still won’t win. (See My Full Review Here)
Buzz Factor - 4

Who will win? ( and who should win?)
Martin Scorsese of course, are you surprised? Do I need to say anything more?
Best Cinematography

Children of Men
Emmanuel Lubezki’s work in Children of Men (see my full review here) is simply stunning, it is unbelievably flawlessly gorgeous and he deserves the win here. I attended the ASC awards last week and his win there was as telling as it could get. This is only the second time in Oscar history that all the best cinematography noms pictures have NOT been nominated for best picture. So this one is totally up for grabs. We have two magician pictures (The Prestige, The Illusionist) a fantasy pic (Pan’s Labyrinth) a DePalma film (Black Dahlia) and Children of Men.
Best Film Editing

Children of Men
Alfonso Cuarón and Alex Rodríguez have created a flawless look at what could be our society with simultaneously seamless and jarring editing. Although Babel is edited very well it’s too much like all Inarritu’s other films like 21 Grams. United 93 creates a sense of urgency and The Departed has Thelma Schoonmaker (not her best work).

So follow the Oscars with me and check back next week to see how my predictions went!

Oscar 2007 Predictions Part 2 - Others

Did It Get Your Attention?

So, this is the other batch of noms that I will just throw out there. Admittedly, I haven’t seen much of these nominees and many I don’t care about.

Fashion seems to be the rage (as always) and I will report on the best and worst dressed (in Janaki’s opinion) at the Oscars 2007! But here are my predictions anyway!!

Animated Feature (Don’t really care)
Cars

Art Direction
Dreamgirls although Pan’s Labyrinth might upset here.

Costume Design
Marie Antoinette because the Academy is just waiting to get princess Sophia back onstage. Dreamgirls might win here as well.

Documentary Feature
An Inconvenient Truth (see my review here).

Documentary Short
The Blood of Yingzhou District

Foreign Language Film
Pan’s Labyrinth

Best Make-Up
Pan’s Labyrinth

Original Score
Babel

Original Song
“Listen” - Dreamgirls Beyonce’s showpiece.

Short Film Animated
Maestro

Short Film Live Action
The Saviour

Sound Editing
Letters From Iwo Jima
Clint’s only win this year.

Sound Mixing
Dreamgirls
Musicals almost always win this category.

Visual Effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Screenplay - Adapted
Borat (just to be hip)

Screenplay - Original
Little Miss Sunshine
The consolation prize just ask Sophia Coppola about it.

Well that’s it! Stay tuned to majors like best pic, director etc!

Oscar 2007 Predictions Part 1 - Actors

A Very Predictable Year?

Okay, I’m am very late with my Oscar Predictions compared to year’s past. Nothing like dropping my two cents the day before, right?

No excuses but this has been an extremely busy and hectic year for me and many things in my life have been postponed, pushed back or simply ignored. Not that that’s a bad thing! Anyway, here we go!

This is going to be the first of three blogs on who will win and who I want to win! Let’s get started.

I talked to many industry insiders to gauge the buzz this year and it was generally split down the middle with half saying that there is no sure thing with most categories and that this one helluva confusing year. The other half say there are sure things all around. I happen to believe in the second opinion that many categories this year are sure things and are very predictable, in fact I will go as far as to say that this is one of the most predictable years of my lifetime! With the Oscars coming earlier this year (last year March 5th) “buzz” is very telling and even though there is seemingly no clear cut dominations (Noms are spread pretty evenly) I still think that there will be very few surprises. Of course what the hell do I know? I am listing the Buzz Factor from 1 -10.

Click on this link to print a your own Oscar Ballot and see if I’m even close!

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
I didn’t see this film but critics say his performance was the best thing about the film. This is kind of a surprise since his performance in “The Departed” was more well received. See my Departed review here. His nom is more of an affirmation about his acting skills. He won’t win. Buzz Factor 6.

Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
I recently saw this film and yes his performance was extraordinary but he also doesn’t have a chance because no one saw this film. Besides he doesn’t have the body of work and this is also an affirmation. Buzz Factor 5.

Peter O’Toole - Venus
What can I say about Peter? He is only one of my favorite actors of all time. To me he should have won for “Lawrence of Arabia” in 1963. People talk about about Scorsese not winning after 5 noms but what about O’Toole? 8 nominations and zero wins! What a crime, he better win this year because nobody wants to be the Susan Lucci of awards nominations. And oh yeah, his performance was one of his best of an unbelievable and storied career. He won an honorary Oscar a few years ago and he almost didn’t accept it saying that he would still like to win one outright. O’Toole could be the darkhorse here and is certainly the sentimental favorite. Buzz Factor - 8

Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Smith finally did away with swagger and played a real character and showed he can act. His reward? An Oscar nom but not a win. Buzz Factor - 4

Forest Whitaker - Last King of Scotland
True, the Academy loves actors playing real historic figures and actors are usually rewarded for their efforts. Having said that, the movie was criticized as almost being a TV film, yes his performance stood out but no one saw the film and it is his first nom (even though he has been around forever). Besides, did you see his acceptance speeches? Emotion is good but incoherent babbling is not. Buzz Factor - 9.

Who will win? (And who I want to win)
Peter O’Toole
The odds are in Forest Whitaker’s favor right now because he has won every major award up to this but the Academy likes to throw a monkey wrench in every now and then. Of all the categories, this where the major upset will come. Peter O’Toole will be rewarded for this performance and more importantly for his body of work, which has been the pattern of the Academy.Best Actress

Penelope Cruz - Volver
I was surprised here as Penelope can’t act her way out of a paper bag, oh and she should probably wear that paper bag over her head. She should just be in Pedro Almodovar films and never attempt to speak English again. Buzz Factor - 3

Judi Dench - Notes On A Scandal
This was such a different performance for Dame Judi, blah, blah, blah . . . Have I mentioned yet that I fucking hate fucking Judi Dench? Well, there it is.
Buzz Factor - 5

Helen Mirren - The Queen
Fucking Judi Dench in training. She has won everything this year and an Oscar is also in her future. EVERYONE says this film is like a TV film and no one cares about it, but she just keeps on winning. I’m sooooo tired of these old British actresses coming over here and winning everything!! Buzz Factor - 10

Meryl Streep -The Devil Wears Prada
Hated this film with a passion but liked Meryl’s performance (See my review here). She has won her share of Oscars but not this year. Buzz Factor - 5

Kate Winslet - Little Children
She had been nominated 5 times and she still won’t win. She’ll only win one when she is an old British actress, then she’ll win all the time. Young British actresses? Not a chance. Buzz Factor - 4

Who will win?
Helen Mirren, unfortunately.

Who do I want to win?
Kate Winslet
She is one of the best actresses out there, someone give her an award!!Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine (see my review here)
Arkin was hilariously profane in his limited screen time which may come back to haunt him. Arkin was last nominated in the late 60’s, so his buzz o’meter is rising! This might be the other upset. Buzz Factor - 8

Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children
He was a child star (Kelly Leak in the Bad News Bears) was out of the business for nearly 15 years and now is back with two great performances in the same year. The academy loves comebacks, but not this year. Buzz Factor - 5

Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
His performance is everything we’ve seen before. Is he good actor, yes. Will he win an Oscar, no.
Buzz Factor - 3.

Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Eddie is the frontrunner here, but problems may still arise. First off, he has never been popular in the Hollywood elite, secondly his performance while extremely good is a little too close (some say) to the parody of James Brown he did years ago on SNL. And with Brown dying last year, people keep bringing that up (like me). On the flip side, his humbleness is very endearing, and everything he’s been through both professionally and personally has culminated in his bravura performance. He created tons of early buzz but Arkin is catching up. Buzz Factor - 9

Mark Wahlberg - The Departed
His nom is surprising here, not because he didn’t do a great job, but because the entire film had amazing acting in it. For him to be singled out in limited screen time (and for basically a one-note performance) is very surprising. Wahlberg has shown himself to be a very good actor and this should be the first of many Oscar noms. He has been rewarded. Buzz Factor - 4

Who will win? (and who should win)
Eddie Murphy
Yes, everyone, his performance is that good. You know what they say, comedic actors make the best dramatic actors.Best Supporting Actress

Adriana Barraza - Babel (see my review here)
In a film of harrowing performances hers was perhaps the most breathtaking. You could literally feel her pain. Somehow people don’t realize how amazing her performance really was. Buzz Factor - 6

Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Cate is one helluva an actress. In my mind everything she does is mesmerizing. However, she doesn’t stand a chance this year. Buzz Factor - 5

Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
She was awesome in this role and her “performance” at the pageant was so funny I fell of my sofa. But she won’t win because the academy doesn’t like comedies. Buzz Factor -4

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls (see my review here)
Okay, she is the major favorite here. She has one every award this year. Whether you like the film or not, Hudson has turned in one of the most stellar acting debuts ever put on film. She blows away, Foxx and Beyonce every single time she is on screen with them and no one can say that her performance isn’t breathtaking. Hands down she will win in a very tough category, yes, she’s that good. Buzz Factor - 10

Rinko Kikuchi - Babel
Her performance is on par (though very different) than Barraza’s. By far it’s the riskiest performance of all the noms and without speaking a word she conveys vulnerability, sexiness, utter despair and madness. What an amazing revelation of a performance. She still won’t win. Buzz Factor - 7

Who will win? (and who I want to win)
Jennifer Hudson
While the two performances in Babel are absolutely Oscar worthy they hurt each others chances with votes split down the middle paving the way for Hudson to win, very deservedly I might add.Stay tuned for Part 2 where I pontificate on all the other categories such as animated feature, short films, and documentaries, etc.

21st Annual ASC Awards Show! *Recap*

Wow, Totally Amazing!

I knew that I would have the time of my life and if I played my cards right it would be a night I would never forget! From the moment I touched down in Los Angeles I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement. Who would I meet, does my tux look okay and will there be an after party?

Okay, first things first. I arrived at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel at around 5 pm and proceeded straight to the bar (I’m not much of drinker but what the hell). When I got to my table and had dinner and more drinks I felt utterly relaxed. After mingling for a couple of hours the show started at 7:30 pm and I was stoked! The montages shown before all the winners were simply breathtaking and extremely well done.Martin Scorsese kicked of the show presenting Michael Ballhaus, ASC with the International Achievement Award and we were off and running!

Now let me clarify. This is an awards show for cinematographers for cinematographers who vote for other cinematographers. You can’t get much more inside an industry than that. To be rewarded by your peers is the one of the greatest achievements you can get. I thought it would kinda be a quick night since there were only 8 awards (3 that were voted on), but the show lasted over 4 hours! Don’t get me wrong, it could have lasted for 4 days and I would have been just as thrilled, in fact I was just as excited at the end (actually more so) than I was at the beginning. But I digress . . .

Scorsese introduced Michael Ballhaus who shot such great films such as, “Goodfellas”, “The Fabulous Baker Boys”, “Broadcast News”, “Air Force One”, “The Last Temptation of Christ” and recently, “The Departed”. Marty was extremely funny as he recounted many stories about the difficulties of filmmaking, notably the many attempts to get “The Last Temptation of Christ” off the ground. In his speech Ballhaus delivered the best line of the night when he said, “Good lighting comes from light being taken away”. That was so awesome! I had an opportunity to meet Scorsese and Ballhaus afterwards and Marty was extremely nice and happy. He said he thought he had a pretty good chance this year to win an Oscar (so do I). Did I mention he’s very short?

Next, Beau Bridges gave the award for best episodic television to David Moxness (for an episode of Smallville) and delivered the second best line of the night when he said, “A cinematographer can you make you look like an Adonis or the Devil”.

Actor/Director Richard Benjamin gave the Presidents Award to Gerald Hirschfeld (“Young Frankenstein”) and told a priceless story about one of my favorite actors, Peter O’Toole, when he recounted how O’Toole made one rule during the filming of “My Favorite Year”. The rule was not to call him to the set under ANY circumstances UNTIL they were ready to shoot. If O’Toole saw a ladder or anyone moving ANYTHING on the set he would immediately turn around, walk off the set and be done for the day. Benjamin told how he called O’Toole to the set one day and the great Hirschfeld saw that a barn door had moved and blocked a light and the race was on to get a ladder and fix it before O’Toole saw it and left for the day. Extremely funny and endearing.

Universal Studios President and CEO Ron Meyer presented the Board of Governors Award to Ron Howard who also told very funny stories about how cinematographers have been saving his ass since he was 4 years old and how one DP was framing him for a shot and said “Kill the Obie” and Howard thought he wanted to kill him! (He thought the DP was referring to his character “Opie” but he was really talking about turning off a kind of light). He also announced that his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard had a baby boy the day before. Did I mention he is a real nice and genuine guy?

David James Elliott (Jag) presented the best TV movie/miniseries/pilot award to John Stokes for “Umney’s Last Case” from the miniseries Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. He also had a great line when he said, “Artful cinematography is the difference between radio and television”.

Charlize Theron introduced (and gushed over) Allen Daviau, ASC (“E.T.”, and one of my absolute favorites, “Fearless”) when she presented him the Lifetime Achievement Award. She reminisced about how she hung out with him and the camera crew when she made “The Astronauts Wife”, (which would piss off any director) and how he told her that he loved to photograph her feet (Hmm, sounds like a Tarantino fetish). She also mentioned that she still calls him to this day when she feels a DP shoots her strangely and she feels insecure (such drama). Daviau’s acceptance speech lasted a full half hour and it was thrilling, exciting and very informative. He spoke about first meeting Spielberg and shooting “E.T.”. Daviau and Theron were both very sweet and unassuming people that seemed to go out of their way to make people feel comfortable. Charlize complimented me on my tux (concern addressed) and let me tell you, she is absolutely just as gorgeous in person as she is on film!
Finally, after drinking several bottles of wine and generally having a whale of a time, Tim Allen came on stage and said another classic line in that style of his. He said he was relieved that he got to the show early, my god!!! Well I guess you just had to be there, but believe me he was so funny I nearly yak’d red wine, coffee and breadsticks all over the table! Again, digression . . .

Perhaps the biggest award of the night (and most telling) was Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, taking top honors in the feature film competition for “Children of Men”, which might bode well for the Oscars.
So out of everyone, I got to meet Martin Scorsese (short and funny), Ron Howard (genuine and very friendly), Richard Benjamin (very nice, I met him before), Charlize Theron (extremely sexy, gorgeous with the softest skin but very shy), Tim Allen (loud and funny) and Rosario Dawson (sexy and unassuming, kind of geeky in a cute way), plus scores upon scores of legendary cinematographers. I got to go to an amazing after party (another blog for another day). I ate and drank way too much, made some great contacts and had the time of my life. Hey I could get used to this, ya know?

21st Annual ASC Awards!

A Real Hollywood Awards Show!

In case you were wondering what the ASC awards show is, let me tell you it stands for the American Society of Cinematographers. Now before you say "another awards show?", hold up for a minute! Simply put, cinematographers are responsible for the look of films.

And I, Janaki Cedanna am flying out to Hollywood on Sunday, February 18th as the invited guest of Bogen Imaging to sit front row and center to one of the most prestigious awards shows leading up to Oscars. This is very exciting as I get to hobnob with the people that bring film to life. But the point is not to brag, oh wait . . . maybe it is.

Actual awards will be given to cinematographers by their peers but the main reason to get together at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel is to mingle, drink, have dinner and do more mingling. I will be giving a full report on my blog upon my return, including a list of the winners (there are only 3 award categories)! Check out the nominees here.

The Motion Picture nominees are:

Emmanuel Lubezki - (Children of Men)
Hands down one of the most amazing films I've seen in awhile. See my full review here.

Dick Pope - (The Illusionist)
Very good film but somehow I thought the "Prestige" was shot better.

Robert Richardson - (The Good Shepherd)
Didn't see this film but come on, Richardson is responsible for many Oliver Stone films like "The Doors", "JFK", and "Platoon" as well as "Casino" and many, many other works of art.

Dean Semler - (Apocalypto)
Didn't see it, heard great things though.

Vilmos Zsigmond - (The Black Dahlia)
What can I say, De Palma is one of my favorite directors and Zsigmond has turned out beautiful films time and again. See my full review here.

The other two categories are for TV, and of course I only have seen one of the shows, but here they are anyway!

The finalists in the Television Movie/Miniseries/Pilot category are:
Thomas Del Ruth, for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (pilot)
Adam Kane for Heroes (pilot)
Walt Lloyd, for The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines (telefilm)
Bill Roe, for Day Break (pilot)
John Stokes for the “Umney’s Last Case” episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (miniseries)

The nominees in the Episodic Television competition were chosen by their peers based on one episode of a series.

Eagle Egilsson for “Darkroom”/CSI: Miami
Nathan Hope for “Killer”/CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
David Moxness for “Arrow”/Smallville
Bill Roe, ASC for “What If They Find Him”/Day Break
Gale Tattersall for “Meaning”/House M.D.

There will also be special awards given out and the list is real who’s who of unbelievable filmmakers. Allen Daviau, Gerald Hirschfeld, Michael Ballhaus (award presented by Martin Scorsese!) and director Ron Howard will all be receiving outstanding achievement awards.

This is going to be a very memorable weekend and of course I’m angling for an Oscars invite!