RIP Heath Ledger

A.O. Scott, film critic for the New York Times, just published a wonderful piece about the career and contributions of Heath Ledger. You can read it here.

I think Heath was the best actor of his generation. A tragic loss.

Oscar Trivia Quiz

I can't resist a good Oscar trivia quiz!




Can you beat my score?

Oscar Nominations Announced

Here are the nominees!


Best Picture

• Atonement
• Juno
• Michael Clayton
  
• No Country for Old Men
• There Will Be Blood

My score: 4/5 - I picked The Diving Bell and the Butterfly instead of There Will Be Blood.

Apparently the voters have strong stomachs. Overall I'm pleased, though I would have preferred to see Diving Bell on this list in place of Atonement.


Best Actress

• Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Ellen Page, Juno
• Julie Christie, Away from Her
• Laura Linney, The Savages
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

My score: 4/5 - I missed Cate, picking Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart instead.

The Academy's Cate fixation knows no bounds. Too bad for Angelina, who deserved recognition for her mature, heartfelt performance.


Best Actor

• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• George Clooney, Michael Clayton
• Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
• Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

My score: 3/5 - I picked Frank Langella and Ryan Gosling instead of Jones and Mortensen.

Perhaps the voters were feeling guilty about not making room for TLJ in the supporting category for No Country, so they threw him a bone here. Reviews of his work in Elah were mixed; personally, I think he was aiming for stoic and overshot, hitting mannequin instead. Surprised and glad to see Mortensen instead of Gosling. And hooray for Johnny Depp!


Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
• Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
• Ruby Dee, American Gangster
• Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

My score: 3/5 - Missed Dee and Ronan; I picked Catherine Keener and Vanessa Redgrave.

I'm disappointed, but not surprised, to see child actor Saoirse Ronan get this bid instead of her magnificent elder co-star, Redgrave. Yes, Ronan gave a solid, believable performance, but nothing spectacular. Also upset about the snub of Keener, who turned a blah part into something memorable as well as integral to the film (Into the Wild) as a whole.


Best Supporting Actor

• Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
• Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
• Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

My score: 5/5 - Hooray for me!

These are all solid nominations, though the Academy missed a chance to recognize a truly amazing performance by a child actor: Ahmad Khan Mahmizada as the loyal, forgiving Hassan in The Kite Runner.


Best Director

• Jason Reitman, Juno
• Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
  

My score: 3/5 - I picked Sean Penn and Joe Wright instead of Reitman and Gilroy.

Into the Wild was overlooked in so many categories, but this one hurts the most. Penn's clear-eyed focus and restraint are evident throughout this wonderful film. Given the Academy's tradition of celebrating actors-turned-directors (Redford, Costner, Eastwood), it's surprising that they didn't jump on this opportunity.


Best Original Screenplay

• Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Ratatouille
• Diablo Cody, Juno
• Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
• Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
• Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton

My score: 4/5 - I had Kelly McDonald (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) over Oliver.

Three female nominees in this category--wow! I'm so glad to see Tamara Jenkins in particular.


Best Adapted Screenplay

• Christopher Hampton, Atonement
• Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Sarah Polley, Away from Her
  

My score: 4/5 - Missed Sarah Polley; I picked Sean Penn.

Another snub for Into the Wild, but I'm thrilled to see this recognition for Sarah Polley! This will be an interesting category to watch. The Coens are the presumptive favorite, but fellow Oscar winner Harwood could pull an upset for writing the screenplay that everyone said would be impossible to create.

My overall score: 30/40. Not too bad.

Predicting the Oscar Nominations

After a very long pause, I'm back with my predictions for the Oscar nominations. You can tune in to the E! channel at 5:30 a.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 22 (tomorrow) to evaluate my Nostradamity.


Best Picture

I predict:

• Atonement
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  
• Juno
• Michael Clayton
• No Country for Old Men

There Will Be Blood did very well with the critics, but I think it might be too dark and violent for some Academy voters. I suspect that the more inspiring Diving Bell will grab that fifth spot. The only sure thing on this list is is No Country; any of the others could be bumped out by Blood, Into the Wild, Sweeney Todd, or (if the goddess smiles) I'm Not There.

If I ruled the Academy:

• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Away from Her
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  
• I'm Not There
• There Will Be Blood

Best Actress

I predict:

• Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
• Ellen Page, Juno
• Julie Christie, Away from Her
• Laura Linney, The Savages
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

As always, this is my favorite category. I hope and expect that the voters will recognize Laura Linney's stunning work in The Savages instead of the throwaway performance of the great Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I adore Cate, but even she could barely keep from giggling through that atrociously trite script.

If I ruled the Academy:

• Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
• Julie Christie, Away from Her
• Laura Linney, The Savages
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
• Molly Shannon, Year of the Dog

Best Actor

I predict:

• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• Frank Langella, Starting Out in the Evening
  
• George Clooney, Michael Clayton
• Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  
• Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
  

Viggo Mortensen has plenty of buzz for his balls-out performance in Eastern Promises, but I think he will be a surprise omission here. I'm looking for voters to go with the likable Ryan Gosling, even though he smirked through Lars and was out-classed by his luminous co-star, Emily Mortimer. Denzel Washington (American Gangster) is an Academy favorite and has a slim chance to jump in ahead of Langella, Gosling or Depp. Another potential spoiler is the delectable Emile Hirsch in Into the Wild.

If I ruled the Academy:

• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
• Gordon Pinsent, Away from Her
• Mathieu Amalric, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages

Best Supporting Actress

I predict:

• Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
• Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
• Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
• Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement
  

This is probably a dumb pick, but I think Vanessa Redgrave has a good shot for a surprise nomination here. Her screen time in Atonement is brief, but she is devastating. Ruby Dee may take the fifth spot instead for her lucky grandma in American Gangster. Redgrave's young co-star, Saoirse Ronan, also has a shot.

If I ruled the Academy:

• Allison Janney, Juno
• Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
• Marcia Gay Harden, The Mist
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
• Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement

Best Supporting Actor

I predict:

• Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
• Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
• Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

A big show of support for Diving Bell could push Max von Sydow into this group, perhaps ahead of Hoffman. Tommy Lee Jones could sneak in alongside Bardem for his world-weary sheriff in No Country.

If I ruled the Academy:

• Ahmad Khan Mahmizada, The Kite Runner
• Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
• Philip Bosco, The Savages
• Vincent Cassel, Eastern Promises

Best Director

I predict:

• Joe Wright, Atonement
• Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Sean Penn, Into the Wild

Tony Gilroy has a good shot for directing the widely-admired Michael Clayton, but I think voters will reward Anderson instead for his unique vision, even if the film itself was too much for them to handle. A wild card here is the veteran director Sidney Lumet, who surprised everyone this year with his excellent crime drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

If I ruled the Academy:

• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, Grindhouse
• Sarah Polley, Away from Her
  
• Sean Penn, Into the Wild
• Todd Haynes, I'm Not There
  

Best Original Screenplay

I predict:

• Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava, Ratatouille
• Diablo Cody, Juno
• Kelly Masterson, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
• Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
• Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton

Nancy Oliver has a shot for her clever-but-corny Lars and the Real Girl. I will be extremely upset if the Academy fails to recognize the brave, pitch-perfect work of Tamara Jenkins this year.

If I ruled the Academy:

• Diablo Cody, Juno
• Mike White, Year of the Dog
• Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
• Todd Haynes and Owen Moverman, I'm Not There
• Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, The Darjeeling Limited

Best Adapted Screenplay

I predict:

• Christopher Hampton, Atonement
• Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Sean Penn, Into the Wild

Aaron Sorkin has a shot for the fast-paced script of Charlie Wilson's War, but I think the voters will dismiss him as a lowly TV writer, albeit one of the best. Sarah Polley could nose her way into this category for the spare, delicate script of Away from Her.

If I ruled the Academy:

• Andrew Dominik, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  
• Sarah Polley, Away from Her
  

Here's hoping I get at least a few right in each category!