The Republic of Heaven

Academy Awards 2008 nominees

Me thoughts!

Satisfied and somewhat surprised that the Academy isn't being as typical as they usually are.

So glad Viggo is up for a best actor nod. He is an understated actor and gives exactly the kind of performances that the Academy loves to ignore so I'm glad they haven't this time. The only other person I would want here (which is probably asking too much from this glitz and glamor popularity contest) is Ryan Gosling. I think he is one of the best actors of his generation, and I want him to be recognized for it while he is still young. He really did give the best performance I've seen since Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote.

I think it's cool that Casey Affleck got a nomination for supporting. I love it when young actors are recognized.

SO thrilled that Ellen Page got a best actress nod, it's so truly deserved. Ditto for Laura Linney because she's so good and such a wallflower, ECSTATIC that Kiera Knightley DIDN'T get one because she didn't deserve it AT ALL, no more than she did for Pride and Prejudice but the Academy gave her one anyway.

Very glad that Knightley's young co-star got a nod for best supporting because she outshone everybody else in that movie by miles.

THRILLED that Persepolis got a nod for best animated, I'm sure the Rat movie was good but I'm also sure it can't match the significance of Persepolis.

WOOT WOOT The Golden Compass for effects and art direction, it deserves both, though I don't expect it will win the art, it will be a crying shame if it doesn't win effects.

As for best directing and best picture, what up with Clooney? I haven't seen Michael Clayton but it's as if he could draw a stick doodle and the Academy would fall to their knees. Glad about Juno, it's deserved.

SO HAPPY for original screenplays for both Juno and Lars and the Real Girl, more so for Lars because I didn't expect it. I'd love to see it win because Juno was a little full of it's own clever cleverness while Lars must have been so difficult to pull off at the right emotional level and it succeeded beautifully.

Atonement certainly does deserve a nom for best adapted screenplay, it captured the spirit of the book amazingly well, both the merits and the flaws.

Also very happy NOT to see Enchanted, HP 5, and Shrek and and other silly hyped-up movies cluttering this list.

I wish I had seen any of the foreign films and documentaries nominated this year. Has anyone?

First reaction:

VIGGO MORTENSEN HAS A NEW FILM OUT AND I HAD NO IDEA!? WHY IS THAT?!!!! <333 Viggo.

Second reaction:

*grumble*

I'd like to see Viggo win Best Actor for Eastern Promises. His performance was sublime, but it's a hard race for me to call because I haven't seen the other nominated performances.

I'm definitely calling Best Supporting Actress for Saoirse Ronan. Without her performance Atonement would have been unwatchable, in my opinion, and I think its Best Picture nomination is entirely to her credit.

As much as I'd love to see Ellen Page win Best Actress, the competition is as stiff as Bleaker's bony bod. Toss up.

I think Juno will win either Best Original Screenplay or Best Director, but not both.

Meh, as usual I've seen very few of the films up for the big awards. The oscars always go for the tedious stuff with no rewatchability...but great films tend to be that way.

The girl in atonement was really good, hope she gets that award.

Three song nominations for Enchanted? I want to see this movie more now.

they need a category for best human ever. and amy adams would win!

Three song nominations for Enchanted? I want to see this movie more now.

i must say it was pretty cute.

I wasn't really aware of Juno, but it's got the funniest young actor on the planet and Kitty Pryde in it so Ill keep an eye out for the dvd.

These oscars really confirm to me that compared to the last few years, last year was a bit crap for movies. Admittedly I havent seen most of the big uns yet (and wont for awhile), but none of them have really grabbed me from what Ive seen/read, other than Charlie Wilson's war. It'd be cool for the Coens to win a best Director gong (or gongs...I guess.)

What else, well TGC might win the Visual effects one, because the academy has a long tradition of usually giving it to the wrong film. Transformers shat all over TGC in that department, but they like not giving to ILM when at all possible.

Bloody knew any post regarding the Oscars from Qu Klaani would involve bitching about ILM. TLOTR's deserved them, dammit!

canadian public broadcasters (or the ones i listen to anyways) have been going nuts on the radio for ellen page and sarah polley, and i would just like to add: represent!

(that said, i'm rooting for marion collitard over page for best actress. la mome/la vie en rose was beautiful. but definitely juno for an award like writing.)

it's nice to see that we're (canada) still doing well for animated shorts. nfb ftw.

and now, a list of films i still need to see:
*eastern promises
*elizabeth: the golden age
*atonement
*the diving bell and the butterfly
*across the universe
*the bourne ultimatum
*the kite runner.

i haven't seen many films this year... i'm just not amazingly excited or dying to spend 12.00$ on teh pictures.

I have no idea what i've been doing for the past year because i haven't even heard of most of those films. But woohoo Golden Compass!

Bloody knew any post regarding the Oscars from Qu Klaani would involve bitching about ILM. TLOTR's deserved them, dammit!

They deserved the first one, but the second and third were lazily handed out. To be fair Return of the King just sort of won everything by default, was a bit mad that year.

Tbh I don't really get the point of the technical oscars, it just dims the prestige of the ones handed out by the actual experts.

As I said in the Heather Ledger thread, if the Oscars happen, they're gonna be utterly ~*iguana*~ miserable.

Anywho, in light of Jess' list, here is my own:

eastern promises
atonement
the diving bell and the butterfly
The bourne ultimatum
the kite runner.
Michael Clayton
There Will Be Blood
The Assassination of Jesse James etc
Sweeney Todd
In the Valley of Elah
American Gangster
Lars and the Real Girl
Sicko
3:10 to Yuma
No End in Sight

I only really go to the Cinema for "event movies" (ie geek films), Cloverfield will be next.

These oscars really confirm to me that compared to the last few years, last year was a bit crap for movies.

Hmm, my film-school-geek boyfriend says that 2007 is supposed to have been a great year for movies that 'matter,' and for arthouse/indies, maybe not so much for big blowout fare. It's been true for me, the independents that I've seen this year have been wonderful. I think this year's Oscars definitely confirm that.

And yeah, Enchanted was cute, but really, if by 'cute,' you mean 'moving' and 'sweet,' then there were definitely much better movies out in 2007 that you could see instead.

I've seen most of the movies I've wanted to, which is pretty unusual. I've heard The Kite Runner was bad, it got pretty bad reviews too. Strangely, people whose opinions I respect have said that they are surprised at how much hype No Country For Old Men is getting and they think it's undeserved, so the only movie that I'm still interested in seeing is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Any others that I definitely should see?

My top recommendation for 2007 is Lars and the Real Girl.

Hmm, my film-school-geek boyfriend says that 2007 is supposed to have been a great year for movies that 'matter,' and for arthouse/indies, maybe not so much for big blowout fare.

Well, it was undeniably rather blah for geek movies (sequelitis!) but even with regards to movies that "matter," I just haven't heard about that many really great movies (obviously I havent seen any of them, but usually I get the hype from people I know.) 2005 for example, was a ~*iguana*~ great year.

Hmm, my film-school-geek boyfriend says that 2007 is supposed to have been a great year for movies that 'matter,' and for arthouse/indies, maybe not so much for big blowout fare.

Well, it was undeniably rather blah for geek movies (sequelitis!) but even with regards to movies that "matter," I just haven't heard about that many really great movies (obviously I havent seen any of them, but usually I get the hype from people I know.) 2005 for example, was a ~*iguana*~ great year.

Well, I've probably been taking more of an interest in movies lately because of said film-geek boyfriend. I don't usually see many movies in theaters, and then I just forget to rent them. I don't recall the fabulousness of 2005. What were the highlights? and what qualifies as a geek movie, by the way? 300-type?

A pity so few people had the opportunity to see Control, Anton Corbijn's Ian Curtis biopic. It had a very limited release even here in the UK. Wonderful photography and performances.

At least it has a BAFTA nom for Best British Film, and it has picked up a lot of other awards.

I don't recall the fabulousness of 2005.

Crash, Wallace & Gromit, Hustle & Flow, A History of Violence, War of the Worlds, Revenge of the Sith, Syriana, King Kong, The Constant Gardener, Munich, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Capote, Walk the Line, Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck, 40 Year-Old Virgin, Serenity, Batman Begins.

Those are just off the top of my head.

what qualifies as a geek movie, by the way? 300-type?

These days, basically every single blockbuster is geek orientated, Potter, LOTR, the comic books movies etc etc. Tis great because they tend to be more enjoyable than the blockbusters of the 90s (Im looking at you Speed and Armageddon.)

Glen Hansart is up for an oscar, Woot!

He's irish and i know him.... not really that farmiliar with any of the other nominees i've heard..

These days, basically every single blockbuster is geek orientated, Potter, LOTR, the comic books movies etc etc. Tis great because they tend to be more enjoyable than the blockbusters of the 90s (Im looking at you Speed and Armageddon.)

You think Potter is more enjoyable than Speed?

I agree it's been a bit of a crap year for movies, i generally dispise the sorts of films that are in this years' best film list. But really, do the oscars matter? surely the ~*pineapples*~ they hand out awards to proves they don't. *glares at chicago and the departed*

The only film I've even really seen on this list is Eastern Promises but it was brilliant. Viggo's performance was spot-on!

According to stuff I've read, the problems with The Kite Runner is not so much that it is bad but rather that its makers were culturally insensitive (or deliberately stupid) when making it. Some of the actors have had to leave Afghanistan after the details of the film were revealed. Apparently they were the subject of death threats.

my film-school-geek boyfriend

When did this happen? *looks confused*