Sorry to pimp for Entertainment Weekly two posts in a row, but I love their annual feature where they get the inside scoop from three Academy voters: an actor, a producer and a screenwriter. Their comments are pithy and thought-provoking, and whether you agree or disagree they might just change how you look at some of the nominees. Check it out.
Also: today's New York Times offers a look at the foreign-language nominees, including the acclaimed Pan's Labyrinth -- which some say should have been up for best picture.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I read the ballot explanations too...
The Screenwriter:
This guy had several bone-head explanations including, "The Queen is okay if you want to see a movie about a dull woman," saying that Forest Whitaker's role was "not that demanding," that Helen Mirren was not his pick because she was doing "an impersonation," that he turned Pan's Labyrinth off halfway through because he has "trouble with children's fantasy movies," and that Letters From Iwo Jima was "a really interesting 1970s Japanese movie." I do, however, agree with him that Scorsese doesn't automatically deserve Best Director "as a career thing," and that he "was more impressed with Children of Men for directing than writing."
The Actor:
This voter's reasoning method seems much more sound, even though I still disagree with his picks for Supp. Actor & Actress. He's right that Best Picture needs to be a memorable classic decades down the road, making his pick for Letters From Iwo Jima (my 2nd pick) make a lot of sense. However, I'm surprised at his criticism of Jennifer Hudson and half the cast of The Departed, and ultimately dismayed by his picks of Mark Wahlberg and Rinko Kikuchi, my dead last picks.
The Producer:
I really love his explanations for his Best Actor & Actress picks, especially his reasoning that Judi Dench was excellent but that she always is, so he just expects it. I disagree with his pick for Babel as Best Picture, but I understand how the scope of that movie would appeal to a producer. I like his explanation that, to him, The Departed had the best directing but not the best screenplay, and therefore, is not the Best Picture.
Post a Comment