Music Awards

Ah, the music awards. So easy this year.

In the race for Best Score, the contenders are 3:10 To Yuma, Michael Clayton, Ratatouille, The Kite Runner, and Atonement. Here's why Atonement will win: Typewrters. In a strikingly genius move, Dario Marianelli used a typewriter as a percussion instrument, matching his tempos to the action on screen and still managing to underscore, but not overwhelm the pathos of a beautifully told tragic love story.

In the Best Song race, three nominations were hoarded by Disney's Enchanted. Songwriter Alan Menkin is no stranger to the Oscars. His work with Disney in the late 80's and early 90's earned him enough Oscars to shingle his roof. The song "Raise It Up" from August Rush and "Falling Slowly" from Once are also nominated. If there's any justice in the world, voters will ignore the August Rush song, split their vote among the Enchanted selections, and recognize "Falling Slowly" for what it is - the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. First, it's a great song (not that that ever factors in at the Oscars). Second, it's use in the movie is integral to the plot of the film and effectively defines the main characters' relationship in the course of its performance. I told myself that I would pick winners based on facts and not my personal preference this year, but in this case, I have to go with my heart. My pick goes to Once.

Best Actress

In this year's Best Actress race, two performances really stand out among the five. I love that Ellen Page was nominated for Juno - her performance cannot be overrated - but she is the youngest nominee and has the least-showy role of the five. Likewise, Laura Linney is outmatched for her role in The Savages by more high-profile films. Perennial Oscar record-breaker Cate Blanchett is now the first woman to be nominated for the same role in two different movies (1998's Elizabeth and this year's Elizabeth: The Golden Age) but, like its predescessor, this sequel is more a showcase for its costumes and sets than its performances. That leaves two ladies standing: Marion Cotillard, who absolutely inhabits the role of Edith Piaf from the ages of 20 through 60 in La Vie En Rose, and Julie Christie as an alzheimer's patient in Away From Her. On one hand, Cotillard physically transformed herself and threw herself into a turbulent role, but on the other hand, Julie Christie has won nearly every acting award so far this year. I'd love to see Cotillard's name called, but I think voters will feel that the movie is too over-the-top and melodramatic and will go with Christie's more understated, brave performance.

Atonement

If Juno features young characters too willing to abandon their childhoods and bravely face the consequences, then Atonement features the opposite - a young girl is thrust onto an adult situation she is unprepared for and spends a life of regretting her actions. Thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis lives a life of privelage and posesses the rich imagination and fantasy life of a writer. A series of misunderstandings lead her to the mistaken judgement of local boy Robbie Turner. The misunderstandings turn tragic when Briony is asked to be the sole eyewitness to a horrible crime that she blames on Robbie, half-understanding that he is innocent, but convincing herself nonetheless. Briony's sister, Celia was in love with Robbie and the false accusation changes all three lives with dire results. The regret cuts Briony so deeply that years later, even in her fantasies, she doesn't let Celia and Robbie forgiver her.

Atonement is up for seven Academy Awards and actually has a shot a a few of them. The best bet is for music - Dario Marianelli's brilliant score features a typewriter as a percussion instrument, perfectly signifying Briony's dangerous fantasy life at precise moments in the film. It also has a good shot at Cinematography, most notably for the virtuosic five-minute tracking shot that involves a quarter mile of beach and a cast of thousands. Art Direction was also great in Atonement and will probably win. Less likely to come to fruition are Atonement's nominations for Costume Design, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actress where it is simply outmatched by its competition. As for Best Picture, it does feature many things Academy voters traditionally gravitate toward: an epic storyline, a romantic plot, a period setting, people with accents, war scenes, and a prestigous literary adaptation. It might just take the top prize, but its lack of a nomination for Best Director is a serious hit, showing that while the Academy might recognize it as the best looking film of the year, it will not nescessarily be named the Best Picture.

Doug's Big Oscar Quiz - Answers to Part 3

11. Who was the youngest Best Director nominee?
b. John Singleton

12. Who was the first person to win an acting Oscar for a non-English-speaking role?
c. Sophia Loren

13. Who delivered the longest acceptance speech?
a. Greer Garson

14. Who was the first actor to win an Oscar for a musical?
d. James Cagney

15. Who hosted the most Oscar ceremonies?
c. Bob Hope

Doug's Big Oscar Quiz - Part 3

11. Who was the youngest Best Director nominee?
a. M. Night Shyamalan
b. John Singleton
c. Orson Welles
d. Sophia Coppola

12. Who was the first person to win an acting Oscar for a non-English-speaking role?
a. Roberto Benigni
b. Fernanda Montenegra
c. Sophia Loren
d. Dr. Haing S. Ngor

13. Who delivered the longest acceptance speech?
a. Greer Garson
b. Cuba Gooding Jr.
c. Tom Hanks
d. Vivien Leigh

14. Who was the first actor to win an Oscar for a musical?
a. Catherine Zeta-Jones
b. Fred Astaire
c. Julie Andrews
d. James Cagney

15. Who hosted the most Oscar ceremonies?
a. Danny Kaye
b. Billy Crystal
c. Bob Hope
d. Whoopi Goldberg