Waking up early may lead to Oscar surprise
Tomorrow two annual things are going to occur. The Academy Awards nominations are announced, which causes the other annual occurrence of me waking up at 5 a.m. so I can watch the announcements live from Los Angeles.
If there are any skeptics who are thinking I'm crazy for not logging on to the Internet and reading the nominees later in the day I implore them to give it a try tomorrow. I go online later to view the full list of nominees, since not all are televised, but there is something special about the immediacy of watching as the Academy president reads the nominees as each category arises, starting weeks of talk and anticipation leading to Oscar night. Each year there are the nominees that were practically guaranteed, but there are those that raise eyebrows and are pleasant surprises. With nominations less than 24 hours away, here are some surprises I would like to wake up to tomorrow.
"Marie Antoinette:" Best picture, director, set design, costume design. After acclaim and accolades for two equally pretentious and sleep-inducing films ("The Virgin Suicides," with "Marie Antoinette"'s Kirsten Dunst, and "Lost in Translation," a film that actually managed to make Scarlett Johansson unexciting) writer-director Sofia Coppola has now earned the recognition and the academy would be wise to nominate this overlooked joy.
"Marie" tells the story of the queen's early years and ends long before her demise beneath the guillotine. It does so with the most lavish colors and costumes jumping off the screen and consuming me, drawing me into a world of privilege and decadence so vivid I could almost taste the flowing champagne and plentiful desserts taking up so much screen time. The screenplay, together with Kirsten Dunst's sly performance do a superb job of showing Antoinette's transformation from a naive young bride of Louis XVI to the selfish queen who spent the country to the brink of ruin and incited a revolution.
"Hard Candy:" Best actress, Ellen Page. There are years with performances so powerful they become milestones. Jennifer Connelly's Oscar-winning acting in "A Beautiful Mind" is one of the most affecting performances I've seen in a long time. While no performance of 2006 moved me to that extent, there is one that stands out. Ellen Page gave a haunting and challenging portrayal of a young girl who meets with an online predator, goes home with him and punishes him for his misdeeds.
Page, 19, plays innocent and demure as convincingly as vengeful and manipulative, and as I watched her I sympathized with her and her reasons, but was frightened by her methods. "Hard Candy" is not a simple, black and white tale of good against evil. It's the story of a vigilante who in the process of their version of justice, does bad things to someone who has done even worse.
"Casino Royale:" Best picture, best actor, best original song. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has made Casino Royale the second most nominated film of the year after "The Queen," including Daniel Craig for best actor and the Academy tomorrow should follow suit by recognizing him for perfectly executing his role as James Bond. The movie is thrilling, stylish and has a strong story, all the more reason to deserve a nomination. It's the only film I saw three times in the theater last year. Chris Cornell's opening song to the film, "You Know My Name," is a great way to begin the movie and has lyrics and sound both exciting and reflective of the loneliness and iciness of 007. Cornell's song does not leave the mind easily, and I would love for the Academy to recognize it.
I'll be staying up a little less late tonight in order to prepare for my early rise, but I'll be thinking about the possibility of hearing one of my surprise nominations be announced tomorrow.
Chaz Holmes is the news assistant for the Columbia Basin Herald. He serves as the volunteer movie critic for the news room, keeping everyone updated on the latest Hollywood events.