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What to Netflix: 2007 Oscar Winners

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:00:08 -0800

Now that we know who won at the 2007 Oscars, a lot of you are probably looking to catch up on your Oscar-movie viewing. Well, you're in luck, because most of the winning movies that aren't still in theaters are out on DVD and just waiting to be added to your Netflix queue. Here's a look at all of the Oscar-winning films now available for home viewing.

The Departed
Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay, Achievement in Film Editing, Best Director for Martin Scorsese, and Best Picture

Trust me: Just watch The Departed once, and you'll understand what all the fuss is about. The fast-paced drama isn't terribly deep: A good cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover with a mobster (Jack Nicholson), who has his own man (Matt Damon) inside the force. But the intricately woven plot and masterful performances, particularly by supporting cast members like Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin, prove that this movie deserves all of the Oscars it won.

Little Miss Sunshine
Oscars: Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin

Skillfully mixing pathos with absurd comedy, Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of one family's quest to get bespectacled Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine competition on time. In an astounding cast (Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear), Steve Carrell is perhaps the most impressive as a suicidal Proust scholar forced to live with his sister's bizarre family. As a special bonus, the DVD features four alternate endings to the movie.

Four more, so read more

Babel
Oscars: Best Score

Though it didn't take home the Best Picture trophy, Babel has gotten a lot of buzz for its universal themes and good-looking cast. Set in three continents and featuring five languages, the film follows four different stories revolving around the aftermath of a shooting in the Moroccan desert. The strong performances, compelling story, and sharp cinematography make it a must-see. For a more in-depth look at Babel, check out my review.

An Inconvenient Truth
Oscar: Best Documentary and Best Song

He may have lost the presidential election, but Al Gore can now say he's the only candidate to have ever won an Oscar. Gore's pet project tackles the important issue of climate change with compelling facts and a great soundtrack. Like a great documentary should, An Inconvenient Truth will make you care about the film's concerns while also keeping you thoroughly entertained.

Marie Antoinette
Oscar: Best Costumes

The bright, beautiful period clothes featured in Sofia Coppola's stylized depiction of the young Marie Antoinette are impressive enough to warrant a viewing of the film. Kirsten Dunst stars as Marie, the naive Austrian princess who became the Queen of France at age 19. The film follows her betrothal to Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman) at age 15, through her reign as Queen and the eventual fall of Versailles.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Oscar: Achievement in Visual Effects

While I can't recommend this movie for its compelling plot, the second film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has plenty of eye candy, including star Johnny Depp and astounding special effects. (It was also nominated for art direction.) In this well-conceptualized fantasy world, you get everything from regal, tall-masted ships to creepy sea monsters and nautical costumes, all of which help give the special-effects-heavy movie a unified look and feel.

Oscar Roundup: Best Picture Breakdowns

BuzzSugar — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 07:45:16 -0800

This week I've been breaking down the good and bad qualities of each 2007 Best Picture nominee. Just in case you need a refresher, here is a recap of all five Best Picture breakdowns; hopefully they will help you make an educated guess on the Oscar ballot!

Letters From Iwo Jima
The Academy are suckers for these historical dramas - and for director Clint Eastwood - yet there are no other big names involved and not many people actually saw it.
Chances of winning: Moderate

The Queen
Having already won tons of critics' awards, the film may or may not be just a vehicle for Helen Mirren.
Chances of winning: Slim to Moderate

Three more, so read more

Little Miss Sunshine
Well-crafted and uplifting, the movie did wonderfully with both critics and viewers, if not in box office sales. However, it actually might be too uplifting for the Academy's often somber tastes.
Chances of winning: Slim

The Departed
All-star cast, esteemed director, good screenplay, and critical acclaim make for an impressive package, but it being a violent almost-action film (quite different from a bloody war film, mind you) reduces the movie's chances for the top award.
Chances of winning: Good

Babel
Some critics adore this film while others loathe it; it could go either way, but the Academy does like to reward these big theme dramas.
Chances of winning: Good

Letters and Departed photos courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source, Source, and Source

Best Picture Breakdown: Babel

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:26:31 -0800

All week, I've been breaking down each Best Picture nominee for the 2007 Oscars, which air this Sunday night. Yesterday we looked at The Departed, and today brings the fifth and final nominee, Babel.

The sprawling Babel isn't a critical darling; in fact, when the movie first came out, the reviews were decidedly mixed. But when the awards, nominations and spots on "best of" lists started rolling in, Babel became a serious Oscar contender. Now, with a Golden Globe in its pocket, Babel looks like the frontrunner for the award. For a look at its chances of taking home the Best Picture statue, read more

Why It Might Win

Babel is an ambitious film that tackles big themes - the interconnectedness of people, the way a single act can change the course of events around the world, the discomfort of being out of one's element. The Academy likes to reward important movies (Crash, for example), and Babel would fit right in.
Everyone in the ensemble delivers a strong performance. Babel flits between its four interconnected stories, and it would be easy to give up on any of them if not for the powerful acting. The film's pair of Best Supporting Actress nominees, Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza, make their respective plot lines compelling; Barraza, in particular, has some absolutely devastating scenes. But all of the actors - from the young Moroccan boys to superstars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett - carry off their roles perfectly. There truly is no lead performance here; everyone supports each other.
Everything comes together. I don't just mean the stories, though Guillermo Arriaga's screenplay does unite them in the end (by however tenuous a thread). The film's stark cinematography and crisp editing contribute to the movie's overwhelming feeling of loneliness. It has to be tough to maintain a consistent tone when your film involves five languages and four drastically different settings, but Babel pulls it off.

Why It Might Not Win

It's a love it or hate it movie. Reviewers either pegged it as the best film of the year or said it wasn't worth the ticket price. Some people will be thoroughly engrossed by Babel's stories; others will think it's too heavy-handed, too confusing or too contrived.
It might be too complex for its own good. Some of the stories are stronger than others, and for a message movie, it's tough to know exactly what director Alejandro González Iñárritu is trying to say. Everyone seems to have a different concept of what the movie is about, and that could hurt Babel in the end.
It might be too dark. Babel is a seriously heavy movie, filled with tragedy after tragedy, and the ending - while less bleak than it could be - hardly qualifies as uplifting. If Little Miss Sunshine gets knocked back for being too feel-good, it seems possible that Babel could take a hit for not being feel-good enough.

Chances of Winning: Good

Oscar Poll: What Movie Should Win Best Picture?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 08:58:34 -0800

Well, after a week of Oscar-related polls, we've finally arrived at the big one. So tell me, what movie do you think deserves the best picture prize?

2007 Oscars: My Predictions

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:04:55 -0800

Have you filled out your Oscar ballot yet? I sure have! Some categories really are a toss-up - Best Picture, for example - while others are highly predictable.

Helen Mirren has already won about a gazillion awards for her performance in The Queen, and if anyone else gets the little gold man for that category, it will truly be shocking. The Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories, however, could easily end up surprising everyone. As for the visual categories, I have high hopes for Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth in many of the visual categories and will be supremely disappointed if they lose.

As for the other categories, I present to you my predictions for this year's Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE
Babel

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

To see the rest, read more

BEST ACTOR
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS
Helen Mirren, The Queen

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cars

ART DIRECTION
Pan's Labyrinth

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Children of Men

COSTUME DESIGN
Curse of the Golden Flower

BEST DOCUMENTARY
An Inconvenient Truth

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Blood of Yingzhou District

FILM EDITING
Children of Men

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Pan’s Labyrinth

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Babel

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Listen” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler
Lyric by Anne Preven

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada)

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
“West Bank Story”

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Letters from Iwo Jima

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Dreamgirls

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

ADAPATED SCREENPLAY
Children of Men

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Little Miss Sunshine

Source

What to Netflix: New (Oscar) DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:00:32 -0800

Just in time for the Oscars this Sunday, several nominated films have come out on DVD! You can Netflix them now and have a totally Oscar-themed weekend. That way, you can make savvy, well-informed decisions when filling out your own Oscar ballot. And the new DVDs are...

Babel
Earning, among others, a Best Picture nomination, Babel has gotten a lot of buzz for its universal themes and good-looking cast. Set in three continents and featuring five languages, the film follows four different stories revolving around the aftermath of a shooting in the Moroccan desert. The strong performances, compelling story, and sharp cinematography make it an obvious Best Picture nominee. For a more in-depth look at Babel, check out my review.

Two more 2007 Oscar nominees, so read more

The Prestige
Visually arresting, The Prestige is nominated for both Art Direction and Cinematography. This dark psychological thriller follows two rival magicians at the beginning of the 20th century. As they try to outdo each other, their acts become more and more dangerous until they turn deadly. The engaging cast includes Michael Caine, David Bowie, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and Scarlett Johansson.

Marie Antoinette
This film came out last Tuesday, but it goes well with these other new releases, having earned an Oscar nomination for Costume Design and all. Certainly the bright, beautiful period clothes featured in Sofia Coppola's stylized depiction of the young Marie Antoinette are impressive enough to warrant a viewing of the film. Kirsten Dunst stars as Marie, the naive Austrian princess who became the Queen of France at age 19. The film follows her betrothal to Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman) at age 15, through her reign as Queen and the eventual fall of Versailles.

Announcing the 2007 Oscar Nominees!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:05:49 -0800

Salma Hakek woke up bright and early this morning to announce the nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards. There were some pleasant surprises (I didn't really think Dreamgirls was Best Picture worthy) and some total shockers compared with my predictions. To see how I did, use this key:

* BuzzSugar Shoo-In
** BuzzSugar Wild Card Pick

Wow, I'm actually really glad to see some surprises in there! No nomination for Leo for The Departed (he was nominated for Blood Diamond), but his co-star Mark Wahlberg got a much-deserved nod. Tune in later today for more analysis, and until then, check out the nominees and tell me what you think!

BEST PICTURE

Babel *
The Departed *
The Queen **
Little Miss Sunshine **
Letters from Iwo Jima

BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima *
Martin Scorcese, The Departed *
Aljenador Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel *
Stephen Frears, The Queen **
Paul Greengrass, United 93 **

To see the rest, read more

BEST ACTOR

Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland *
Peter O'Toole, Venus **
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson **
Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness *

BEST ACTRESS

Helen Mirren, The Queen *
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal *
Kate Winslet, Little Children *
Penelope Cruz, Volver **
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada **

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls *
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond *
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed **
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine **

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal *
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls *
Adriana Barraza, Babel *
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine **
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel **

BEST ANIMNATED FEATURE

Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

ART DIRECTION

Dreamgirls
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
The Good Shepherd

CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Black Dahlia
Children of Men
The Ilusionist
Pan's Labyrinth
The Prestige

COSTUME DESIGN

Curse of the Golden Flower
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
The Queen

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Deliver Us from Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

The Blood of Yingzhou District
Recycled Life
Rehearsing a Dream
Two Hands

FILM EDITING

Babel
Blood Diamond
Children of Men
The Departed
United 93

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

After the Wedding (Denmark)
Days of Glory (Indigènes) (Algeria)
The Lives of Others (Germany)
Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico)
Water (Canada)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Apocalypto
Click
Pan’s Labyrinth

ACHIEVEMENT IN ORIGINAL MUSIC

Babel
The Good German
Notes on a Scandal
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth
Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge

“Listen” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler
Lyric by Anne Preven

“Love You I Do” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Siedah Garrett

“Our Town” from Cars
Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

“Patience” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Willie Reale

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada)
“Lifted” (Buena Vista)
“The Little Matchgirl” (Buena Vista)
“Maestro” (Szimplafilm)
“No Time for Nuts” (20th Century Fox)

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

“Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)”
“Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)”
“Helmer & Son”
“The Saviour”
“West Bank Story”

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters from Iwo Jima
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns

ADAPATED SCREENPLAY

Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Children of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Babel
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine *
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen

BuzzSugar Predictions: The 2006 Oscar Nominees

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 05:14:36 -0800

The nominees for the 79th Annual Academy Awards are finally coming out on Tuesday, and it seems no other year in recent Oscar memory has had so much buzz building before the big night. While some categories - namely Best Actress, aka Helen Mirren - seem mostly locked up, there are plenty of places where the Oscar voters might really surprise us in 2007. Here's who I think - and hope - will get nods in the major categories.

BEST PICTURE

Shoo-Ins:
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls

Wild Cards
The Queen
Children of Men
Little Miss Sunshine

BEST DIRECTOR

Shoo-Ins:
Clint Eastwood, Flags of Our Fathers or Letters from Iwo Jima
Martin Scorcese, The Departed
Aljenador Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel

Wild Cards
Bill Condon, Dreamgirls
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Paul Greengrass, United 93

To see the rest, read more

BEST ACTOR

Shoo-Ins:
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness

Wild Cards
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat
Peter O'Toole, Venus
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson

BEST ACTRESS

Shoo-Ins:
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Kate Winslet, Little Children

Wild Cards
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Annette Bening, Running With Scissors

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Shoo-Ins:
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Jack Nicholson, The Departed

Wild Cards
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
Brad Pitt, Babel
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Shoo-Ins:
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Adriana Barraza, Babel

Wild Cards
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada

OTHER NOMINATIONS I'D LOVE TO SEE

Best Sound Design: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay: Children of Men
Best Costume Design: Marie Antoinette
Best Song: "The Book I Write" by Spoon for Stranger Than Fiction
Best Cinematography: The Good German
Best Visual Effects: Casino Royale

Golden Globes: Babel Wins Best Picture Drama

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:06:00 -0800

One minute, director Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel was a somewhat difficult and low-profile artsy film getting merely good reviews. But after its Best Picture Drama win at last night's Golden Globe Awards, it seems Babel may be the prime frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars. (For more on the movie, check out my Babel review.)

Once I saw that the Globes directing award was going to the much-deserved Martin Scorcese, I figured Babel would score the Best Picture win, and I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens at the Oscars. If last year's puzzling win for Crash taught us anything, it's that actors love to reward their peers, and there's no better way to do that than by honoring an ensemble movie that's built on the strength of its performances - particularly by Cate Blanchett and little-knowns Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi.

What do you guys think: Will Babel win Best Picture at the Oscars? To see a gallery of stunning stills from the film, read more

View 11 Photos ›

What Golden Globe Winner Was the Biggest Surprise?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 06:33:12 -0800