Road to the Oscars - a premonition

My personal preferences, amongst those recently nominated:

(Disclaimer: I admit to not having seen ALL the motion pictures in question, in other words all those that are up for the big prize, but these are the ones I myself consider to be worthy of and strongly deserving an Academy Award and amongst the ones I have singled out, I have witnessed all live and in action.)


Best Motion Picture of the Year

The Departed (without an itsy-bisty-teeny-weeny-blink of a glimpse of a flicker of doubt. Best gangster-epic EVER!)
(Also up for consideration: Babel. But - more to follow!!)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Leonardo DiCaprio for Blood Diamond
(Because he wasn't nominated for "The Departed", which he should have been, and WHERE THE HELL IS JACK NICHOLSON???????)
OR
Peter O'Toole for Venus
(Because this is his 8TH (!) nomination and because he didn't get one for "Lawrence of Arabia")

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada
(Although we all know Helen Mirren is going to win...I am entitled to hope!)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Mark Wahlberg for The Departed
(Imagine - finally a personal B-movie favourite actor of mine is up for the Big-O! WEEE!)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Rinko Kikuchi for Babel
(Extraordinary nod to Asian movie-making!)

Best Achievement in Directing
(I NEED HELP! THIS IS A BLOODY IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE!)

Clint Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears for The Queen
Paul Greengrass for United 93
Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel
Martin Scorsese for The Departed

If I had to choose, though, I would say Iñárritu for "Babel", because he handled such difficult themes and such different actors/environments in such an oustanding way - and because Clint and Marty have already won similar awards on a laaarge number of occasions. But...well...they could do with a few more, I guess. (And come to think of it, Marty has in never actually WON an Oscar, just been nominated.) BUT - WELL! - INSTEAD, TO MAKE IT BLOODY EASIER, LET ME NOMINATE CHRISTOPHER NOLAN FOR "THE PRESTIGE"!

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

The Queen: Peter Morgan OR Babel: Guillermo Arriaga

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

The Departed: William Monahan


IN SHORT: I HOPE "THE DEPARTED" FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A CERTAIN DOC AND SWEEPS THE SHOW!
And let's hope Pirates wins in the special effects categories and Black Dahlia gets one for cinematography and The Prestige gets one for (unfortunately insignificant) Art Direction.


(And furthermore. I know I have no power in the world when it comes to altering these nomantions, and thus I will spend little time debating and arguing over the wrong-doing that some of them constitute - mostly due to the injust omission of certain actors and movies. But I will make a small comment just because it is necessary; I would feel even more awful without having stated the following. For instance - and once again! - BOOOOOO to the jury for neglecting to nominate Johnny Depp as our Favourite Pirate. A small compensation that they dared nominate Marky Mark but I am still far from content. And what about The Prestige and Casino Royale??? OYH!)