In an unusual coincidence, there are three season finales for quality serial dramas on TV tonight. Showtime airs the fourth season finale of The L Word, Sci Fi has the third season finale of Battlestar Galactica and HBO will run the second season (and also series) finale of Rome.
The L Word has rebounded nicely from a series-worst third season with a lighter, fresher approach driven by new relationships and evolving characters. The performances have always been the show's standout element, and this season has given Jennifer Beals another chance to shine as alternately vulnerable and narcissistic power lesbian Bette Porter, provided some of the best material yet for ace supporting actresses Katherine Moennig (who brings the drama as perpetually damaged Shane) and Leisha Hailey (who brings the comedy as sprightly social hub Alice) and enjoyably transformed Brit actress Rachel Shelley's character from vaguely villainous to a lovably neurotic mess (which gives the gorgeous Shelley an opportunity to show off considerable comedic skills).
And the show added a couple of recognizable TV faces: Marlee Matlin fits in perfectly as a new love interest for Bette, while Cybill Shepherd feels more like stunt casting as Bette's colleague who comes out as a lesbian late in life. Foxy guest star Kristanna Loken and welcome new addition Rose Rollins have also delivered this season, helping to make The L Word good soapy fun and more entertaining, if not necessarily better, than ever.
Rome, on the other hand, has had a difficult time matching the sharpness of its first season. It's still an addictive adult pleasure but the storylines were a little flabbier this time around, especially for former Centurions Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). And the political intrigue of Mark Antony vs. Gaius Octavian (who will become Caesar Augustus) hasn't quite matched the compelling first season arc of Julius Caesar. But the ensemble cast is still effective and the knowledge that this would be the show's final season seems to have encouraged the producers to knock off key characters with ruthless efficiency. Someone seemed to die in practically every episode (of course history may have necessitated much of that as well). In an encouraging sign for tonight's finale, Rome's most recent episode was also the season's best. The excellent hour finally brought together Antony and Cleopatra and set the stage for a war between Antony and Octavian. Chances are good this unusual series will end on a high note.
The only one of tonight's finales that I've already seen is Battlestar Galactica's, and considering the show is the best of these three I'm betting this exceptional season ender is also the highlight of what's airing tonight.
Battlestar is known for thrilling cliffhanger endings and what happens tonight will change the series' world as much as last season's jump into the future. Nearly every major character reaches a turning point and the show furthers the season's mystery involving previously unseen Cylons. Battlestar has had its roughest season yet, with too many self-contained episodes in place of its usual compelling story arcs and not enough material for some key players including Mary McDonnell's President Roslin and Tricia Helfer's Cylon Number Six. But even when it's weaker, Battlestar remains one of TV's top hours. And when it's really on its game, as it has been for the past three weeks and continues to be tonight, it's a prime example of just how good serial television can be.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Lots of reviews
Just a bunch of links to what I've been writing the past few weeks:
Two very good foreign films, The Lives of Others (one of my favorite films of last year) and The Host, and one much less interesting, Avenue Montaigne.
Two of today's wide releases: Pride and TMNT.
Finally, last week I wrote reviews of Chris Rock's latest, I Think I Love My Wife, and a Sundance prize winning documentary that hasn't done much business, God Grew Tired of Us.
Two very good foreign films, The Lives of Others (one of my favorite films of last year) and The Host, and one much less interesting, Avenue Montaigne.
Two of today's wide releases: Pride and TMNT.
Finally, last week I wrote reviews of Chris Rock's latest, I Think I Love My Wife, and a Sundance prize winning documentary that hasn't done much business, God Grew Tired of Us.
Monday, March 12, 2007
FX rebounds with The Riches
Tonight's premiere of The Riches on FX couldn't arrive any sooner. The "edgy" cable network still has its most recent misfire on the air, and they haven't launched a successful hour since Rescue Me which is about to enter its fourth season. With The Shield's latest season still nearly a month away from launch there's a serious lack of quality at the network right now. I'm not sure The Riches has what it takes to become a ratings juggernaut but at least the pilot is good, and suggests the start of something worth paying attention to.
The show is a strange creation, even for a boundary-pushing network like FX. Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver star as the heads of a family who live out of their camper, roaming from town to town stealing for a living. It's a gypsy lifestyle and from what we learn in the pilot it's also how Driver's character was raised. But when the family gets an opportunity for a fresh start they take it.
The closest comparison for The Riches on TV today is HBO's Big Love, which also looks at an American family with circumstances so unique they might as well be from another planet and their awkward relationship with society at large. The basic set-up of a family assuming new identities recalls The CW's instant flop Runaway, while Izzard and Driver appear primed to play out the kind of complicated relationship full of moral ambiguities that Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen were robbed of when CBS rudely yanked fall's promising crime drama Smith. Like the latter two shows The Riches wouldn't have a prayer on network TV, but like Big Love it has the opportunity to speak to an appreciative niche audience while making the most of the creative freedom cable provides.
There's plenty of naughty language, some violence and a little sex in the show's pilot but unlike some other FX shows The Riches doesn't seem eager to abuse its freedoms and "push the envelope" just for shock value. The characters are more than enough to grab viewers' attention.
The Riches will air Mondays at 10 on FX with repeats throughout the week and the pilot is available to watch anytime this week on Yahoo! TV.
The show is a strange creation, even for a boundary-pushing network like FX. Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver star as the heads of a family who live out of their camper, roaming from town to town stealing for a living. It's a gypsy lifestyle and from what we learn in the pilot it's also how Driver's character was raised. But when the family gets an opportunity for a fresh start they take it.
The closest comparison for The Riches on TV today is HBO's Big Love, which also looks at an American family with circumstances so unique they might as well be from another planet and their awkward relationship with society at large. The basic set-up of a family assuming new identities recalls The CW's instant flop Runaway, while Izzard and Driver appear primed to play out the kind of complicated relationship full of moral ambiguities that Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen were robbed of when CBS rudely yanked fall's promising crime drama Smith. Like the latter two shows The Riches wouldn't have a prayer on network TV, but like Big Love it has the opportunity to speak to an appreciative niche audience while making the most of the creative freedom cable provides.
There's plenty of naughty language, some violence and a little sex in the show's pilot but unlike some other FX shows The Riches doesn't seem eager to abuse its freedoms and "push the envelope" just for shock value. The characters are more than enough to grab viewers' attention.
The Riches will air Mondays at 10 on FX with repeats throughout the week and the pilot is available to watch anytime this week on Yahoo! TV.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Four good movies and one overhyped surefire hit
Several good films have hit theaters over the past few weeks, but they're all getting trounced at the box office by garbage-y looking bigger product like Norbit, Ghost Rider and Wild Hogs.
The Astronaut Farmer is a quirky inspirational drama that deserved a wider audience, while Zodiac and Breach—two adult dramas based on true events—have performed a little better but are still posting only modest grosses.
Black Snake Moan faced the double dishonor of undeservedly harsh reviews and a poor opening weekend. I think audiences would be pleasantly surprised if only they'd give the woman-in-chains drama a chance. Samuel L. Jackson's performance is worthy of an Oscar nomination (not that it will ever come).
But this weekend's #1 movie will obviously be 300, which is at least a step up in quality from the rest of the year's box office chart toppers. The graphic novel adaptation has generated a lot of buzz, especially online, for the heavily CGI visuals used to tell the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors held off considerably more Persian adversaries.
I originally saw 300 before any of the films mentioned above and at the time I was really hoping for the year's first good film. Director Zack Snyder previously did an unexpectedly great job with the Dawn of the Dead remake and advance footage looked promising.
But 300 is too flawed to even be called good, let alone great. Pitiful dialogue, underscored by obnoxious voiceover, and a horribly misguided politically driven subplot are just two of the problems. Even more troubling is how seriously this campy action spectacle ultimately takes itself. It aspires to the faux-heroic inspirational vibe of Gladiator and Braveheart, which adds an unwelcome pretentiousness that defeats the movie's guiltier pleasures.
There's definitely fun to be had in many of the battle scenes with their over-the-top visuals and Snyder clearly enjoys bringing some of comic book legend Frank Miller's more outlandish images to the screen—I still have no idea how that's actually Rodrigo Santoro (the new guy on Lost/Laura Linney's Love Actually love interest) as ten foot tall Persian king, and self made god, Xerxes.
Gerard Butler also makes for a great leading man as Spartan King Leonidas, bringing the right amounts of humor and charisma to the role. Unfortunately, he's alone in that.
I'm still cautiously optimistic about Zack Snyder's future, but hopefully next time he'll direct a better screenplay and only take the story as seriously as it deserves.
The Astronaut Farmer is a quirky inspirational drama that deserved a wider audience, while Zodiac and Breach—two adult dramas based on true events—have performed a little better but are still posting only modest grosses.
Black Snake Moan faced the double dishonor of undeservedly harsh reviews and a poor opening weekend. I think audiences would be pleasantly surprised if only they'd give the woman-in-chains drama a chance. Samuel L. Jackson's performance is worthy of an Oscar nomination (not that it will ever come).
But this weekend's #1 movie will obviously be 300, which is at least a step up in quality from the rest of the year's box office chart toppers. The graphic novel adaptation has generated a lot of buzz, especially online, for the heavily CGI visuals used to tell the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors held off considerably more Persian adversaries.
I originally saw 300 before any of the films mentioned above and at the time I was really hoping for the year's first good film. Director Zack Snyder previously did an unexpectedly great job with the Dawn of the Dead remake and advance footage looked promising.
But 300 is too flawed to even be called good, let alone great. Pitiful dialogue, underscored by obnoxious voiceover, and a horribly misguided politically driven subplot are just two of the problems. Even more troubling is how seriously this campy action spectacle ultimately takes itself. It aspires to the faux-heroic inspirational vibe of Gladiator and Braveheart, which adds an unwelcome pretentiousness that defeats the movie's guiltier pleasures.
There's definitely fun to be had in many of the battle scenes with their over-the-top visuals and Snyder clearly enjoys bringing some of comic book legend Frank Miller's more outlandish images to the screen—I still have no idea how that's actually Rodrigo Santoro (the new guy on Lost/Laura Linney's Love Actually love interest) as ten foot tall Persian king, and self made god, Xerxes.
Gerard Butler also makes for a great leading man as Spartan King Leonidas, bringing the right amounts of humor and charisma to the role. Unfortunately, he's alone in that.
I'm still cautiously optimistic about Zack Snyder's future, but hopefully next time he'll direct a better screenplay and only take the story as seriously as it deserves.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Lost lessons
Lost was much improved last night, the turnaround from an all time low last week to one of the season's best this week was dazzling. (Of course being one of the "best" in a mediocre season isn't much to celebrate, but I think it's all that can reasonably be expected from the show anymore.)
Top three reasons why:
1) John Locke. Don't the writers understand this is their best character? And unlike Hurley or Sawyer he's worth including in every episode.
2) A backstory that was well acted, well written and actually meant something for the episode. Plus, Sayid is probably the show's second best character.
3) I was able to fast forward through the handful of Sawyer scenes. I only watched the first scene for Sun & Jin and the entertainingly awful new characters.
Top three reasons why:
1) John Locke. Don't the writers understand this is their best character? And unlike Hurley or Sawyer he's worth including in every episode.
2) A backstory that was well acted, well written and actually meant something for the episode. Plus, Sayid is probably the show's second best character.
3) I was able to fast forward through the handful of Sawyer scenes. I only watched the first scene for Sun & Jin and the entertainingly awful new characters.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Tracking Heroes, Lost
I wrote an item on Monday's episode of Heroes for the new LA Times TV feature Showtracker. It's very spoiler heavy, so if you watch and haven't seen the latest episode yet you'll want to steer clear. But it's really the first piece I've written specifically for LA Times, so that's exciting.
And in anticipation of this week's new episode of Lost I'd recommend this recap of last week's staggeringly awful hour (the writer happens to be really talented and beautiful but that's not my only reason for liking it).
The episode was such an unnecessary tangent, at such an inopportune time, I really think it might be the single worst Lost episode to date. That's quite an achievement considering previous pointless hours wasted on Sawyer, Kate, Hurley and Charlie. The next two weeks supposedly focus on Sayid and Claire and will hopefully give me a reason to keep watching without feeling like a complete masochist.
And in anticipation of this week's new episode of Lost I'd recommend this recap of last week's staggeringly awful hour (the writer happens to be really talented and beautiful but that's not my only reason for liking it).
The episode was such an unnecessary tangent, at such an inopportune time, I really think it might be the single worst Lost episode to date. That's quite an achievement considering previous pointless hours wasted on Sawyer, Kate, Hurley and Charlie. The next two weeks supposedly focus on Sayid and Claire and will hopefully give me a reason to keep watching without feeling like a complete masochist.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Oscar picks
The Academy had their say last weekend, but here's what I'd select for the top film achievements of 2006.
With the caveat that I have yet to see: Running with Scissors, The Good German, The Illusionist, Sweet Land, Old Joy, Factotum, Fast Food Nation, Find Me Guilty, Kinky Boots, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Infamous, Miami Vice and some significant foreign films including Curse of the Golden Flower, Clean, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Water, Duck Season, Three Times and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.
I also haven't seen enough of the contenders to properly consider a feature length documentary or animated film category (though right now I'd go along with Oscar's choices in each—An Inconvenient Truth and Happy Feet).
Ensemble Cast
The Dead Girl
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Friends with Money
The Good Shepherd
A category Oscar doesn't have, but might as well. There were several high quality ensemble-driven films released last year and all of my choices were brimming with talent, even in small roles.
Winner: Dreamgirls
Foreign Language Film
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Tsotsi
Volver
It's impossible to consider this category the same way Oscar does, with one submission each from countries worldwide. I'll just stick to films in a foreign language released during 2006. That gives me two films nominated in Oscar's corresponding category (Lives and Pan's), one that should've been (Volver), last year's Oscar winner (Tsotsi) and a Best Picture nominee (Letters).
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Adapted Screenplay
Casino Royale
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Little Children
Not exactly the strongest year on record in this category, nothing against my top choice or runner-up Little Children.
Winner: The Departed
Original Screenplay
The Lives of Others
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen
Stranger Than Fiction
Volver
Only one American screenplay in this mix, it was a year for foreign product to shine.
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Supporting Actor
Sergi López (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Michael Sheen (The Queen)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Yes, I do consider Oscar's Best Actor a supporting player, but a worthy nominee in any case. There were a few other strong contenders for this list but that only includes Little Children's Jackie Earle Haley from Oscar's selections.
Winner: Michael Sheen (The Queen)
Best Supporting Actress
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Vera Farmiga (The Departed)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Emma Thompson (Stranger Than Fiction)
Kerry Washington (The Dead Girl)
The year's most competitive category, in addition to two other actresses from The Dead Girl—Marcia Gay Harden and Mary Beth Hurt—performances I'm forced to omit, despite their worthiness, are Maribel Verdú (Pan’s Labyrinth), Carmen Maura (Volver), Juliette Binoche (Breaking and Entering), Adrianna Barazza (Babel), Frances de la Tour (The History Boys), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Stranger Than Fiction and World Trade Center), Eva Green (Casino Royale) and Frances McDormand (Friends with Money).
Winner: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Best Actress
Penélope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Gretchen Mol (The Notorious Bettie Page)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
Oscar got this one just about right, it was pretty difficult to ignore the incredible work of Cruz, Dench, Mirren and Winslet. Mol was the one who slipped through the cracks in a low-grossing indie released early in the year, but her performance was charming and touching, every bit the equal of those other four leading ladies. Still, Oscar got the winner right too.
Winner: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)
Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
Ulrich Mühe (The Lives of Others)
Patrick Wilson (Little Children)
Oh the pain, the unfortunate blunder, of DiCaprio's Oscar nomination for the wrong film. That goof cost the Academy the opportunity to recognize the performance of the year. And so Gosling became the most deserving nominee while Wilson remained Little Children's most undervalued player, Mühe languished in foreign language obscurity and Ferrell found little respect for his dialed-down delivery of the year's best comedic performance.
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Best Director
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others)
George Miller (Happy Feet)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
As much as I'd like to throw a curveball in here, I can't omit any of the directors of my five favorite films. Each demonstrated an equally strong command of actors, craft and storytelling. If I could consider two films in one then Clint Eastwood would have to make the cut for the combination of Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.
Winner: Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)
Best Picture
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Happy Feet
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Yep, they're still my favorites.
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
And technical categories...
Art Direction/Production Design
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
Pan’s Labyrinth
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Cinematography
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters From Iwo Jima
Pan’s Labyrinth
Winner: Children of Men
Costume Design
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Marie Antoinette
The Notorious Bettie Page
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Winner: Dreamgirls
Editing
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Inside Man
Little Children
Winner: The Departed
Make-Up
The Hills Have Eyes
Pan’s Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Original Score
The Lives of Others
The Painted Veil
Pan’s Labyrinth
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Volver
Winner: The Painted Veil
Original Song
The Book I Write (Stranger Than Fiction)
Call the Law (Idlewild)
I Need To Wake Up (An Inconvenient Truth)
Listen (Dreamgirls)
Song of the Heart (Happy Feet)
I scrapped this category last year due to a lack of worthy contenders (or at least my inability to find them) but it's dramatically different this year. I even had to leave things off this list. Not just the other Oscar nominated Dreamgirls songs (which are solid in the film but a bit thin outside of it), but even better tracks like: Sheryl Crow's Cars contribution "Real Gone"; "In the End," the rousing closing number from indie Shortbus; and Ben Folds' gentle lullaby "Still" from Over the Hedge (a film I've yet to see).
Winner: Listen (Dreamgirls)
Visual Effects
Charlotte’s Web
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Superman Returns
Winner: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
With the caveat that I have yet to see: Running with Scissors, The Good German, The Illusionist, Sweet Land, Old Joy, Factotum, Fast Food Nation, Find Me Guilty, Kinky Boots, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Infamous, Miami Vice and some significant foreign films including Curse of the Golden Flower, Clean, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Water, Duck Season, Three Times and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.
I also haven't seen enough of the contenders to properly consider a feature length documentary or animated film category (though right now I'd go along with Oscar's choices in each—An Inconvenient Truth and Happy Feet).
Ensemble Cast
The Dead Girl
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Friends with Money
The Good Shepherd
A category Oscar doesn't have, but might as well. There were several high quality ensemble-driven films released last year and all of my choices were brimming with talent, even in small roles.
Winner: Dreamgirls
Foreign Language Film
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Tsotsi
Volver
It's impossible to consider this category the same way Oscar does, with one submission each from countries worldwide. I'll just stick to films in a foreign language released during 2006. That gives me two films nominated in Oscar's corresponding category (Lives and Pan's), one that should've been (Volver), last year's Oscar winner (Tsotsi) and a Best Picture nominee (Letters).
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Adapted Screenplay
Casino Royale
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Little Children
Not exactly the strongest year on record in this category, nothing against my top choice or runner-up Little Children.
Winner: The Departed
Original Screenplay
The Lives of Others
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen
Stranger Than Fiction
Volver
Only one American screenplay in this mix, it was a year for foreign product to shine.
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Supporting Actor
Sergi López (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Michael Sheen (The Queen)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Yes, I do consider Oscar's Best Actor a supporting player, but a worthy nominee in any case. There were a few other strong contenders for this list but that only includes Little Children's Jackie Earle Haley from Oscar's selections.
Winner: Michael Sheen (The Queen)
Best Supporting Actress
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Vera Farmiga (The Departed)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Emma Thompson (Stranger Than Fiction)
Kerry Washington (The Dead Girl)
The year's most competitive category, in addition to two other actresses from The Dead Girl—Marcia Gay Harden and Mary Beth Hurt—performances I'm forced to omit, despite their worthiness, are Maribel Verdú (Pan’s Labyrinth), Carmen Maura (Volver), Juliette Binoche (Breaking and Entering), Adrianna Barazza (Babel), Frances de la Tour (The History Boys), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Stranger Than Fiction and World Trade Center), Eva Green (Casino Royale) and Frances McDormand (Friends with Money).
Winner: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Best Actress
Penélope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Gretchen Mol (The Notorious Bettie Page)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
Oscar got this one just about right, it was pretty difficult to ignore the incredible work of Cruz, Dench, Mirren and Winslet. Mol was the one who slipped through the cracks in a low-grossing indie released early in the year, but her performance was charming and touching, every bit the equal of those other four leading ladies. Still, Oscar got the winner right too.
Winner: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)
Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
Ulrich Mühe (The Lives of Others)
Patrick Wilson (Little Children)
Oh the pain, the unfortunate blunder, of DiCaprio's Oscar nomination for the wrong film. That goof cost the Academy the opportunity to recognize the performance of the year. And so Gosling became the most deserving nominee while Wilson remained Little Children's most undervalued player, Mühe languished in foreign language obscurity and Ferrell found little respect for his dialed-down delivery of the year's best comedic performance.
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Best Director
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others)
George Miller (Happy Feet)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
As much as I'd like to throw a curveball in here, I can't omit any of the directors of my five favorite films. Each demonstrated an equally strong command of actors, craft and storytelling. If I could consider two films in one then Clint Eastwood would have to make the cut for the combination of Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.
Winner: Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)
Best Picture
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Happy Feet
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Yep, they're still my favorites.
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
And technical categories...
Art Direction/Production Design
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
Pan’s Labyrinth
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Cinematography
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters From Iwo Jima
Pan’s Labyrinth
Winner: Children of Men
Costume Design
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Marie Antoinette
The Notorious Bettie Page
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Winner: Dreamgirls
Editing
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Inside Man
Little Children
Winner: The Departed
Make-Up
The Hills Have Eyes
Pan’s Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth
Original Score
The Lives of Others
The Painted Veil
Pan’s Labyrinth
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Volver
Winner: The Painted Veil
Original Song
The Book I Write (Stranger Than Fiction)
Call the Law (Idlewild)
I Need To Wake Up (An Inconvenient Truth)
Listen (Dreamgirls)
Song of the Heart (Happy Feet)
I scrapped this category last year due to a lack of worthy contenders (or at least my inability to find them) but it's dramatically different this year. I even had to leave things off this list. Not just the other Oscar nominated Dreamgirls songs (which are solid in the film but a bit thin outside of it), but even better tracks like: Sheryl Crow's Cars contribution "Real Gone"; "In the End," the rousing closing number from indie Shortbus; and Ben Folds' gentle lullaby "Still" from Over the Hedge (a film I've yet to see).
Winner: Listen (Dreamgirls)
Visual Effects
Charlotte’s Web
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Superman Returns
Winner: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
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