Dan’s Oscar favorites
While I tried to appear indifferent to the Oscars in my last post, there are certain flicks, actors and writers I will be rooting for when I watch the telecast with some friends later today.
As to flicks, I’ll be pulling for Juno for Best Picture. While I don’t think it was the best movie of the year, I did think it was a sweet story and shows that the abortion is more complicated that pro-choice zealots would have. Here, a teenager gets pregnant and decides to carry the child to term.
And I’ll be rooting for Ratatouille for Best Animated Feature. A truly well done flick, with a great “conceit” as a premise, a rat who aspires to be a gourmet chef. This story resonates with anyone who has ever had to struggle to find his path in life, finding his life goals at odds with those around him and having trouble convincing others (in his chosen profession) of the seriouness of his endeavors.
In this post, I made clear why Nancy Oliver’s Lars and the Real Girl is the hands down choice for Best Screenplay.
Among the nominees for best actor in a leading role, I have to give it to Daniel Day-Lewis even if I didn’t much care for the film. He was, as always, brilliant.
For Best Actress, all five nominees clearly merit the honor. But, despite my love of Laura Linney (I thought she should have run for You Can Count on Me back in 2001), I’ll be rooting for Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose. While watching this flick, you don’t think you’re watching an actress portraying Edith Piaf, you believe you’re seeing the celebrated chanteuse herself.
While there are a number of talented actors up in the supporting categories, I believe two screen veterans should take home the statuettes this year, Hal Holbrooke for Into the Wild and Ruby Dee for American Gangster. Both inhabit their roles and steal the few scenes in which they appear. Honor them for their brilliant work in these flicks — and for their long careers.
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Oh and when you give Best Documentary to a fat POS who didn’t make what qualifies as a documentary, why should anybody care?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — February 24, 2008 @ 7:06 pm - February 24, 2008
Well, I can only say that perhaps you, a friend or a loved one will have some kind of catastrophic illness and have to be subjected to what insurance-premium paying Americans are subjected to on a daily basis. Then perhaps you might understand that the "fat POS" filmed a subject that is actually a documentary.
Comment by Kevin — February 25, 2008 @ 12:19 am - February 25, 2008
Give me a break, Kevin. It’s hardly a documentary as it ignores the myriad problems faced by those who seek medical care in countries with nationalized health care systems.
Comment by GayPatriotWest — February 25, 2008 @ 12:33 am - February 25, 2008
I can only say that perhaps you, a friend or a loved one will have some kind of catastrophic illness
Don’t you just love how liberals love to ASSume? Besides, Kevbo, I’ve been working emergency medicine in and around hospitals for years. I’ve heard it all. It’s safe to say that liberals, as usual, are full of shit.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — February 25, 2008 @ 3:34 am - February 25, 2008
Well, I can only say that perhaps you, a friend or a loved one will have some kind of catastrophic illness and have to be subjected to what insurance-premium paying Americans are subjected to on a daily basis.
Um, I was under the impression that the whole point of socialized medicine is that the poor, downtrodden proletarians aren’t paying insurance premiums… because they can’t afford it…
If TGC isn’t paying insurance premiums, it seems like it would be a step up if he got sick and experienced what people actually paying those premiums experience…
Comment by DoDoGuRu — February 25, 2008 @ 9:45 am - February 25, 2008
This is a brilliant observation, that I will be using in future health care discussions.
Here are a few more; not as brilliant - but still true and germane.
- Most Americans who don’t have insurance, don’t have it because they actually don’t want it. Think "single young people".
My brother-in-law helped institute Health Savings Accounts at his company - a way where people may opt for minimal or "no" coverage, and the company deposits the cost difference in private medical savings accounts for them. The young, single, poor / hourly-wage guys came up and thanked him for it. It was a big net plus for them.
- Americans who don’t have insurance and who would want it, simply avail themselves of emergency rooms (what TGC is talking about). Rather than, again, going to Canada.
- So-called "free" medical care is actually *slave* medical care. Doctors and patients alike are slaves to the government. "Free" medical care should refer to a totally private-enterprise system, where everyone acts as voluntary agents.
- Care is "universal" in slave-medical societies because it is lowest-common-denominator - and because people must endure inhumane waits for it. Do you admire Canada much? Well, in 2005, a top court in Quebec found that Canada’s system is a basic human rights violation!
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — February 25, 2008 @ 3:47 pm - February 25, 2008
P.S. Dan, sorry for going OT - but I was only commenting on your own OT observation
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — February 25, 2008 @ 3:52 pm - February 25, 2008
And I’m amazed how well you predicted Best Actress, GPW. Last night, both the husbear and I were like, "Who?"
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — February 25, 2008 @ 4:35 pm - February 25, 2008
Was that Rudin’s boyfriend John Barlow the cutie in the audience that they keep cutting-to when Rudin came to the stage for his Oscar? I could not hear-clearly the commentary nor the winner’s speeches where I was watching the Awards. Hmmmm…double-congrats to Mr. Rudin.
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — February 25, 2008 @ 5:35 pm - February 25, 2008
And in the 20+ hospitals I’ve been in and out of (for work), I have yet to find one that inquires about payment BEFORE care begins, like the liberals claim. Further, HillOrgasma are pledging to spend billions of dollars that the liberals swear we don’t have. We know "pay-go" was nothing more than a campaign ploy, so where will the money come from?
"Soaking the rich" which means taxing EVERYBODY with income. Also, it would require adding on the thousands of poor families which were excluded from taxes due to Bush’s "tax cuts for the rich". Hillary’s bold enough to tell oil companies that she’ll take their profits "for the common good", but why won’t she come out and directly tell the poor that they’ll have to pay taxes again?
BTW, Dan, I haven’t seen a movie since Saw IV that I remotely liked. Although, 3:10 to Yuma was kinda cool. I think I’d rather have a sigmoidoscopy again than watch Juno. The video of that was at least pretty interesting and kept my attention diverted from what was going on.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — February 25, 2008 @ 5:47 pm - February 25, 2008
Oh Yeah! I forgot Algore won an Oscar for his steaming turd.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — February 25, 2008 @ 5:54 pm - February 25, 2008
#8 - No amazement here with me and Hubby while channel-surfing between the Oscars and FNC. We lucked out and got to see the Best Actress award, nominees and all.
We both enjoyed "La Vie en Rose," and Cotillard was definitely our hands-down favorite; right next to Cate Blanchett for "Elizabeth - the Golden Age."
The minute James Whittaker called out her name - correctly - we both whooped and hollered. She definitely deserved her Oscar, and I loved her speech - "this city really is full of angels."
Salut pour vous, Marion!
PS - Just as a side note for you Oscar trivia buffs, check out the following:
1. This is the first time since 1965 that all of the top 4 acting Oscars went to non-American actors.
2. Marion Cotillard is only the second woman in Oscar history to win a Best Actress award appearing in a foreign-language film - the first was Sophia Loren for "Two Women" in 1964.
3. In all of Oscar history, only one man ever won Best Actor appearing in a foreign language film - Roberto Begnini for "Life is Beautiful." (He also won for Best Foreign Film that same night since he produced his own film.)
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — February 25, 2008 @ 9:31 pm - February 25, 2008
#3 Actually, Dan, people do sneak up to Canada from the US to buy prescription drugs at a great discount and also to get medical treatment they can’t afford in the US. So that’ s not entirely true.
Comment by Houndentenor — February 26, 2008 @ 12:50 pm - February 26, 2008
Two things no one is mentioning:
Am I the only one who thought a couple of the soldiers presenting from the Iraq must certainly not be telling (and not being asked!)?
The short documentary winner was about gay marriage. Brava!
Comment by Houndentenor — February 26, 2008 @ 12:54 pm - February 26, 2008
#12:
Thanks for the trivia, but I must correct you. Sophia Loren won in 1961.
Comment by Attmay — February 27, 2008 @ 12:55 am - February 27, 2008
10: Well, from my own experience of going to a hospital or escorting someone who needed care (each time it was ambulatory and non-catastrophic), I *always* had to go a check-in desk where that information was collected about payment first. I’m assuming (at least I hope) that someone who is need of critical/catastrophic care does not have to do this.
The do have a clear memory of the one time I was in a hospital in an emergency situation while in college (emergency appendectomy). After the procedure was over, I was visited the next day by the doctor who performed the procedure (not even knowing if I had met him when I was so out of it). He very quickly went over my condition, left the room and then returned less than a minute later demanding information on my parent’s health care coverage and stating (in a very nasty tone) that he didn’t accept this "HMO stuff" for payment. Ah, medical care….
Comment by Kevin — February 27, 2008 @ 5:54 am - February 27, 2008