I have some watching to do.
I wonder if they'll have the "Laundry List Version" of the Oscars like they did with the Golden Globes.
I've actually seen two of the five Best Picture nominees this year--a nice ratio for me.
2000: 1 (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...although I saw a lot of Gladiator)
2001: 2 (Gosford Park, Fellowship of the Ring)
2002: 2 (Gangs of New York, Two Towers)
2003: 3 (Return of the King, Master and Commander, Seabiscuit)
2004: 1 (Ray)
2005: 2 (Capote, Good Night and Good Luck)
2006: 1 (Little Miss Sunshine)
2007: 2 (Juno, No Country for Old Men)
The first Best Picture nominee I've seen (chronologically)?
1936: Three Smart Girls
There has never been a year when I've seen all of the nominees.
SHAMELESS PLUG: Jennifer Garner had Oscar de la Renta make two dresses made for her to choose from for the Oscars, both of which are gold-like in color. One is a Cinderella-type dress with a poofy bottom, and the other is a chic evening gown. My mom, who works for Oscar de la Renta, made the latter one with her own two hands, so if Garner chooses that one, her dress will be on TV! Way to go, Mom!
There has never been a year when I've seen all of the nominees.
I used to go see all the nominees in my younger days, no matter how tedious (read: The Last Emperor) they were. Not anymore. Back in 1985, I would have enjoyed Out Of Africa a lot more if I didn't spend 3/4 of its running time worrying if I had left my car's headlights on (they weren't.)
Good luck to your mom, Luigi. Hope the dress she made makes the cut. Let us know right here.
Well, from the description I gave, you should be able to tell yourself if they show her. If she shows up looking like a ballerina, then we'll know she didn't choose the one my mom made. And thanks.
Well, Jennifer Garner is wearing some black number, so it looks like she didn't pick either of the two dresses Oscar de la Renta made for her. Oh well.
Oops. Looks like I spoke too soon. I must've misunderstood my Mom, because according to her, the black dress Garner is wearing IS the one she made. Way to go, Mom. :-)
Thank you, Academy, for proving why ghettoizing the animated features to their own category is just friggin' stupid. I knew that one day, someone would make a movie like Persepolis (I personally imagined someone making an animated adaptation of Art Spiegelman's Maus), and it would go up against the typical Disney fare, which is a joke. Ratatouille not only isn't the best anmiated feature, it's not even the best Pixar film. Hell, it isn't even the best Brad Bird movie, especially after The Incredibles. What an insult.
Yeah, but it is the best Pixar and Brad Bird movie of the last year, which is what the award is for? And Persepolis going up against Ratatouille is no different than every non-animated movie go up against each other in their wide variety of genres.
And it's not like they couldn't have submitted it for Best Picture if they thought they could win it.
Doesn't the Best Animated category preclude that, which is why it was created?
I don't think so. The reason the category was made was that overall, animated features are less likely to be recognized other than your extreme rarities like "Beauty and the Beast". Animated films can still be submitted to the Best Picture category, but this would make them ineligible for Best Animated, much like a documentary can be submitted for one or or the other as can a foreign language film. Nothing prevents creators from submitting films for consideration in the Best Picture category, but most will go for the category they feel they have the best shot of getting a nomination and a win.
The rule actually states: "Films submitted in the Best Animated Feature Film category may qualify for Academy Awards in other areas, including Best Picture, provided they meet the rules criteria governing those categories."
http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/rules/rule07.html
Thanks for the info, Josh.
However, I still don't think that Persepolis going up against Ratatouille is akin to every other film going up for Best Picture. I can look at all the nominees in that category and see how they're comparable (or probably comparable) in quality. Compared Ratatouille to Persepolis, however, is just wrong-headed.
That I can't argue since although both are on my "to see" list, I have yet to view them. From the reviews, however, it would seem that you're in the minority with that view. One story yesterday said that critically both films were "neck and neck", but expected Ratatouille to take it because, as another site put it, "Pixar is king". It can be unfortunate when that occurs, but the Academy is sometimes like that, taking the popular pick.
Oops. Looks like I spoke too soon. I must've misunderstood my Mom, because according to her, the black dress Garner is wearing IS the one she made. Way to go, Mom.:-)
Check out the dress, and the rest of Ms. Garner here.