If I had my own oscar ballot!

Best Picture: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Babel
Best Actor: Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Best Actress: Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Best Supp. Actor: Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Best Supp. Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Best Ori. Screenplay: Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
Best Ada. Screenplay: Alfonso Cuaron et al., Children of Men
Best Foreign Film: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro, Pan's Labyrinth
Best Editing: Clare Douglas, Chris Rouse, Rich Pearson, United 93

Oscar Winners Predictions

Best Picture: Babel!!!! OR Little Miss Sunshine!!! OR The Departed!!!(I hope LMS)
Best Director: Martin Scorsese(The Departed)
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Best Supp. Actor: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supp. Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Best Ori. Screenplay: Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
Best Ada. Screenplay: William Monahan, The Departed
Best Doc Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Best Foreign Film: Pan's Labyrinth

The Prestige

This is one of the best, most compelling films of the year. Brilliant acted by a great cast of Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson and outstandingly directed by Christopher Nolan, this film touches many emotions, creates a competitive format and enriches in all that is powerful in filmmaking. The film witnesses the story of two competitive magicians(Illusionists) who challenge each other's talents for the prestige of the audience. The story shows us the sacrifice that one (or two) needs to gain the Prestige of minds. This film works in so many contexts that it glorifies the act of filmmaking, while mystifying the world of illusion. This film should have gotten more "prestige" in this awards season. Christopher Nolan proves once again his great filmmaking. Hopefully, he will be honored soon.

Little Children

Little Children is good piece of filmmaking and screenwriting. A great cast supports that cliam. This film is about the wanting of more, while everything you need is right in front of you. Patrick Wilson and Kate Winslet star as a cheating couple. I do not believe that this relationship is at any time real, as seen as how the narrator is used. I feel that the narrator was very important in the film, as he showed the somewhat wishy-washy lives of these suburbans. I found that it was crucial for the film to make us feel like it is a glorified story, and in that respect, it really work. The best part of the cast is Jackie Earle Haley as a once-punished paedophile. The film works well in its mockery of the "disney-esque" type of film, especially in the part of the football game ith Wilson. It looked like it was glorifying and mystifying his game. It looked like the football documentaries on ESPN. I really like Director Todd Field but i think that "In The Bedroom" was better than this one.There was some flaws with this film that kept blocking it from greatness. This film does ask the question of who really are the little children? Are they young or middle-age?

Flags of our Fathers

Clint Eastwood is the best director in the world right now. This film is definately not his best(acting is average, the flow is sometimes awkward) however his style is so beautiful especially his coloring. I thought this film had the best special effects in the war scenes. Again, this film wasnt great but it was another good job by Clint Eastwood. Actore Adam Beach was the best part of this average cast. It did question the power of heroes to the manipulation of American minds.

The Queen

This a solid film, with brilliant acting, lead by Helen Mirren as the queen. I could not have seen another actress play this role. This film was nearly perfect and had little if any flaws, but it didnt take many risks. This does not lessen the impact or strenght of the film, but it did lessen my "fun" for the film, as redundant as that may sound. The film does find a way to dabate many things like the monarchy, power relations, and the change in societal values. In summary, it was clearly a strong, sound film but i didnt love it.

Babel

Babel is one of the top films of 2006. It hits almost every emotion without overextending it. Writer Guillermo Arriaga has done a great job of incorporating 3-4 cultures into a story about the power of a single bullet shot. Director Alejandro Gonzalex Innaritu does a masterful job of commiting to four stories with great seperation and integrity. The first story is of a Moroccan family, which have two children who are playing with their gun and danger ensues. The second story is of the impact of the gun shot on American couple, played brilliantly by Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt. The third story is of a young Japanese def/mute woman and her battle to control her misery with the passing of her mother. The fourth story is of an illegal immigrant woman, played graciously by Adrianna Barazza and it tells the story of a woman trying to show her American kids her Mexican culture. All of these stories interrelate to battle some social/political issues like, immigration, sexuality, withdrawal, cultural conflict, murder, loss, passion, love and gun control. The best performances are by Rinko Kikuchi and Adrianna Barazza but everyone deserves major praise. It is hot with subtlety and precision. This is one of the strong films of teh year and joins Little Miss Sunshine, United 93 and Pan's Labyrinth as my best films of the year. Innaritu may be good enough to win a best director award. Innaritu and Arriaga shows us a perfect example of Post-Modern filmmaking, with his cultural interpretations.

The Science of Sleep

Michel Gondry hits another one out of the park with this film. His vision is so unique and original, but it also crosses many symbolic interplays. He isn constantly putting into conflict realism and hyperrealism while connecting them at the root. He is a truly clever and dedicated auteur, who needs to be seen as one of the most avnt-garde filmmakers today. Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg star in this complex love story, which transcends life and sleep. It did have some flaws, but it works none-the-less.

Running With Scissors

I was terribly dissapointed in Ryan Murphy's Running With Scissors. The film is about the dysfunction of dysfunctionary. A young teenagher and his mother go and live with a psychologist to fix themselves up but should have just been left alone. That was the morale of the story and it is interesting, but it doesnt work on the screen one bit, as everything seems forced and cliched. Just because a story hasn't been told, doesnt mean one can do it without coherence. I found this film overdone, surprisingly predictable and not subtle in any way. We, as an audience understand the attempt but it doesnt work structurally. The cast saved it a bit, especially Jill Clayburgh and Annette Bening, but it needed much more help. A truly below average try.