CMFH Massive Missives

It helps to start out with a good set of words, so a great screenplay is vital to an Oscar-winning film.

Little Children delves into the unsatisfactory lives of a suburban neighborhood. Guided by an odd narration and infused with an unexpectedly quirky tone, the film manages to escape prime-time territory and create characters that pique interest.

Notes on a Scandal takes an unpredictable turn in focus after a teacher fools around with her student, but its characters’ obsessions teeter on the verge of a sordid soap opera. Though the screenplay is solid enough not to fall over, it does not quite achieve the distinctiveness of Little Children.

The Departed is well-done for the type of movie that it is but is a little too sure of itself. Actors with giant egos may have brought down a decent screenplay. Children of Men made a mockery of futuristic films. It had little original storytelling to convey and good dialogue was sorely lacking.

The most absurd entry is Borat. Adaptation of what? Merely the transfer from TV to screen? Based on the number of lawsuits brought about by naive participants, it would be implied that there was little planning involved in this flick. And besides, it just isn’t the great movie it’s hyped to be. It tries to act as "The Daily Show" with intelligent commentary disguised as ridiculous humor, but it fails miserably.

Pan's Labyrinth is without a doubt the most creative film of the year. Though the imagery stands out, the story itself is a fantastic melding of the realistic horrors of war and the method by which a child deals with many terrifying situations. This category contains many stiff competitors from the Best Pic noms, but Pan’s originality should be rewarded.

Close behind is Babel, a film that travels to points across the globe to tell its story about a lack of communication. It is also a film that focuses on imagery, but in this case the dialogue is limited (as is key to the message). The screenplay may act more as a map than a specific set of instructions.

Letters from Iwo Jima is another terrific film that cements the message that war must be viewed from both sides, but simply does not hold the unique vision as conveyed by Pan.

The Queen is a surprisingly intriguing look behind the scenes of the British government and royal family. A commendable adversary, but it is the title performance that drives the film.

Little Miss Sunshine is quirky and fresh, but not nearly as rich in storytelling as its competitors. Hopefully the first-time writer will better learn to gel his ideas and holds a promising future.

And who’s driving this scripted beast? The words are nothing without the proper direction of the actors and crew.

There’s little denying that Babel’s Alejandro González Iñárritu directed not just one, but essentially three films -- in three different languages, with three different casts. And he did it well. Give him the gold guy.

Letters from Iwo Jima is not far behind. Clint Eastwood continues to prove himself as a thoughtful, enigmatic director who pulls out intelligent performances from his cast. Shockingly, the beautiful performances of this film were not honored (particularly Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya).

Great performances resulted from Stephen Frears’ direction in The Queen, but much of that can be attributed to Mirren’s remarkable ability. Others in the cast were good, but she raised the level of the film.

The Departed felt bloated with Martin Scorsese’s buddies and current muse, DiCaprio. Bad accents overwhelmed the screen and the boys were all competing against each other for attention rather than working together. Frankly, it felt as if it lacked direction, and awards with one film’s name on it should not be handed out in recognition of a director’s overall work. That’s what Lifetime Achievement awards are for.

United 93 was surprisingly well-guided as a documentary-like film. Therefore, the best direction seems to have been no direction, and Paul Greengrass can’t beat out his nominees for standing in the background.

It’s pretty hard to discern what can be credited to the director and when a film is just a damn good film in its own right. Usually these two awards go hand in hand, but I like to make distinctions.

Letters from Iwo Jima performed the amazing task of providing an intelligent voice for our enemy, especially considering our country’s present military climate. Through both Flags of Our Fathers and this immediate follow-up film, Eastwood provided both sides of the battlefield with a sense of humanity. No side performs superior heroics, they are merely fighting for the protection of their family and homeland. An important and thoughtful film.

Babel similarly discusses a lack of communication between cultures, just before misunderstanding causes conflicts. Somber and far-reaching, it is not quite as cohesive as Letters and therefore should hold onto the Director’s statue alone.

The Queen does wondrous things with what could have been a very dry, self-important film. The painfully well-mannered political fight between the royal advisors and the elected officials does not go unnoticed by the country’s citizens, and this film attempts to quietly enter the mindset of a woman who has been raised with a strict definition of her duty. A fantastic film, but it does not stretch the boundaries or reach the emotional level of Letters.

Little Miss Sunshine is the Academy’s attempt to prove that they can throw in an independent underdog, but as the pup swims in a sea of big dogs, it will surely drown. A good effort by all involved, it just isn’t as clean as the other nominees.

I know I’m alone in not being fully impressed by The Departed, but I stand by my assessment.