Oscar Predictions 2006

I can't rem when I started being attracted to the Oscars and making a point to follow it religiously. This year, I have vested interest cos one of my fave movies, "Little Miss Sunshine" is in the running for the big prize - Best Picture (BP). I've not seen most of the movies this season, but I'm going to make my predix for the Big 8 anyway. Just for fun. *denotes my prediction.

Best Adapted Screenplay

“Borat”
“Children of Men”
“The Departed”*
“Little Children”
“Notes on a Scandal”

Predix: It's highly likely that "The Departed" will prevail, just cos it's the only one in the running for BP. BP winners usually get an accompanying screenplay award. However, I (and most of Asia) don't think it surpasses "Infernal Affairs". But we are not part of AMPAS, so it doesn't matter. The spoiler could be "Borat" because it's different and challenges convention. If "Borat" wins, I think it's the first film without a screenplay to achieve this accolade."Children of Men" seems likely too, and has been gaining momentum I hear.

Best Original Screenplay

“Babel”
“Letters from Iwo Jima”
“Little Miss Sunshine” *
“Pan's Labyrinth”
“The Queen”

Predix: Critics are torn between "The Queen" and "LMS". Either is likely. Once again, the one who wins will have the better shot at BP. My guess is LMS, cos the writing is the essence of the movie in this case. So, why not award a writer, Michael Arnt, who struggled on his first screenplay for 5 years due to financial difficulties, got fired off by the studio cos he's not A-list enough, only to be asked back cos the studio finally realised that he's good and irreplacable. Everyone loves an underdog!

Best Director

Alejandro González Iñárritu“Babel”
Martin Scorsese* “The Departed”
Clint Eastwood “Letters from Iwo Jima”
Stephen Frears “The Queen”
Paul Greengrass “United 93”

Predix: Everyone think it's Marty's year. I think so too. Not cos he's the best in the list, but because he is due. If he loses to Eastwood again, I think he will cry in the toilet. The moral of the story - give people the oscar when they deserve it, regardless of age, experience, etc. Marty deserved the oscar in his heyday when he did 'Raging Bull", "Taxi Driver", but somehow he got booted by someone senior cos he wasn't due yet. Now it's his turn to boot other worthy people off. And so the cycle continues.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin *“Little Miss Sunshine”
Jackie Earle Haley“Little Children”
Djimon Hounsou“Blood Diamond”
Eddie Murphy“Dreamgirls”
Mark Wahlberg“The Departed”

Predix: Current frontrunner is Murphy but I think Arkin could cause an upset due to popularity of LMS, though he's not the best in his film (Steve Carrell is, in my opinion). If there is a surprise element, which there usually is, in every Oscar, it has to be this category. Haley I hear is superb in his film but his win rests on the conservative mindsets of AMPAS. Will they honour someone for the role for a sex offender?

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Adriana Barraza“Babel”
Cate Blanchett“Notes on a Scandal”
Abigail Breslin“Little Miss Sunshine”
Jennifer Hudson *“Dreamgirls”
Rinko Kikuchi“Babel”

Predix: This is the category which is most pro-newcomer and pro-children. Ex winners include people in their film debuts and a 10 year-old. Hudson has garnered the most precursor support and it is likely to remain this way. Breslin is the spoiler. I'm guessing either Arkin or Breslin will pull off an upset, but not simultaneously.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio“Blood Diamond”
Ryan Gosling“Half Nelson”
Peter O'Toole“Venus”
Will Smith“The Pursuit of Happyness”
Forest Whitaker *“The Last King of Scotland”

Predix: Whitaker is the frontrunner, and he deserves it for the passion that he soaks his craft in. O'Toole is second only because he has lost 7 times before, and voters may choose him out of sympathy only.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Penélope Cruz“Volver”
Judi Dench“Notes on a Scandal”
Helen Mirren *“The Queen”
Meryl Streep“The Devil Wears Prada”
Kate Winslet“Little Children”

Predix: I don't think there is a need for discussion. Mirren has achieved lock status, and is as definite to winning as Julia Roberts did in 2000. Streep is a distant second. Comedy is always underrated and Streep is sheer delight in her comic turn.

Best Picture
“Babel”*
“The Departed”
“Letters from Iwo Jima”
“Little Miss Sunshine”
“The Queen”

This is the most wide open oscar race in recent memory. The various films have awards spread out between them, so any is possible. My guess is Babel or LMS. Babel brings forward an all important message - communication barriers and the lack of listening/understanding, a universal theme that is all the more imperative in this age of war and terrorism. Other pluses include its scale of production - the largest compared to the other noms as it spans 3 continents, and also let's not forget the so-called important editing nom. Most BPs come with best editing wins. The last BP to overrule this convention was 1980's "Ordinary People". This year only "Babel" and "The Departed" scored editing nods, and are therefore considered the frontrunners by default. "LMS" is the dark horse and underdog. It is the odd one out in the group, and in this time and turmoil, perhaps a comedy will be awarded a win again. A lot of people think "LMS" is too slight and feel good to take the top prize, but I think it is underrated. Many scenes are too familiar, hence we take them for granted, but it is a reflection of ourselves, and I somehow feel it is more important that people really think.

And in the words of Meryl Streep, "That's all".

Letter From An Unknown Woman

最近在网上读了一篇关于一部老电影的剧情简介，感动久久不息。这就是1948由当年金牌女主角Joan Fontaine主演的爱情悲剧“Letter From An Unknown Woman”。

此片推出时，在美国反应平平，也没有入围任何奖项。然而和“Citizen Kane”一样，它经得起时间的考验，半个世纪后的今天仍然是电影系学生热爱讨论的影片。几年前，内地导演徐静蕾更将它改编，排成中文片。

故事很简单，主要讲述一个女子用尽大半辈子去狂恋、迷恋、暗恋一个始终记不起她的男人。严格来说他们的人生只交叉过三回，每次她抱着希望与他相逢，但每次男人只把她当成一个新猎物，让她带着失望而归。为了这个男人，她离家出走、未婚先孕、还因为生活嫁了一个她不爱的男人。最后她与儿子患了致命传染病，在她临死前，她终于写了一封信给男人，倾诉这段缠绕她一生的爱恋，为她遗憾的生命做个了结。

电影一开始，男主角的仆人接到了一个妒忌丈夫的邀约，指男主角勾引他妻子，希望他们能进行一场生死决斗。男主角嗤之以鼻，平日捏花惹草的他对这类指控司空见惯，他甚至不记得这是哪个女人的丈夫。但因为听闻对方是神剑手，于是他打算连夜逃跑。这时仆人带来一封没有署名的信，笔者正是女主角。

信写道：“By the time you read this letter, I may be dead. I have so much to tell you and perhaps very little time. Will I ever send it? I don't know. I must find strength to write now before it's too late, and as I write it may become clear that what happened to us had its own reason beyond our poor understanding. If this reaches you, you will know how I became yours, when you didn't know who I was, or even that I existed.”

多么凄美的字句，多么心碎的决裂。对男人而言，她不过是段露水姻缘，但对女人来说，他却是她一生的主宰。在他来不及知道他所拥有的，他已经失去了。

故事的最终，男主角终于从尘封的记忆里记起了女人，然而他始终不知道她的名字。这时仆人告诉了他，女人叫“Lisa”。连仆人都记得她，自己却一直漠视她的存在，男人十分惭愧。从信中，他知道那位要和他一决生死的正是女人的丈夫。男主角嘴里不断念着“Lisa”，最后他决定了赴约，面对女人丈夫的挑战，以他仅有的生命报答女人一世的深情......

好久不见

我们六、七年没见面了。我和我的朋友。

我们中一认识，一路同校到高中。后来我们到不同大学就读，分道扬镳，就几乎断了音讯。但由于生日日期相近,几乎每年还是会捎来生日祝福。今年也不例外。我在简单的简讯里加上一句客套的“Let's meet up soon”，没想到她爽快地提议几天后见面,于是我们重逢了。

多年不见，我当然有点担心我我们之间会存有隔阂，没想到，我们仍然有默契，一个下午说说笑笑，相处得比我们从前还融洽。时光仿佛倒流到我们的青葱岁月，刹那间我有种错觉，好像我们这些年从来没有分开过。

散会时，我知道我们会继续联络，而且无须再等个六、七年。原来真正的朋友就身边的影子一样，即使许久不见、不留意，一个转身，就会发现他一直都在。

令人感动的演唱会 @2006

Part One: Sandy Lam
我从不看演唱会，因为觉得许多歌手现场演唱的功力远不如CD水准。然而我为了林忆莲破例了。Sandy一直是我觉得在中文乐坛上唱得最棒的女歌手。我刚听流行乐的时候，她就已经是天后了。后来掘起的Faye Wong, Sammi Cheng也无法取代她。“夜色无边”演唱会上所展现的实力在一次奠定了她不可动摇的原因。

演唱会有三个令人感动、震撼的片段：
1) 伦永亮 带动全场观众一起合唱“当爱已成往事”。
2) Sandy以歌影剧方式飙高音演唱“玫瑰香”。
3) Sandy特别为新加坡歌迷献唱安哥歌曲“Almost Over You”

我很少听英文歌，所以是首次听这受感人的情歌，乍听下有点像“听说爱情回来过”的意境。

Almost Over You 歌词
“I saw an old friend of ours today
She asked about you and I didn't quite know what to say
Heard you've been makin' the rounds round here
While I've been tryin' to make the tears disappear

Now I'm almost over you
I've almost shook these blues
So when you come back around
After painting the town you'll see
That I'm almost over you

You're such a sly one with your cold, cold heart
For you leavin' come easy but it tore me apart
Time heals all wounds they say and I should know
'Cause it seems like forever but I'm lettin' you go

Now I'm almost over you
I've almost shook these blues
So when you come back around
After painting the town you'll see
That I'm almost over you

I can forgive you and soon I'll forget all my shattered dreams
You took the love that you wanted and left me the misery

Now I'm almost over you
I've almost shook these blues
So when you come back around
After painting the town you'll see
That I'm almost over you"

Part Two: Vivian Chow
除了Sandy的Concert, 我也幸运地观看了周慧敏的Back For Love Concert，不过是DVD。(要我为她飞到香港还是有点难。)令我感动的不单演唱会，而是送我DVD的人。这位住在台湾的网友知道我在新加坡买不到周慧敏的Concert DVD，便在旅游香港的同时，买了DVD并邮寄给我。严格说，我跟这位网友不算熟络，交谈了近三年吧，但次数不多，然而她却这么有善心，令我十分感动。原来世界上还是有无私的人，而我幸运地认识了她。

周慧敏的Concert论唱功、舞蹈、震撼度都不如林忆莲，但毕竟阔别十二年,依然是令歌迷感动、感慨的。印象最深的有：
1)Vivian与林隆璇在两个舞台上四手连弹并合唱“流言”
2)Vivian在安哥时叙述忠实的歌迷群知道演唱会宣传标语着“因为爱，所以回来”，都回应她说，“因为爱，所以等待”,令她感动
3) Vivian借歌表情意，面对倪震演唱“为你”。这首歌当年沦为第三、四波，不算红，我的印象也不深，现在重听，别有一番味道和感动。

“为你” 词 :蔡国权

无论是晴是阴暗无论快乐与忧心
期待漫长路有你共行
无论路程是远近无论面临是苦困
仍然只想跟你过一生

谁没被名利吸引平淡却是我所争
期待漫长夜有你莅临
奉上热诚的慰问奉上肩膊做倚靠
平凡之中都已觉得兴奋
讲不出那样吸引或是命中缘分
能相识到你太幸运
谁令我安份
讲不出那份感觉像幻梦竟变真
彼此感觉那点真

为你我情愿改变为你我愿意牺牲
为你任何事我也都应允

Goodbye 2006, you have been good to me!

2006对我来说是个好年份。当然也不是喜事连篇，但比前几年都好多了。I wanted to write an entry on my milestones for 2006. I started writing in late Dec until yesterday, when I realised that I was boring myself with the content, and finally realised that I had no interest in finishing it. Hence I'm just going to post one portion of it.