“The Departed” wins Best Picture
Here’s the Big Moment..the Best Picture Oscar handout. It’s going to be Little Miss Sunshine, I can feel it, it is….I think. And the Oscar goes to The Departed…deserved! No problem at all…my favorite fim, after all. But we all know it was a very close vote. A few votes either way. Anyway….good news.
By far my favorite film of ’06.
I’ve rarely been so happy to be so wrong. Way to go Departed and Scorsese and Monohan and Schoonmaker.
I should’ve entered an Oscar pool. I picked 18 out of the 24, missing actor (O’Toole), cinematography (Children of Men), costume (Devil Wears Prada) and the three shorts. Picked Departed, Schoonmaker, Etheridge, Arkin, right down the line ….
wow, could Diane Keaton have tried and harder to steal/ruin the moment?? The woman has no class.
As I’ve said a million times before on this site, you really have to be nominated for Editing to win Picture. It’s now 26 straight years that the Picture winner has been nominated for Editing. That’s why Little Miss Sunshine had no chance of winning. Congrats to The Departed, the best film of 2006 and for it’s 4 Oscars to lead the night.
Fuck you Little Miss Sunshine!
I just hope Marty’s next work isn’t gonna be a big-budget b-flick.
Awesome. Sure it’s a big time Hollywood film, but it’s so NOT the usual academy award type winner.
I do hope Marty’s next work is a big-budget B-flick!
Helter Zelter, that’s the first time I’ve agreed with you…your comment is both true AND relevant…amazing.
I’m happy, although Little Children was my favorite pic of the year. This is probably my favorite Best Picture Oscar winner since American Beauty in ’99.
Doesn’t deserve the award. Not the best.
I disagree with you so often DZ that it’s only fair I point out when I think you’re right.
I’ll see whatever Scorsese does but I’m hoping it’ll be a more challenging personal film.
Should the running time (pool tie breaker) include the 30 minute pre-show? Did ABC lie about the show starting at 5? Why did Ellen keep changing, like we cared what color pants she was wearing? Graham King is a bossy scissorhanded prick, don’t be fooled, but he gave a great speech, and I’m sure he left Marty and Thelma alone — it’s not like he could have fixed The Departed, anyway.
I just hope Marty’s next work isn’t gonna be a big-budget b-flick.
Isn’t it all but confirmed that Silence is next on tap?
Departed was the most Oscar-ish movie nominated.
When was the last time a film of that caliber, not a sequel to something, had three movie stars of that magnitude in the three principal roles?
Glad to see the Academy voted for the best film rather than one that makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. LMS was a pretender from the beginning.
Funny – “Getting to see Marty directing Jack…well…we’ll talk about that some other time.”
Not the worst best picture ever, but still embarrassing.
Biggest travesty of the night is cinematography though. Pan’s Labyrinth had impressive art direction and animation but was actually quite clumsily shot. Even if it was strong, COM is for the ages.
Now where’s the 2007 Oscart Balloon?
The Departed totally deserved to win, but if Letters From Iwo Jima had won, I would have been equally pleased, seeing as how it is a thoroughly great film too. Still. That was rad. I think I’m gonna watch The Departed right now in celebration.
And the biggest upset to me was Cinematography. It’s not even logical. I loved Pan’s, but man…what the heck? Children of Men is definitely for the ages.
Leave it to the Oscars to finally reward Scorsese and then turn around and start snubbing Lubezki.
Was it just me or were Helen Mirren and Diane Keaton the two hottest women of the night?
Damn.
Random question here, but did Eddie Murphy leave after his category was presented? I noticed that there no shots of him after that, even when Dreamgirls was winning awards and after the big musical number. I hope he didn’t take off; some might frown upon that.
Brig, your taste is in your mouth. Keaton? I swear the woman’s had a turtleneck permamently tattooed on her. And her personality…pumping her fists? ROOTING while presenting? Feigning shock at ‘Departed’…Yuck…
It was not just you Brigadier.
And JSE, I a while back when I was mocking you for your editing category stubbornness, I said I’d come back and admit you were right. Though I thought it would be because of Babel (and thrilled it wasn’t), I’m here to say: You were right.
You do realize that now Cuaron has offically taken the mantle of the next Scorsese. he will continue to make amazing films, and will continue to not get noticed until he makes something better than average (but still not his greatest work) and will recieve a five minute standing ovation at the 2024 Oscars.
In ten years this will look like one of the smart choices– Babel will be as forgotten as 21 Grams is already, Little Miss Sunshine will be about as well remembered as, say, My Left Foot, but people will be quoting and enjoying The Departed just as they quote Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. If movie history teaches us anything it’s that well-made entertainment has more to say about our times in the end than heavy message movies. It may be a little odd that this, good Scorsese, won Best Picture and great Scorsese didn’t, but no moreso than good Hitchcock (Rebecca) or Ford (How Green Was My Valley) or Capra (You Can’t Take It With You), Oscar doesn’t have the luxury we have of deciding later that X should win this year so Y can have it that year. A classy show, very international (Clint SPEAKS Italian?) and with only a few blatantly wrong choices (Pan for cinematography, Thelma for editing over either Babel– the one really good thing about it– or United 93).
Congrats to Scorsese and “The Departed” on a well deserved win !
I’m telling you, Best Cinematography rarely goes to the best cinematography. Or, if it does, it’s a coincidence. If you look back over the past twenty years, excluding the two times Conrad Hall won, it’s pretty much across the board a technical award. Whatever movie is winning the most technical awards is going to win it (and, in fact, being nominated in that category seems a prerequisite to being the technical winner in a year). ‘Master and Commander’ is a random exception, but the guy for ‘Lord of the Rings’ had already won.
‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ last year proved this.
The year Master & Commander won for Best Cinematography, Return of the King wasn’t even nominated…I think if it had been, it would have been taken up with the sweep.
it was almost as if it was fixed like a Dick Clark award show. First Marty gets his Oscar from his three longtime buddies. Then the Best Pic is given away by the star of the film. Come on, at least make us believe that the producers of the show didn’t have a clue as to who the real winners were.
It was ASSUMED that Marty would win, so the trio was a logical gamble. Nicholson was asked to announce BP because they completely forgot he’d done it last year and he just assumed they knew that and wanted him to do it again. When they realized what they’d done, they asked Keaton to join him so it wouldn’t seem like a complete rerun. (I got this from one of Jack’s people.)
Let’s not miss the big picture here: Jeffrey can celebrate his “takedown” of Eddie Murphy and I can sleep easier knowing neither Babel of LMS won.
Majorly bummed that Forest did not have the class to even acknowledge the presence of O’Toole, but that’s why they’re actors, right? Egomania trumps everything.
And the best film of the year, LIVES OF OTHERS, won the best film of the year award. May we all live long enough to see the “foreign language” wall torn down.
MR. GANIS: TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!
Anyway, great night, great show, Degeneres was warm and funny and most of the right stuff won.
Except for nothing for Apocalypto….and that AWFUL song from the Gore diatribe….and did someone say he fought for this cause for 30 years? Except the eight he spent as VP? And…and…and…oh well, on the whole let’s move on to….CANNNES!
Forest Whitaker suffering egomania? I’m sorry but that’s ridiculous. A nod to O’Toole would’ve been nice, but it was Forest’s moment and he deserved it.
on another unpleasant subject: did jeff wells score around 70% on his predictions?
Re cinematography: I’d rather have seen Lubezki or Wally Pfister win. But that’s colored by bias on my part: I knew Wally when he was an AFI fellow in 88-89 and, when I used to be a SAG extra, I spent a few days on A LITTLE PRINCESS and got to see Lubezki and Cuaron work.
I was right about “Babel” being one of those films with lots of nominations that wins one or none.
Except for that long third hour, I thought the show was well-produced tonight. I liked how Ellen was so relaxed and personal with the nominees. It gave the show a nice feel.
I hope they straighten out this producer issue by next year.
Isn’t it strange that Brad Pitt and Brad Grey aren’t Oscar winning producers, but they are producers of the Oscar winning Best Picture?
I thought Ellen wasn’t bad. When she was on, she was mostly good. The Will Ferell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly song was the highlight, though. Other than that…zzzz…very predictable. Save Pan’s losing out to Lives of Others. That was surprising.
pre-show recap…part 2 pending
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news.php?id=5404
I’ve rarely been so happy to be so wrong. Way to go Departed and Scorsese and Monohan and Schoonmaker.
I should’ve entered an Oscar pool. I picked 18 out of the 24, missing actor (O’Toole), cinematography (Children of Men), costume (Devil Wears Prada) and the three shorts. Picked Departed, Schoonmaker, Etheridge, Arkin, right down the line ….
wow, could Diane Keaton have tried and harder to steal/ruin the moment?? The woman has no class.
Helter Zelter, that’s the first time I’ve agreed with you…your comment is both true AND relevant…amazing.
I disagree with you so often DZ that it’s only fair I point out when I think you’re right.
I’ll see whatever Scorsese does but I’m hoping it’ll be a more challenging personal film.
Should the running time (pool tie breaker) include the 30 minute pre-show? Did ABC lie about the show starting at 5? Why did Ellen keep changing, like we cared what color pants she was wearing? Graham King is a bossy scissorhanded prick, don’t be fooled, but he gave a great speech, and I’m sure he left Marty and Thelma alone — it’s not like he could have fixed The Departed, anyway.
The Departed totally deserved to win, but if Letters From Iwo Jima had won, I would have been equally pleased, seeing as how it is a thoroughly great film too. Still. That was rad. I think I’m gonna watch The Departed right now in celebration.
And the biggest upset to me was Cinematography. It’s not even logical. I loved Pan’s, but man…what the heck? Children of Men is definitely for the ages.
Brig, your taste is in your mouth. Keaton? I swear the woman’s had a turtleneck permamently tattooed on her. And her personality…pumping her fists? ROOTING while presenting? Feigning shock at ‘Departed’…Yuck…
It was not just you Brigadier.
And JSE, I a while back when I was mocking you for your editing category stubbornness, I said I’d come back and admit you were right. Though I thought it would be because of Babel (and thrilled it wasn’t), I’m here to say: You were right.
In ten years this will look like one of the smart choices– Babel will be as forgotten as 21 Grams is already, Little Miss Sunshine will be about as well remembered as, say, My Left Foot, but people will be quoting and enjoying The Departed just as they quote Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. If movie history teaches us anything it’s that well-made entertainment has more to say about our times in the end than heavy message movies. It may be a little odd that this, good Scorsese, won Best Picture and great Scorsese didn’t, but no moreso than good Hitchcock (Rebecca) or Ford (How Green Was My Valley) or Capra (You Can’t Take It With You), Oscar doesn’t have the luxury we have of deciding later that X should win this year so Y can have it that year. A classy show, very international (Clint SPEAKS Italian?) and with only a few blatantly wrong choices (Pan for cinematography, Thelma for editing over either Babel– the one really good thing about it– or United 93).
The year Master & Commander won for Best Cinematography, Return of the King wasn’t even nominated…I think if it had been, it would have been taken up with the sweep.
Forest Whitaker suffering egomania? I’m sorry but that’s ridiculous. A nod to O’Toole would’ve been nice, but it was Forest’s moment and he deserved it.
So…like…how do we “all” know it was just a few votes? Do you have an “in” on the ballot results?
So…like…how do we “all” know it was just a few votes? Do you have an “in” on the ballot results? Or is that just hot air?
No one knows what the voting was. It’s a reasonable guess that this was a close race among five movies all competing strongly, but no one knows.
What would be the harm in releasing the final votes? Could that qualify of a freedom of information issue? Could one file a request to have the vote count released to the general public? Why doesn’t the academy already do it? It is a nationally broadcast show on network/”free” television.
The Academy is a private organization and is under no obligation to release its vote counts. It can set its own rules however it likes. The producers of a foreign language film sued about 15 years back–it got nominated as the official submission of Uruguay, but turned out it was not “Uruguayan” enough, so the nomination was revoked. The challenge to the revocation went nowhere.
Similarly, Jackie Mason sued the Tonys in 1995, claiming that the decision to not consider his one-man comedy act as a “play” was unfair. He too was tossed out of court.
They should do away with the ‘best foreign language’ and ‘best picture’ split, absolutely…
…but they SHOULD institute ‘best original performance’ and ‘best performance adapted from persons living or dead’ awards, just like the ‘best original’ vs. ‘best adapted’ screenplay awards. Two MORE awards for impersonations?? This is really getting absurd…
“What would be the harm in releasing the final votes?”
Well, would you want to hear that you came in fifth in your category?
I wish they’d release them after 25 years or something, but for all I know they may never have kept them. Certainly no one has ever SEEN them.
“And JSE, I a while back when I was mocking you for your editing category stubbornness, I said I’d come back and admit you were right. Though I thought it would be because of Babel (and thrilled it wasn’t), I’m here to say: You were right.”
That’s the stat I stuck with. I mean, 26 straight years now. Editing should always give an idea of who could win. It’s kinda strange how that works out, but you’ll notice Editing was near the end with the big acting awards. It shows how important that award is. I’m just so glad Departed won. They picked a film that was gritty and tough, not glossy. 4 out of 5 is solid. I’m glad the show is over. I got tired of typing out that Editing stat. lol can’t wait til next year though!
“The Academy is a private organization and is under no obligation to release its vote counts. It can set its own rules however it likes.”
That’s fine it sets it’s own rules. But why not. So, you came in fifth? At least you got there. I think they are afraid of recounts if it ended up being a handful of votes of a difference. I REALLY wanted a public recount last year over Crash/Brokeback. But since it isn’t a public voting issue then I guess I can let PriceWaterhouseCoopers off the hook.
So…like…how do we “all” know it was just a few votes? Do you have an “in” on the ballot results?
So…like…how do we “all” know it was just a few votes? Do you have an “in” on the ballot results? Or is that just hot air?
Well, I did half and half on my Oscar Pick game.
I’m thinking that the cinematography award was probably the one I was the most ‘what the fuck?’ about. Damn it! I would agree with you for the most part Sean, with your point about the last twenty years with the cinematography winners, but when you go back and take a look into the years since the Academy Awards were first handed out, they were pretty right on with cinematographers like Jack Cardiff, James Wong Howe, Sven Nykvist, Robert Kasker…of course this doesn’t ease my pain with Lubezki. He’d better get his due, and sooner than later.
No one knows what the voting was. It’s a reasonable guess that this was a close race among five movies all competing strongly, but no one knows.
Does anyone else think that the director and maybe cast should come up for the Best Pic Oscar, even if they don’t speak?
Sometimes the producer is interesting but most of the time, when the biggest prize of the night is handed out all viewers get to see is some boring anonymous guy. I don’t totally get why Brad Pitt didn’t go up (but I’m sure it has to do with the bizarre producer rules).
But, really – Marty is standing RIGHT THERE backstage and this other guy is up there accepting the Best Pic award BY HIMSELF? It seems odd to me and an easy thing to fix.
They should do away with the ‘best foreign language’ and ‘best picture’ split, absolutely…
…but they SHOULD institute ‘best original performance’ and ‘best performance adapted from persons living or dead’ awards, just like the ‘best original’ vs. ‘best adapted’ screenplay awards. Two MORE awards for impersonations?? This is really getting absurd…
“What would be the harm in releasing the final votes?”
Well, would you want to hear that you came in fifth in your category?
I wish they’d release them after 25 years or something, but for all I know they may never have kept them. Certainly no one has ever SEEN them.