KELLY CLARKSON - ListedMagazine.com

fi lm
FILMS
BY BONNIE REDFERN
It seems nuclear fallout couldn’t hold back the 2008
Academy Awards. Despite the ongoing writers strike,
several hundred metres of red carpet is getting the old
shake and vac as we speak...
Complications and contingency
plans aside, this year the
Oscars were looking rather
interesting. If like me, you’re
still breathlessly besotted with
the performance of a certain
Mr Depp, you’ll no doubt have
been rooting for his Best Actor
win to come to fruition. Sweeney
Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet
Street brought the Broadway
musical of the same name to the
big screen with a dark grandeur
only the Depp and Burton duo
could master, while Helena
Bonham Carter added her own
brand of wicked intensity to
proceedings.
However, no amount of doeeyed
gazes at Johnny could get
Helena a nomination, as
Best Actress looked set to be
bestowed upon the fantastic
Ellen Page. Her performance
38 www.listedmagazine.com
in the controversial Hard
Candy seemed like a tough act
to follow, but playing a selfassured,
pregnant teenager
in indie fl ick Juno has proven
she’s no-one trick pony. It also
earned this off-beat comedy a
Best Director nomination for
Jason Reitman, as well as Best
Original Screenplay and Best
Film nominations - alongside
the critics’ favourite No Country
For Old Men, and Keira Knightly
drama Atonement.
Cate Blanchett did a double
and notched up nominations
in both Best Actress and
Supporting Actress categories,
for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
and I’m Not There respectively.
At the time of going to press, this
writer put money on the latter
turning into 13 inches of gold.
But for every golden glimmer
of glory, there’s the irritating,
head-scratching choices
that make you wonder if the
Academy even watches movies
at all. American Gangster
and the terrible Transformers
received nods from art and
special effects credits, while
Michael Moore’s bloated Sicko
was up for a Best Documentary
Feature gong. Now surely this
is just encouraging the man to
think he’s actually a credible
fi lmmaker? Get the stretchers
ready – he’ll need one for that
ego...