Oscar Appraisal

Best motion picture of the year
Prediction: "The Departed"
Winner: "The Departed"
(Superior directing, exceptional writing, and stars. An unqestionale decision.)

Achievement in directing
Prediction: “The Departed” Martin Scorsese
Winner: “The Departed” Martin Scorsese
(Finally. His sixth nomination yields the prize. Scorsese is a legend. He elevates everyone’s performance. His acceptance was elegant.)

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Prediction: Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland”
Winner: Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland”
(His Globe-SAG-Oscar sweep was deserved. Everyone must admire Whitaker. Amidst overwhelming emotion, his speech was inspiring.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Prediction: Helen Mirren in “The Queen”
Winner: Helen Mirren in “The Queen”
(Akin to Whitaker, Mirren recorded the triple. Her speech was enchanting. Her complimenting of subject matter exuded class.)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Prediction: Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls”
Winner: Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine”
(Reading speeches is forbidden? Riddiculous! The finest speeches are human. Arkin exemplified this. His acceptance was poignant.)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Prediction: Adriana Barraza in “Babel”
Winner: Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls”
(The most improbale triple. Hudson completed her sweep in the evening’s best category. Her speech was inspirational. Her stardom personifies every dream cliché.)

Best animated feature film of the year
Prediction: “Cars”
Winner: “Happy Feet”
(Prior to premeiring, this film was disparaged. However, this review is relevant.)

Best documentary feature
Prediction: “An Inconvenient Truth”
Winner: “An Inconvenient Truth”
(This result is stunning. Al Gore’s speech was respectable. Following an Oscar and a Grammy appearance, what is his encore?)

Original screenplay
Prediction: “Little Miss Sunshine”
Winner: “Little Miss Sunshine”
(The film from nowhere. Based on lived experience, the feature defeated the odds.)

Adapted screenplay
Prediction: “Notes on a Scandal”
Winner: “The Departed”
(Despite a subdued speech, the screenplay was marvelous.)