INSTEP Magzine

British actors impress the Oscars!
Finally! The nomination list for the Academy Awards 2007 is out. Instep gives you a rundown
of who made it and who didn't

The Oscars usually have a theme going in their list of nominations and this year it's predominantly British. We just can't wait to see the comic host Ellen De Generes take a punch at all that is up. The nominations themselves are an interesting mix of well deserving, unbelievable and sometimes simply shocking titles.

Three British actors have picked up leading nominations: Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren – all for Best Actress. Industry insiders claim that Helen Mirren is a hot contender for an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the film, The Queen. Where this was a well-deserved nomination, one finds it hard to believe that Mark Wahlberg got picked up for his minimal role as the abusive but honest cop in The Departed. It should've been Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon, both of whom did a fine job. More surprising is Leonardo Di Caprio's nomination for Blood Diamond. Indeed, he was good in the film but he was brilliant in The Departed. Brace yourself, we predict that Leo is not winning this year. Now the million dollar question is: will the Academy finally drop their bias against Martin Scorsese this year? According to the Oscars buzz, Alejandro Gonzales might beat him to it for his humanitarian epic drama, Babel. Then there is Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima that got a nomination. Clint is a favourite with the Academy so don't be too surprised if he wins another award. The biggest surprise of all is the nomination of Little Miss Sunshine for Best Picture. It's a tongue-in-cheek look at the American lifestyle minus the camp-cheesiness

Deepa Mehta's Water that was entered as a Canadian entry has actually made it to Best Foreign Film category, beating India's pick, Rang De Basanti that hasn't.

Women above 40 don't win at the Oscars anymore – this has been the history since 1990. Take a look at the last five years: Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry – all are under forty. Will this year break the curse? Who knows but for now, check out the leading nominations...

Best motion picture of the year
Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Achievement in directing
Babel – Alejandro Gonzalez
The Departed - Martin Scorsese
Letters from Iwo Jima - Clint Eastwood
The Queen - Stephen Frears
United 93 – Paul Greengrass
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo Di Caprio – Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling – Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole – Venus
Will Smith – The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker – The Last King of Scotland

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penelope Cruz – Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren – The Queen
Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet – Little Children

Performance by an 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

Performance by an 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

Best foreign language film of the year
After the Wedding – Denmark
Days of Glory (Indigenes) – Algeria
The Lives of Others – Germany
Pan's Labyrinth – Mexico
Water – Canada

Adapted screenplay
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Children of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal

Original screenplay
Babel
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen