Atonement by Dario Marianelli wins Oscar

It is the rarest of occurences. The Academy got it right. No left-field surprise of THE KITE RUNNER or MICHAEL CLAYTON winning this year's Oscar for Best Original Score. This year the best of the nominees actually won. Congratulations to composer DARIO MARINELLI for his exceptional work for ATONEMENT. It's only too bad the film didn't garner Best Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, or Best Director. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

As much as The Academy takes it's hits year after year from all sorts of critics, kudos to them for bringing back out the newly crowned Oscar-winner, Marketa Irglova (Best Song) for "Falling Slowly" from ONCE. She actually had something worthwhile to say and they brought her back after unceremoniously cutting her short. I'm sure Bill Conti meant no harm.

So do you think ATONEMENT was the best choice?

Oscar Nominees for Best Original Score

Ok. I'll admit it. I desperately look forward to the yearly nominee announcements from the Globies and the Oscars. Some of you might be asking, "Why? They are so dreadfully wrong year after year."

That's precisely it, my friends...especially when it comes to the BEST ORIGINAL SCORE category. It's like watching NASCAR for the wrecks (I mean why else would anyone watch?). It's like rubber-necking at a traffic accident. We know its going to be bad, but we cannot refrain from looking.

Listen...do you hear the approach of screeching tires........

Nominees for Best Original Score:

Atonement - Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner - Alberto Iglesias
Michael Clayton - James Newton Howard
Ratatouille - Michael Giacchino
3:10 to Yuma - Marco Beltrami

Let me say this about "this year's wreck." First, "Hah! I told you all who argued with me about THE KITE RUNNER getting a nomination...deserving or not. Don't be at all shocked if it wins." Second, "Michael Clayton? Seriously?" SCRREEEEEEEEECH! Third, mad props to Michael Giacchino and Marco Beltrami on getting nominated. Not Giacchino's best, but perhaps one of Beltrami's. Nice to see some new names in the mix.

OK...my own twisted satisfaction will see THE KITE RUNNER win at the expense of the most deserving from this list of nominees, ATONEMENT. Hopefully there will be a show to actually watch this tragedy. Who wants to just hear the screeching of tires?

Atonement wins Golden Globe for Best Original Score

In what has to be the most anti-climatic Golden Globe Awards...ever, the half-hour press conference, listed off last year's winners. ATONEMENT was one of the bigger winners including DARIO MARIANELLI's beautiful score. Congrats to all the winners! May you have an actual award show to attend in February!

ORIGINAL SCORE
Into the Wild
Grace is Gone
Kite Runner
Atonement
Eastern Promises

BEST DRAMA

American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood



ACTOR (DRAMA)

George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortenson - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster



ACTRESS (DRAMA)

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement



MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd



ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story



ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page - Juno



FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Persepolis



ANIMATED FILM

Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie



SUPPORTING ACTOR

Casey Affleck - Assassination of Jesse James
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wikinson - Michael Clayton



SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Julia Roberts - Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton



DIRECTOR

Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement



SCREENPLAY

Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War

ORIGINAL SONG

"Despidida" - Love in the Time of Cholera
"Grace is Gone" - Grace is Gone
"Guaranteed" - Into the Wild
"That's How You Know" - Enchanted
"Walk Hard" - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Atonement (Soundtrack) by Dario Marianelli

We've heard it said quite often, "They just don't make movies like that anymore." Usually this refers to some beloved film from decades long gone. Having watched the film and listened to the score countless times now, I'm happy to report that "they" most certainly do make movies "like that" today. Director Joe Writght's adaptation of Ian McEwan's best selling book, ATONEMENT, is well written, finely acted, beautifully photographed, and engagingly edited. ATONEMENT is easily one of the best films of 2007 and features one of the year's most innovative, dramatic scores.

READ THE FULL REVIEW