Benny_
Elementary Penguin
Well I'm sure most of you know the nominees for the main categories this year by now but in case you don't, here they are for you again. No charge for the extra ramblings by moi.
Best Picture:
Million Dollar Baby- Clint Eastwood
Sideways- Alexander Payne
The Aviator- Martin Scorsese
Ray- Taylor Hackford
Finding Neverland- Marc Forster
Forget Ray and Finding Neverland. The only 3 movies that stand a chance in this category are MDB, Sideays and The Aviator. I haven't seen The Aviator[/] just yet, but after [Sideways] and [Million Dollar Baby], I'd have to say that the only chance it's got is if the Academy somehow awards Scorsese for past efforts. I've still got high expectations of The Aviator, but it's a tough ask for it to eclipse either one of MDB or Sideways. If it does though, I think we'd have arguably the best year for cinema since 1994 (Pulp Fiction, Clerks, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Leon the Professional, Red, Natural Born Killers, Quiz Show, Hoop Dreams, Chungking Express.. and more
).
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Don Cheadle in “Hotel Rwanda”
Johnny Depp in “Finding Neverland”
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Aviator”
Clint Eastwood in “Million Dollar Baby”
Jamie Foxx in “Ray”
Good as "Million Dollar Baby" was, I didn't think Clint's performance was quite Oscar worthy. Neither for that matter was JD's excellent J M Barrie. I haven't seen "Hotel Rwanda", or "The Aviator",but I'm thinking DiCaprio's got the best chance along with Clint to come up with what would be the biggest upset by beating Foxx's Ray Charles.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Alda in “The Aviator”
Thomas Haden Church in “Sideways”
Jamie Foxx in “Collateral”
Morgan Freeman in “Million Dollar Baby”
Clive Owen in “Closer”
I'm picking Clive Owen to edge Thomas Haden Church here, but I'd love Church to win.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Annette Bening in “Being Julia”
Catalina Sandino Moreno in “Maria Full of Grace”
Imelda Staunton in “Vera Drake”
Hilary Swank in “Million Dollar Baby”
Kate Winslet in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
Surprisingly I've seen all of these, and they were mostly terrific. IMO though, Swank's as heavy a favourite here as Foxx is for Ray. It's so good a perforamnce that it would not be going too far at all to say that the rest are there to make up the numbers.. particularly Bening. Staunton's is the dark mare here.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in “The Aviator”
Laura Linney in “Kinsey”
Virginia Madsen in “Sideways”
Sophie Okonedo in “Hotel Rwanda”
Natalie Portman in “Closer”
From what I've seen, it's a dead heat between Natalie Portman and Virginia Madsen, although the preliminary awards seem to have been shared between Portman and Blanchett. Meh. I love Natalie so I hope she wins.
Achievement in directing
“The Aviator” (Miramax, Initial Entertainment Group and Warner Bros.)
Martin Scorsese
“Million Dollar Baby” (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood
“Ray” (Universal) Taylor Hackford
“Sideways” (Fox Searchlight/20th Century Fox) Alexander Payne
“Vera Drake” (Fine Line Features, Alain Sarde and UK Film Council in association with Inside Track Films) Mike Leigh
At the moment I'm tornbetween Eastwood and Payne, but if there's any justice in this world Scorsese will win. If for no other reason than that he's been ignored so many times in the past.
Best Picture:
Million Dollar Baby- Clint Eastwood
Sideways- Alexander Payne
The Aviator- Martin Scorsese
Ray- Taylor Hackford
Finding Neverland- Marc Forster
Forget Ray and Finding Neverland. The only 3 movies that stand a chance in this category are MDB, Sideays and The Aviator. I haven't seen The Aviator[/] just yet, but after [Sideways] and [Million Dollar Baby], I'd have to say that the only chance it's got is if the Academy somehow awards Scorsese for past efforts. I've still got high expectations of The Aviator, but it's a tough ask for it to eclipse either one of MDB or Sideways. If it does though, I think we'd have arguably the best year for cinema since 1994 (Pulp Fiction, Clerks, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Leon the Professional, Red, Natural Born Killers, Quiz Show, Hoop Dreams, Chungking Express.. and more
). Performance by an actor in a leading role
Don Cheadle in “Hotel Rwanda”
Johnny Depp in “Finding Neverland”
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Aviator”
Clint Eastwood in “Million Dollar Baby”
Jamie Foxx in “Ray”
Good as "Million Dollar Baby" was, I didn't think Clint's performance was quite Oscar worthy. Neither for that matter was JD's excellent J M Barrie. I haven't seen "Hotel Rwanda", or "The Aviator",but I'm thinking DiCaprio's got the best chance along with Clint to come up with what would be the biggest upset by beating Foxx's Ray Charles.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Alda in “The Aviator”
Thomas Haden Church in “Sideways”
Jamie Foxx in “Collateral”
Morgan Freeman in “Million Dollar Baby”
Clive Owen in “Closer”
I'm picking Clive Owen to edge Thomas Haden Church here, but I'd love Church to win.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Annette Bening in “Being Julia”
Catalina Sandino Moreno in “Maria Full of Grace”
Imelda Staunton in “Vera Drake”
Hilary Swank in “Million Dollar Baby”
Kate Winslet in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
Surprisingly I've seen all of these, and they were mostly terrific. IMO though, Swank's as heavy a favourite here as Foxx is for Ray. It's so good a perforamnce that it would not be going too far at all to say that the rest are there to make up the numbers.. particularly Bening. Staunton's is the dark mare here.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in “The Aviator”
Laura Linney in “Kinsey”
Virginia Madsen in “Sideways”
Sophie Okonedo in “Hotel Rwanda”
Natalie Portman in “Closer”
From what I've seen, it's a dead heat between Natalie Portman and Virginia Madsen, although the preliminary awards seem to have been shared between Portman and Blanchett. Meh. I love Natalie so I hope she wins.
Achievement in directing
“The Aviator” (Miramax, Initial Entertainment Group and Warner Bros.)
Martin Scorsese
“Million Dollar Baby” (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood
“Ray” (Universal) Taylor Hackford
“Sideways” (Fox Searchlight/20th Century Fox) Alexander Payne
“Vera Drake” (Fine Line Features, Alain Sarde and UK Film Council in association with Inside Track Films) Mike Leigh
At the moment I'm tornbetween Eastwood and Payne, but if there's any justice in this world Scorsese will win. If for no other reason than that he's been ignored so many times in the past.
