The 2004 Oscar Race--give us your opinion

The SAG nominations are in and now we are very close in determining what actors will be nominated by the Academy.

11TH ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS--1/11/05

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES CATEGORY

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Don Cheadle / HOTEL RWANDA - Paul Rusesabagina - United Artists
Johnny Depp / FINDING NEVERLAND - Sir James Matthew Barrie - Miramax Films
Leonardo DiCaprio / THE AVIATOR - Howard Hughes - Miramax Films
Jamie Foxx / RAY - Ray Charles - Universal Pictures
Paul Giamatti / SIDEWAYS - Miles - Fox Searchlight Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Annette Bening / BEING JULIA - Julia Lambert - Sony Pictures Classics
Catalina Sandino Moreno / MARIA FULL OF GRACE - Maria - Fine Line Features
Imelda Staunton / VERA DRAKE - Vera - Fine Line Features
Hilary Swank / MILLION DOLLAR BABY - Maggie - Warner Bros.
Kate Winslet / ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - Clementine Kruczynski - Focus Features

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Thomas Haden Church / SIDEWAYS - Jack - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Jamie Foxx / COLLATERAL - Max - DreamWorks SKG
Morgan Freeman / MILLION DOLLAR BABY - Scrap - Warner Bros.
James Garner / THE NOTEBOOK - Duke - New Line Cinema
Freddie Highmore / FINDING NEVERLAND - Peter Llewelyn Davies - Miramax Films

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett / THE AVIATOR - Katharine Hepburn - Miramax Films
Cloris Leachman / SPANGLISH - Evelyn - Columbia Pictures
Laura Linney / KINSEY - Clara McMillen - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Virginia Madsen / SIDEWAYS - Maya - Fox Searchlight Pictures
Sophie Okonedo / HOTEL RWANDA - Tatiana Rusesabagina - United Artists

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture--Go to the SAG website:
www.sagawards.org

Nominations for the 77th Annual Academy Awards
1/25/05

For complete nomination list go to:
http://www.oscars.org/77academyawards/nomannc/index.html

9 Categories:

PICTURE
"The Aviator" (Miramax, Initial Entertainment GroupInitial Entertainment Group & Warner Bros.)

"Finding Neverland" (Miramax) Richard N. Gladstein and Nellie Bellflower, A FilmColony Production

"Million Dollar Baby" (Warner Bros.) A Warner Bros. Pictures Production

"Ray" (Universal)Universal Pictures/Bristol Bay Production

"Sideways" (Fox Searchlight/20th Century Fox)

DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, "The Aviator"
Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby"
Taylor Hackford, "Ray"
Alexander Payne, "Sideways"
Mike Leigh, "Vera Drake"

ACTOR
Don Cheadle, "Hotel Rwanda"
Johnny Depp, "Finding Neverland"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Aviator"
Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby"
Jamie Foxx, "Ray"

ACTRESS
Annette Bening, "Being Julia"
Catalina Sandino Moreno, in "Maria Full of Grace"
Imelda Staunton, "Vera Drake"
Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby"
Kate Winslet, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Alda, "The Aviator"
Thomas Haden Church, "Sideways"
Jamie Foxx, "Collateral"
Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby"
Clive Owen, "Closer"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "The Aviator"
Laura Linney, "Kinsey"
Virginia Madsen, "Sideways"
Sophie Okonedo, "Hotel Rwanda"
Natalie Portman, "Closer"

ANIMATED FILM
"The Incredibles" (Buena Vista) Brad Bird
"Shark Tale" (DreamWorks) Bill Damaschka
"Shrek 2" (DreamWorks) Andrew AdamsonAndrew Adamson

CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Aviator"
"House of Flying Daggers"
"The Passion of the Christ"
"The Phantom of the Opera"
"A Very Long Engagement"

VISUAL EFFECTS
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
"I, Robot"
"Spider-Man 2"

The big Oscar nomination story is Clint Eastwood beat out Mr. Sideways--Paul Giamatti in the best actor category. (The Screen Actors Guild selected Giamatti over Eastwood.)

We know the actors are with Giamatti so the Academy vote must have been very close. Giamatti's performance looked so effortless that it may have hurt him plus Eastwood is very popular with the Academy.

The top 5 nomination vote getters:
"The Aviator"--11
"Million Dollar Baby"-- 7
"Finding Neverland"--7
"Ray"--6
"Sideways"--5

It's not surprising that the critically acclaimed "Sideways" did not get more more categories because the film did not have major production values. In addition to winning the nom for best picture, the film's biggest assets were the script (nomination), director (nomination) and actors (2 supporting nominations).

Oh, dang, I inadvertantly posted a duplicate which I will get rid of (I modified the Golden Globes post). I think I'll just change it back.

OSCAR BALLOTS

If you want a printed ballot for yourself or an Oscar Party, go to:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/oscars/print.ballot.html

No Oscar battle for 'Passion' partisans
But activists will be watching Hollywood, they say
1/27/05

ARTICLE EXCERPTS:

(CNN) -- Internet Christian soldiers are admitting defeat in their battle to win a best picture OSCAR nomination for "The Passion of the Christ" -- but their campaign to influence Hollywood goes on.

Web sites supporting Mel Gibson's movie about Jesus' final hours -- the eighth-highest grossing American film of all time -- failed to convince enough Oscar voters that it deserved a best picture nomination.

The movie did, however, garner nomination nods for musical score, makeup and cinematography.

"Hollywood has spoken. 'Don't mess with us,' is what they're saying," said Jennifer Giroux of seethepassion.com. " 'Don't mess with us because we will not consider your talent if you do anything that is Christian,' is the message that's coming out."

Disappointed by the announcement of Oscar nominees on Tuesday, the groups briefly considered boycotting movie theaters and targeting companies that will advertise on the ABC Oscar broadcast on February 27 in hopes of demonstrating some economic muscle.

"I briefly floated the idea of a boycott of Hollywood --- and certainly the Oscars -- but in the end I don't think that would be productive, so I decided against it," said Hynes, who is based in Washington.

Find the complete article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/26/oscar.passion/index.html

How utterly ridiculous. The film was beautifully shot (again, despite the obvious influence of the horror movie genre) and I believe the score should win the Oscar but the film itself is misdirected and befuddled not to mention pornographic in its violence. It goes way over-the-top and anyone that doesn't realize it, it's just impossible to convince them. I was moved -- to vomit.

I believe "The Aviator" will win for cinematography. It's less obvious how to visually commit the story to film and it gets the ambience of the period completely right. Costumes that weren't obvious wound suit stuff should be won by "The Aviator" or "Finding Neverland." I wasn't impressed by the Chanel cowls in "Passion." I found it to be generally just the usual pedestrian costuming for the period right down to the silly-looking costumes for non-existant Hebrew guards.

Eastwood has won the Director's Guild Award but methinks that because the entire Oscar voting body gets to give away the prize, they will vote for Scorcese on the basis of a career and the fact that Eastwood has already got an Oscar. He'll obviously have a second chance at winning another -- I do think he has more great films up his sleeve.

I don't agree with the nomination of SHARK TAILS
at all. the animation was nice but the story was very weak. I would have gone with STEAMBOY instead.

I'm sure "Steamboy" got some votes but not enough even if it was probably close. Was "Steamboy" feature length? I didn't bother to go see "Shark Tails" because of the mixed reviews.

No nomination for Blade Trinity? Wesley Snipes snubbed again? Criminal I say, criminal.

You're so droll, Bi-Polar. Not only that, but it's not racking up much of a box office. Looks like straight to video. Maybe it will end up in the Razies.

Mary Parker Posey was a hoot though. After being so used to seeing her in the Waiting for Guffman, Dog Show, Mighty Wind ensemble cast....she made me laugh in Blade....

I recently saw "Million Dollar Baby" and it is fresh in my mind. Eastwood swings from moderate schmaltz to gore easily in this film. The real anchor here is Hilary Swank with a fresh honest performance. She will probably win her second Oscar.

I think the DGA made a mistake this year. If they were going to turn their back on Scorsese, they should have gone to Alexander Payne ("Sideways")
for best direction of a feature film. As I mentioned in an earlier posting, Hollywood likes Eastwood. I am somewhat surprised Eastwood received the award because he directs with broad strokes. But to his defense, I have to admit that the last 10 minutes of the film showed growth in his direction style in the more sensitive scenes. But all in all you can't take the cowboy out of Eastwood.

Payne's direction of "Sideways" shows his directing skill in the film's small moments and this is why the film is receiving high honors from most critics and viewers alike. What was great about this film is it was a thinking man's film and that is rare animal indeed.

Yes STEAMBOY is feature length. it's Japanese but set in Victorian England. Steamboy is a young inventor who is pursued by an evil genius type

I don't know if Japanese animated films can be nominated but I love almost all of them.

Screen Actors Guild Awards (2/5/05)

In a surprise win the actors of "Sideways" take the cast (ensemble) SAG award. In the past, the film that has won this award has gone on to receive the best pic Oscar four times in the past nine years.

Going into the SAG Awards, "The Aviator" and "Million Dollar Baby" were in a tie for the top rated films to receive the Oscar. Now with the "Sideways" SAG win, it is a three way tie for the gold, well almost.

"Sideways" was my choice for best American film of 2004 but will the Academy give this lower key wine country comedy the top honor? Comedies don't fare well with the Academy. The last time a comedy won the Oscar for best picture was "Annie Hall" in 1977.

Twenty years later when the comedy "As Good as it Gets" was nominated for best picture in 1997, the big production "Titanic" won the Oscar. This scenario may repeat itself this year with "The Aviator" taking the top honor.

11th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:
Movies:
Actor: Jamie Foxx (news), "Ray."
Actress: Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby."
Supporting actor: Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby."
Supporting actress: Cate Blanchett, "The Aviator."
Cast (ensemble): "Sideways."

Finally made it to the cineplex to see "The Aviator." I took Mom because she worked for Hughes and could have been the films' toughest critic. She loved the film as well as I did. Up through the final chapter she pointed out that Hughes always looked boyish even after the accident so De Caprio was not a poor choice. Cate Blanchett stole the movie, however, and without ever upstaging De Caprio. Scorcese once again demonstrates he is one of filmdom's best directors and handles his actors with the expertise of a Fellini. I could say the same for Clint Eastwood so it seems to all hang on whether this will be a career Oscar for Scorcese or if they expect an even better movie out of the auteur.

I agree with Lightwizard that it will be a very tight race between AVIATOR and BABY. I only wish Hollywood would accept comedies on the same level as biopics and dramas. I don't think SIDEWAYS has a chance...I hope I am proven wrong.

Hosting the Oscars
Chris Rock will host the 77th Academy Awards telecast and this will be Rock's first stint as Oscar host. I wish him luck and I hope he will keep the ceremony on the light and funny side. Billy Bush, Jann Carl, Chris Connelly and Shaun Robinson have been set to co-host the Academy's arrivals show "Oscar Countdown 2005" preceding the 77th Academy Awards.

I heard that some of the award winners will not be allowed to go up on stage during the Oscar ceremony and will receive their awards at their seats. I am not so sure about this decision....Who will they choose not to go up on the stage? Sounds like trouble to me.

That's happened every year for the technical awards if I recall. If it's going to be extended, say, to the costuming, sets or other such awards, I'm not sure that will go over well. I makes it look like movies are made with only the only focus on the actors.