The 2004 Oscar Race--give us your opinion

What's your pick for best picture Oscar?

Results of a CNN poll as of 2/10/05:

"The Aviator" 34% 15160 votes

"Finding Neverland" 11% 4763 votes

"Million Dollar Baby" 21% 9446 votes

"Ray" 23% 10249 votes

"Sideways" 12% 5341 votes


Total: 44959 votes

Very interesting -- in that one wonders if voters are picking who will win because they the voting body will go that way or it's their personal pick.

I'm beginning to think I am the only person in America that thinks the ceremony is too short.
I wouldn't mind another hour or two. The Academy Awards are my super bowl !!

Re: CNN poll

This poll appears to be the vote of the movie going audience with many not influenced by the critics/press and other professionals. RAY scored high coming in second behind AVIATOR. The box office figures of AVIATOR: 77 million and RAY: 74 million confirms these positions.

BABY being a little heavy going and somber was not a real entertaining film. It came in third in the CNN poll but last in the box office figures with 36 million.

SIDEWAYS (4th in CNN poll) was a gem but it was a film for a specific market and not a wide age group. The word got on this film and has done 47 million bringing it in third at the box office.

NEVERLAND thought it was going to be a family film but somehow it was perceived to be a subdued period piece by the film going audience even though it starred Johhny Depp. Fifth in box office at 36 million and 5th in CNN poll.

thiefoflight:

I agree with you...The Academy Awards is my super bowl too. Obviously there is a very wide audience for this event because ABC has sold out all it's commercial time for the show. We are in good company.

I can see why they eliminated all the technical awards coming up to the stage but I do enjoy seeing the major aesthetic participants get their due. I hope they don't eliminate costume, set design, cinematography or musical score from coming up on stage. I was rootin' for Howard Shore for his magnificent scoring of LOTR and he won two for basically a 12 hours plus movie! I'm still convinced this year that "The Passion" soundtrack will win and could be their only win. The other two awards it's up for are really more competitive 'cause I believe "The Aviator" is superlative cinematography and will win. Anyone detect what influence "Citizen Kane" can be seen in "Aviator?" The crazed scene in the projection room could be shown along side the scene where Welles tears up the room in "Kane."

(Of course, the shots of the Coconut Grove were really nostalgic for me as I made in a point in the 50's to visit it before it became history).

Chris Rock bites Oscar hand
But producer supports comedian
2/15/05

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The producer of the Oscars said Monday he was not concerned by comments from comedian and first-time host Chris Rock that belittled the event.

"Chris' comments over the past few weeks are meant to be humorous digs at a show that some people, obviously including Chris himself, think may be a bit too stuffy," producer Gil Cates said in a statement released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rock called the notion of giving awards for art "idiotic" and said he has never cared for the Academy Awards, which he likened to a "fashion show." He said the only time he watched was when black actors were nominated.

"What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one," Rock was quoted as saying in the magazine's February 4 issue.

Cates, who is producing the February 27 event, said he was not worried by those and other remarks.

His statement followed a story posted Sunday on the Drudge Report Web site, which cited unnamed sources and reported that "academy members have privately called for Chris Rock to be removed as host, fearing Rock may 'tarnish' the reputation of the academy."

Cates rejected that claim. "The academy has heard no grumbling from its members and has no intention of even suggesting that Chris step aside," he said.

Rock's publicist did not return a call Monday from The Associated Press.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/15/oscars.rock.ap/index.html

They hired Chris Rock to be edgy and it's pretty obvious he was going to poke some not-so-innocent fun at the event. I noticed at the Grammys that there were more awards given away before the event then every before. This leads me to agree that they may be doing the same at the Oscars to keep the length in tow. Actually, more Chris Rock humorously and deliciously ribbing the stars and the event would be preferable over the too much pomp and circumstance.

If anyone is interested in documentary films--my vote would certainly go to BORN INTO BROTHELS, a very powerful story, imaginatively photographed. It thoroughly engaged me, both intellectually and emotionally--which is more than I can say for a good number of the feature films I saw this particular past year. A documentary that works well is no more common than a feature that works well, but those that do work have an extraordinary resonance. I wish there were better distribution for documentaries, so that a larger audience might have a chance to develop a taste for them.

I drove down to Boston to see BORN INTO BROTHELS but my baser instincts took over and I saw INSIDE DEEP THROAT instead

Miklos7

I agree with you about documentaries. I have noticed many more getting theatrical release in theaters here in New York City. From what I have read, it looks as though more will released nationally in the next few years. (Go www.documentary.org it is the excellent website of the Int'l Documentary Ass'n. They announce special docu screenings.)

In the past distributors did not think they could make enough money handling them but they now know it is possible.

The following are documentaries that recently made over a million at the box office:

"Fahrenheit 9/11" $119,194,771
"Super Size Me" 11,536,423
"Winged Migration" 10,764,402
"Tupac: Resurrection" 7,718.961
"Spellbound" 5,728.581
"The Fog of War" 4,198,566
"Riding Giants" 2,276.368
"The Story OTW Camel" 1,763,052

Current Oscar nominated documentaries:
"Born into Brothels", "The Story of the Weeping Camel", "Super Size Me", "Tupac Resurrection" & "Twist of Faith".

Couzz, Thanks very much for the address of the IDA site, which I had never seen before--and which looks extremely interesting. If you have a taste for documentaries, you are very fortunate to be located in NYC. Here in NE Maine, the genre has, until recently, been underrepresented in the theatres. BUT, a hopeful sign: 7 of the 8 films--all but "Tupac"--on your list did show within 50 miles of us (if you live in the country, you drive!) this past year. Market forces at work. I wonder if there's a trend. For instance, year before last, MY ARCHITECT and DOGTOWN showed here. I wonder how they drew nationally. Again, thanks for the great website tip!

Ray was a good movie, if not a little slow. Jamie Foxx was wonderful. He is a great actor, in my opinion and the "paying your dues" mentality that the academy voters use will keep him out of the light he deserves.

I saw Ray yesterday, Bella, and I agree with you. The voters might throw him a bone and give him the Supporting Actor Oscar, though.

Bella Dea and Mac11, For a long movie, RAY moved well for me--and I attribute this pace (and accompanying rich texture) to the excellent performance of Jamie Foxx. He was also very good in COLLATERAL, but that film didn't give him as much of a chance to show fully how deeply talented he is. Of course, the politics of the AA may well provide him a Supporting Actor oscar, as Mac suggests.

On the subject of COLLATERAL, I liked it a LOT until the last 15 minutes, which turned its eventful linear progression into something both baroque and expected--with car crashes, rescues, happy coincidences. Of course, it's not so simple to change an ending; you have to go back to the beginning to start restructuring. Ah, well. It was still a good entertainment. But Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx were clearly able to take it to another level.

Don't count Fox out for the "best actor" Oscar.

The Screen Actors Guild (who is the largest voting block in the Academy) gave Jamie Fox their best actor award.

True, but the SAG Awards aren't the predictor they used to be. Specifically, for the last four years, the Best Actor award was awarded to different actors at the two shows.

And having Clint on the list will make a big difference, imo.

Miklos7:

I enjoyed your use of the word "baroque" in referring the last part of "Collateral". Your choice of the word was interesting and fitting.

Your earlier mention of the two documentaries "My Architect" and "Dogtown and Z-Boys" peeked my interest. They did the following at the box office:

ARCHITECT: $2.7 million
DOGTOWN: 1.5 million

I was sorry I missed seeing ARCHITECT. I will search for it.

The big difference between the SAG Award and the Oscar is that the actors vote in the nominees and the winner for the SAG and only the nominees for the Oscar.

Well, of course, the entire concept of the movie "Collateral" could be called baroque with a hard-to-believe coincidence framing the climax. For instance, a hit man would not likely hijack a cab but would have rented one under an assumed name, or had the perpetrators of the hit provide a vehicle. This didn't bother me as life is full of coincidences although car chases almost always is going to come off as a movie cliche.