THE AVIATOR<\/em>
FINDING NEVERLAND<\/I>
LEMONY SNICKET’S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS<\/I>
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA<\/I>
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT<\/i>
A Series of Unfortunate Events<\/i> had the most inventive look, but maybe it’s too reminiscent of old Tim Burton movies. I have a hunch they’ll give it to Phantom of the Opera<\/I>.
FILM EDITING<\/b>
THE AVIATOR<\/I>
COLLATERAL<\/I>
FINDING NEVERLAND<\/I>
MILLION DOLLAR BABY<\/I>
RAY<\/I>
I found it interesting that my dad made a point to comment on the editing in Finding Neverland<\/I>. That said, I still feel Thelma Schoonmaker will win for Aviator<\/i>, if only because she’s so well respected.
CINEMATOGRAPHY<\/b>
THE AVIATOR<\/I>
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS<\/I>
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST<\/I>
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA<\/I>
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT<\/I>
Maybe the Academy will be impressed with how the makers of The Aviator<\/i> used the art of cinematography to set the time and tell their story (hence the blue golf course), but I have a feeling The Passion<\/i> will get it.
MUSIC (SONG)<\/b>
“Accidentally In Love” – SHREK 2<\/I>
“Al otro lado del r\u00edo” – THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES<\/I>
“Believe” – THE POLAR EXPRESS<\/I>
“Learn To Be Lonely” – THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA<\/I>
“Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)” – THE CHORUS<\/I>
I seriously do not give a shit.
Give the award out before the telecast and announce it during a commercial bump like a Grammy award. The East Coast will thank you.
MUSIC (SCORE)<\/b>
FINDING NEVERLAND<\/I>
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN<\/I>
LEMONY SNICKET’S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS<\/I>
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST<\/I>
THE VILLAGE<\/I>
I find it difficult to care since Edward Shearmur’s score for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow<\/i> was inexplicably slighted. I have a feeling the award will go to John Debney for The Passion<\/I>\u2026which is a shame since I’ve always considered it a rip-off of Peter Gabriel’s score for The Last Temptation of<\/i> [the] Christ<\/i>.
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)<\/b>
BEFORE SUNSET<\/i>
FINDING NEVERLAND<\/i>
MILLION DOLLAR BABY<\/i>
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES<\/i>
SIDEWAYS<\/I>
My money’s on Sideways<\/i>. The movie is so rich with dialogue that it would be a shame if it does not win.
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)<\/b>
THE AVIATOR<\/i>
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND<\/i>
HOTEL RWANDA<\/i>
THE INCREDIBLES<\/i>
VERA DRAKE<\/I>
One of those categories where I wouldn’t mind which wins; but I have a hunch Charlie Kaufman’s inventive Spotless Mind<\/i> will win
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM<\/b>
THE INCREDIBLES<\/i>
SHARK TALE<\/i>
SHREK 2<\/I>
I am a card-carrying Pixar disciple. That Dreamworks crap is for poseurs.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE<\/b>
Cate Blanchett – THE AVIATOR<\/i>
Laura Linney – KINSEY<\/i>
Virginia Madsen – SIDEWAYS<\/i>
Sophie Okonedo – HOTEL RWANDA<\/i>
Natalie Portman – CLOSER<\/I>
I’d vote for a belated honorary Oscar for Virginia Madsen’s shower scene in Creator<\/i>, but the big award goes to Cate Blanchett’s vibrant turn as Katharine Hepburn.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE<\/b>
Annette Bening – BEING JULIA<\/i>
Catalina Sandino Moreno – MARIA FULL OF GRACE<\/i>
Imelda Staunton – VERA DRAKE<\/i>
Hilary Swank – MILLION DOLLAR BABY<\/i>
Kate Winslet – ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND<\/I>
I know there are some who think Hilary Swank is too young to be getting two Best Actress Oscars but I thought she was excellent in Million Dollar Baby<\/i>. She played every scene perfectly and she can throw a mean punch.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE<\/b>
Alan Alda – THE AVIATOR<\/i>
Thomas Haden Church – SIDEWAYS<\/i>
Jamie Foxx – COLLATERAL<\/i>
Morgan Freeman – MILLION DOLLAR BABY<\/i>
Clive Owen – CLOSER<\/I>
I’m really not sure about this one. My money’s on Morgan Freeman though, just for being Morgan Freeman.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE<\/b>
Don Cheadle – HOTEL RWANDA<\/i>
Johnny Depp – FINDING NEVERLAND<\/i>
Leonardo DiCaprio – THE AVIATOR<\/i>
Clint Eastwood – MILLION DOLLAR BABY<\/i>
Jamie Foxx – RAY<\/I>
Jamie Foxx does an amazing job of playing Ray Charles, but halfway through the movie I got the feeling I was watching a really long SNL<\/i> skit. Is it really worth getting an award for doing a prolonged impersonation? I’d like to see Don Cheadle win this one. His performance in Hotel Rwanda<\/i> is more subdued, granted, but an Oscar win would bring more attention to this important movie—and Don Cheadle is always good and worth the recognition. Still, Jamie Foxx will win.
DIRECTING<\/b>
Martin Scorsese – THE AVIATOR<\/i>
Clint Eastwood – MILLION DOLLAR BABY<\/i>
Taylor Hackford – RAY<\/i>
Alexander Payne – SIDEWAYS<\/i>
Mike Leigh – VERA DRAKE<\/I>
At long last Martin Scorsese should get the Oscar he deserves. However, Clint Eastwood shows up and spoils everything. The Academy will want to honor both men, so I’m predicting Clint will get the directing award while\u2026
BEST PICTURE<\/b>
THE AVIATOR<\/i>
FINDING NEVERLAND<\/i>
MILLION DOLLAR BABY<\/i>
RAY<\/i>
SIDEWAYS<\/i>
\u2026Mr Scorsese will have to settle for watching his producers accept the grand prize.
Having seen all five nominees I have to reassess my complaint about this being a lackluster year. True, there was no huge movie to rally behind and breathlessly await its DVD release, but all five pictures were well-done and interesting and watchable. Unlike some years, they are all worthy. My dad and my friend Schmoe both love Finding Neverland<\/i>. My boss was very impressed with Million Dollar Baby<\/i>. Sideways<\/i> has great dialogue but it seems too slight (and, having said that, too long) to muscle its way past the others to the podium. Ray<\/i> is most noted for Jamie Foxx’s performance, and the movie is not helped by too much of a resemblance to the almost clichéd Behind the Music<\/i> arc. I think The Aviator<\/i> will get it. It was the first of the nominees I saw and I’m sticking with it. It’s the kind of prestigious bio-pic that the Academy loves to reward, it’s directed by the lauded Martin Scorsese, and the movie even celebrates old Hollywood. Seems like a natural. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s a very good movie.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My favorite weekend is upon us. Sure, the Super Bowl might have bigger parties and better food, but at least Oscar weekend leads up to a TV show I actually watch for its content and not for the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3138"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3146,"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3138\/revisions\/3146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wastinaway.net\/shortfatguy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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My favorite weekend is upon us. Sure, the Super Bowl might have bigger parties and better food, but at least Oscar weekend leads up to a TV show I actually watch for its content and not for the commercials (and I can barely muster even that much these last couple years).