The nominations are in:

Best Picture
THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
RAY
SIDEWAYS

Achievement in Directing
THE AVIATOR
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
RAY
SIDEWAYS
VERA DRAKE

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA
Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND
Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR
Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Jamie Foxx - RAY

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR
Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS
Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL
Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Clive Owen - CLOSER

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening - BEING JULIA
Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE
Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE
Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR
Laura Linney - KINSEY
Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS
Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA
Natalie Portman - CLOSER

Best Original Screenplay
THE AVIATOR
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
HOTEL RWANDA
THE INCREDIBLES
VERA DRAKE

Best Adapted Screenplay
BEFORE SUNSET
FINDING NEVERLAND
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
SIDEWAYS

Best Foreign-Language Film
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
THE CHORUS
DOWNFALL
THE SEA INSIDE
YESTERDAY

Best Animated Feature Film
THE INCREDIBLES
SHARK TALE
SHREK 2

Original Song
"Accidentally In Love" - SHREK 2
"Al Otro Lado Del Río" - THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
"Believe" - THE POLAR EXPRESS
"Learn To Be Lonely" - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
"Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" - THE CHORUS

Fahrenheit 9/11...ZERO NOMS! WTF!?!?!?

I would have been very disappointed if Imelda Staunton hadn't been nominated. She was beyond great in "Vera Drake." That was one of the best films I saw last year. I will be hoping she wins next month.

My predictions:
Best Picture The Aviator
Best Director Clint Eastwood (Sorry Martin)
Best Actor Don Cheadle
Best Actress Imelda Staunton
Supporting Actor Alan Alda
Supporting Actress Cate Blanchett
Original Screenplay The Aviator
Adapted Screenplay Finding Neverland
Animated Feature The Incredibles
I know everyone thinks Martin should get it for the Aviator but I think Eastwood will steal this one. I also think Don Cheadle will come away with best actor because his film is more thought provoking than Ray or Finding Neverland. At least that's what I think. I also read something interesting in that none of the best pictue nominees would be considered blockbusters. Unlike like last year when "King" was expected to win in almost every category, I believe they said the Aviator has made the most money so far. I can't wait!!!

I agree about "Vera Drake." The movie was excellent, and the performance was superb. I saw a worthy contender this weekend, though. I went to see "Million Dollar Baby" expecting a traditional boxing movie, with the twist being that the protagonist was a woman. With about a half-hour to go, though, the story takes a shocking twist and goes off in a completely unexpected direction. I don't want to give aything away so I won't say any more, but I thought the movie was brilliant (and I am NOT a fan of Clint Eastwood-directed movies), and Hillary Swank's performance - really three performances in one - is very Oscar-worthy.

Disappointed to see that neither Javier Bardem ("Mar Adentro")nor Gael Garcia Bernal ("Mala Educacion") were nominated. Bardem would have been a real longshot, but I thought Bernal really had a chance because his reviews were so rapturous. Unfortunately, it's extremely hard to get an Acting nomination for a foreign-language film (Bardem got one four or five years ago for "Antes que Anochezca").

Another surprise: no nomination for Meryl Streep's creepy Hillaryesque performance in "The Manchurian Candidate."

I was, however, relieved to see the Academy simply ignore both Michael Moore and Mel Gibson.

Shark Tale as Best Animated, but not Polar Express?

I haven't seen it, mind you, but I think The Aviator looks like total crap.

I'm not really invested in any of these nominees, but I am truly pleasantly surprised to see Catalina Sandino Moreno nominated for Maria Full of Grace. She was wonderful!! I don't think she has any real chance of winning - the nomination is her reward - but it's very nice to see.

Plus, how can "Motorcycle Diaries" not get a foreign film nomination???? It's official...The Oscars suck! But, I'll be watching, anyway.

I found Miss Streep in "The Manchuarian Candidate" to be more terrifying than the creature in "Aliens." Is there anything she can't do on the screen? She probably wasn't nominated for that role this year since the flick didn't bring in the big bucks.

[ January 25, 2005, 10:03 AM: Message edited by: MPetrelis ]

this is the first year in a long time that I haven't seen any of the best picture nominees

And for best legs on a fine specimen of male hunk, the Oscar goes to Dennis Quaid for "The Day After Tomorrow." Who can forget the scene in which he gets out of bed to answer the phone and his thick, tree trunk thighs are shown in all their glory? My only complaint about the scene is that it didn't last longer.

And Quaid was robbed of a nomination the year "Far From Heaven" was released.

Why does the Academy ignore him, year after year?

[ January 25, 2005, 12:20 PM: Message edited by: MPetrelis ]

Poor Paul Giamatti. On this past weekend's Saturday Night Live he was the guest star, and was featured in a skit where he's coming home from the Golden Globes having lost out to Jamie Foxx for Best Actor. Then the limo driver mistakes him for Rob Schneider. And then in reality he is snubbed by the Academy and doesn't even get a nomination, while his Sideways co-stars Thomas Hayden Church and Virginia Madsen plus director, plus film, plus screenwriter all get nominated.

ME TOO! Hope to change that this week though - Million Dollar Baby.

Farenheit 911 missed out on a nomination because Moore stupidly decided to enter in in the Best Picture race rather than Best Documentary, where it would have been a mortal lock. Frankly I'm glad the Academy overlooked both Farenheit and The Passion so we don't have to listen to all the political crap from now until Oscar night.

Vera Drake should be up for Best Picture. Ray is enetretaining enough, but not one of the five Best Pictures.

I'm torn between Hilary Swank and Imelda Staunton. Both were outstanding in very different roles. But I fear that Annette Bening (she was good but not on par with the other two)will win because Swank already has one and no one knows Staunton. Then again, nobody knew Brenda Blethyn when she won for another Mike Leigh film.

Really glad to see Eastwood get an acting nod. Giammati got robbed though. He could replace Dicaprio im my opinion.

If I had a vote:

Picture: Million Dollar Baby
Actor: Don Cheadle
Actress: Imelda Staunton
Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman
Supporting Actress: Virginia Madsen
Director: Clint Eastwood

Minor correction, George--Brenda Blethyn did not win the Oscar for her work in the earlier Mike Leigh film, only garnered a nomination. I, like many others on this board, hope Imelda Staunton takes home the naked little gold man for her work in "Vera Drake." It never felt like a performance, instead it felt like a life being lived. Hillary Swank is quite good in "Million Dollar Baby" but I never forgot I was watching a performance. Was particularly glad to see Mike Leigh get a nod for directing "Vera Drake" and was surprised/disappointed "Kinsey" received just one nomination--the excellent Laura Linney.

~Adam

Georgie boy, what have you gone and done? Did you lose a bet? How dare you change your moniker! You will always be GVF as far as I'm concerned.

As far as Moore, he didn't deserve a nom. His movie paraded as a docu-shlocku-mentary, yet contained mistruths and factual errors that are better suited for CBS.

On the flip side, I was equally pleased to see the Christian Taliban's pet project being snubbed. And I have to remind the Bible Bunch that snuff films are part of the porn genre, and as such are not eligible for Oscar nom's.

Right you are Adam. I got her mixed up with Brenda Fricker who won Supporting Actress for My Left Foot.

Who deserved a nomination in the major categories and the nominees I'd remove:

Best Actor: DiCaprio would be out and replaced by Paul Giamatti of Sideways.

Best Actress: Can't argue with the nominees in this category, but I was hoping Uma Thurman would grab a nomination for Kill Bill Volume 2. Catalina Sandino Moreno could drop out and the field would be just as strong.

Best Supporting Actor: Jamie Foxx was a lead in Collateral. He was good but doesn't belong in this category. And while I like Clive Owen the movie sucked. Peter Saarsgard in Kinsey, Phil Davis as the husband in Vera Drake, David Carradine in Kill Bill-two of these three would be fine by me.

Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep not nominated for The Manchurian Candidate or Kate Winslet not nominated for Finding Neverland while Natalie Portman is for Closer? Not on my ballot!

Best Director: Taylor Hackford for Ray is out. The Aviator is B level Scorcese so he'd be out as well. Marc Forster (Finding Neverland) or Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) or Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) or even Michael Mann (Collateral) would be in. It would be a shame if the Academy decides to honor Scorcese for the Aviator while passing him over in the past for far superior work like Goodfellas, Taxi Driver or Raging Bull.

Best Picture: Ray is a goner. The Aviator too. Vera Drake would take one slot, Hotel Rwanda the other.

A shame, yes, but that's how it works. There is no more glaring example than Al Pacino ... who finally won his Oscar not for the Godfather movies or for Dog Day Afternoon, but for Scent of a Woman.

It's all politics.

I just hope Jamie Foxx doesn't get an Oscar. His speech is going to be such a trainwreck. The phony tears, the dead grandma, his struggle, ugh...it's going to set blacks back 50 years. I'm kidding about the last bit.

I'm going to watch it this year cause it's Chris Rock. I mean record it and watch the Chris Rock bits.

Can somebody explain to me the attraction of Million Dollar Baby? I saw it today, and man, I thought I was disappointed when I saw The Aviator. Million Dollar Baby was nothing more than a movie of the week: totally predictable, dull fight sequences, totally predictable. And Clint Eastwood was so wooden--the kind of performance Keanu Reeves will be turning in in 40 years. How did he get nominated and not Paul Giamatti? For that matter, how did this movie get nominated and not Vera Drake or Kinsey. Heck, I enjoyed Dodgeball more.

Different strokes I guess Canmark. I thought Milliion Dollar Baby was much better than The Aviator, which I thought was waaaayyy too long plus went flat when Cate Blanchett wasn't around. It was also one of the two or three best reviewed movies of the year. And I thought Clint was terrific. Giamatti should be nominted but in place of Leo, not Clint, IMO.

I guess so. SPOILER: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN "MILLION DOLLAR BABY" To me, Million Dollar Baby was a Lifetime movie-of-the-week. Two movies, actually: "Against all odds, a blue-collar woman chases her dream of becoming a champion boxer" and "Hardened trainer struggles with issue of euthanasia when his fighter is tragically paralyzed." And, of course, we know how both of those movies turn out--you don't even have to see them to know.

The Aviator is well-made, luxurious, and takes place in the Golden Age of Hollywood--reasons why it should win best picture--but it's missing an Act 1. It's all middle, and way too long for my tastes. And how did Alan Alda garner a nomination? Sounds like the kind of crooked dealings his character in the film would have been involved with. (As for Leo, Hollywood loves it when you play crazy.)

Sideways is an amusing film, and even though I saw it twice, I don't think it's a "Best Picture" type of picture. Giamatti was great as the likeable loser Miles (also great in American Splendor), and it's a shame he wasn't nominated.

I thought Ray was enjoyable, although a bit long. Listening to Ray Charles is not a bad way to spend two hours, though. Hey, baby, don't you treat me wrong. Come and love your daddy all night long..."

Haven't seen Finding Neverland.

Other awards:
Jamie Foxx - Best actor AND Best supporting actor (Go Jamie!)
Imelda Staunton - If she doesn't win best actress... :mad:
Virginia Madsen - subtle supporing actress performance; though I have no objection to Cate Blanchett, who's great in everything

Original screenplay: Eternal Sunshine...
Adapted screenplay: Sideways
Best director: Mike Leigh (I'm sure he won't win)

In another thread, Cyd at Outsports posted

I haven't seen NEVERLAND or RAY, but of the three Best Picture nominees I have seen, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, which I cried through last night, was by far the best. A must see!

There was a great article along with predictions in Entertainment Weekly several weeks ago.
It explained how nominations are done and why it is older Hollywood establishment that mostly votes. That's why you see some of the nominees.
I wish they would just make a rule about Lead vs Supporting Actor. How can anyone say Jamie Foxx was a supporting actor in Collateral.
The Oscars are all about paying back forgotten or missed recognition and staying the political correct line. If there had not been so much hoopla from press about African Americans wouldn't have seen Holly Berry and Denzel win.

because Tom Cruise is a bigger star than Foxx is

it's whose name is above the title

Actually it is the respective studios which determine the category an actor will be considered for. Jamie Foxx, though happy with the final decision, had no say.

One of the most egregious examples was back in the '70s when the studio submitted George Burns for Supporting Actor for The Sunshine Boys. Though clearly a shared lead, they figured they'd have a great shot at snaring an Oscar.

AP posted a good article about this today. Despite the very recent phenomenon of black actors doing well at the oscars, historically the award show isn't that politically correct. According to the article, only 3.2 % of acting nominations have gone to black actors in the 77 years of the award's history, which is pretty low considering that 13% of the population is black. I don't know if Halle should have won, considering how bad she is in other movies, but Denzel was pretty darn menacing in Training Day.

I don't really get why Jamie Foxx is in the supporting actor category either, but there have been all sorts of odd nomination decisions. Anthony Hopkins won best actor for Silence of the Lambs, but he was on screen for less than 20 minutes. And when Philadelphia came out, the studio was pushing for a nomination for Denzel Washington in the supporting category, even though he had as much screen time as Tom Hanks. So I think it's more about who the audience percieves to be the lead or supporting actor, not about the actual screen time.

Looks as if Martin Scorcese may not win this year either. Clint Eastwood won the Director's Guild of America award. In 56 years of giving the award only 6 imes has the DGA winner not won the Oscar for Best Director.

Beyonce will be singing some of the Academy Award-nominated songs. She'll sing "Learn to be Lonely" from The Phantom of the Opera, and...

I sense that "Million Dollar Baby" has really built momentum in the Oscar race. I think Hillary Swank, Clint Eastwood (as Director, not actor), and Morgan Freeman may all go home with Oscar gold. It's well-deserved, too; this movie moved me tremendously. On the other hand, "Harold annd Kumar Go To White Castle" was my favorite movie last year. Seriously.

But...was the momentum there when housemaids and pet groomers...uh...I mean Academy voters were casting their ballots?

But what to make of the backlash against "Million Dollar Baby?"

SPOILER: Do not read further if you don't want to know a key plot point in "Million Dollar Baby."


In question is the big "twist" in the film, where Hilary Swank's character is paralyzed and asks Clint Eastwood's character to help her die.

Apparently, some right-wing people (led by Michael Medved) claim that the film condones (even supports) assisted-suicide. Murder and suicide are sins, don't you know?

Some disability advocates concur.

"Marcie Roth, director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, said she hates the film’s ending because so many people still think that “having a spinal-cord injury is a fate worse than death.”

"Unfortunately," she told The Associated Press, “the movie is saying death is better than disability."

Will this hurt the film's chances at Oscar time?

Fans of the movie Sideways can download the Sideways map (PDF file), courtesy of the Santa Barbary Visitors center, featuring locations, wineries, restaurants, even the ostrich farm, that are seen in the film.

Well the right wingers didn't help Passion of the Christ get a nomination so I'm not sure it will hurt Million Dollar Baby. Plus isn't Clint a Republican?

What will help Eastwood in the directing category is that Scorcese is felt to have done far better work and been passed over. I ahve a friend in the Academy and he says that many people he's spoken to say while they think he's overdue they don't want to give it to him for the fairly pedestrian The Aviator.

What should have been if the Academy actually had seen any movies.

Best Picture (in order of bestness)
1. Kill Bill 2 - Argue if you want. It's QT's best film to date, has better dialogue, story, and acting than 90% of the fluff thrown out this year, and it actually made me respect David Carradine as an actor (not easy).
2. Kinsey - Unlike most biopics (see A Beautiful Mind), this movie was relevant, provocative, well acted, entertaining, and important. Obviously, it was not Oscar material.
3. Finding Neverland - Depp and the obligatory "Shakespear in Love" formula the Academy loves.
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - The only problem that I have with this flick is that it's exactly the type of excellent performance by Jim Carrey that makes people think he should be in more dramas. So much for Ace Ventura 3
5. This spot could be occupied by tons of movies like...Vera Drake, Motorcycle Diaries, Imaginary Heroes, Hotel Rwanda, Garden State, Friday Night Lights, Miracle, Man on Fire, etc.
***Sideways, Million $ Depressant, Ray, and The Aviator were just too underwhelming overall to deserve the title of "Best Picture." Also, not getting Brad Pitt to be the naked guy at the end of 'Sideways' was just lazy casting.

Best Actor
1. Jamie Foxx (Ray)- I can't argue this one
2. Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)- Does an accent, saves hundreds of lives from a genocide. He should talk to Liam Neeson about Oscar night disappointment.
3. Jim Caviezel (The Passion)- I know, I know, but he spoke a dead language, he got struck by lightning while on the cross, and he looked to be in about as much pain as I was for paying to see that movie.
4. Kurt Russell (Miracle)- One of the most underrated, understated, pitch perfect performances of the year.
5. Gael Garcia Bernal (Motorcycle Diaries, Bad Education)- Haven't seen him speak much english, but the stuff he does in spanish is pretty damn amazing.
***EASTWOOD?! Did they even watch the movie. My dick is capable of expressing more emotion. I'm all about minimalist acting as opposed to being overly dramatic, but damn. Oh, before I forget, "Hey DiCaprio, James Van Der Beek called from the set of Varsity Blues II, he wants his fake accent back."

Best Actress
1. Annette Benning (Being Julia)
***Should probably go to Staunton (Vera Drake) or Uma Thurman (Kill Bill 2), but I'd rather see Benning get retribution against Swank (who basically played the same redneck-guy-sans-penis she played in 'Boys Don't Cry').

Best Supporting Actor
1. Morgan Freeman (Million $ Depressant)- It's all about gettin his due for making EVERY movie he's ever been in better just by showing up.
2. David Carradine (Kill Bill 2)- "There are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard. You experienced some of them." "Pai Mei teaches no one the five point palm exploding heart technique." I could go on and on.
***I've seen Sideways twice and I still do not understand why on earth Thomas Hayden Church is nominated for anything except the MTV "Worst Attempt at Crying on Film" Award.

Best Supporting Actress
1... Ah, fudge it. Absolutely no strong opinion for this catagory except for hollywood to either start finding better roles for women or just make every movie gay and get it over with. That said, Cate Blanchett, Sophie Okonedo, and Laura Linney were pretty damn good.

Best Director
1. Scorcese (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Color of Money,..etc)- I'm not sure who he pissed off, but they need to get over it already.
2. Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill 2)- His most complete job of directing to date.
***I'd give anything if Eastwood would write and direct a buddy cop comedy with the lead starring opposite a dog (a la Turner and Hooch). It would probably make 'Shindler's List' look like a Monty Python movie. Lighten up, Clint, jeez!

[ February 18, 2005, 07:12 PM: Message edited by: Brooking's boy ]

I would give anything if Million Dollar Baby, deservedly, did not win a single award <OK, maybe one for Hillary>. I've seen movies equally as good on Lifetime and Hallmark networks.

The directors for this year's show should be fired and never allowed to put together another Oscar telecast again. Having some of the nominees on stage only to have to perform the walk of shame after not winning was a horrible decision. Then, giving awards in the center of the Kodak Theater where some of the winners aren't even given stagetime is equally horrible. I am very satisfied with the winners but for goodness sakes, what a screwed up show! Good to see Babs there at the end.

I totally agree (except Imelda Staunton deserved Best Actress), although the world seems to have been taken in by Million Dollar Baby's chamrs.

I didn't watch the Oscars, but on the local news coverage, they showed Cate Blanchett (who looked wonderful, by the way) presenting some award from on the stairs by where the nominees were sitting and there were a lot of empty seats in back of her. Couldn't the Academy fill the Kodak Theater? One of the few things I liked about the Oscars when I watched was seeing "lesser" award-winners making their way up the aisle, accompanied by the music & the applause of their peers. It's the only time these people get this kind of attention so they should be able to rvel in it.

~Adam

I agree about the empty seats. It was stunning to me when the cameras panned the upper reaches of the Kodak because there were lots of empty seats... not just one seat here and there, but entire rows empty.

I don't recall ever seeing that at the Oscars.

Maybe seat fillers were on strike. There was one section upstairs near the center that was completely empty. I wonder if this was a protest by the grumbling Academy members who were unhappy about Rock being the host? Hummmm.....

I didn't understand why the "experts" felt having a wide-open Oscar contest would mean lower ratings. To me, it made it more interesting and successful to not have an overwhelming favorite, and it looks like the ratings have borne that out.

Chris Rock was not particularly funny, but he was not particularly awful, either. He just WAS <shrug>. The person who needs a sense of humor is the self-important Sean Penn, who felt that Rock's joke about Jude Law could not go unanswered. His "he is one of our finest actors" comment was unnecessary. Memo to Sean: lighten up, it's the Oscars, not Baghdad. [Roll Eyes]

All in all, I was pretty happy with all the major winners, although "Super Size Me" not winning Best Documentary really surprised me. I was sure the Academy would reward the financial success if not the artistic content of the movie.

With the exception of Jamie Foxx's overly emotional speech (haven't we heard about his grandmother at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the Blockbuster Awards, etc?), I thought all the major nominees were incredibly classy and articulate. Kudos to Morgan Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank - and to Clint Eastwood, too.

As for the clothes, Cate and Hilary were big winners there, too. Elegant and understated, and Swank's training paid off - she was total Hollywood glamour in her va-va-voom Guy Laroche number (apparenly she decided on 24 hours notice to NOT wear the number Calvin Klein had made for her).

I think the concern over whether people would be interested was not so much because of the wide-open nature of the race as because most people haven't seen the movies up for awards.