Oscar worthies
These are who I would nominate if I were the Oscar god. Caveat: I haven't seen Hotel Rwanda or Million-Dollar Baby or Vera Drake yet..
Best Picture Nominees:
The Dreamers, Ray, The Incredibles, Closer, and I Heart Huckabees.
Bertolucci's film is a masterpiece about the 1960s but universally ignored. Ray packs such a powerful emotional punch that its cloying moments of cheesiness can be overlooked. The Incredibles is tremendously entertaining storytelling. Closer is bold and brave and honest and tough. I Heart Huckabees is hilarious and brilliantly political.
Close calls: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Maria Full of Grace, The Reckoning, Manchurian Candidate, Finding Neverland.
Best Actor Nominees:
Jamie Foxx (should win, must win, deserves to win) for "Ray"
Everybody else take a back seat (you heard me, Johnny Depp). Don't even bother getting nominated. Unless you're Don Cheadle and your performance is as good as is rumored.
Best Actress Nominees:
Cate Blanchett really should be nominated here for "The Aviator." She's the lead actress in the movie, but I guess she is getting nominated for best supporting actress. In any case, it's the most enjoyable performance of the year.
Annette Bening for "Being Julia"-- tour de force.
Nicole Kidman for "Birth"--just for the one scene that shows her face closeup for five minutes.
Kate Winslet for "Eternal Sunshine"--adorably crazy.
Eva Green in "The Dreamers"-- oh my. I fell for her, totally.
Catalina Sandino Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace"-- incredibly touching and amazing performing.
I like all of these.
Supporting Actor Nominees:
Three very good performances here:
Mark Wahlberg for "I Heart Huckabees"--hilarious performance by a consistently engaging performer.
Clive Owen in "Closer"--riveting.
Freddie Highmore in "Finding Neverland" -- incredibly real.
I would fill out the category with Thomas Hayden Church in "Sideways" (he saves the movie from its own sanctimoniousness) and Rodrigo de la Serna in "The Motorcycle Diaries."
I'd vote for Clive Owen.
Supporting Actress Nominees:
Cate the great (see above)
Sharon Warren for "Ray"-- touching, heartfelt
The great Gena Rowlands for "The Notebook"--tender and real performance in a cloying movie
Naomi Watts for "I Heart Huckabees"-- She said "fuckabees"!
Meryl Streep in "The Manchurian Candidate"
Natalie Portman in "Garden State"
Special category for sexiest performance of the year:
Eva Green in "The Dreamers"
Natalie Portman for "Closer"
It's a fucking tie.
These are who I would nominate if I were the Oscar god. Caveat: I haven't seen Hotel Rwanda or Million-Dollar Baby or Vera Drake yet..
Best Picture Nominees:
The Dreamers, Ray, The Incredibles, Closer, and I Heart Huckabees.
Bertolucci's film is a masterpiece about the 1960s but universally ignored. Ray packs such a powerful emotional punch that its cloying moments of cheesiness can be overlooked. The Incredibles is tremendously entertaining storytelling. Closer is bold and brave and honest and tough. I Heart Huckabees is hilarious and brilliantly political.
Close calls: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Maria Full of Grace, The Reckoning, Manchurian Candidate, Finding Neverland.
Best Actor Nominees:
Jamie Foxx (should win, must win, deserves to win) for "Ray"
Everybody else take a back seat (you heard me, Johnny Depp). Don't even bother getting nominated. Unless you're Don Cheadle and your performance is as good as is rumored.
Best Actress Nominees:
Cate Blanchett really should be nominated here for "The Aviator." She's the lead actress in the movie, but I guess she is getting nominated for best supporting actress. In any case, it's the most enjoyable performance of the year.
Annette Bening for "Being Julia"-- tour de force.
Nicole Kidman for "Birth"--just for the one scene that shows her face closeup for five minutes.
Kate Winslet for "Eternal Sunshine"--adorably crazy.
Eva Green in "The Dreamers"-- oh my. I fell for her, totally.
Catalina Sandino Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace"-- incredibly touching and amazing performing.
I like all of these.
Supporting Actor Nominees:
Three very good performances here:
Mark Wahlberg for "I Heart Huckabees"--hilarious performance by a consistently engaging performer.
Clive Owen in "Closer"--riveting.
Freddie Highmore in "Finding Neverland" -- incredibly real.
I would fill out the category with Thomas Hayden Church in "Sideways" (he saves the movie from its own sanctimoniousness) and Rodrigo de la Serna in "The Motorcycle Diaries."
I'd vote for Clive Owen.
Supporting Actress Nominees:
Cate the great (see above)
Sharon Warren for "Ray"-- touching, heartfelt
The great Gena Rowlands for "The Notebook"--tender and real performance in a cloying movie
Naomi Watts for "I Heart Huckabees"-- She said "fuckabees"!
Meryl Streep in "The Manchurian Candidate"
Natalie Portman in "Garden State"
Special category for sexiest performance of the year:
Eva Green in "The Dreamers"
Natalie Portman for "Closer"
It's a fucking tie.