Oscar Control Center

Bah!

2006-01-24T14:00:00.000-06:00

I hate work....and school....and everything in between. Expect final predictions tomorrow or so.

GG Predictions

2006-01-16T18:58:00.000-06:00

Best Motion Picture Drama: Brokeback Mountain
r/u: Good Night and Good Luck

Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: Walk the Line
r/u: The Squid and the Whale

Best Actor in a Drama: Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote
r/u: Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical: Joaquin Phoenix- Walk the Line
r/u: Jeff Daniels- The Squid and the Whale

Best Actress in a Drama: Felicity Huffman- Transamerica
r/u: Gwenyth Paltrow- Proof

Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical: Reese Witherspoon- Walk the Line
r/u: Laura Linney- The Squid and the Whale

Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti- Cinderella Man
r/u: George Clooney- Syriana

Best Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson- Match Point
r/u: Michelle Williams- Brokeback Mountain

Best Director: George Clooney- Good Night and Good Luck
r/u: Ang Lee- Brokeback Mountain

Best Screenplay: Larry McMurty & Diana Ossana- Brokeback Mountain
r/u: Paul Haggis & Robert Moresco- Crash

Best Original Song: "Travellin Thru" from Transamerica by Dolly Parton
r/u: "Wunderkind" from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe by Alanis Morisette

Best Original Score: Gustavo Santaolalla- Brokeback Mountain
r/u: John Williams- Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Foreign Film: Paradise Now
r/u: Kung-Fu Hustle

More Updates Coming Soon

2006-01-11T18:22:00.000-06:00

Sit tight, I've been too busy to update, but there should be new predix and analysis up by the weekend's....end.

Post-Guild Predix

2006-01-05T13:44:00.000-06:00

Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash
Capote
Walk the Line

Best Director
Ang Lee- Brokeback Mountain
George Clooney- Good Night and Good Luck
Paul Haggis- Crash
Steven Spielberg- Munich
David Cronenberg- A History of Violence

Best Actor
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote
Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix- Walk the Line
David Strathairn- Good Night and Good Luck
Russell Crowe- Cinderella Man

Best Actress
Reese Witherspoon- Walk the Line
Felicity Huffman- Transamerica
Judi Dench- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Charlize Theron- North Country
Ziyi Zhang- Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Supporting Actor
Paul Giamatti- Cinderella Man
George Clooney- Syriana
Jake Gyllenhaal- Brokeback Mountain
Matt Dillon- Crash
Terrence Howard- Crash

Best Supporting Actress
Rachel Weisz- The Constant Gardener
Catherine Keener- Capote
Maria Bello- A History of Violence
Frances McDormand- North Country
Michelle Williams- Brokeback Mountain

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
A History of Violence
Capote
Munich
The Constant Gardener

Best Original Screenplay
Crash
Good Night and Good Luck
Match Point
The Squid and the Whale
The Wallace & Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Best Cinematography
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night and Good Luck
Capote
The New World
Cinderella Man

Best Editing
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash
Walk the Line

Best Art Direction
Memoirs of a Geisha
King Kong
Cinderella Man
Good Night and Good Luck
Walk the Line

Best Costume Design
Memoirs of a Geisha
Cinderella Man
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Brokeback Mountain
Pride and Prejudice

Best Original Score
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Chronicles of Narnia
Cinderella Man
Munich
King Kong

Best Original Song
"In the Deep"- Crash
"There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway"- The Producers
"Travellin Thru"- Transamerica
"Remains of the Day"- Corpse Bride
"Hustle & Flow (It Ain't Ovah)"- Hustle & Flow

Best Sound
The Chronicles of Narnia
Walk the Line
King Kong
Batman Begins
War of the Worlds

Best Sound Editing
Star Wars Episode III
War of the Worlds
King Kong

Best Makeup
Memoirs of a Geisha
Sin City
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Visual Effects
King Kong
Star Wars Episode III
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Animated Film
The Wallace & Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Corpse Bride
Chicken Little

Best Foreign Film
Tsotsi (South Africa)
The Promise (China)
Joyeux Noel (France)
Mother of Mine (Finland)
Paradise Now (Palestine)

Best Documentary Feature
March of the Penguins
Mad Hot Ballroom
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
On Native Soil
The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Guild Predictions

2006-01-03T22:47:00.000-06:00

PGA:
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
King Kong
Good Night and Good Luck
Cinderella Man
alt: Walk the Line

WGA:
Original
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash
Match Point
The Squid and the Whale
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Adapted
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Capote
alt. Syriana

DGA:
Steven Spielberg- Munich
Ang Lee- Brokeback Mountain
George Clooney- Good Night and Good Luck
James Mangold- Walk the Line
David Cronenberg- A History of Violence
alt. Fernando Meirelles- The Constant Gardener

SAG:
Supporting Actress
Scarlett Johansson- Match Point
Maria Bello- A History of Violence
Diane Keaton- The Family Stone
Michelle Williams- Brokeback Mountain
Laura Linney- The Squid and the Whale
alt. Rachel Weisz- The Constant Gardener

Supporting Actor
Paul Giamatti- Cinderella Man
George Clooney- Syriana
Jake Gyllenhaal- Brokeback Mountain
Donald Sutherland- Pride and Prejudice
Bob Hoskins- Mrs. Henderson Presents
alt. William Hurt- A History of Violence

Best Actress
Judi Dench- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Reese Witherspoon- Walk the Line
Keira Knightley- Pride and Prejudice
Felicity Huffman- Transamerica
Gwenyth Paltrow- Proof
alt. Charlize Theron- North Country

Best Actor
David Strathairn- Good Night and Good Luck
Joaquin Phoenix- Walk the Line
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote
Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain
Ralph Fiennes- The Constant Gardener
alt. Jeff Daniels- The Squid and the Whale

Best Ensemble
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash
Pride and Prejudice
Brokeback Mountain
The Squid and the Whale
alt. Syriana

Pre-Guilds BP Analysis

2006-01-03T22:26:00.000-06:00

Right now, one slot is taken by Brokeback Mountain. Walk the Line has garnered enough support that it not only fills the "musical/comedy" spot but also the prerequisite "bait" slot there seems to be every year.

Following that is Good Night and Good Luck, which has enough critical support (also its directed by "it" boy George Clooney, who is due for some kind of recognition in a lot of people's minds) to get in.

Beyond those three is where it gets fuzzy. Three films are vying for the final two spots.

Crash:
+ Buzz film of the year with a rabid fanbase
+ Ensemble Piece, the academy likes ensemble pieces
+ Really the only "modern" film in serious contention, everything else is period.
+ Better than anticipated box office: $53 million
- Not much support at the HFPA or from the ISA's leading some to question if its remembered
- A rabid fanbase didn't help ESOTSM get a nom last year
- Small-time studio in Lion's Gate that has bungled the campaign
- While the Academy likes ensemble pieces, several also miss the cut every year

King Kong:
+ By far the most box office of any potential BP film this year
+ Strong support from the technical branch to be expected
+ Directed by Peter Jackson, whom most people believe to be the new Spielberg in terms of box office draw
+ Major event film, which could make a difference....
- Or could mean absolutely nothing, as several event films come and go a year
- Viewed somewhat as a box office letdown despite its massive take (over-expectations)
- Not an Academy Friendly Film
- History isn't on its side: Since 1970 only two directors have gotten a best picture nomination with their follow-up to a best picture winner (Francis Ford Coppola in 1974 with The Conversation/The Godfather Part II after winning in 72 with The Godfather; FFC again in 1979 with Apocalypse Now after winning in 74 with GF Part II; James Brooks in 1987 with Broadcast News after winning in 83 with Terms of Endearment)

Munich:
+ Spielberg: That name attached to any "serious" project gives it Oscar credibility to a degree
+ Topical film that is considered by some to be Spielberg's best since SPR
+ Starting to mount some critical support after lagging behind initially
+ Liable to have Guild Support, particularly from two of the most important precursors: The PGA and DGA
- Horrible Snub by the Globes hurt its chances
- Not as good as expected (again, over-expectation); not as high critical scores as anticipated, particularly from major critics (RT 78% w/7.5 AVG; COTC 59% w/6.8 AVG)
- Losing Critical Support to another smaller, more intimate films
- Not likely to garner any acting nominations, which like Kong hurts its chances to a small degree

The other films competing for a spot are Capote, The Constant Gardener, Match Point & A History of Violence, all of which have their own pros and cons, but are all darkhorses (Match Point), longshots (Capote & The Constant Gardener) and wishful thinking (A History of Violence).

Currently my predictions are:
Brokeback Mountain
Walk the Line
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash
Munich

The PGA and more importantly, DGA will help with this race immensely, or could snafu everything again if they go indie. IF they go indie, then we can talk about the four films mentioned as darkhorse/longshot/wishful thinking and re-assess there situation. The Guilds start tomorrow, so expect updates following those.

#1: The best film of the year

2005-12-30T20:56:00.000-06:00

Perhaps no other film proved the directorial mettle of its maker than this one. George Clooney's parable of the relationship between the press and political figures is qually the most poignant film of the year and also the most timely.

David Strathairn gives a career performance as Edward R. Murrow, and the rest of the ensemble is well and good, but like the number ten film of this list, the real star is Clooney as the director. He successfully guides this film in the anemic style, never really wasting a single shot. This style draws parallels from fellow actor turned director Clint Eastwood, but unlike Eastwood Clooney fills out the film with enough substance to make it a well-done style, as opposed to the bare bones Eastwood offered last year.

Perhaps the most brilliant move was in not casting an actor to portray Joseph McCarthy, instead using archival footage to make the point that McCarthy was a power-hungry demagogue. By letting McCarthy speak for himself, Clooney creates an authentic feel to the timeframe, something equaled with the black and white cinematography.

Shrewedly edited, well performed, superbly written, and ultimately a success on almost every level, Good Night and Good Luck is the best film of the year.

Thus concludes my top ten list. Tomorrow you'll have my big 6 nominees and winners (you already no the nominees and winners for best picture).

#2: Cronenberg's Best

2005-12-30T20:45:00.000-06:00

There may not be a better actor working today than Viggo Mortensen. He can convey more in a single glance then most can in an entire script filled with dialogue. He is at his best in A History of Violence, an almost neo-noir type look of how violence not only affects our lives individually, but as a society as well.

David Cronenberg has always had that theme throughout his films, and it comes to its fruition here. Seeing Viggo Mortensen interact with his family first when nothing seems to be wrong and then seeing how violence, even in defense of protecting that life, ultimately tears that life apart may be the best philosophical statement that has been subtlely made all year long.

Also welcome is a redefinition of the traditional "long-suffering-female-companion." Maria Bello makes the role as Tom/Joey's wife her own, and quite nearly steals the show from Viggo on occasion. Also great are supporting perfs from Ed Harris and the oft-talked about cameo appearence by William Hurt, in a role you have expect Christopher Walken to show up mimicking.

Some comparisons thematically have been made between this and Munich. But while Munich offers revenge as a beginning of violence, and does so in a pedestrian fashion, AHOV offers protection in the beginning, but does a great job at philosophically dissecting it down to the core: violence for violence sake.

#3: The Gay Cowboy Movie

2005-12-30T20:34:00.000-06:00

Forget the fact that this movie is about two gay cowboys. Forget the fact that it's about two men in love with one another at all. This is quite simply put, a love story first and foremost, a story of forbidden love that ranks with the greatest love stories ever told.

Never once is Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain to high on the sentimental emotion, and never once does it become emotionally empty. It always walks a fine line between the two, only occasionally veering off (usually when Heath Ledger isn't on the screen). Both Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are nomination worthy (and I wouldn't mind if either one left with the Oscar come March 5) in what is bar none Ang Lee's best directorial effort, ever.

The movie starts off a bit slowly, but as we see the film progress through the live of Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar and they move on to "socially acceptable lives", the film reaches its highest points of emotional crescendos. It's a love between the two that they really can't quantify, they don't particularly understand, and they can not adequately express or deal with except on Brokeback Mountain. The consequences of this love not only make this a very moving film, but a semi-tragic one as well.

It's sad that popular culture hasn't advanced far enough to allow this film to be seen for the epic romance that it really is. It may get lost in a muddled sea of Jay Leno monologue jokes and second-rate punchlines, but Brokeback Mountain would be a worthy recipient of the Best Picture Award come March.

#4: Stereotypes....BAAAAAD

2005-12-30T20:28:00.000-06:00

Like The Constant Gardener, Crash doesn't exactly try to hide what its all about. A gritty racial ensemble piece, Crash nonetheless accomplishes its message very well, anchored by the best ensemble cast of the year.

The message itself is simple: you can't judge a book by its cover. There are all the usual suspects here, the black people who are unfairly stereotyped against, the white police officers who may or may not be racist, the minorities who theorize on the subject of race, etc. etc. And, as with most ensemble pieces that are molded in the Short Cuts formula, there are certain conincidences that you have to accept through the suspension of reality in cinema. But with Crash you can accept these coincidences, and you can accept the film's message.

Above all else what makes this film great is not its message but the acting involved. Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, Don Cheadle, even Sandra Bullock all give nomination worthy performances in the film. Very rarely does an ensemble have that many strong players, putting Crash in elite company in that respect.

#5: A Nation Awaits its....

2005-12-30T20:17:00.000-06:00

To dehumanize Adolf Hitler is to give him an excuse for how he acted. To treat him as nothing but an inhuman monster is to let him off the hook, essentially. It is with this approach that the Swiss-born actor Bruno Ganz gives the best performance by anyone this year as he portrays Adolf Hitler in his final days of existence.

Ganz shows a man who has completely losing what little grip he had on reality to begin with, moving around non-existant armies and barking orders about war plans that are long since gone. As Hitler further succumbs to his own madness, we see Eva Braun, who lovingly dotes on him despite the fact that it will bring about her own destruction as well. Those around Hitler are so magnetized to him that even in his weakened and self-destructive state they still follow him, as if his movements and existence validate their own.

There in lies the brilliance of Ganz's performance. At times you see glimpses of what once was a charismatic leader, albeit a charismatic leader who committed the most heinous of atrocities. It's long been questioned why it was that the German people went along with Hitler's final solution. Perhaps some truly believed as Hitler did, and certainly others acted in total revolt to Hitler because of it. And while the film doesn't offer a final decision one way or another, what it does say is this: the vast majority, like Eva Braun, were simply mesmerized by a man, who while he is most likely the embodiment of evil in the 20th century, is still only a man.

#6: Aliens and Abuse

2005-12-30T20:09:00.000-06:00

Whereas other message films of the year such as The Constant Gardener and Crash present their message as an in your face style, subtlety is the main key in Mysterious Skin. In dealing with the post-adolescent consequences of child abuse, the film may be the most poignant of the year.

Like Terrence Howard, the previously relative unknown Joseph Gordon-Levitt (best known as John Lithgow's son in Third Rock From the Sun) breaks out with a starmaking performance here. Both he and Brady Corbet are moving in various ways, as they discover that the only way they can progress with their lives is to exorcise the demons of their past. They are mentally stuck in the moment in which they were both abused, and neither one can move forward beyond that, though they have both physically matured over a ten year period. The joruney is both revealing and heartwrenching as you realize that this is not entirely uncommon from what other children who are experiencing abuse and adults who have yet to come to grips with the abuse they suffered experience.

#7: Muddling about in the Gardens of Africa

2005-12-30T20:02:00.000-06:00

Subtlety is not a strongpoint of Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener. Yet despite its obvious message and intentions, The Constant Gardener works both as a political thinking man's film and as a first rate thriller. Ralph Fiennes puts on his best work in years as Justin Quayle, and grows as a person in his journey to solve the murder of his wife, played brilliantly by Rachel Weisz.

This film's political thinking works as an addendum to one of last year's best films, Hotel Rwanda. While Rwanda poses the point that the western nations really don't care about African countries, TCG corollarys the sentiment by stating that the western nations only care about African countries when its in their own best interest (financially speaking) to do so. It's a pretty obvious notion, if you understand anything about the basics of 19th century imperialism, but its a legacy of post-imperialism that the west has yet to come to grips with, which TCG points out in harrowing fashion.

Aside from its political context, Fiennes' growth as a character from nice guy to passionate lover over the course of the film is key to the film's existence as a first-rate thriller. It's sad to see that some people consider the film overrated, but I feel that time will vindicate this for the great film that it is.

#8: The Movie 8 Mile Wishes it Would Have Been

2005-12-30T19:54:00.000-06:00

Every now and again you get an actor who just nails one out of the park, such is the case with Terrence Howard in Hustle & Flow. No film since Boyz N The Hood has created as representative a world of urban hip-hop culture as this one does here, and Howard is the perfect person to play DJay, a Memphis street pimp looking to become a successful rapper.

The film's plot may sound like it's a cookie cutter retread of Eminem's 8 Mile in 2002, but where 8 Mile failed and Hustle & Flow succeeds is that we're better able to relate to this character. In 8 Mile, we essentially know what's gonna happen to Eminem, since he's essentially playing himself. Here we don't know, allowing us to connect better with the character. The film also has a very eclectic supporting cast that further complements DJay's world, but keeps it believable at the same time.

Ironically enough, director Craig Brewer felt that Howard would be best for the role because he wanted an unknown to play it. Between this movie and Crash, Terrence Howard is quickly becoming one of the better actors in Hollywood right now.

#9: Wes Anderson Jr.

2005-12-30T19:43:00.000-06:00

Wes Anderson is one of my favortie working directors, if not my favorite. And thus it was with a small degree of anticipation that I arrived to Noah Baumbach's feature, The Squid and the Whale. Baumbach, who co-wrote last year's The Life Aquatic, manages to successfully capture the world of children torn apart by a marriage that is torn apart, but he does so without ever being malicious towards anyone, and always maintaining the same sort of detatched humor that Wes Anderson has excelled at with his features.

Say what you will about Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels here, both turn in career worthy work. However the real emotional trigger of the film comes between the kids, particularly their son Walt played brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg. The two parents attempt to gain the upper hand over one another by using the children, something that is far too common in divorced families, and the exacerbation that comes of it. The pursuit of other relationships by Linney and Daniels makes the problem even worse, but Eisenberg (and the also reliable Owen Kline) play their roles very well.

This is a film that might require two viewings to fully appreciate the nuance behind it, it certainly did for me.

#10: It all Begins Again

2005-12-30T19:32:00.000-06:00

I've always preferred Batman to most other super heroes, primarily because the dichodomy of Bruce Wayne/Batman is far deeper than any other superhero. Only the Daredevil/Matt Murdock and Spider-Man/Peter Parker combos come close to offering equal psychological profiles. Sadly however, Batman has never really been done 100% justice. Even Tim Burton failed entirely to encapsulate both personalities in his first Batman film, and he ventured too deeply into his gothic landscape of a mind with his follow-up Batman Returns. We won't even discuss the disasters of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

Finally, however, Christopher Nolan does Batman justice. Forget the fact that the plot is somewhat ludicrous (apparently everyone in Gotham takes cold showers), this one is all about Bruce Wayne and Batman, and how the two come to co-exist. Nolan's directorial fingerprints are all over this, with shades of Leonard from Memento echoing in Bale's Bruce Wayne (early on in the film especially). The rest of the supporting cast give as good of performance that can be expected in a movie such as this. It doesn't matter, the real star here is the director.

Oddly enough this also marks the third straight year that a "super hero" movie has cracked the top ten (X2 finished at number ten in 2003, while Spidey 2 was number 7 last year). I guess it speaks for how this year turned out in the end that this one finishes number ten here, but was better than both of those super hero movies (and on an aside, don't expect this trend to continue, what with X3 and Superman Returns looming on the horizon).

Most Disappointing Films of the Year

2005-12-30T18:59:00.000-06:00

Before we bring on the films that constitute my top ten list for the year, there are five films that must be mentioned as the most disappointing of the year. For whatever reason coming into this year, I expected these films to be big names. Either that or the buzz made them be a complete letdown. Needless to say, there are more than 5 films that could make this list, but I will limit it to 5 to save on time. Comments on the list will be offered upon request (sadly I'm a bit rushed by work, and can't offer complete thoughts now).

The 5 Most Disappointing Films of the Year
5. Bee Season
4. Kingdom of Heaven
3. Munich
2. Jarhead
1. Everything is Illuminated

The 5 Most Overrated Films of the Year
5. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
4. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
3. King Kong
2. Last Days
1. Capote

5 Films that narrowly miss the top 10
- Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
- Walk the Line
- Cinderella Man
- Grizzly Man
- Sin City

I do have time for an analysis of the top ten films, however, starting with number 10 above.

Oops

2005-12-30T18:49:00.000-06:00

Well, there's egg on my face. I didn't realize I had the moderate comments feature turned on. Let's shut that off to allow for free expression of ideas.

Anywho, best of the year soon to start, including my awards (the Darbys, in the Big 6 categories) and my top ten list. I'll also dole out awards for most disappointing films of the year and the most overrated films of the year, which shall commence shortly.

Sorry for a lack of updates

2005-12-27T22:47:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy holiday season. Anywho, the good news is that Brokeback Mountain will open here on Friday, so either Friday night or Saturday I'll have my best of the year list out, complete with my nominees in the big 6 awards (4 acting, directing & picture).

Apparently Not

2005-12-23T17:18:00.000-06:00

Well, apparently either I have very shy fans or I am blabbering to myself. Either way, I shall continue on I guess. Not as like I have anything else better to do.

Expect a few minor tweakings of predictions tomorrow or Sunday. Due to the fact that Kansas City release dates suck ass, I won't be able to get a year-end awards show out in time (unless anyone can hook me up with Brokeback Mountain, hint hint). I hate the midwest this time of year.

Anyone out there?

2005-12-19T21:16:00.000-06:00

Just curious if anyone actually reads this thing or if I'm just babbling to myself. Leave a comment about what you think about this blog below. Please.

New Oscar Predictions

2005-12-18T14:27:00.000-06:00

Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night and Good Luck
Walk the Line
Munich
Crash

Best Director
Ang Lee- Brokeback Mountain
Steven Spielberg- Munich
George Clooney- Good Night and Good Luck
Woody Allen- Match Point
David Cronenberg- A History of Violence

Best Actor
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote
Joaquin Phoenix- Walk the Line
Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain
David Strathairn- Good Night and Good Luck
Russell Crowe- Cinderella Man

Best Actress
Reese Witherspoon- Walk the Line
Felicity Huffman- Transamerica
Judi Dench- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Kiera Knightley- Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron- North Country

Best Supporting Actor
Paul Giamatti- Cinderella Man
Bob Hoskins- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Matt Dillon- Crash
Jake Gyllenhaal- Brokeback Mountain
George Clooney- Syriana

Best Supporting Actress
Maria Bello- A History of Violence
Michelle Williams- Brokeback Mountain
Scarlett Johansson- Match Point
Rachel Weisz- The Constant Gardener
Catherine Keener- Capote

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Capote
A History of Violence
The Constant Gardener

Best Original Screenplay
Crash
Good Night and Good Luck
Match Point
The Squid and the Whale
The Wallace and Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Best Cinematography
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Good Night and Good Luck
The New World
Walk the Line

Best Film Editing
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Good Night and Good Luck
King Kong
Walk the Line

Best Art Direction
Memoirs of a Geisha
King Kong
Pride and Prejudice
Good Night and Good Luck
Cinderella Man

Best Costume Design
Memoirs of a Geisha
Cinderella Man
Pride and Prejudice
Casanova
Mrs. Henderson Presents

Best Original Score
Brokeback Mountain
Memoirs of a Geisha
Cinderella Man
The New World
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Original Song
"Travellin Thru" from Transamerica
"There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" from The Producers
"In the Deep" from Crash
"Remains of the Day" from Corpse Bride
"Same in Any Language" from Elizabethtown

Best Sound
King Kong
Walk the Line
Star Wars Episode III
Batman Begins
Munich

Best Sound Editing
Star Wars Episode III
War of the Worlds
King Kong

Best Makeup
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Chronicles of Narnia
The New World

Best Visual Effects
Star Wars Episode III
King Kong
War of the Worlds

Best Animated Film
The Wallace & Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Chicken Little
Corpse Bride

Best Foreign Film
Joyeux Noel (France)
Paradise Now (Palestine)
Tsotsi (South Africa)
The Promise (China)
Mother of Mine (Finland)

Best Documentary Feature
March of the Penguins
Mad Hot Ballroom
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
On Native Soil
The Devil and Daniel Johnston

#1: The Golden Flatulence Award Winner

2005-12-17T22:47:00.000-06:00

At the risk of bringing down the wrath of Rob Schneider upon my poor innocent blog, let me say this. Mr Schneider, speaking in my official capacity as the self-proclaimed Lord of All Things Cinema.....you should never act again. Period.

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalo ranks not only as the worst film of the year, but one of the worst films of all time. Seriously, there is not a single moment in this entire god forsaken movie that I chuckled. Not once did I even crack a smile. Never once in my wildest dreams did I even consider moving a single muscle towards the slightest of smirks.

At what point did it feel that it was a good idea to make this movie? The first one didn't break any box office records, nor have any of Schneider's subsequent films done much better. This dud never should have gotten off the ground, and I blame Hollywood for even considering it. But, to give the devil his due, the Golden Flatuence Award is yours Rob. Finally, you won something! I have a feeling some Razzie attention may be headed your way as well.

This concludes the Golden Flatulence presentation. Stay tuned tomorrow for updated Oscar thoughts, so we can leave this crap behind.

#2: Son of a bitch this is horrible.

2005-12-17T22:40:00.000-06:00

Your first indication was that on the poster you have "from the director of Cats and Dogs." Your second indication was that, while it's a sequel to a Jim Carrey movie, Jim Carrey is nowhere to be found. Didn't people learn anything from Dumb and Dumberer?

Son of the Mask is one of the most ill-advised sequels of all time, and the second most blatant attempt at grubbing for money this year. It is only surpassed by our number one film, soon to be revealed. Nevertheless, Son of the Mask has absolutely no redeeming value whatsoever. It plays like a cartoon on steroids and without the inside gags and jokes that make a cartoon palatable. Note to Alan Cumming, you don't have to take every script they send you, you can say no every now and again and no one will think any less of you (this is a skill he recently acquired apparently, seeing as how he's gotten the hell away from the X3 debacle that will drop on us unsuspectingly next summer).

If you thought that this was going to be the worst, hold onto your hats, cause we're about to delve into one of the worst movies....ever.

#3: Edward D. Wood Jr. would be proud

2005-12-17T22:35:00.000-06:00

Ed Wood has been reincarnated, and his name is Uwe Boll. He has everything, from the washed-up/actors to the awful script to the really bad special effects.

Now, video game adaptations are 9/10 going to be stinkers, but Uwe Boll takes this to a whole new level of sucktitude: with the most hilarious part of the whole thing being that he actually thinks he's a good director. I can imagine him now at the premiere of this, saying "this will be the one they remember me for" ala Johnny Depp at the end of Ed Wood.

Keep dreaming Uwe, we have Bloodrayne and In the Defense of the King next year. Perhaps the brass flatulence will be yours next year. Until then, keep reaching for new depths of crappiness, I'll be there to point and laugh and MST3K your ass. Just do me a favor, don't bring Tara Reid along for the ride next time. You stink up the joint on your own without adding her: that's just overkill.

#4: Stop making movies out of TV Shows Part Two

2005-12-17T22:28:00.000-06:00

Someone should tell Charlize Theron that Halle Berry has not made good Post-Oscar choices. Doing her best to emulate the afore-mentioned deglam alumn, Charlize made her disastrous superhero film, that was actually based on a little known Saturday Morning cartoon from the early 90's. I shudder to think what will happen if my Perfect Dark nightmare comes true.

Regardless, the film is notable for featuring the worst hairdos...well....ever. From Charlize's pasted down black quaff to Frances McDormand's "watch me electrocute myself" special, this film is one walking bad hair day. And while that's not the only reason to hate this film, it's by god one of the most obvious (apart from the lame special effect, the hokey dialogue, and the non-existant plotline, of course).

Now comes the news that Charlize might be the next Bond Girl. *sigh*. At least she's decided to cash in another de-glam. Maybe another Oscar nom will save her credibility from being completely destroyed (despite that nom being a joke to humanity in the first place, but I digress).

#5: Stop making movies out of TV Shows Part One

2005-12-17T22:20:00.000-06:00

Mistake #1: Thinking Jessica Simpson can act.

Mistake #2: Making a movie out of a tv show that sucked to begin with.

Mistake #3: Thinking Jessica Simpson can act.

Mistake #4: Ummm....did I mention Jessica Simpson can't act.

In case that the point hasn't been made astronomically clear to you by now, Jessica Simpson acting is not, nor in any language or logic has it ever been a good idea. The woman is as dumb as our President and not near as funny to laugh at. Add to that two other actors who on their best day can manage not to stumble through a scene halfway drunk in Johnny Knoxville and Sean William Scott and a "I just wanna paycheck" Burt Reynolds and you have the makings of a disasterpiece.

At some point you have to ask yourself, when will Hollywood have enough of making movies of bad TV shows. I make this list coming off the knowledge that a film version of CHipS is in pre-production with Wilmer Valderrama attached to play Ponch. In the name of everything Holy, I beseech thee do not continue down this path of devastation Fez, lest you wind up here in a couple of years.

As for The Dukes, I choose to forget them and move on. Their are more bad movies to get to, as we near the end of our countdown.

#6: I'm suing them for worst name of a film ever.

2005-12-17T22:15:00.000-06:00

Prepare for the Fantastic? That's gotta rank right up there with "why are they putting seatbelts in theaters this summer" as one of the worst taglines ever. Or at least one of the most irrepresentative.

The not-so-Fantastic Four has the distinction of being the most boring Superhero film this side of Daredevil. Seriously, you'd think that someone would have the least bit of energy considering what's happened to them. Not to mention that the whole notion of turning Jessica Alba invisible is inherently flawed in the first place.

But I digress, the FF was set to take the Golden Flatulence Award....until a spree of crap found its way to my eyes and was dethroned a few weeks ago (not by any film that recently came out, save one). Perhaps the inevitable sequel (of which there will be one, stupid movie going public making this one out of all the films this summer a hit) will stand a better chance of winning this "coveted" award.

#7: Never go see a movie with the word date in it on a .....date

2005-12-17T22:08:00.000-06:00

A-ha, I bet you had forgotten about this one, hadn't you? Believe me, I wish I had been able to.

Needless to say, I don't watch much TV, but one show I used to watch on occasion was Will & Grace. I thought that Debra Messing was funny enough, but I didn't exactly long for the day when she would make the jump to big screen stardom. Needless to say she can jump back to the small screen and never consider coming back again. Not that it helps that the script was plugged from a bin that Hollywood studios have....and can draw from whenever they need a film for a filler weekend.

I had the misfortune of being drug to see this movie on a blind date, which sad to say (not so much considering her taste in movies) didn't pan out at all. That's the last time I do a favor like that for a friend who thinks he's head over heels in love. The Wedding Date was number one on this list until July, when another film (our next film as a matter of fact) knocked it off its perch. It will now fade into mediocrity, and the bargain bin at Wal-Mart.

#8: I cry myself to sleep everytime I see Taxi Driver now

2005-12-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

I don't know whether to throttle or feel sorry for Robert DeNiro. The poor man hasn't given a halfway decent performance since 1995's Casino and his last great performance was 1990's Goodfellas. Since that time we've gotten films like Cape Fear, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (he had to have lost a bet on that one), and now this stinkjob.

Christ, at least Al Pacino reminds us every now and again how good he used to be.

If I can see the film's twist ending coming from a mile away, before I even get done seeing the first trailer, then you know something is wrong. Here DeNiro has all the hamming abaility working to full force, and hamming it up right along with him is the most annoying actor in Hollywood this side of Pauly Shore, Dakota Fanning. How I pray for the day when puberty bitchslaps that little ferrett upside the head and wait to see her flounder onto "Where Are They Now?" stardom. She's trying to go creepy in this film again, which she can naturally do, seeing as how she's creepy just when she smiles.

Now we delve even deeper into the reigns of horror. Unlucky number Seven is coming up.

#9: If you see it before you die, you're going to hell

2005-12-17T21:50:00.000-06:00

Perhaps someone can explain to me the desire to make a sequel to what was already a bad movie anyway. The whole "let's make a cheap horror film and get some money" craze started with the 2002 horror film The Ring, and The Ring 2 continues this badly drawn out box office trend.

Fortunately for us, the fickle public was not fooled a second time, and the film did not make back the money execs expected for a film franchise that made over $100 million the first go-round. This was the first sign of a box-office slump this year, which dominated the headlines.

As far as the film goes, it's not necessarily as bad as some of the bad horror films that came out this year (we will see anohter later on), as much as it is representative of everything that's wrong with Hollywood's idea machine. The original Ring was bad to begin with. This one was taking a storyline already stretched way too thin and carrying it on for what seemed to be another two hours. Freddy Krueger thinks this franchise has been milked for far more than its worth. Sadly, that is not the only example of this trend that we've seen this year, and we will visit it later on.

At least Naomi Watts redeemed herself with King Kong later this year.

#10: Guess Who really really sucks

2005-12-17T21:42:00.000-06:00

Some movies just shouldn't get "hip" or "cool" remakes. We don't see anyone banging down the door to make a hip-hop version of Casablanca, or a country-rock version of The Color Purple for that matter. The 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? falls distinctly into this category. A sometimes underappreciated film about interracial relations and a clash of the previous generation mixing with the new is, though flawed, a very poignant film, with several actors, including Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier, at their very best in the film. Why anyone would want to remake it is beyond me.

And then we meet Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac.

Now don't get me wrong, on some planet, on some distant day, Bernie Mac can illicit a chuckle every now and again. Ashton Kutcher....well let's just say that he'd better be happy he's banging Demi Moore, because his acting skills aren't going to open any doors for him (it's bad when you get fired from the film Elizabethtown because you can't act....and you're replaced by Orlando friggin Bloom).

Needless to say, Guess Who was doomed from the opening start. All of the relavance of the original film is completely lost and, though the idea of switching the roles (this time it's a white man coming into a black family) is interesting enough on paper, the execution is horrendously bad. It looks like a bad sitcom pilot, and probably should have been transformed into such.

But needless to say, Guess Who is only the beginning on our stop of destruction. Up next, a film that proves needless sequels annoy me more than anything (as we will find out later in the list).

The Worst of the Year

2005-12-17T21:01:00.000-06:00

I have a distinct fascination with horrifyingly bad films. I try to catch them on DVD (or sometimes actually go to see them) because I feel to get a good appreciation of the cinema, you have to see the crap so you know what not to do. These ten films exemplify what NOT to do. So, without further adieu, let us begin:

This is bearing in mind that some stinkers such as Boogeyman and The Honeymooners went unseen by yours truly. I also did not see perennial Razzie contender Dirty Love, though upon its DVD release I may see that for the schlock value.

2005 was an above average year. We saw David Cronenberg release his best film to date, as did Jim Jarmusch. Actor turned director George Clooney vastly improved with his sophomore effort, and we also got solid efforts from newcomers like Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin and Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know. But as it is with every other year...well....

Just because Hollywood churns out a few good movies, we also get a load of crap a mile long. From Paris Hilton's not so scintillating performance in House of Wax to the Kabbalah expousing virtues of Bee Season, some films just didn't stack up to the measuring stick. Though there are many of them, there are ten films I have selected as reigning champ among this years crap.

Special dishonorable mentions go out to the aforementioned House of Wax for redefining why horror remakes should not be made. Also an award to Tom Cruise and the eternal ferrett Dakota Fanning in Spielberg's War of the Worlds for proving that action movies can be long and boring. Kudos to Bee Season for trying to help Kabbalah for fanagling its way into the Scientology market (do I sense a Hollywood Holy War brewing?). Monster-in-Law proved that some things do not get better with age, and Jane Fonda is certainly falling in that category (it also extends J-Lo's string of bombs). Another bomb, Stealth, managed to avoid crashing here as well. The Island would be on this list any other year, but this one does have more than its fair share of stinkers. Same with White Noise and Elektra. Though I am in the minority on this one, I must mention Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as well, which watched its plot fall off the tracks more than once, falling under the weight of the way in over his head leading man of the series, Daniel Radcliffe. Finally, in a stunning defeat, both The Cave and A Sound of Thunder failed to make the list. This is more than likely as much out of pity as much as it is a desire to make room on the list for more offensive films.

With all that aside, let the top ten commence! (or bottom ten, depending on how you look at it.)

More work to be done

2005-12-17T18:36:00.000-06:00

For those waiting for updated predictions, wait a little longer, as I need to see Kong's weekend box office before I can make accurate predictions. However, tomorrow I should have the 11th annual Golden Flatulence Award determined, as there is one last horrible film (picked up courtesy of the library today) to view before completing it.

Golden Globe Nods

2005-12-13T07:53:00.000-06:00

Wow...just....wow. More thoughts and changed Oscar predix up later.

Best Pic, Drama
Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
Good Night, and Good Luck
A History of Violence
Match Point

Director:
Woody Allen, Match Point
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Peter Jackson, King Kong
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Fernando Mereilles, The Constant Gardener
Steven Spielberg, Munich

Actor, Drama
Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Terence Howard, Hustle and Flow
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Pic, Musical/Comedy
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Pride Prejudice
The Producers
Squid and Whale
Walk the Line

Actor, Musical/Comedy
Peirce Brosnan, The Matador
Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale
Johnny Depp, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Nathan Lane, The Producers
Cillian Murphy,Breakfast on Pluto
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line

Actress - Comedy
Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Laura Linney, Squid and the Whale
Sarah Jessica Parker, The Family Stone
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

Actress - Drama
Maria Bello, A History of Violence
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Gwyneth Paltrow, Proof
Charlize Theron, North Country
Ziyi Zhang, Memoirs of a Geisha

Supporting Actor:
George Clooney, Syriana
Matt Dillon, Crash
Wil Farrell, The Producers
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
Bob Hoskins, Mrs. Henderson Presents

Actress, Musical/Comedy
Scarlett Johannsson, Match Point
Shirley MacLaine, In Her Shoes
Frances McDormand, North Country
Rachel Weisz, Contant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

Original Score:
Syriana
King Kong
Brokeback Mountain
Chronicles of Narnia
Memoirs of a Geisha

Screenplay:
Match Point
Good Night
Crash
Munich
Brokeback Mountain

Song:
Brokeback Mountain
Crhistmas in Love (?)
The Producers
Transamerica
Chronicles of Narnia

Foreign Language:
Kung Fu Hustle
The Promise
Merry Christmas
Paradise Now
Tsotsi

Golden Globe Predictions

2005-12-12T19:51:00.000-06:00

Also with TV Predix, cause I'm cool like that.

Best Picture Drama (predicting 6 noms)
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
King Kong
Good Night and Good Luck
Cinderella Man
Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Picture Comedy
Walk the Line
The Producers
Mrs. Henderson Presents
The Family Stone
Pride and Prejudice

Best Actor Drama
Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain
Russell Crowe- Cinderella Man
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote
David Strathairn- Good Night and Good Luck
Terrence Howard- Hustle & Flow

Best Actress Drama
Ziyi Zhang- Memoirs of a Geisha
Charlize Theron- North Country
Naomi Watts- King Kong
Felicity Huffman- Transamerica
Renee Zellweger- Cinderella Man

Best Actor Comedy
Joaquin Phoenix- Walk the Line
Nathan Lane- The Producers
Heath Ledger- Casanova
Johnny Depp- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Steve Carrell- The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Best Actress Comedy
Reese Witherspoon- Walk the Line
Kiera Knightley- Pride and Prejudice
Rosario Dawson- Rent
Judi Dench- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Sarah Jessica Parker- The Family Stone

Best Supporting Actor
Jake Gyllenhaal- Brokeback Mountain
George Clooney- Syriana
Paul Giamatti- Cinderella Man
Craig T. Nelson- The Family Stone
Geoffrey Rush- Munich

Best Supporting Actress
Diane Keaton- The Family Stone
Maria Bello- A History of Violence
Michelle Williams- Brokeback Mountain
Catherine Keener- Capote
Amy Adams- Junebug

Best Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash
Match Point

Best Director
Steven Spielberg- Munich
Ang Lee- Brokeback Mountain
Ron Howard- Cinderella Man
George Clooney- Good Night and Good Luck
Peter Jackson- King Kong

Best Original Score
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
The New World
Pride & Prejudice
Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Original Song
"There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" from The Producers
"In the Deep" from Crash
"Travellin Thru" from Transamerica
"Remains of the Day" from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
"A Love That Will Never Grow Old" from Brokeback Mountain

Best Drama Series (6 predicted)
Six Feet Under
24
Lost
Nip/Tuck
Commander-in-Chief
Grey's Anatomy

Best Comedy Series
My Name is Earl
Desperate Housewives
Arrested Development
Two and a Half Men
Entourage

Best Drama Actor
Hugh Laurie- House
Kiefer Sutherland- 24
Anthony LaPaglia- Without a Trace
Matthew Fox- Lost
Michael Chiklis- The Shield

Best Drama Actress (6 nominees)
Geena Davis- Commander in Chief
Patricia Arquette- Medium
Frances Conroy- Six Feet Under
Marisha Hargity- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Glenn Close- The Shield
Kyra Sedgwick- The Closer

Best Comedy Actor (6 nominees)
Tony Shalhoub- Monk
Steve Carrell- The Office
Jason Lee- My Name is Earl
Charlie Sheen- Two and a Half Men
Larry David- Curb Your Enthusiasm
Jason Bateman- Arrested Development

Best Comedy Actress
Teri Hatcher- Desperate Housewives
Marcia Cross- Desperate Housewives
Felicity Huffman- Desperate Housewives
Eva Longoria- Desperate Housewives
Debra Messing- Will & Grace

Best TV Movie or Miniseries
Into the West
Warm Springs
Elvis
Empire Falls
Lackawanna Blues

Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries
Jonathan Rhys-Myers- Elvis
Ed Harris- Empire Falls
Kenneth Branagh- Warm Springs
Jon Voight- Pope John Paul II
Ted Dansen- Our Fathers

Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries
Halle Berry- Their Eyes Were Watching God
S. Epatha Merkerson- Lackawanna Blues
Cynthia Nixon- Warm Springs
Debra Winger- Dawn Anna
Mira Sorvino- Human Trafficking

Best Supporting Actor
William Shatner- Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland- Commander in Chief
Jeremy Piven- Entourage
Paul Newman- Empire Falls
Jeffery Tambor- Arrested Development

Best Supporting Actress
Shoreh Aghdashloo- 24
Sandra Oh- Grey's Anatomy
Joanne Woodward- Empire Falls
Jane Alexander- Warm Springs
Elizabeth Perkins- Weeds

NYFCC Up and running

2005-12-12T12:15:00.000-06:00

Brokeback wins again

picture: Brokeback Mountain
director: Ang Lee
actor: Heath Ledger
actress: Reese Witherspoon
supp. actor: William Hurt
supp. actress: Maria Bello
screenplay: The Squid and the Whale

National Board of Review Awards Up

2005-12-12T10:44:00.000-06:00

Best Film: Good Night, And Good Luck
(And, in alphabetical order)
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
History of Violence
Match Point
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Syriana
Walk the Line

BEST FIVE FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS OF 2005
Best Foreign-Language Film: Paradise Now
(And, in alphabetical order)
2046
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Downfall
Walk on Water

BEST FIVE DOCUMENTARIES OF 2005
Best Documentary: March of the Penguins
(And, in alphabetical order)
Ballets Russes
Grizzly Man
Mad Hot Ballroom
Murderball

Best Animated Feature: Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Best Director: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Best Actress: Felicity Huffman, TransAmerica
Best Supporting Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
Best Supporting Actress: Gong Li, Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Acting By An Ensemble: Mrs. Henderson Presents
Breakthrough Performance Actor: Terrence Howard, Crash, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and Hustle & Flow
Breakthrough Performance Actress: Q’Orianka Kilcher, The New World
Best Directorial Debut: Julian Fellowes, Separate Lies
Best Adapted Screenplay: Stephen Gaghan, Syriana
Best Original Screenplay: Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale
Best Film or Mini-Series Made for Cable TV: Lackawanna Blues
Career Achievement: Jane Fonda
Career Achievement in Film Music Composition: Howard Shore
Outstanding Achievement in Special Effects: King Kong
Billy Wilder Award for Excellence in Direction: David Cronenberg
William K. Everson Award for Film History: George Feltenstein
Producer of the Year Award: Saul Zaentz

Special Recognition of Films That Reflect Freedom of _Expression:
Innocent Voices and The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till

Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking:
(Listed Alphabetically)
Breakfast on Pluto
Cape of Good Hope
The Dying Gaul
Everything Is Illuminated
Hustle & Flow
Junebug
Layer Cake
Lord of War
Nine Lives
The Thing About My Folks
The Upside of Anger

BFCA Noms

2005-12-11T19:51:00.000-06:00

Before I update my predix and all my thoughts on the races, I'll be waiting for the Globes to weigh in on Tuesday. In the meantime, here's some BFCA nods.

Nominees 2005

Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Cinderella Man
The Constant Gardener
Crash
Good Night, And Good Luck
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Walk The Line

Best Actor
Russell Crowe - Cinderella Man
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Terrence Howard - Hustle and Flow
Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix - Walk The Line
David Strathairn - Good Night, And Good Luck

Best Actress
Joan Allen - The Upside of Anger
Judi Dench - Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica
Keira Knightley - Pride and Prejudice
Charlize Theron - North Country
Reese Witherspoon - Walk The Line

Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney - Syriana
Kevin Costner - The Upside of Anger
Matt Dillon - Crash
Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain
Terrence Howard - Crash

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Junebug
Maria Bello - A History of Violence
Catherine Keener - Capote
Frances McDormand - North Country
Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams - Brokeback Mountain

Best Acting Ensemble
Crash
Good Night, And Good Luck
Rent
Sin City
Syriana

Best Director
George Clooney - Good Night, And Good Luck
Paul Haggis - Crash
Ron Howard - Cinderella Man
Peter Jackson - King Kong
Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain
Steven Spielberg - Munich

Best Writer
Noah Baumbach - The Squid and the Whale
George Clooney, Grant Heslov - Good Night, And Good Luck
Dan Futterman - Capote
Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco - Crash
Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana - Brokeback Mountain

Best Animated Feature
Chicken Little
Corpse Bride
Howl's Moving Castle
Madagascar
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Best Young Actor
Jesse Eisenberg - The Squid and the Whale
Axel Etel - Millions
Freddie Highmore - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Owen Kline - The Squid and the Whale
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire

Best Young Actress
Flora Cross - Bee Season
Dakota Fanning - War of the Worlds
Georgie Henley - Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The
Q'Orianka Kilcher - The New World
Emma Watson - Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire

Best Comedy Movie
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang
Mrs. Henderson Presents
The Producers: The Movie Musical
Wedding Crashers

Best Family Film (live action)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire

Best Picture Made for Television
Into the West
No Direction Home
Rome
Warm Springs

Best Documentary Feature
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Grizzly Man
Mad Hot Ballroom
March of the Penguins
Murderball

Best Foreign Language Film
2046
Cache
Kung Fu Hustle
Oldboy
Paradise Now

Best Song
"A Love That Will Never Grow Old", Emmylou Harris - Brokeback Mountain
"Hustle and Flow", Terrence Howard - Hustle and Flow
"Same In Any Language", I Nine - Elizabethtown
"Seasons of Love", Tracie Thoms, Jesse L. Martin and Cast - Rent
"Travelin� Thru", Dolly Parton - Transamerica

Best Soundtrack
Elizabethtown
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Producers: The Movie Musical
Rent
Walk The Line

Best Composer
James Horner - The New World
Gustavo Santaolalla - Brokeback Mountain
John Williams - Memoirs of a Geisha
Nancy Wilson - Elizabethtown

LAFCA Announces

2005-12-10T20:16:00.000-06:00

Here are the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards....

Picture: Brokeback Mountain (over A History of Violence)
Director: Ang Lee (over David Cronenberg)
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote (over Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain)
Actress: Vera Farmiga, Down to the Bone (over Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents)
Supporting Actress: Catherine Keener, for four films (Capote, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Interpreter), over Amy Adams of Junebug
Supporting Actor: William Hurt, A History of Violence (over Frank Langella, Good Night, and Good Luck)
Screenplay: Dan Futterman, Capote (over Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale)
Cinematography: Robert Elswit, Good Night, and Good Luck (over 2046)
Production Design: 2046 (over Good Night, and Good Luck)
Music: Joe Hisaishi, Howl's Moving Castle
New Generation Award: Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow
Documentary: Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man (over Alex Gibney's Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room)
Animated Feature: Wallce + Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Foreign Film: Michael Haneke's Cachet (over 2046).

You can say three things from these noms:

1. BBM should be locked for a nom. Not a win....a nom.

2. Capote and Squid are well on their way to screenplay noms.

3. Cronenberg's name is back in the topic for the lone director slot.

Other than that, nada. And as for Farmiga, I'd be willing to bet you won't see her name nominated anywhere else this year, save maybe one or two out there critics group. Globes won't nom her. BFCA won't nom her. NBR won't. Neither will NY.

Interesting Thoughts

2005-12-07T19:43:00.000-06:00

Kris Tapely of In Contention and Sasha Stone of Oscarwatch (both links to the right) have thoughts on what has been the BP frotnrunner up until now in Munich, and both seemed underwhelmed.

Interesting. It could result in a split scenario, but that would result in Brokeback Mountain winning picture instead of director, not what was likely. Here's a thought, maybe the Academy decides hey....we want heartstrings and good old fashioned film making. It's been 4 years since the last biopic won best picture, it seems ripe for another one. I could easily see Walk the Line winning best picture, while either Spielberg or Lee took best director.

Furthermore, if Malick hits it out of the park, then what I said one year ago will ring true, when I said The New World was the frontrunner.

Oy...it sucks to be irrelevant.

So much for that

2005-12-06T20:04:00.000-06:00

NBR apparently has been moved to next Monday, thus nullfying any importance they may have had in the grand scheme of things, as both LAFCA and the BFCA will ring in before them (and the NYFCC on the same day).

The Globe nods are also a week from today, Globe predictions up soon.

Pre-NBR Predix

2005-12-06T12:01:00.000-06:00

Nothing special....but prior to NBR here they are. Expect massive changes after tomorrow.

Best Picture
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
Walk the Line
The New World
Good Night and Good Luck

Best Director
Steven Spielberg- Munich
Ang Lee- Brokeback Mountain
Terrence Malick- The New World
George Clooney- Good Night and Good Luck
Woody Allen- Match Point

Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix- Walk the Line
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote
Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain
Eric Bana- Munich
David Strathairn- Good Night and Good Luck

Best Actress
Reese Witherspoon- Walk the Line
Felicity Huffman- Transamerica
Judi Dench- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Kiera Knightley- Pride and Prejudice
Zhang Ziyi- Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Supporting Actor
Bob Hoskins- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Jake Gyllenhaal- Brokeback Mountain
Geoffrey Rush- Munich
Matt Dillon- Crash
Donald Sutherland- Pride and Prejudice

Best Supporting Actress
Scarlett Johansson- Match Point
Gong Li- Memoirs of a Geisha
Michelle Williams- Brokeback Mountain
Diane Keaton- The Family Stone
Maria Bello- A History of Violence

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Syriana
A History of Violence
Capote

Best Original Screenplay
Crash
Good Night and Good Luck
The New World
Match Point
The Squid and the Whale

Best Cinematography
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Goodnight and Good Luck
The New World
Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Film Editing
Munich
King Kong
Walk the Line
Brokeback Mountain
Cinderella Man

Best Costume Design
Memoirs of a Geisha
Cinderella Man
Pride and Prejudice
Casanova
Mrs. Henderson Presents

Best Art Direction
Memoirs of a Geisha
The New World
Cinderella Man
Munich
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Original Score
Memoirs of a Geisha
Pride and Prejudice
Brokeback Mountain
The New World
Cinderella Man

Best Original Song
"A Love That Will Never Grow Old" from Brokeback Mountain
"There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" from The Producers
"Magic Works" from Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
"Remains of the Day" from Corpse Bride
"In the Deep" from Crash

Best Sound
King Kong
Walk the Line
Batman Begins
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Sound Editing
King Kong
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
War of the Worlds

Best Makeup
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Chronicles of Narnia
The New World

Best Visual Effects
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
King Kong
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Foreign Film
Paradise Now (Palestine)
Joyeux Noel (France)
Tsotsi (South Africa)
2 Filhos de Francisco (Brazil)
L'Enfant (Belgium)

Best Animated Film
The Wallace & Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Chicken Little
Corpse Bride

Best Documentary
March of the Penguins
Murderball
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
On Native Soil

Paltry Hatred

2005-12-05T08:24:00.000-06:00

Someone remind me exactly why it is Roger Friedman has any credibility? His railings against the NBR have essentially been going on for years now and, though the organization is essentially the mafioso of the awards world, that doesn't change the fact that they can propel one or two contenders forward into Oscar stardom. Last year they solidified Finding Neverland as a surefire best picture contender, and also started the ball rolling for the Jamie Foxx show that kept task throughout the year.

Anyway, you can read Friedman's rantings below, for whatever they are worth. The big scoop is that Capote doesn't seem to have many chances outside of Hoffman (the director and Keener were supposedly ineligible.) Also Malick is ineligible for director, so take that for whatever it's worth. I should be back with a final pre-NBR predictions list later on today.

Read Roger Friedman's Smearjob of the NBR here

--> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177650,00.html

Worst....Movie....Ever

2005-12-04T16:48:00.000-06:00

I have certainly seen three of the worst movies of the year over the course of the last 24 hours. Whether or not one of them is the worst movie ever is another point entirely. Those who know me know what it is. Those who don't, well you'll have to wait.

Also coming soon on a separate sight....the cinematic hall of shame.

Le Grande Ebert raves BBM

2005-12-03T12:37:00.000-06:00

Ebert and Roeper raved Brokeback Mountain on their latest show, giving it two big thumbs up. Ebert said it had Oscar written all over it while Roeper singled out Heath Ledger for acting kudos.

Also in other news, Narnia, Transamerica and everything else from this week's show all scored thumbs up as well. The only exceptions being the snow documentary First Descent getting a thumbs down from Ebert, and the ignomious wagging finger of shame to Aeon Flux.

Golden Satellite Noms

2005-12-01T22:15:00.000-06:00

The Golden Satellites are entirely random, but occasionally are enjoyable.

10TH ANNIVERSARY SATELLITET AWARDS

DECEMBER 17, 2005

NOMINATIOn announcement

(For Year Ending December 31, 2005)

MOTION PICTURES

1. Actress in a Motion Picture, drama

Name Title of Film

a. Charlize Theron North Country (Warner Bros.)

b. Julianne Moore The Prize Winner of Defiance , Ohio (Dreamworks)

c. Robin wright Penn Nine Lives (magnolia pictures) .

d. Ziyi Zhang Memoirs of a Geisha (Sony)

e. felicity huffman transamerica (ifc films/the weinstein company)

f. toni collette in her shoes (fox)

2. Actor in a Motion Picture, drama

Name Title of Film

a. Philip Seymour Hoffman Capote (Sony)

b David Strathairn Good Night, and good Luck. (Warner Bros.)

c. Jake Gyllenhaal Jarhead (Universal)

d. Tommy Lee Jones the three burials of Melquiades Estrada (Sony)

e. heath ledger Brokeback Mountain (focus features)

f. Viggo Mortensen A History of violence (new line)

3. Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Name Title of Film

a. Judi Dench Mrs. Henderson Presents (miramax)

b. Joan Allen The upside of Anger (New Line)

c. Claire Danes shopgirl (touchstone)

d. Reese Witherspoon Walk the Line (fox)

e. joan plowright mrs. palfrey at the claremont (cineville/picture ent.)

f. keira knightley pride & prejudice (universal)

4. Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Name Title of Film

a. Terrence Howard Hustle & Flow (paramount classics)

b. Bill Murray Broken Flowers (focus features)

c. Kevin Costner The Upside of Anger (new line)

d. Joaquin Phoenix Walk the line (fox)

e. robert downey jr. Kiss kiss bang bang (warner bros.)

f. cillian murphy breakfast on pluto (sony pictures classics)

5. Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama

Name Title of Film

a. frances mcdormand North Country (Warner Bros.)

b. laura linney the squid and the whale (samuel goldwyn)

c. maria bello A History of violence (new line)

d. gong li memoirs of a geisha (sony)

e. shirley maclaine in her shoes (fox)

f. amy adams junebug (sony pictures classics)

6. Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama

Name Title of Film

a. Mickey Rourke Sin City (miramax)

b. jake gyllenhaal jarhead (universal)

c. edward norton kingdom of heaven (fox)

d. peter sarsgaard jarhead (universal)

e. chris cooper capote (sony)

f. danny huston the constant gardener (focus features)

7. Actress in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical

Name Title of Film

a. Qiu Yuen Kung Fu Hustle (sony)

b. America Ferrera the sisterhood of the traveling pants(warner bros.)

c. michelle monaghan kiss kiss bang bang (warner bros.)

d. rachel mc adams the family stone (fox)

e. diane keaton the family stone (fox)

f. rosario dawson rent (sony pictures)

8. Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical

Name Title of Film

a. tom arnold happy endings (lions gate films)

b. steve coogan happy endings (lions gate films)

c. jason schwartzman shopgirl (touchstone)

d. val kilmer kiss kiss bang bang (warner bros.)

e. craig t. nelson the family stone (fox)

f. corbin bernsen kiss kiss bang bang (warner bros.)

9. Motion Picture, Drama

Title of Film studio

a. a history of violence New line

b. capote sony

c. brokeback mountain focus features

d. cinderella man universal

e. memoirs of a geisha sony

f. the war within magnola pictures

10. Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Title of Film studio

a. Rent sony

b. Shopgirl touchstone

c. Hustle & Flow paramount classics

d. Happy Endings lions gate films

e. Walk the Line fox

f. kung fu hustle sony

11. Motion Picture, Foreign Film

Title of Film studio/country

a. Walk On Water (samuel goldwyn) Israel

b. Innocent voices (slowhand cinema) mexico

c. lila says (samuel goldwyn) france

d. mother of mine (nordisk film theatrical) finland

e. 2046 (sony pictures classics) China

f. Turtles can fly (sony pictures classics) iran

12. Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media

Title of Film Studio

a. Howl's Moving Castle buena vista pictures

b. The Corpse Bride warner bros.

c. Wallace & Gromit: The curse of the were-Rabbit dreamworks

d. chicken Little buena vista pictures

e. chronicals of narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe buena vista pictures

13. Motion Picture, Documentary

name studio

a. March of the Penguins warner independent pictures

b. Mad Hot Ballroom paramount classics

c. Murder ball mtv films

d. New York Dolls first independent pictures

e. favela rising a think film/hbo

f. Enron, the smartest guys in the room magnolia pictures

14. Director

Name title of Film/studio

a. ang lee brokeback mountain (focus features)

b. George Clooney good night, and good luck. (warner bros.)

c. James Mangold walk the line (Fox)

d. chris columbus rent (sony pictures)

e. bennet Miller capote (sony)

f. Rob Marshall memoirs of a geisha (sony)

15. Screenplay, Original

Name Title of Film

a. Don Roos Happy Endings (lions gate films)

b. noah baumbach the squid and the whale (sony pictures)

c. George Clooney, grant heslov good night, and good luck. (warner bros.)

d. Rodrigo Garcia Nine Lives (Magnolia Pictures)

e. ayad Akhtar, joseph Castelo, Tom Glynn the war within (magnolia Pictures)

f. paul haggis, bobby moresco crash (lions gate films)

16. Screenplay, Adapted

Name Title of Film

a Larry Mc murtry/ diana Ossana Brokeback Mountain (focus features)

b. dan futterman capote (sony)

c. Robin Swicord Memoirs of a geisha (sony)

d. William Broyles Jr. jarhead (Universal)

e. steve Martin shopgirl (touchstone)

f. Gil Dennis, James Mangold walk the Line (fox)

17. Original Score
NAME Title of Film

a. alberto iglesias the constant gardner

b. john williams memoirs of a geisha

c. danny elfman The corpse bride

d. harry gregson-williams kingdom of heaven

e. Robert Rodriquez Sin City

f. gustavo santaolalla brokeback mountain

18. Original Song

Name of Artist title of film

a. "a love that will never grow old"/gustavo santaolalla, bernie taupin brokeback mountain

b. "in the deep"/bird york crash
c. "broken"/robert downey jr., mark hudson kiss kiss bang bang
d. "Hustler's Ambition"/Curtis Jackson, Brian Hughes & Frankie Beverly get rich or die tryin'

e. "Magic Works"/Jarvis Cocker harry potter and the goblet of fire

19. Cinematography

Name Title of Film

a. robert rodriguez Sin City (miramax)

b. philippe rousselot charlieandthe chocolate factory (warner bros.)

c. robert elswit memoirs of a geisha (sony)

d. cesar Charlone the constant gardener (focus features)

e. hang-sang poon kung fu hustle (sony picture classics)

f. christopher doyle 2046 (sony pictures classics)

20. Visual Effects

Name Title of Film

a. robert rodriguez Sin City (miramax)

b. frankie Chung kung fu hustle (sony picture classics)

c. tom wood kingdom of heaven (fox)

d. john knoll, roger guyett, rob coleman, brian gernand star wars (lucas film/fox)

e. dennis muren, pablo helman, randal dutra, daniel sudick War of the worlds (dreamworks)

21. Film Editing

Name Title of Film

a. robert Rodriguez Sin City (miramax)

b. angie lam kung fu hustle (sony picture classics)

c. walter murch jarhead (universal)

d. michael kahn War of the worlds (Dreamworks)

e. stephen mirrione good night, and good luck. (warner bros.)

f. geraldine peroni, david tichenor brokeback mountain (focus features)

22. Sound (mixing & editing)

Name Title of Film

a. john pritchett, sergio reyes, robert rodriguez, paula fairfield, Sin City (miramax)

william jacobs, carla murray

c. tom myers, christopher scarabosio, andy nelson, paul "salty" brincat star wars (lucas film/fox)

ben burt, matthew wood

d. paul pirola kung fu hustle (sony pictures classics)

e. michael barry, martin czembor, ludovic henault, robert hein the white countess (sony pictures classics)

f. rob cavallo, sally boldt rent (sony)

23. Art Direction & Production Design

23. Art Direction & Production Design

Name Title of Film

a. jeanette scott, David Hack Sin City (miramax)

b. john myhre memoirs of a geisha (sony)

c. arthur Max Kingdom of Heaven (fox)

d. jim bissell good night, and good luck. (warner bros.)

e. gavin bocquet, richard roberts star wars (lucas film/fox)

f. Luigi Marchione/ vlad vieru Modigliani (ifg)

24. Costume Design

Name Title of Film

a. colleen atwood memoris of a geisha (sony)

b. jacqueline durran pride & prejudice (universal)

c. john bright the white countess (sony pictures classics)

d. Pam Downe Modigliani (ifg)

e. Janty yates Kingdom of Heaven (fox)

f. jany Temime Harry Potter and the goblet of Fire

(warner bros.)

NBR Predictions

2005-12-01T21:58:00.000-06:00

Here they are for what they are worth:

Best Film: Brokeback Mountain (alt. Munich)

Top Ten Films
Brokeback Mountain, Munich, Memoirs of a Geisha, Good Night and Good Luck, Capote, Walk the Line, Cinderella Man, Pride and Prejudice, Crash, Match Point.

Best Foreign Language Film: Paradise Lost

Top 5 Foreign Films
Paradise Lost, Cache, Saraband, L'Enfant (The Child), Joyeux Noel

Top 5 Documentaries
March of the Penguins, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Grizzly Man, Murderball, The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Best Actor: Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain & Casanova (alt. Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote)

Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon- Walk the Line (alt. Felicity Huffman- Transamerica)

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer- The New World & Syriana (alt. Geoffrey Rush- Munich)

Best Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson- Match Point (alt. Gong Li- Memoirs of a Geisha)

Best Ensemble: Crash (alt. Good Night and Good Luck)

Breakthrough Male: Terence Howard- Hustle & Flow & Crash (alt. Jesse Eisenberg- The Squid and the Whale)

Breakthrough Female: Keira Knightley- Pride & Prejudice (alt. Amy Adams- Junebug)

Best Director: Steven Spielberg- Munich (alt. Ron Howard- Cinderella Man)

Best Directorial Debut: Joe Wright- Pride and Prejudice (alt. Susan Stroman- The Producers)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain (alt. Munich)

Best Original Screenplay: The Squid and the Whale (alt. Crash)

Best Documentary: Murderball (alt. The Devil and Daniel Johnston)

Best Animated Film: The Wallace & Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (alt. Howl's Moving Castle)

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: George Clooney for producing, directing, writing and acting in Good Night and Good Luck (alt. Tommy Lee Jones for producing, directing and acting in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada)

Outstanding Production Design: Memoirs of a Geisha (alt. Pride and Prejudice)

Outstanding Musical Composition: Pride and Prejudice (Alt. Corpse Bride)

Special Recognition for Filmmaking
Syriana, A History of Violence, The Constant Gardener, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The Wallace & Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Squid and the Whale, Millions, King Kong, Transamerica, Casanova

Be back this weekend with Oscar prediction updates.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations

2005-11-29T10:28:00.000-06:00

Here are the major nominees

Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Good Night and Good Luck
The Squid and the Whale
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Best Director
Ang Lee- Brokeback Mountain
George Clooney- Good Night and Good Luck
Gregg Araki- Mysterious Skin
Rodrigo Garcia- Nine Lives
Noah Baumbach- The Squid and the Whale

Best First Feature
Crash
Lackawanna Blues
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Thumbsucker
Transamerica

Best Screenplay
The War Within
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Squid and the Whale
Capote
Nine Lives

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams- Junebug
Maggie Gyllenhaal- Happy Endings
Allison Janney- Our Very Own
Michelle Williams- Brokeback Mountain
Robin Wright Penn- Nine Lives

Best Supporting Actor
Firdous Bamji- The War Within
Matt Dillon- Crash
Jesse Eisenberg- The Squid and the Whale
Barry Pepper- The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Jeffery Wright- Broken Flowers

Best Actress
Felicity Huffman- Transamerica
Dina Korzun- Forty Shades of Blue
Laura Linney- The Squid and the Whale
S. Epatha Merkerson- Lackawanna Blues
Cyndi Williams- Room

Best Actor
Jeff Daniels- The Squid and the Whale
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Capote
Terence Howard- Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger- Brokeback Mountain
David Strathairn- Good Night and Good Luck

Big winners: Felicity Huffman has some traction now. Good Night and Good Luck as well as The Squid and the Whale also have some traction building up.

Big Loser beyond a doubt is Crash, failing to make best picture here puts a serious dent in its BP chances. A nom for Dillon and best first feature is all it walked away with. Also the shutout of A History of Violence (unless its budget was over 20 million) doesn't bode well for it's outside chances.

RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE

2005-11-28T18:06:00.000-06:00

So much for the innovative idea had....thank you Jeffery Wells.....

Speaking of Wells, his new radio show raved The New World to an extent. I'm still not 100% sold on its chances of going anywhere. In other news Poland seems to have dropped the movie a bit in his predictions, so take that for what its worth.

The Independent Spirit Awards get things started tomorrow, unofficially starting the awards push. The interesting things to watch will be if films like A History of Violence, Good Night and Good Luck, Crash, Capote & Brokeback Mountain score here. Making the shortlist at the ISA's won't be that big of a deal if they do. Missing it though for any reason other than "their budget was too great" could be a huge setback for any of these smaller films looking to gain traction.

I don't know, but one thing I'm looking forward to, this'll probably be the only attention one of my favorite movies of the year, Mysterious Skin, gets any press. It'll be sadly forgotten.

Speaking of the forgotten, while the NBR members, who ever they are, meet and contemplate there awards next week, I'll have a few FYC's popping up over the next week.

Updates

2005-11-26T23:07:00.000-06:00

I'm working on something that will hopefully change the outlook of Oscars on the web. I hope....so stay tuned.

Also, expect pre-NBR predictions starting Thursday. Awards Season is upon us....REJOICE!

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T22:23:00.000-06:00

May I be among the first to wish you all a happy thanksgiving. More awards thoughts as they come to me (doing these long drawn out things burned me out the last two times, so lesser is probably better).

Also I should have a very simple awards databank constructed in the near future, including the winners of the ignomious "Darby" awards and the winners of the prestigious award no one knows about called the "Darby d'Or". Also the 11th Annual Golden Flatulence Award will be handed out soon to the worst movie of 2005, so stay tuned for that.

For knowledge on previous "winners" of this award....here they are....

1995: (tie) Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde/Judge Dredd
1996: The Island of Dr. Moreau
1997: Steel
1998: Godzilla
1999: Wild Wild West
2000: Battlefield Earth
2001: Pearl Harbor
2002: Enough
2003: Gigli
2004: White Chicks

Oscar Analysis: Best Director

2005-11-22T20:42:00.000-06:00

Next we come to the folks behind the camera, the ones who make sure that what we see on camera makes sense and flows well. The headmasters. The dictators. The....oh you get the idea.

There will always be one or two films that get into the best picture lineup but leave their director standing at the altar. Often the lone directors come out of left field, but there's a good crop of them this year.

1. Steven Spielberg/Munich- Since his film is the front-runner at the moment, it would make sense that Spielberg himself would also be the frontrunner. He's the only living director with two directorial Oscars that the Academy would likely give a third one to, but above that he hasn't been nominated since 1998, which is a bit of a drought for him. If Munich is as good as advertised, he should have no trouble finding the shortlist.

2. Ang Lee/Brokeback Mountain- One time nominee for 2000's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee walks into the Oscars as the John Madden to Steven Spielberg. His film is much smaller in comparison, but he is more due than Madden was. Could Lee win and Spielberg take picture? As for a nomination, Lee is probably in better shape because, even if his film does miss down the stretch, he's the kind of director who could pull out a lone director spot.

3. Rob Marshall/Memoirs of a Geisha- The helmer behind 2002's big winner Chicago, Marshall was left the victim of an upset at the hands of veteran director Roman Polanski that year. He returns now with a film that is sure to be a hit with the techies, but could miss out with the rest of AMPAS ala Cold Mountain. He's also a potential snubbee or victim of missing out if the Academy goes with two lone directors this year.

4. Terrence Malick/The New World- As I mentioned before, it's always difficult to gauge where the Academy falls on Malick. He got a nom back in 1998, but his film was the donuthole film of the year (read, the film nommed for best picture that leaves home without a single trophy). The New World is a bigger question mark now than it used to be, but Malick is sure to deliver. The big question is whether or not AMPAS is ready to digest it.

5. George Clooney/Good Night and Good Luck- The Academy loves actors turned directors. See Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood, etc. etc. Clooney is highly respected in Hollywood and seems due for some kind of recognition, which is usually a good recipe for a lone director slot. It doesn't hurt that his film is just outside the best picture race at the moment either.

6. James Mangold/Walk the Line- The predicted snubbee of the Best Picture 5, Mangold doesn't have a very long resume to indicate that he would be best director material. Then again, history is littered with directors who have a single nomination in this category. Problem is most of them either had long respected careers or just narrowly missed out on a best picture nom in getting that nomination. Mangold at the moment has neither. I bet he just misses.

7. Woody Allen/Match Point- Much more solid a ranking than his film is, if there's two lone directors this year Allen will get in as the second one. Oscar loves the comeback kid and it's been years since he last got a director's nom. If the film makes serious damage in other categories, don't be surprised if he starts getting his name bantered about as a potential winner here either.

8. David Cronenberg/A History of Violence- Another respected director who has nary a nomination to show for his long, if somewhat odd, career. David Lynch scored a nod in 2001 with Mulholland Drive, a sort of career appreciation nod. The same thing could happen here, if the film gets a degree of critical support.

9. Stephen Frears/Mrs. Henderson Presents- It's a possibility, but a longshot at this point. The only reason to really consider him is because of his track record, but it's been spotty going at best.

10. Paul Haggis/Crash- The only reason he's this low is because Crash is a shoe-in for a best original screenplay nom, which is how they can reward Haggis. If the film gets more best picture talk, or wins NBR, then he will move up. If not, it's an 8 man race.

Other Possibilties:
Stephen Gaghan/Syriana- See Paul Haggis
Peter Jackson/King Kong- Possibility, but he just won and there's no urgency to reward him again.
Tommy Lee Jones/The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada- Doesn't have a real great studio behind him and no one outside of France seems to like the film.
James Ivory/The White Countess- Could get in because of the death of his partner Ismail Merchant. No real advance word on the film, though.
Fernando Meirelles/The Constant Gardener- One-time lone director, he's going to need some help to pull it off again.

Oscar Analysis: Best Picture

2005-11-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

We start our Big 8 analysis with the big'un, best picture. The race has been hard to get a grasp on, and with contenders falling left and right we still don't have much of a grasp on the standings.

What we DO know however is that the only film in the clubhouse with a direct path to the Kodak theater is Walk the Line. Though it's reviews weren't overly spectacular, in a year such as this one they should be good enough to get in. Unlike other prognosticators I don't have enough faith in AMPAS to go entirely political with their picks this year. There will be two Oscar friendly films that are safe, more than likely, and then two films that are more political and daring. The fifth spot is going to go either way, the question is which way will it go.

After months of speculation, however, another thing remains that Munich should be considered the frontrunner. When Spielberg has nailed it out of the park, he's been nominated more often than not. Seeing as how it's been seven years since he won the trophy for Saving Private Ryan, he's due by AMPAS standards.

Oh to heck with it, let's just get to the lists.

1. Munich- Since the trailers debut in early November, Munich has jumped to near the top of every prognosticator's list. In a year that has mountains of political intrigue and scandals, it's interesting to note that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has gotten minimal airplay in the US. Perhaps unrightfully so, but films that seemingly open a dialogue in the greater media outside of film discussions tend to get noticed by AMPAS (Schindler's List, for example). Obviously aside from the subject matter, Spielberg's name sells itself. If it's not controversial however, and just a standard run of the mill political thriller that has underlying meaning, ie The Interpreter, then it won't be as solid a bet. Still, the narrow frontrunner at this point.

2. Walk the Line- Count on one thing from AMPAS for certain. At least one piece of Oscar-friendly, baity type film, will make the final cut for best picture. I'm betting there will be two this year...but we'll get to that in a moment. Walk the Line has been a perennial best picture contender, a potential dark horse for the win as well, since the year-in-advances came down. Backed by performances from two of the hottest actors working today (Joaquin Phoenix and media darling Reese Witherspoon) and portraying the life of an American legend in Johnny Cash, Walk the Line captures that piece of Americana that makes older AMPAS voters swoon. Outside of the reviews for Joaquin and Reese, the film hasn't gotten the kind of universal praise that Ray seemed to have gotten last year, leading some to believe that it's fate may be closer to that of What's Love Got to Do With It?, another musical biopic that had it's leading stars nominated but nothing else. It's a possibility, but an unlikely one in my opinion.

3. Brokeback Mountain- Soon to be eternally dubbed the "gay cowboy" movie, Brokeback emerged as a legitimate contender following the Venice Film Festival, where it won best picture. Though this would seem to condemn it's chances (the last Venice BP winner to get nommed for Best Picture was Atlantic City), Brokeback Mountain is topical and has a respected director sitting behind the camera. It also has one of the legends of literature, Larry McMurty, penning the screenplay. Sure to be controversial, I'm betting on this to be the "critical darling" of the year, and as a result it'll not only get in but cause other films to miss as well.

4. Memoirs of a Geisha- I've had reservations about this film all year long, but the searing lack of legitimate contenders (or rather, contenders who have serious problems) has caused it to move into the top 5. Rob Marshall's sophomore effort has been in gestation for years, but it's based off of a critically acclaimed novel with a cast that is seemingly a who's who of Asian acting these days. The trailer was far less than impressive, but early word is that the film may be total bait and Oscar voters will eat it up. I wouldn't be surprised if the film went the way of Cold Mountain if the reviews turn out to be lackluster, doing well in the technical awards and scoring a supporting actress nomination for Gong Li. But for now, I'll leave it in.

5. The New World- Arguably a harder film to get a pulse on then even Munich has been is Terrence Malick's The New World. Despite Malick's 1.000 batting record thus far, as far as quality goes, there's still a notion as to whether or not Farrell can carry a film like this. My guess is that it's not Farrell, but newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher who will be the emotional center of the film. Still, Malick is an unknown with Oscar. Will the film be like The Thin Red Line? Or will it fall to the wayside. Proported post-production problems also have cropped up. We'll have our answer in a couple weeks as The New World starts screening.

6. Cinderella Man- Cinderella Man seemingly died a horrific death earlier this year, with mediocre box office and a seeming feeling of been there done that for the Ron Howard biopic. Nevertheless, as the year has drug on it has to be seriously considered again. Since the box office slump has continued for all major contenders thus far, Cinderella Man suddenly looks okay rather than terrible on that front. It has star power, which should help it at the Golden Globes, and a scoring at the NBR might just solidify it's resurgence back into the shortlist. Perhaps the most important element is the studio: Universal. They did it two years ago for Da Biscuit, can they do it again this year?

7. Match Point- One of the more interesting films not really being talked about is Match Point, the newest film from Woody Allen. Though he's often been advertised as being "back" for years now, Woody seemingly has done it this time. The film got raves at Cannes and had it been in contention probably could have taken the whole shebang. Still, Dreamworks is dying off quickly, which may leave it without a good push, and Woody Allen has never been popular to nominate for best picture: only two of his films have ever gotten best picture nominations (Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters). The film has also drawn some comparisons to Closer, which means it may be too distant for AMPAS voters.

8. Crash- One of the most topical films of the year has also stubbornly refused to vanish from the minds of people. It certainly has a devoted fanbase and that's always a good thing in terms of AMPAS support. The question is how large is that fanbase within AMPAS (we know Oprah loves it). Lion's Gate has stumbled out of the gate with it's campaign, an early September DVD release sadly reminds me of the bungled job Focus did with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last year. If enough people remember it though, it'll probably make the cut.

9. Good Night and Good Luck- A film that got great reviews and has pretty decent box office thus far, Good Night and Good Luck is sure to score some critical support among the critics (provided they don't slobber over one film like they did Sideways last year). Can it get enough though. This isn't the type of film AMPAS usually nominates, even when they do go overtly political. It strikes me as more of a lone director type of film, then a best picture contender.

10. Pride and Prejudice- One film that has seemingly come out of nowhere is Pride and Prejudice. The reviews have been spectacular, and the box office is going so far so good. If the film can get some early precursor awards, not just for Kiera, but for other elements of it as well, it could easily make it in. One to watch for sure.

Other Contenders:
- The Producers- Probably a conservative vote getter, but probably won't get many mentions as the best of the year. Acting nods aren't out of the question though.
- Capote- Barring a Sideways-esque critical sweep, Hoffman will be the only element of this film to get noticed.
- Mrs. Henderson Presents- A Shakespeare in Love type nominee with a noted director and noted stars, but the film has gotten blasted in early screening reports.
- Syriana- Topical, great ensemble piece, but early word is mixed.
- King Kong- Quite literally the 850-pound gorilla in the room. If Peter Jackson hadn't just won, then I'd say this was a serious contender.

Up next, best director:

Ooooo-kay

2005-11-22T06:52:00.000-06:00

Apparently the sidebar and blogspot are being a bitch or something, seeing as how my predictions were there last night and now they've up and gone poof.

Here they are again, provided they can stay up again:

Best Picture
Munich
Walk the Line
Brokeback Mountain
Memoirs of a Geisha
The New World

Best Director
Steven Spielberg/Munich
Ang Lee/Brokeback Mountain
Rob Marshall/Memoirs of a Geisha
Terrence Malick/The New World
George Clooney/Good Night and Good Luck

Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix/Walk the Line
Phillip Seymour Hoffman/Capote
Eric Bana/Munich
Heath Ledger/Brokeback Mountain
David Strathairn/Good Night and Good Luck

Best Actress
Reese Witherspoon/Walk the Line
Judi Dench/Mrs. Henderson Presents
Zhang Ziyi/Memoirs of a Geisha
Keira Knightley/Pride and Prejudice
Felicity Huffman/Transamerica

Best Supporting Actor
Bob Hoskins/Mrs. Henderson Presents
Geoffrey Rush/Munich
Jake Gyllenhaal/Brokeback Mountain
Matt Dillon/Crash
Christopher Plummer/The New World

Best Supporting Actress
Diane Keaton/The Family Stone
Scarlett Johansson/Match Point
Michelle Williams/Brokeback Mountain
Gong Li/Memoirs of a Geisha
Maria Bello/A History of Violence

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Walk the Line
Syriana
Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Original Screenplay
Crash
Match Point
Good Night and Good Luck
The New World
The Squid and the Whale

Best Cinematography
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
The New World
Pride and Prejudice

Best Film Editing
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Walk the Line
King Kong
Cinderella Man

Best Art Direction
Memoirs of a Geisha
The New World
Pride and Prejudice
The White Countess
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Costume Design
Memoirs of a Geisha
Walk the Line
Pride and Prejudice
The White Countess
Cinderella Man

Best Original Score
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Brokeback Mountain
The New World
Cinderella Man

Best Original Song
Brokeback Mountain
The Chronicles of Narnia
Crash
The Producers
Chicken Little

Best Sound
Cinderella Man
Star Wars Episode III
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire
King Kong
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Sound Editing
Star Wars Episode III
King Kong
War of the Worlds

Best Makeup
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Chronicles of Narnia
Walk the Line

Best Visual Effects
Star Wars Episode III
King Kong
The Chronicles of Narnia

Best Animated Film
The Wallace and Gromit Movie: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Chicken Little
Madagascar

Best Foreign Film
Joyeux Noel (France)
Tsotsi (South Africa)
Paradise Now (Palestine)
L'Enfant (Belgium)
Mother of Mine (Finland)

Best Documentary
March of the Penguins
Mad Hot Ballroom
On Native Soil
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
After Innocence

Predictions Up

2005-11-21T23:01:00.000-06:00

All my predictions are up on the sidebar and will continue to be updated throughout the season. Again, Big 8 analysis tomorrow.

Third Time's A Charm?

2005-11-21T22:12:00.000-06:00

Yeah, it's me again. Let's get it started for a third time, and hopefully we can stick with it this time.

Oscar analysis to come tomorrow.