The Oscar Nominees are...

[Bearcat729]

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA
Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND
Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR
Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Jamie Foxx - RAY

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

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

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

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

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

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

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

THE INCREDIBLES
SHARK TALE
SHREK 2

ART DIRECTION

THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT

CINEMATOGRAPHY

THE AVIATOR
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT

COSTUME DESIGN

THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
RAY
TROY

DIRECTING

THE AVIATOR
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
RAY
SIDEWAYS
VERA DRAKE

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

BORN INTO BROTHELS
THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL
SUPER SIZE ME
TUPAC: RESURRECTION
TWIST OF FAITH

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

AUTISM IS A WORLD
THE CHILDREN OF LENINGRADSKY
HARDWOOD
MIGHTY TIMES: THE CHILDREN'S MARCH
SISTER ROSE'S PASSION

FILM EDITING

THE AVIATOR
COLLATERAL
FINDING NEVERLAND
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
RAY



FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
THE CHORUS
DOWNFALL
THE SEA INSIDE
YESTERDAY

MAKEUP

LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
THE SEA INSIDE

MUSIC (SCORE)

FINDING NEVERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
THE VILLAGE

MUSIC (SONG)

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

BEST PICTURE

THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
RAY
SIDEWAYS

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

BIRTHDAY BOY
GOPHER BROKE
GUARD DOG
LORENZO
RYAN

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

EVERYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY MUST
LITTLE TERRORIST
7:35 IN THE MORNING
TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT
WASP

SOUND EDITING

THE INCREDIBLES
THE POLAR EXPRESS
SPIDER-MAN 2

SOUND MIXING

THE AVIATOR
THE INCREDIBLES
THE POLAR EXPRESS
RAY
SPIDER-MAN 2

VISUAL EFFECTS

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
I, ROBOT
SPIDER-MAN 2

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

BEFORE SUNSET
FINDING NEVERLAND
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
SIDEWAYS

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

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

[CamEdwards]

hmmm, can't help but notice no Best Picture nod for Michael Moore.









:D

[wade moore]

hmmm, can't help but notice no Best Picture nod for Michael Moore.









:D

I'm a little surprised that he does not even get a documentary nomination? Or did he make himself ineligible for it? Because unless he did, like it or not, it is one of the best selling documentaries of all time so you'd think it would be nominated.

[Bearcat729]

hmmm, can't help but notice no Best Picture nod for Michael Moore.









:D


I think there was some reason that it didn't qualify for the award. Much like Passion of the Christ.

[wade moore]

I think there was some reason that it didn't qualify for the award. Much like Passion of the Christ.

Why didn't Passion of the Christ qualify?

[Cuckoo]

Both qualified but were considered long shots. Michael Moore did allow his to be disqualified for the Documentary category, by playing it on television I believe. Otherwise, I would also think it would have been a definite nomination there. He did it because he thought it would/should get a picture nod.

[Scholes]

How many out of the 5 nominated for best picture have you seen?

Zero here, although I really want to see Sideways.

Maybe I'm totally wrong here, but it seems like the nominees for Best Picture used to be "bigger" well known movies, now they seem to be more "artistic", lesser known films. I'm not complaining about it, just an observation.

[cthomer5000]

I'm really, really disappointed in no director nomination for Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

I was also hoping against hope for any nomination for Garden State. Oh well, these awards seem to be getting less legit every year.

[Samdari]

Both qualified but were considered long shots. Michael Moore did allow his to be disqualified for the Documentary category, by playing it on television I believe. Otherwise, I would also think it would have been a definite nomination there. He did it because he thought it would/should get a picture nod.

I think there is some arcane rule that a movie cannot be submitted for both documentary and best picture. They went for best picture and missed.

Of course, I could be wrong.

[cthomer5000]

How many out of the 5 nominated for best picture have you seen?
Zero, with Sideways being the only one I have any real interest in.

[Cuckoo]

How many out of the 5 nominated for best picture have you seen?

Zero here, although I really want to see Sideways.

Maybe I'm totally wrong here, but it seems like the nominees for Best Picture used to be "bigger" well known movies, now they seem to be more "artistic", lesser known films. I'm not complaining about it, just an observation.

I think it's just because there's no definite leader this year like there has been in years past. It's not unusual for me to have only seen one or two or even none of the nominees since most come out late in the year.

That said, I was hoping either Eternal Sunshine or Collateral would get a picture nod. I really thought both of those were great movies.

[MacroGuru]

Why didn't Passion of the Christ qualify?

Ditto?

[Cuckoo]

I think there is some arcane rule that a movie cannot be submitted for both documentary and best picture. They went for best picture and missed.

Of course, I could be wrong.

No, I think you're right. But there was something about him showing it on television that disqualified it for documentary, if I remember correctly. He did that because he was shooting for picture. I can kind of understand, I suppose. He already had the documentary prize for Bowling. Why not see if he can take it to another level?

[BreizhManu]

I'm really, really disappointed in no director nomination for Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
I'm even more disappointed with Carrey not being nominated. I hope the movie will at least win the original screenplay.

[lurker]

Before Sunset is as smart and artsy as they come, and that only got one nomination...so I don't know how artsy the nominations are getting.

[QuikSand]

Saw Sideways, and will be rooting for it. A shade disappointed that Paul Giamatti didn't get a nomination. He was very good.

The sexiest scene I have seen in a movie in quite some time was Virginia Madsen, talking to Paul Giamatti on the porch about wine. It's hard to convey how hot that scene was, epecially since it didn't directly deal with sex at all.

[Hammer755]

Of the nominated movies, I've seen the Aviator & Ray. I thought both were good, but not Oscar worthy. With the buzz surrounding Million Dollar Baby, I would be surprised if it didn't sweep everything except for Best Actor, which I'm fairly certain is a lock for Foxx. I have absolutely no interest in seeing MDB, however.

I also saw Hotel Rwanda, and would love to see Cheadle win.

And Alan Alda getting a Best Supporting Actor nom? He played the typical shady Congressman in the Aviator that came straight from the stock character bin.

[Maple Leafs]

I'm even more disappointed with Carrey not being nominated. I hope the movie will at least win the original screenplay.
Me too. It crushes my dream of seeing Carrey and Foxx both nominated in the same year, leading to a much-needed increase to In Living Color rerun frequency.

[Suicane75]

Couple of things that stand out to me,

1) No nomination for Giamati or Bacon really pisses me off.

2) Eastwood for best Actor is a stretch I think, I just wasn't overwhelmed by him in MDB.

3) I hope, of the nominees, that Cheadle wins it. I havn't seen the movie but he's been such an underapreciated actor for so long that i'll be rooting for him.

4) I really got into the Oscars the year Magnolia, American Beauty etc came out and enjoyed them very much becuase I thought they tapped the best pictures/actors almost perfectly that season. And every year since then it's gotten worse and worse, some of the crap on this list is mind boggling....ALAN ALDA? I loved the Aviator but come on, that role was, as was stated above, a stock role.

[FBPro]

How many out of the 5 nominated for best picture have you seen?

Zero here, although I really want to see Sideways.

Maybe I'm totally wrong here, but it seems like the nominees for Best Picture used to be "bigger" well known movies, now they seem to be more "artistic", lesser known films. I'm not complaining about it, just an observation.

ZIP here as well and I would agree with the observation and also curious why this is so.

[KeyserSoze]

Aviator will win almost all. Hollywood really loves films that talk about hollywood

[Schmidty]

WORST YEAR EVER for the Oscars. The fact that Hollywood hates christians and didn't give "The Passion of the Christ" it's due respect makes me sick. I definitely won't be watching this year.

[Suicane75]

Well this is gonna turn out good. :rolleyes:

[Schmidty]

Well this is gonna turn out good. :rolleyes:

Why? Because I voiced an OPINION? Don't worry, I'm not one of you psychos who has all day to spend in pissing matches.

[chinaski]

The Passion of the Christ was filmed in Aramaic, making it a foreign language film - disqualifying it from the overall best picture category. Im not sure why it didnt get nominated for best foreign language film tho. The Sea Inside will win this regardless, even if the Christ was nominated, its beyond superior.

You can only be in one 'Best Picture' Category, Moore did not want F9/11 in the documentary category because he believed it was unfair to the other documentaries. It was not disqualified. The only reason why it did not make Best Picture is due to the fact that all the current nominees came out well after F9/11 debuted... that and it really is a documentary and I couldnt really see it getting nominated because of that. He should have put it in the Docu category anyways, Super Size me is a dumb p.o.s and it will probably win.

[Scarecrow]

Passion of the Christ couldn't even get nominated for best foreign language film???

[Cuckoo]

Actually, the best foreign language film was an option for the Golden Globes, but if I remember correctly, Passion is not eligible for the Oscar in that category since it was made by an American production company.

[chinaski]

Why? Because I voiced an OPINION? Don't worry, I'm not one of you psychos who has all day to spend in pissing matches.
Hey Schmidty, it was IMPOSSIBLE for them to give it the nomination.

[Suicane75]

Why? Because I voiced an OPINION? Don't worry, I'm not one of you psychos who has all day to spend in pissing matches.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean it as an attack. It's just that after spongebob, well, ya know.

[Cuckoo]

Passion of the Christ couldn't even get nominated for best foreign language film???

Found this:


Who would have thought Jesus Christ and Che Guevara would have so much common? They are the subjects of two of 2004's most-talked-about releases, but neither Mel Gibson's Newmarket drama "The Passion of the Christ" nor Walter Salles' Focus Features biopic "The Motorcycle Diaries," respectively, will compete for the coveted foreign-language feature statuette come Oscar night.

Thanks to complex -- some might say arcane -- rules that continue to baffle and enrage many in Hollywood and beyond, those films and three other acclaimed releases -- Joshua Marston's Fine Line drama "Maria Full of Grace," Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Warner Independent Pictures romancer "A Very Long Engagement" and Pedro Almodovar's Sony Pictures Classics drama "Bad Education" -- are not among official submissions in the foreign-language Oscar race.

[...]

This year's five high-profile ineligible films are so for two reasons: Three did not meet eligibility requirements to represent a single nation -- "Passion," "Maria" (whose writer-director is American and star is Colombian) and "Diaries" (Brazilian director, Mexican-American writer, Mexican star) -- and two were not the official submissions of their respective nations (Alejandro Amenabar's Fine Line drama "The Sea Inside" was picked ahead of "Education" to represent Spain, and Christophe Barratier's Miramax romancer "Les Choristes" was picked ahead of "Engagement" by France).

[Cuckoo]

Hey Schmidty, it was IMPOSSIBLE for them to give it the nomination.

This isn't true. The following comes from the news story released when Gibson decided not to spend money on an Oscar campaign.

Passion is considered a possible Oscar contender for best picture, director, actor and cinematography.

[chinaski]

This isn't true. The following comes from the news story released when Gibson decided not to spend money on an Oscar campaign.
Hmm, i guess youre right as im not so sure now. Maybe I was thinking about the Golden Globes? I knew that was the reason for it not being nominated for one of these dang award shows...

[Klinglerware]

I'm under the impression that nominees are selected by the pure raw vote of the academy members. There is no "blue-ribbon panel" or anything like that doing the selections. So, many shockers in the nominee list over the years are probably due to the resulting peculiarities when you use a popular vote to determine rankings (much like college football poll voting).

[chinaski]

Found this:
[.....]
Thanks to complex -- some might say arcane -- rules that continue to baffle and enrage many in Hollywood and beyond, those films and three other acclaimed releases -- Joshua Marston's Fine Line drama "Maria Full of Grace," Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Warner Independent Pictures romancer "A Very Long Engagement" and Pedro Almodovar's Sony Pictures Classics drama "Bad Education" -- are not among official submissions in the foreign-language Oscar race.

Maria Full of Grace sucked, so i can see how it didnt get the nod - but Motorcycle Diaries, House of Flying Daggers and Bad Education are some of the best movies in the world this year, its more of a shame they didnt get Best Foreign film than PotC.

[Cuckoo]

Hmm, i guess youre right as im not so sure now. Maybe I was thinking about the Golden Globes? I knew that was the reason for it not being nominated for one of these dang award shows...

Yeah, I think it was the Golden Globes. I think it was ineligible for a GG best picture because it was in a foreign language, making it only eligible for foreign language film at the GGs, but at the Oscars, it's ineligible for foreign film but eligible for picture. Weird stuff.


And I think Klingler is exactly right about the voting procedures.

[ISiddiqui]

For everyone complaining about "The Passion" not getting 'due respect', go to rottentomatoes.com and look at the review score it got. It may have touched you (good for you then), but it wasn't a good film. Sorry, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

[Wolfpack]

Actually, if "Passion" was among the nominated for FL film, it would not have precluded Best Picture. I think both "Crouching Tiger" and "Life is Beautiful" got nods in both categories, though they only wound up runaway winners in the FL category, while losing out in Best Picture.

[MikeVic]

Disappointed. :( One of the better movies I've seen in awhile isn't nominated for Best Picture (Sunshine)... these are the same awards that selected Forest Gump over Shawshank, right? I guess I just don't see eye-to-eye with them.

[Cuckoo]

For everyone complaining about "The Passion" not getting 'due respect', go to rottentomatoes.com and look at the review score it got. It may have touched you (good for you then), but it wasn't a good film. Sorry, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

And clearly rottentomatoes is the source for quality film reviews... ;)


I think the movie was hit or miss with a lot of people, and I actually don't believe it was necessarily tied to their religious feelings as I would have expected. I know some Christians who didn't like very much, and I know several non-Christians who thought it was outstanding.

And personally, I do think it was a very good film, and I'm not speaking of in only a religious sense. (I also thought Last Temptation of Christ was a good film even though, from a faith standpoint, I disagreed with it entirely.)

Passion was extrememly well-made, well-acted, and poignant. I'm not going to be one of the people who claim it "deserved" a best picture nod as I think there are too many factors to consider when saying that, but to say it wasn't a good film, in my humble opinion, is missing the mark pretty badly.

[Daimyo]

Go Sideways!

[Eaglesfan27]

Of the nominated movies, I've seen the Aviator & Ray. I thought both were good, but not Oscar worthy. With the buzz surrounding Million Dollar Baby, I would be surprised if it didn't sweep everything except for Best Actor, which I'm fairly certain is a lock for Foxx. I have absolutely no interest in seeing MDB, however.

I also saw Hotel Rwanda, and would love to see Cheadle win.

And Alan Alda getting a Best Supporting Actor nom? He played the typical shady Congressman in the Aviator that came straight from the stock character bin.
I haven't seen Hotel Rwanda, but I think Cheadle is one of the best underrated actors of our generation. He has been in a few bad movies, but he always does a good convincing job in whatever role he is in.

[Johnny93g]

GO SCORSECE

[chinaski]

Damnit! I just realized Control Room wasnt nominated for Best Documentary >:( I thought it was much better than F9/11.

[cthomer5000]

Before Sunset is as smart and artsy as they come, and that only got one nomination...so I don't know how artsy the nominations are getting.
I was pleasantly surprised with this movie, and really like it, after initially being a bit worried about hearing they were making it (i as a big fan of Before Sunrise).

[Dutch]

If Fahrenheit 9/11 was filled with disestablishement propaganda and lies and misleading untruths, does that still allow it to be considered for the best non-fiction documentary of any year?

Also, Passion of the Christ was respected to some degree, but painstakingly so, since, according to the atheist left, George Bush invented Jesus. lol.

[KWhit]

And clearly rottentomatoes is the source for quality film reviews... ;)
Do you even know what rotten tomatoes is?

Actually, most insiders do consider it THE source for quality film reviews.

[Cuckoo]

Do you even know what rotten tomatoes is?

Actually, most insiders do consider it THE source for quality film reviews.


Yes, I'm quite aware what rotten tomatoes is, and a number of film outlets that I would consider to be more respected in film reviewing gave Passion much more favorable reviews.

[cthomer5000]

Yes, I'm quite aware what rotten tomatoes is, and a number of film outlets that I would consider to be more respected in film reviewing gave Passion much more favorable reviews.
Share your site. Since rottentomatoes averages hundreds of critical reviews, I'd love to find an even better source for reviews.

[PineTar]

I've been pimping Sideways for for a while (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=31849&highlight=movie+sideways) in various forums. Glad to see it get its due. Giamatti should have been nominated, though certainly not for his work on SNL last week, blech.

[Cuckoo]

Share your site. Since rottentomatoes averages hundreds of critical reviews, I'd love to find an even better source for reviews.

What I was trying to say is that rottentomatoes collects a variety of different reviews from other print and web outlets to give a film its score. While I really enjoy the site and go there quite a bit, they include a number of reviews in that score that I would consider to be less reputable than others they include.

When you look at a number of the well-respected reviews individually, from some print outlets like Rolling Stone, Roger Ebert, CNN, Time, or USA Today, you see some fantastic reviews for the film.

I wasn't disparaging rottentomatoes as a whole. I enjoy the site. I was simply commenting about the totality of effect for the review score that was mentioned.

[Arles]

Share your site. Since rottentomatoes averages hundreds of critical reviews, I'd love to find an even better source for reviews.
I like rottentomatoes as well, but I don't see the ratings being all that fair for a film like "Passion". Almost all the negative feedback came from newspaper reviewers, which isn't all that surprising when you consider the political leanings of that group as a whole. The New York Times was slamming the movie before even the media screening. It's a bit like going to the republican convention for opinions on John Kerry and coming back by saying all of America hates him.

I don't think that the Passion was the best movie last year, but I think it's a heck of a lot better than the embittered print media made it seem (many who came out against it before they even saw it).

[cthomer5000]

I like rottentomatoes as well, but I don't see the ratings being all that fair for a film like "Passion". Almost all the negative feedback came from newspaper reviewers, which isn't all that surprising when you consider the political leanings of that group as a whole. The New York Times was slamming the movie before even the media screening. It's a bit like going to the republican convention for opinions on John Kerry and coming back by saying all of America hates him.

I don't think that the Passion was the best movie last year, but I think it's a heck of a lot better than the embittered print media made it seem (many who came out against it before they even saw it).
You can sort the reviews in any way you'd like, pulling just the reviews from newspaper, radio, tv, web, etc.

Across the board Passion grades are significantly lower than any other 'good movie' i could think of from 2004.

[Pyser]

you cant stop jesus, you can only hope to contain him.

[Sharpieman]

you cant stop jesus, you can only hope to contain him.
Lol, I want that for a bumpersticker


If Foxx nor Cheadle win, its going to piss me off. Cheadle was the best by far, but Foxx did damn good job too. I'm rooting for Cheadle, but Foxx is more likely to win because a lot more people have seen Ray.

[Axxon]

What I'm surprised about is that the Oscars still gather this much attention. I don't know, but it's been a really long time since I've cared who wins or is nominated but I still enjoy movies just as much, if not more. I guess I just don't get into popularity contests that I don't have a vote in and that's all the Academy Awards are. I think the show is fun to watch though.

I believe the final nail in their coffin for me was The English Patient. I just never got that one. I'm not alone. I was on a ferry boat heading from Amsterdam to London and they were showing this movie. Since it had just recently won I paid to see it. Halfway through the movie, the film broke and we started talking. It took 20 minutes before someone suggested that we might want to tell them it broke so we could see the rest of it. :D

At that point I realized the huge disconnect between my likes and the academy's likes so I figure, as long as we're that far off, what's the point in being interested in their views? I will thank them for movies that I likely would NOT have seen had they not nominated them.

Amadeus is one of my all time favorite movies and I would never have seen it if it hadn't won best picture. Ditto Gandhi and a few others but I've also wasted my time watching things like The English Patient, Terms of Endearment and Gladiator, none of which I liked. I guess I just consider the awards a glorified movie review which has more hits than misses but not that big a deal.

Chinaski, I do wonder about Control Room. I found it less entertaining than F911 ( but more of a documentary ) but worlds better than Super Size Me. It deserves a spot if Super Size Me got one.

Again though, since the best documentary I've ever seen, Crumb, didn't even get nominated in it's year, I have to go back to what I said. My likes are so far from the Academy's that I can't really get worked up about their popularity contest. :)

[WrongWay]

I Loved the Oscars last year. Thank you New Zealand. I also really liked that the fact that the only Oscar that LOTR did not win was the one they on purposly tried to win by spending millions over to get it real. The lighting of the fire scene was actually filmed with a camera, but everyone though it was done with a computer like most of the film so the Academy did not vote for it.


BTW---As a Catholic I loved The Passion, but as a movie fan it was basically just an average film. Maybe even below average.

[WrongWay]

I have 2 questions for people with the Complete lists.

1) How many nominations(technical) did Sky Captain receive?

2) And for my Worst movie of 2004.....How many total nominaions did Alexander receive?

Sky Captain was hyped as the next generation of special effects, and I am just plain hoping that Alexander will teach some of these Hollywood types to keep their audience in mind when making their movies.

[Cuckoo]

I don't think that the Passion was the best movie last year, but I think it's a heck of a lot better than the embittered print media made it seem (many who came out against it before they even saw it).

Agreed.

The truth is that this movie brings up strong feelings on both sides, some talking it up greater than they otherwise would because of its subject matter while others downplay its quality because of that. That's why I think it's hard to represent a film's quality based solely upon a collection of film reviews.

I don't think it deserved a Best Picture nomination, although I haven't seen any of the ones that did, but as for its production elements, I think it's a better than average film that could be judged as outstanding by some who were particularly touched by it.

[lurker]

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie, and really like it, after initially being a bit worried about hearing they were making it (i as a big fan of Before Sunrise).

Exactly what I thought. I didn't want the sequel to spoil the perfect ending of the first one. Now I think Before Sunset might even be better. Even with that asshat Ethan Hawke has become in it...

[Suicane75]

Saw Hotel Rwanda over the weekend. Great movie, really close but I think it's slightly better than The Woodsmen. I would really dig it if it wiped out MDB and TA at the Oscars but I know that won't happen. Still think Bacon was the Actor ive seen in a movie though.



Heres an interesting article on MDB by Roger Ebert. I didn't realize that right wing journalists were doing this and it would piss the holy hell out of me if it had ruined the movie for me.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050129/ESSAYS/501290301

[QuikSand]

Saw Million Dollar Baby this weekend. I'm still not sure what I think, in total. It was good, certainly exceeding my expectations (I haven't really liked his films too much, notably Mystic River). I think the movie was largely carried by Hillary Swank, whose performance was superb, but Eastwood managed to keep from sinking the movie too deep, to his modest credit. (I'm not wild about his use of plot devices, as I feel I can still "see the strings" with everything a bit too much)

Good movie. Great performance by Swank. Eastwood as Best Actor is a laugh, especialy over Paul Giamatti, but he was fine.

Have to stew on it some more, but a solid "B" for an Eastwood-directed movie is better than he usually rates from me.

[Suicane75]

I saw Sideways as well and I while I thought it was a good picture, I have no idea where all the hype is coming from. It wasn't very funny, and the characters were just a little off to me. I actually think this was the first Giamatti performance I wasn't really into.