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Author Topic:   2004 Academy Awards
indiedan
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posted November 18, 2004 03:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
Oscar Documentary List Narrowed Down


The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it had narrowed the list of documentaries eligible for Oscar nominations down to 12. Conspicuously absent from the list were any of the numerous politically oriented documentaries that turned up during the year. Although Michael Moore had previously announced that he would not enter his Fahrenheit 9/11 in the documentary competition so that it could compete in the best film category, other politically-charged documentaries that aroused controversy during the year were also absent, including Control Room, about the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera; OutFoxed, about Fox News Channel; Uncovered: The War on Iraq; The Hunting of the President, about the campaign in impeach Bill Clinton; Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry; and the anti-Kerry film, Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal. The omissions appeared even more striking given the Academy's vote to award last year's best documentary Oscar to Errol Morris's controversial The Fog of War, in which former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's reflected on the Vietnam war. The twelve films in contention are: Born Into Brothels, Home of the Brave, Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, In the Realms of the Unreal, Riding Giants, The Ritchie Boys, The Story of the Weeping Camel, Super Size Me, Tell Them Who You Are, Touching the Void, Tupac: Resurrection, and Twist of Faith.

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DMOVIELOVA
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posted November 23, 2004 02:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for DMOVIELOVA   Click Here to Email DMOVIELOVA     Edit/Delete Message
I hope Before Sunset isn't overlooked because it was released over the summer. It's my favorite movie of the year though I haven't seen Sideways which I'm hearing lots of good things about. Also A Very Long Engagement is getting good Oscar buzz.

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indiedan
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posted December 01, 2004 10:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
Top 2004 Foreign Language Films Ineligible for Oscar

Since Oscar submissions for foreign-language films may only be made by the country in which they are made -- and only one film per country -- several of the top foreign language movies of 2004 have already been eliminated. They include Maria Full of Grace, A Very Long Engagement, The Motorcycle Diaries, and Bad Education, the Los Angeles Times observed today (Thursday). Also eliminated: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, in which Aramaic was the principal spoken language. "This system doesn't work," producer and academy member Samuel Goldwyn Jr. told the Times. "The academy's job is to pick the best foreign-language picture of the year. But what happens when two of the best pictures of the year are both made in France? Or suppose you had Italy's The Bicycle Thief and La Dolce Vita in the same year. It would be criminal if you could only pick one."

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indiedan
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posted December 01, 2004 10:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
Vera Drake Sweeps British Independent Film Awards

Mike Leigh's controversial Vera Drake , about about a woman who is both a homemaker and abortionist in post WWII London, swept the British Independent Film Awards Tuesday, receiving six awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Imelda Staunton) and Best Actor (Phil Davis). Touching the Void, which tells the harrowing story of two mountain climbers, received the Best Documentary award. The trophy for Best Foreign Film went to Korea's Oldboy.

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indiedan
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posted December 01, 2004 10:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
Fox Searchlight Dominates Independent Spirit Awards

Fox Searchlight has garnered 14 nominations for the annual Independent Spirit Awards, independent films' equivalent of the Oscars. Topping the nominees was the studio's Sideways, which was named in six of the major categories. Fine Line's Maria Full of Grace received five nominations. The nominees for Best Feature were: Baadasssss!, produced by Mario Van Peebles; Kinsey, produced by Gail Mutrux; Maria Full of Grace, produced by Paul Mezey; Primer, produced by Shane Carruth; and Sideways, produced by Michael London.

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NEWSFLASH
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posted December 01, 2004 02:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for NEWSFLASH   Click Here to Email NEWSFLASH     Edit/Delete Message
'Neverland' wins first award of season

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- "Finding Neverland," a fictionalized account of the creation of children's classic "Peter Pan," was named best film of 2004 by The National Board of Review Wednesday in the first major award of the season.

Oscar hopeful Jamie Foxx was named best actor for "Ray," about legendary singer Ray Charles, while Annette Bening won the best actress award for her role as a 1930s stage diva in "Being Julia."

The awards, voted on by about 150 members of a screening committee along with a 12-member awards panel, are sometimes an early indicator of what to expect in the race of the Academy Awards in February, though frequently its choices are more esoteric than the Oscars.

Michael Mann was named best director for his thriller "Collateral," starring Tom Cruise, while "The Sea Inside" ("Mar adentro") won best foreign language film.

The board's list of top 10 films of the year had in second place "The Aviator", starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a young Howard Hughes, followed by Mike Nichols' "Closer," Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" and "Sideways."

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NEWSFLASH
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posted December 01, 2004 03:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for NEWSFLASH   Click Here to Email NEWSFLASH     Edit/Delete Message
Finding Neverland Named Best Picture by National Board of Review

Clap if you believe in movie awards! This year's awards season got underway today with the National Board of Review's announcement of Finding Neverland as their choice for Best Film. However, it was the only award that the J.M. Barrie biopic picked up, as the erstwhile awards group, made up of film historians, students and educators, spread the wealth around generously, giving just one award to all movies except Sideways, which nabbed the Adapted Screenplay award and a Supporting Actor nod for Thomas Haden Church. Oscar shoo-in Jamie Foxx won Best Actor for Ray (the first of many such awards, no doubt), while Annette Bening was named Best Actress for Being Julia; Supporting Actress honors went to Laura Linney (Kinsey), and Closer won the group's ensemble acting award. In the directing categories, Michael Mann was named Best Director for Collateral, and Zach Braff won the Directorial Debut award for Garden State; the very original Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind picked up the Original Screenplay award. Other winners included The Sea Inside (Foreign Film), Born Into Brothels (Documentary), and The Incredibles (Animated Film). Interestingly, two of the year's most polarizing movies, The Passion of the Christ and Fahrenheit 9/11, both received the awkwardly-worded honor of "Special Recognition of Films that Reflect the Freedom of Expression," along with Conspiracy of Silence.

In addition to their year-end awards, the National Board of Review also names a top ten list for the year, led by their winner for Best Film. This year's list is (in order): Finding Neverland, The Aviator, Closer, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, Kinsey, Vera Drake, Ray, Collateral, and Hotel Rwanda.

The full list of the 2004 National Board of Review awards:

Best Film: Finding Neverland

Best Foreign Language Film : The Sea Inside

Best Documentary : Born into Brothels

Best Animated Feature: The Incredibles

Best Actor: Jamie Foxx, Ray

Best Actress : Annette Bening, Being Julia

Best Supporting Actor : Thomas Haden Church, Sideways

Best Supporting Actress : Laura Linney, Kinsey

Best Acting by an Ensemble : Closer

Breakthrough Performance Actor : Topher Grace, In Good Company and P.S.

Breakthrough Performance Actress : Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera

Best Director : Michael Mann, Collateral

Best Directorial Debut : Zach Braff, Garden State

Best Adapted Screenplay : Sideways , Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor

Best Original Screenplay: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman

Outstanding Production Design : House of Flying Daggers

Career Achievement : Jeff Bridges

Special Filmmaking Achievement: Clint Eastwood, for producing, directing, acting, and composing the score of Million Dollar Baby

William K. Everson Award for Film History : Richard Schickel

Producers Award: Jerry Bruckheimer

Special Recognition of Films that Reflect the Freedom of Expression : Fahrenheit 9/11, The Passion of the Christ, Conspiracy of Silence

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NEWSFLASH
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posted December 02, 2004 09:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for NEWSFLASH   Click Here to Email NEWSFLASH     Edit/Delete Message
"Sideways," "Maria," "Agronomist" Among Top Gotham
Awards Winners (by Eugene Hernandez, December 2, 2004)

Alexander Payne's "Sideways" was named best feature at the
2004 Gotham Awards in New York last night. The honors, hosted
by IFP/New York, were held at Pier 61 in Chelsea and broadcast
live on IFC. "Sideways" is the latest film directed by Payne
and written by the director and regular collaborator Jim
Taylor. The Fox Searchlight release stars Paul Giamatti,
Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh and Thomas Haden Church. It was
produced by Michael London.

The Gothams moved to December for the first time this year,
placing the event at the start of the traditional awards
season (on the same day this year that the National Board
of Review named "Finding Neverland" as its best movie).

Read the Full Story @ indieWIRE.com
< http://www.indiewire.com/biz/biz_041202goth.html

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indiedan
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posted December 10, 2004 01:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
Oscar races heating up

Picking from many strong candidates -- but no front-runner

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- With no J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy to lord over Hollywood's prom night, an eccentric mix of real-life characters may step in to fill the void at the Academy Awards.

There's the billionaire, Howard Hughes, in "The Aviator." The blind singer, Ray Charles, in "Ray." The sex researcher, Alfred Kinsey, in "Kinsey." The future revolutionary, Che Guevara, in "The Motorcycle Diaries." The paralyzed euthanasia advocate, Ramon Sampedro, in "The Sea Inside." The Good Samaritan innkeeper, Paul Rusesabagina, in "Hotel Rwanda." The guy who wrote "Peter Pan," J.M. Barrie, in "Finding Neverland."

No solid favorites have emerged in main Oscar categories, leaving a wide-open race among those biographical movies and a broad mix of fictional films.

Last February, the Tolkien epic "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" swept all 11 categories in which it was nominated, including best picture and director. And while some awards watchers have groused that 2004 produced a weak field of contenders, there are plenty of intriguing prospects that should make Oscar night (February 27) far less predictable than 2003's show.

A rundown of potential contenders for Oscar nominations, which come out January 25:

Best picture
Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" could become a default front-runner if no other film catches fire as awards season progresses.

The nearly three-hour movie drags at times, but its vibrant depiction of 1920s, '30s and '40s America -- and monumental re-creations of Hughes' film production "Hell's Angels" and the flight of the mammoth Spruce Goose airplane -- make for a visual and dramatic spectacle that should appeal to every branch of the 5,800-member academy.

Also in its favor, "The Aviator" deals with two subjects Hollywood loves -- itself, and an erratic weirdo. Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as the obsessive-compulsive Hughes, and the Scorsese brand name signals that this could be the epic to watch as the Oscars approach.

Of the other biographical films, Marc Forster's "Finding Neverland" has the strongest best-picture prospects, combining clever whimsy and brooding drama for a fanciful portrait of Barrie's "Peter Pan" inspirations.

Taylor Hackford's "Ray," Bill Condon's "Kinsey," Terry George's "Hotel Rwanda," Alejandro Amenabar's "The Sea Inside" and Walter Salles' "The Motorcycle Diaries" have better chances at acting and other nominations than best-picture slots.

The latter two are foreign-language films, which rarely make the best-picture cut. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's World War I era romance "A Very Long Engagement" and Zhang Yimou's martial arts epic "House of Flying Daggers" have the same hurdle, but those movies have caught stronger best-picture buzz than other foreign-language pictures.

Sumptuously shot, Joel Schumacher's "The Phantom of the Opera" could join "Moulin Rouge!" and "Chicago" as the third musical of the past four years to earn a best-picture nomination after a two-decade drought for the genre.

The year's most divisive hits -- Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" -- probably are too polarizing to grab enough votes for best-picture nominations.

"Shrek 2" and "The Incredibles" will duke it out for the animated Oscar, but as two of the year's best-reviewed films, they also have longshot best-picture potential.

Other possibilities: Clint Eastwood's boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby"; Mike Nichols' caustic sex yarn "Closer"; James L. Brooks' culture-clash tale "Spanglish"; Alexander Payne's offbeat road-trip flick "Sideways"; and Mike Leigh's abortion drama "Vera Drake."

Best actor
Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in "Ray" seems like the one certain nominee among a crowded field. Foxx authentically captures Charles' mannerisms and intonations, and he seamlessly juggles the singer's playful, gentle demeanor with the dark, hurtful side that led him to prolonged drug addiction and heartless treatment of women.

Besides, an Oscar vote for Foxx is in essence an Oscar vote for the beloved Charles, who died last June.

Other possibilities: Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in "The Aviator"; Johnny Depp as J.M. Barrie in "Finding Neverland"; Javier Bardem in "The Sea Inside," playing Ramon Sampedro, who campaigned for 30 years for his right to die after a paralyzing accident; Don Cheadle in "Hotel Rwanda," playing hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, who sheltered refugees from the 1990s genocide in the African nation; Clint Eastwood as a crusty gym owner who reluctantly agrees to train a female boxer in "Million Dollar Baby"; Liam Neeson as sex researcher Alfred Kinsey in "Kinsey"; Paul Giamatti as a loser who gets a new chance at love in "Sideways"; and Jude Law as a duplicitous lover in "Closer."

Also, Kevin Bacon as a child molester trying to go straight after prison in "The Woodsman"; Bill Murray as leader of a ragtag oceanography team in "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou"; Jim Carrey as a man struggling to retain medically erased memories of his ex-girlfriend in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; Tom Cruise as a hit man on a killing spree in "Collateral"; Gerard Butler as the disfigured musical genius in "The Phantom of the Opera"; John Travolta as a hard-luck case who becomes a paternal figure to a teenage woman in "A Love Song for Bobby Long"; and Gael Garcia Bernal as the young Ernesto "Che" Guevara in "The Motorcycle Diaries."

Best actress
Hilary Swank won five years ago for "Boys Don't Cry," dashing the Oscar hopes of Annette Bening, who had been the front-runner for "American Beauty."

Both are back in the Oscar race, and Swank could thwart Bening's chances again with "Million Dollar Baby." With endearing humor and pathos, Swank plays a zesty boxer whose life takes a tragic turn, her delivery rivaling the raw power of her performance in "Boys Don't Cry."

Bening delivers a gleefully wicked role in "Being Julia," playing a 1930s stage diva who takes exultant revenge on the men in her life and a young rival.

"Spanglish" presents two excellent performances from Tea Leoni as a callously self-absorbed wife and mother and Paz Vega as a Mexican housekeeper fiercely trying to shield her daughter from Americanizing influences.

Other possibilities: Imelda Staunton as "Vera Drake," a saintly woman in 1950s Britain whose good deeds include performing illegal abortions; Audrey Tautou in "A Very Long Engagement," playing a woman desperately searching for her fiance, who supposedly died in the trenches of World War I; Julia Roberts as a photographer flitting back and forth between two men in her life in "Closer"; and Kate Winslet as a woman who's had memories of her ex-boyfriend erased in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

Also, Emmy Rossum as a stage ingenue who's the title character's object of obsession in "The Phantom of the Opera"; Scarlett Johansson as a teen who finds an unlikely surrogate family in "A Love Song for Bobby Long"; Laura Dern as a wife whose hubby is stepping out with her best friend in "We Don't Live Here Anymore"; Catalina Sandino Moreno as a Colombian woman lured into life as a drug smuggler in "Maria Full of Grace"; and Uma Thurman as a vengeful assassin in "Kill Bill -- Vol. 2."

Supporting actor
The wizened, weary, worldly wise sage act is almost second nature to Morgan Freeman, and he's never been better at it than in "Million Dollar Baby."

As a one-time boxing contender now shuffling through life as a gym menial, Freeman exudes the resignation and resilience of the survivor, and his stately voice-overs are the film's emotional anchor.

"Kinsey" offers two prospects, Peter Sarsgaard as one of the title character's circle of researchers and John Lithgow as Kinsey's puritanical father.

Other possibilities: Clive Owen as a brutish lover in "Closer"; Jamie Foxx as a cab driver hijacked by a hit man in "Collateral"; Alan Alda in "The Aviator," playing a politician tangling with Howard Hughes; Thomas Haden Church as a randy bridegroom on a prenuptial spree in "Sideways"; David Carradine as a philosophizing assassination ringleader in "Kill Bill -- Vol. 2"; Liev Schreiber as a brainwashed vice presidential candidate in "The Manchurian Candidate"; and Rodrigo de la Serna as Ernesto "Che" Guevara's traveling buddy in "The Motorcycle Diaries."

Supporting actress
Cate playing Kate? Katharine Hepburn, the love of Howard Hughes' life, is brought to the screen by Cate Blanchett in "The Aviator," and once you get past the initial jolt of seeing a distinctive modern A-list actress playing a distinctive Depression era one, she pulls it off admirably.

"Sideways" offers two strong contenders, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh as pals on the deceiving end of romantic advances from two guys passing through.

Other possibilities: Laura Linney as the title character's sexually inquisitive wife in "Kinsey"; Kate Winslet as an ailing mom whose sons inspire J.M. Barrie in "Finding Neverland"; Cloris Leachman as a boozy grandma trying to preserve her daughter's marriage in "Spanglish"; Meryl Streep as a cruelly calculating political puppetmaster in "The Manchurian Candidate"; Natalie Portman as a stripper in a twisted relationship in "Closer"; and Regina King as Ray Charles' sassy lover and backup singer in "Ray."

Best director
With "The Aviator," Martin Scorsese has that sentimental-favorite thing going even stronger this time than he did when he was the front-runner for 2002's "Gangs of New York" but lost to Roman Polanski for "The Pianist."

Scorsese has never won the directing Oscar, which seems stupefying when you consider his body of work includes "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver" and "GoodFellas."

Other possibilities: Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby"; James L. Brooks, "Spanglish"; Joel Schumacher, "The Phantom of the Opera"; Mike Nichols, "Closer"; Marc Forster, "Finding Neverland"; Alexander Payne, "Sideways"; Zhang Yimou, "House of Flying Daggers"; Jean-Pierre Jeunet, "A Very Long Engagement"; Michael Moore, "Fahrenheit 9/11"; Bill Condon, "Kinsey"; Brad Bird, "The Incredibles"; Alejandro Amenabar, "The Sea Inside"; Terry George, "Hotel Rwanda"; Mike Leigh, "Vera Drake"; and Walter Salles, "The Motorcycle Diaries."

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indiedan
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posted December 13, 2004 09:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
Foxx, Scorsese and 'Sideways' Triumph at New York Critics Awards

Actor Jamie Foxx, director Martin Scorsese and the stars of Sideways were among the winners at this year's New York Film Critics Online awards on Saturday. Road-trip comedy Sideways was named 2004's Best Film, while cast members Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, won the supporting acting categories. Actor and singer Foxx was honored with the Best Actor accolade for playing Ray Charles in biopic Ray, while Imelda Staunton received Best Actress for her performance in Mike Leigh's 1950s abortion drama Vera Drake. Scorsese triumphed in the directing category for his Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator and Charlie Kaufman picked up recognition for his screenplay for Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Other winners include The Incredibles as Animated Film of the year, The Motorcycle Diaries in the Foreign Language categories and Topher Grace for Breakthrough Performance in P.S. and In Good Company. Michael Moore's anti-George W Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 tied with Broadway: The Golden Age in the Documentary honors.

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posted December 13, 2004 11:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for NEWSFLASH   Click Here to Email NEWSFLASH     Edit/Delete Message
The AFI has also begun to list what it considers the top films of the year. It includes more commercial films than many other award-givers. In alphabetical order:

1. The Aviator

2. Collateral

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

4. Friday Night Lights

5. The Incredibles

6. Kinsey

7. Maria Full of Grace

8. Million Dollar Baby

9. Sideways

10. Spider-Man 2

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posted December 15, 2004 01:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for NEWSFLASH   Click Here to Email NEWSFLASH     Edit/Delete Message
'Sideways' Picks Up Another Best Picture Nod

Suddenly the Fox Searchlight comedy Sideways has taken a big leap in front of its rivals in the Oscar race as the Toronto Film Critics Assn. became the latest movie group to honor it as best film of 2004. The movie also has won more nominations than any other for the Golden Globes and Independent Spirit awards. In addition, the Toronto critics named Paul Giamatti best actor for his performance in the movie. Imelda Staunton won for best actress for her role in Vera Drake. Michel Gondry took the best director award for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, while Charlie Kaufman won the best screenplay honor for the same movie.

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indiedan
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posted December 16, 2004 01:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
Ten Films Nominated for Critics Choice Top Awards

The Broadcast Film Critics Assn., which is making a strong reputation for itself with its annual Critics Choice Awards ceremonies -- to be televised this year on Jan 10 on The WB -- announced its nominees Wednesday, with Fox Searchlight's Sideways getting a nod in both the best film and best actor (Paul Giamatti) categories. The film has been receiving awards and nominations from virtually every major film group since the awards season began last month. Also nominated in the best picture category are: The Aviator, Collateral, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland, Hotel Rwanda, Kinsey, Million Dollar Baby, The Phantom of the Opera and Ray.

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indiedan
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posted December 24, 2004 09:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
'The Aviator', 'Million Dollar Baby,' 'Sideways' race for Oscars

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The race for the Oscars (news - web sites) was heating up, with Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood (news)'s "Million Dollar Baby" and the road movie "Sideways" dominating Hollywood's awards chatter.

Scorsese, always a bridesmaid but never the bride at the Oscars, may finally be in line for cinema's top honour with his epic biography of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, awards pundits said.


"It looks as if a Marty Scorsese film finally is flying high in the Oscar best picture race," said Tinseltown awards guru Tom O'Neil, adding that the film was pulling ahead because of its size, scope and overdue director.


Despite turning out classics such as "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas," Scorsese has never won the best director Oscar, heightening speculation among awards voters that 2005 may be the year to correct past oversights.


"'The Aviator' will no doubt lead with the most Oscar nominations and that has in the past overwhelming foretold the winner of the best picture award," said O'Neil, who runs the awards-monitoring website Goldderby.com.


"The Aviator" picked up six Golden Globe nominations, including best drama film nods for director Scorsese and a lead actor nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio (news).


The Globes, frequently seen as an Oscars bellwether, will be handed out on January 16, just over a week before the 77th annual Oscar nominations are announced on January 24.


However, the grand-scale "Aviator" faces intense competition from Eastwood's movie about a female boxer, starring Hilary Swank, and from Alexander Payne's critically adored movie about two ordinary men on a road trip, "Sideways."


"Sideways," a moving yet funny film about two oddly-matched pals searching for happiness while on a wine-quaffing car trip, led the Golden Globe nods with seven and has also swept the US critical awards.


The film by "About Schmidt" director Payne has picked up best picture honours from influential critics groups based in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.


"Million Dollar Baby" is also generating major Oscars buzz for best picture and best actress for Swank, for her turn as determined boxer Maggie Fitzgerald. She won the gong once before, for 1999's "Boys Don't Cry."


Swank stars opposite the film's director, Eastwood, as Maggie's reluctant manager, and Morgan Freeman (news).


"Clint's status as a beloved academy member certainly helps to bolster his chances in the best picture and best director races," O'Neil said.


Ironically, the three early favourites for the coveted best picture Oscar have not been seen by wide audiences as they are in limited pre-Oscars release only in major US cities.


Also packing serious Oscars heat, according to the pundits, are "Finding Neverland," the story of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie starring Johnnie Depp; "Kinsey," starring Liam Neeson as the famed sexologist; and "Closer," starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts in the story of a love quadrangle.


Jamie Foxx (news) is also the focus of major Oscar speculation as a contender for the best actor award, after turning in a remarkable performance as the late "Genius of Soul," Ray Charles, in Taylor Hackford's biopic "Ray."


Foxx is likely to face off Don Cheadle for his role in the genocide-themed "Hotel Rwanda," as well as Paul Giamatti (news) for "Sideways," Neeson for "Kinsey," and DiCaprio for "The Aviator," awards watchers said.


In the best actress race, Swank is expected to face competition from Annette Bening (news) for her role as a London stage actress in "Being Julia," Imelda Staunton for the 1950s abortion saga "Vera Drake."

In the early stakes, however, it was "The Aviator" that loomed as the movie player to watch ahead of the February 27 Oscars show -- provided it does well at the box office following its general release.

"'Aviator' may have all of those plusses, but it can't prove victorious on February 27 if it doesn't already look like a winner at the box office," O'Neil said.

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indiedan
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posted December 27, 2004 10:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for indiedan   Click Here to Email indiedan     Edit/Delete Message
The Top 10 Movies of 2004

By Roger Friedman

Top Ten Movies for 2004

Ballots for the nominees for the Academy Awards are being mailed out today to eligible voters.

In that spirit, here are this column's choices for the Top 10 movies of 2004. Tomorrow, we'll do supporting actors and actresses, and lead categories on Wednesday.

10. TIE: 'THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE' and 'KILL BILL: VOL. 2'

A sequel (sort of) and a remake. I liked them both — so sue me.

Jonathan Demme is one of our best directors. His remake of "The Manchurian Candidate," originally directed by John Frankenheimer, stood on its own. The film had tremendous performances by Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington and Liev Schreiber.

I did hear a lot of carping comparing it to the original, but Demme's was its own film and a highly entertaining one at that. He added more than he took away and made an old idea relevant again. That's all you could ask for.

As for "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," was it a sequel or a continuation? It doesn't matter. Quentin Tarantino changed pitches from Vol. 1 and made a really spectacular companion piece to the chop-and-slash opener.

Uma Thurman, David Carradine and Michael Madsen all shine, and the cinematography and script are spot-on. More importantly, when the "Kill Bill" films are inevitably reunited, the combined film will be a lasting cult classic.

9. 'SIDEWAYS'

I can't remember a good small film that was over-hyped as much as "Sideways." It's gotten kind of weird that every film critics' group in every city had to pick this movie as the best of the year. Could they not think of anything else?

It's true that Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor did a great job of adapting a novel, as usual. Previously, the duo tackled "Election" and "About Schmidt."

They have an unerring set of eyes for even the smallest details, and Taylor's script manages to take two possibly very unlikable characters and make them incredibly sympathetic.

The careers of Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen are exhumed and restored as well. But this is a character study, folks. A really good one, but a character study nonetheless. Relax already.

8. 'KINSEY'

Bill Condon wrote the scripts for "Chicago" and both wrote and directed "Gods and Monsters." His passion for the subject and the main character is abundantly obvious.

Liam Neeson and Laura Linney make the Kinseys come to life with humor and wit. Not since "The Good Mother" with Diane Keaton has Neeson — who somehow cut his own height for this role, as he seems to shrink as "Kinsey" progresses — has gotten so to the heart of a character. And what could be timelier than a discussion of censorship and repression?

7. 'RAY'

Jamie Foxx's portrayal of the late R&B legend Ray Charles put the actor on track for a slew of awards. But there is a lot more to "Ray" than Foxx.

Regina King, for example, as Charles' mistress and backup singe, is superb. I've heard complaints about the film itself, but my only criticism is that the end tag is unnecessary. We know what happened to Ray Charles after the movie ends — thanks.

Otherwise, director Taylor Hackford has made a compelling film, with exciting music sequences, that tells a complicated life story. Now the door is open for films about Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye.

6. 'FAHRENHEIT 9/11'

The story of Lila Lipscomb's conversion from Michigan housewife and mother to anti-war activist resonates even more now than it did then and could be a whole sequel unto itself.

Of course, there's a lot of controversy that follows director Michael Moore everywhere he goes, but ponder this: He gambled against getting an Oscar for the film by giving it away for TV play the night before the presidential elections.

The movie most certainly would have been nominated in the documentary category had he not done this. His consolation is that the DVD continues to sell beyond expectations and remains a consistent hit.

5. 'THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES'

When I saw Walter Salles' wonderful movie about a young Che Guevara, I wrote that it could be a best picture nominee even though it was in Spanish.

I'm still crazy about this underrated film, but Focus Features couldn't seem to make it connect with audiences or now the Academy in a significant way. What a shame.

Salles did a remarkable job, and actors Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna could not have been better. Maybe it was the wrong year for the story of a rebel's roots, but "The Motorcycle Diaries" is a keeper.

4. 'HOTEL RWANDA'

Terry George shot parts of this film in Rwanda itself and in Johannesburg, South Africa. It's not like these places have film commissions to pave the way for production companies.

"Hotel Rwanda" is a remarkable accomplishment for this reason alone. It tells the story of the near-annihilation of an entire culture — ignored and soon forgotten after it happened.

This film harkens back to a time when movies were about something other than themselves, like "Missing" and "The Killing Fields," and even "The Year of Living Dangerously" or "The Quiet American."

3. 'FINDING NEVERLAND'

Marc Forster's splendid interpretation of a play about "Peter Pan" author J.M. Barrie was on track as best picture of the year until "The Aviator" and "Million Dollar Baby" came along.

Forster manages to skate around Barrie's questionable interest in young boys and avoid letting his film become a Disney/Dean Jones piece of flubber at the same.

For my money, Johnny Depp gives his most nuanced performance to date, and Kate Winslet is utterly charming. The children seem to have watched a lot of Lasse Hallström — no cheap tricks or scene-chewing. The result is a haunting film that I predict will have a big life on DVD in home libraries.

2. 'MILLION DOLLAR BABY'

Clint Eastwood's two-hour plus drama is a late entry critics' favorite and certainly one of mine. But I wonder how it will play once it's out in the cineplexes.

"Million Dollar Baby" is like the offspring of Karyn Kusama's spare "Girlfight" and "The Shawshank Redemption." Wrenching and unsentimental, the boxing film-turned-tearjerker is always exceptional. When it's over, I don't know if you'll recommend it to anyone, but you will want a stiff drink.

Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman are in top form, but it is Eastwood that I relished the most here. In the last 10 years, he's gone from lone action hero to iconoclastic acting icon. Spouting Yeats, making sacastic remarks and walking as if he doesn't touch the ground, Clint is forever.

But, like "Gangs of New York" and many other intensely fine films, "Million Dollar Baby" is a No. 2 for the year — and there's nothing wrong with that.

1. 'THE AVIATOR'

Two years ago, Miramax tried and tried to make "Gangs of New York" the best picture of the year. It wasn't possible, of course.

"Chicago" won — even over Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" — because grim, gritty films, no matter how brilliantly executed, are not the stuff of a best picture Academy Award.

"The Aviator," like recent winners "The English Patient," "Unforgiven" and "Braveheart," is the kind of sweeping, perfectly realized epic that hits every note right — acting, directing, music, the look.
Leonardo DiCaprio makes playing Howard Hughes look easy and Cate Blanchett and Alan Alda are outstanding. But "The Aviator" is really the sum of all these parts, a gem of a production that should bring director Martin Scorsese his first Oscar.

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