This year seems like a wash. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King wins everything it's nominated for. It was inevitable and there was nothing that could be done. J.R.R. Tolkien fans all rejoiced, I just sat back and let it happen. Luckily it was in a year where it didn't steal a win from anything so it's all okay, just dull. In non-hobbit related Oscar news, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins win for Mystic River, Charlize Theron wins for Monster and Renee Zellweger wins for Cold Mountain. All pretty boring choice, outside of Theron which was richly deserved. When a film sweeps there's not much to get excited about.
You can see my GABBY winners and nominees HERE
Best Picture
5. Seabiscuit - This movie is the very definition of Oscar bait. It's long, it's a biopic and it seems more important than it really is. You see, it's the story of a horse but it's really the story of America. Tobey Maguire plays the jockey, Jeff Bridges plays the owner and Chris Cooper plays the trainer. All 3 give good performances and there's also the delightful William H. Macy as the radio announcer but I just could not be bothered with this biopic of a horse that could run real fast. And did I mention that it's very long and slowly paced? I don't really know why this got a bunch of nominations. It doesn't matter really because The Return Of The King was gonna beat whatever showed up anyway.
4. Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World - This is a failed franchise starter based on a series of books which I have never read. It's directed by Peter Weir who put you on the deck of the sailing ship. The camera moves with the water so you feel like you are rocking along with the crew. It's technically a brilliant film with exceptional sound, cinematography, editing and visual effects. While watching it I was more impressed with it than I was The Lord Of The Rings. What I was missing was the characters and the heart. I never really cared if anyone on this boat lived or died. It's a visually interesting movie and a fine film, it didn't need to be in this category but it doesn't really matter because whatever showed up was gonna be beaten by The Return Of The King.
3. Mystic River - Clint Eastwood tricked you, didn't he? You thought Mystic River was a really good movie, didn't you? I did too when I first saw it. The performances are great, the direction is tight, the dialogue is good, it's filled with interesting characters some of which are broken down men who you want to see succeed. On second viewing this movie completely fell apart for me. Knowing the ending going into the film makes nothing make sense. The whole plot hinges on a misunderstanding that could have been easily resolved through basic communication. Spoiler alert if you haven't seen Mystic River but here's what happens. Sean Penn's daughter is murdered, Tim Robbins comes home late that night covered in blood, he says he was mugged. Tim's wife doesn't believe him and thinks he committed the murder. The cops find blood in his car and question him. Tim tells the cops that he cut himself on a fence. He tells Sean Penn that he hurt his hand moving a couch. So he's constantly changing his story. His wife eventually goes to Sean Penn and tells him that Tim probably killed his daughter. Penn gets all mad and kills Tim. Now what really happened was Tim Robbins was sexually abused as a child and walking home that night he saw an older man in a car with an underage boy. He went into a fit of rage and beat the guy to death. Rather than tell that to his wife or the cops he continues to lie and act all shifty up to the point of his murder. It makes no sense. The first time I watched it I got sucked into the story and the performances that I didn't even think of the plot holes. Watching it again, knowing that Tim Robbins is innocent, the only thing I could think of was, why is this guy so secretive and mysterious when he's being questioned by police for murdering his friend's daughter? Even if he's scared to be found guilty of murdering the pedophile you gotta think that when the cops find blood in your car and a dead girl in the woods and the dead girl's father is crazy ex-con Sean Penn that you should come clean. That aside, the movie's way better than it deserves to be. If it wins this year then Million Dollar Baby probably doesn't win next year but that's all a moot point, no matter what got nominated The Return Of The King was gonna win.
2. Lost In Translation - Bill Murray stars as an aging actor in Tokyo. He's there to make some cash by doing a liquor commercial that will never be seen in the states. Scarlett Johansson is a young married woman in Tokyo with her husband who is working as a photographer. She is unsure of the future of her relationship, his marriage is on the rocks, both of them are directionless in life. Until they find each other. This is a wonderful little romantic comedy where the romance isn't sexual or about if these people will end up together but about two souls finding something in common in a land they don't understand. It's funny and poignant with great performances and stellar direction by Sophia Coppola. If anything was gonna beat Lord Of The Rings it should have been this but as we've established no matter what got nominated this was always gonna go to Return Of The King.
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - It doesn't matter because Return Of The King was gonna win any...oh wait, we're here. Do I think The Return Of The King is the best film of 2003? No. I don't think it's the best of the series. The first one was pretty magical but long, the second one didn't really impress me at all, outside of Andy Serkis as Gollum, and this one is really long. Most people complain about the multiple endings but for me the problem is in the middle. The movie spends so much time spinning its wheels getting to where it's headed that by the time they get to Mount Doom I'm checking my watch because it's been 4 hours already. The movie feels like fan service to those who loved the books. They included everything and everything and seemed like they didn't want to leave. Still, the love for these films was so big that if it didn't win people would cry foul so, in a way, it's better that it won.
There was no stopping it. I think this Oscar race was decided in 2001 when the first movie came out. We're gonna give it to A Beautiful Mind and Chicago but we all know what's winning in 2003. I didn't think I'd be voting for it but this is kind of like a Titanic situation. You know it's gonna win, there's really nothing here that can stop it so you might as well throw your vote behind it. Lost In Translation would have been a hip choice but I'm not sure if it would have held up. If Mystic River wins then we probably wouldn't get a Million Dollar Baby win next year which would have made me happier (but then again, what would win instead?). Master And Commander and Seabiscuit look out of place to even be nominated. This is not an endorsement for The Return Of The King it's rather just a sigh, a shoulder shrug and a "there's nothing I can do".
Oscar Winner: The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
My Vote: The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
GABBY Winner: Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Best Actor
4. Jude Law - Cold Mountain - I thought that this movie was a whole lot of nothing. This was Miramax trying to manufacture an Oscar movie. It's based on a best selling novel, it's long, it's directed by an Oscar winner and stars 3 beautiful people all with previous Oscar wins or nominations. It worked too. The movie nabbed 7 nominations, although missed in the Best Picture and Best Director categories. Jude Law plays a civil war soldier who falls in love with Nicole Kidman and spends the entire movie trying to get back to her. I liked how he was the most handsome civil war soldier. All the extras and supporting players are gross, bearded and unkempt character actors and then there's pretty boy Jude Law at the center pining for the equally beautiful Kidman. He's fine in the film but I didn't see anything here that warranted a nomination.
3. Sean Penn - Mystic River - Penn plays a father whose daughter is murdered and he becomes consumed with rage and guilt. He spends the movie trying to figure out who the killer is so he can exact vengeance. Penn gives a mixture of quiet intensity and violent outbursts that is effective for the character. There is always a moment in every Sean Penn performance where I completely lose the character and see Sean Penn acting. He's an actor who I never understood the acclaim for. In this movie it's the moment where he talks to Tim Robbins about his daughter's death on the front porch. He mentions that he isn't allowed to cry while he's crying and something in his performance made me instantly stop seeing Jimmy Markum and all I could see was an actor acting his hardest and coming up short.
2. Johnny Depp - Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl - Just for a second forget that any of the Pirates Of The Caribbean sequels exist. How great was Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow? He started a franchise with a crazy performance that nobody believed in but him. Studio executives wanted to fire him because they didn't understand his Keith Richards inspired crazy from the sun swashbuckler. They decided to keep him and a billion dollar film series was born. The movie is an above average pirate fantasy but it goes from being good to being great because Depp is so much fun. This was also a boom to Depp's career as he went from teen sensation to character actor to box office star.
1. Bill Murray - Lost In Translation - Murray plays Bob Harris, an aging Hollywood actor who befriends a married college graduate in a Tokyo hotel. He's in Tokyo to do a whiskey commercial that will make him money but not ruin his credibility as American audiences will never see it. This is a performance that seems lived in. It's impossible to tell where Bob Harris ends and Bill Murray begins and this is probably the closest we've gotten to the real Bill Murray. He's in a midlife crisis, he seems nice but not approachable but his relationship and chemistry with Scarlett Johansson is incredible.
I already gave Bill Murray a win in 1993 for Groundhog Day so for my awards I picked Johnny Depp this year. Those are the only two worth voting for here. The fact that Sean Penn won and then went on to win a 2nd in 2008 makes this year really sting. If this was Penn's only Oscar I could look at it and say, that's fine, it wouldn't be my choice but he probably would have won one eventually anyway. Seeing as this is his first of two Oscars and Bill Murray and Johnny Depp and Jude Law for that matter don't have one seems silly. I remember people saying at the time that since it was a rarity for two comedic performances to be nominated that Murray and Depp would split the vote. That could be the case but I think the real reason is that the Academy thinks drama is more respectable than comedy, that's why this is Bill Murray's only nomination despite a career of truly incredible comedic performances.
Best Actor
5. Ben Kingsley - House Of Sand And Fog - Ben Kingsley plays an Iranian immigrant who buys a house for his family from a county auction. The house was owned by Jennifer Connelly when it was possessed due to back taxes. Connelly wants the house back, Kingsley wants to keep the house, things escalate and spiral out of control until everyone's life is ruined. Kingsley plays his part very stoic and emotionless and it's hard to gauge how good he is when the part calls for him to not show what he's feeling. He's either great at playing unnatural or bad at being natural. I know it's the former since I've seen Kingsley been terrific in other roles. Seeing as he's the only person here with a previous win I gotta throw him in the 5th spot.
4. Jude Law - Cold Mountain - I thought that this movie was a whole lot of nothing. This was Miramax trying to manufacture an Oscar movie. It's based on a best selling novel, it's long, it's directed by an Oscar winner and stars 3 beautiful people all with previous Oscar wins or nominations. It worked too. The movie nabbed 7 nominations, although missed in the Best Picture and Best Director categories. Jude Law plays a civil war soldier who falls in love with Nicole Kidman and spends the entire movie trying to get back to her. I liked how he was the most handsome civil war soldier. All the extras and supporting players are gross, bearded and unkempt character actors and then there's pretty boy Jude Law at the center pining for the equally beautiful Kidman. He's fine in the film but I didn't see anything here that warranted a nomination.
3. Sean Penn - Mystic River - Penn plays a father whose daughter is murdered and he becomes consumed with rage and guilt. He spends the movie trying to figure out who the killer is so he can exact vengeance. Penn gives a mixture of quiet intensity and violent outbursts that is effective for the character. There is always a moment in every Sean Penn performance where I completely lose the character and see Sean Penn acting. He's an actor who I never understood the acclaim for. In this movie it's the moment where he talks to Tim Robbins about his daughter's death on the front porch. He mentions that he isn't allowed to cry while he's crying and something in his performance made me instantly stop seeing Jimmy Markum and all I could see was an actor acting his hardest and coming up short.
2. Johnny Depp - Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl - Just for a second forget that any of the Pirates Of The Caribbean sequels exist. How great was Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow? He started a franchise with a crazy performance that nobody believed in but him. Studio executives wanted to fire him because they didn't understand his Keith Richards inspired crazy from the sun swashbuckler. They decided to keep him and a billion dollar film series was born. The movie is an above average pirate fantasy but it goes from being good to being great because Depp is so much fun. This was also a boom to Depp's career as he went from teen sensation to character actor to box office star.
1. Bill Murray - Lost In Translation - Murray plays Bob Harris, an aging Hollywood actor who befriends a married college graduate in a Tokyo hotel. He's in Tokyo to do a whiskey commercial that will make him money but not ruin his credibility as American audiences will never see it. This is a performance that seems lived in. It's impossible to tell where Bob Harris ends and Bill Murray begins and this is probably the closest we've gotten to the real Bill Murray. He's in a midlife crisis, he seems nice but not approachable but his relationship and chemistry with Scarlett Johansson is incredible.
I already gave Bill Murray a win in 1993 for Groundhog Day so for my awards I picked Johnny Depp this year. Those are the only two worth voting for here. The fact that Sean Penn won and then went on to win a 2nd in 2008 makes this year really sting. If this was Penn's only Oscar I could look at it and say, that's fine, it wouldn't be my choice but he probably would have won one eventually anyway. Seeing as this is his first of two Oscars and Bill Murray and Johnny Depp and Jude Law for that matter don't have one seems silly. I remember people saying at the time that since it was a rarity for two comedic performances to be nominated that Murray and Depp would split the vote. That could be the case but I think the real reason is that the Academy thinks drama is more respectable than comedy, that's why this is Bill Murray's only nomination despite a career of truly incredible comedic performances.
Oscar Winner: Sean Penn
My Vote: Bill Murray
GABBY Winner: Johnny Depp
Best Actress
4. Diane Keaton - Something's Gotta Give - It's rare that the over 60 crowd gets a romantic comedy aimed towards them, it is even more rare that it succeeds. This movie starts with Jack Nicholson as an old guy who only dates women under 30. He's going on a weekend getaway with Amanda Peet at her mother's beach house and then meets her mother played by Diane Keaton. This was not really a nomination for Diane Keaton's performance in the film but more a nomination for an older actress who is still gorgeous and had the braveness to do a full frontal nude scene.
3. Samantha Morton - In America - This is one of my favorite films of the year. Jim Sheridan wrote the screenplay with his daughters based on their life moving to America. The movie follows a family of Irish immigrants as they move to a new country, try to find work, try to fit in with their neighbors and struggle to survive. Morton plays the matriarch of the family and she is very good in the film. In a weaker year she would contend for a vote but my only problem with her being nominated is that it's kind of a supporting role. She rides that line where she's too big a part to be supporting but too small to be lead. The film focuses on the family pretty much equally so unlike the rest of these actresses I don't see this as a "Samantha Morton film".
2. Naomi Watts - 21 Grams - This is a movie that is benefited from its storytelling technique. Sean Penn plays a man in need of a heart transplant, Naomi Watts is a woman whose husband gets killed in a traffic accident, Benicio Del Toro plays the driver. Watts's husband's heart goes to Penn, he tracks her down and they start a relationship. The movie is told out of order so we're constantly cutting back and forth between the beginning, middle and end. It's an interesting watch that probably wouldn't hold up on second viewing. The performances are magnificent. Watts is an actress who I consistently love in everything she does and nobody can cry better than her on film. She has many moments in the film that hit me right in the gut. I really want her to win an Oscar one day but this was unfortunately not her year because...
1. Charlize Theron - Monster - I had not heard about Monster until it started getting awards recognition. I first heard that Charlize Theron was getting Oscar attention and I thought, for The Italian Job? It must be a really weak year. Why her and not Mos Def? Remember that before this film Charlize Theron was most known for films like Mighty Joe Young and The Astronaut's Wife. Hearing that she was a shoo-in for Best Actress seemed almost ludicrous. Then you see the film and she is just jaw-dropping good as serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The first thing you notice is her physical transformation. She's one of the most gorgeous women in Hollywood but with the help of some fake teeth, shaved eyebrows and some added freckles she is unrecognizable. The performance goes deeper than that though. This isn't Nicole Kidman putting on a fake nose. Theron completely inhabits Wuornos to the point where you only see Aileen on screen and never Charlize. It's one of the best female lead performances of all time.
There's no contest here. Not only does Theron give the performance of the year and possibly the decade but the rest of the category is not exactly Oscar worthy. Maybe it's because Theron is so good that I can't see voting for anybody else but in most years Naomi Watts and Samantha Morton would be a 2 or 3 at best. Keaton is a pure veteran nomination and Castle-Hughes is here because...well, I'm not sure how she got here. If they wanted to go with an unknown they could have picked Evan Rachel Wood in Thirteen. It doesn't really matter because I went through all the other years in the 2000s and Theron would by my vote in every year. So it doesn't matter who she was up against she would always be my vote.
Best Actress
5. Keisha Castle-Hughes - Whale Rider - This is a story of a young Maori girl who dreams of being chief of her tribe. Her mother died in childbirth giving birth to twins, her twin brother died as well, being chief is her birthright but her grandfather protests because she is a girl. This is her film debut and she's only 12 years old here. It's a good film and she holds it together due to her natural charisma but I sensed a little bit of coaching in her performance. I've talk about it before but I usually never approve of Oscar nominations for child actors. I would rather the nomination go to an actor who has proven their talent rather than a kid who may or may not have been helped by editing or a good director.
4. Diane Keaton - Something's Gotta Give - It's rare that the over 60 crowd gets a romantic comedy aimed towards them, it is even more rare that it succeeds. This movie starts with Jack Nicholson as an old guy who only dates women under 30. He's going on a weekend getaway with Amanda Peet at her mother's beach house and then meets her mother played by Diane Keaton. This was not really a nomination for Diane Keaton's performance in the film but more a nomination for an older actress who is still gorgeous and had the braveness to do a full frontal nude scene.
3. Samantha Morton - In America - This is one of my favorite films of the year. Jim Sheridan wrote the screenplay with his daughters based on their life moving to America. The movie follows a family of Irish immigrants as they move to a new country, try to find work, try to fit in with their neighbors and struggle to survive. Morton plays the matriarch of the family and she is very good in the film. In a weaker year she would contend for a vote but my only problem with her being nominated is that it's kind of a supporting role. She rides that line where she's too big a part to be supporting but too small to be lead. The film focuses on the family pretty much equally so unlike the rest of these actresses I don't see this as a "Samantha Morton film".
2. Naomi Watts - 21 Grams - This is a movie that is benefited from its storytelling technique. Sean Penn plays a man in need of a heart transplant, Naomi Watts is a woman whose husband gets killed in a traffic accident, Benicio Del Toro plays the driver. Watts's husband's heart goes to Penn, he tracks her down and they start a relationship. The movie is told out of order so we're constantly cutting back and forth between the beginning, middle and end. It's an interesting watch that probably wouldn't hold up on second viewing. The performances are magnificent. Watts is an actress who I consistently love in everything she does and nobody can cry better than her on film. She has many moments in the film that hit me right in the gut. I really want her to win an Oscar one day but this was unfortunately not her year because...
1. Charlize Theron - Monster - I had not heard about Monster until it started getting awards recognition. I first heard that Charlize Theron was getting Oscar attention and I thought, for The Italian Job? It must be a really weak year. Why her and not Mos Def? Remember that before this film Charlize Theron was most known for films like Mighty Joe Young and The Astronaut's Wife. Hearing that she was a shoo-in for Best Actress seemed almost ludicrous. Then you see the film and she is just jaw-dropping good as serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The first thing you notice is her physical transformation. She's one of the most gorgeous women in Hollywood but with the help of some fake teeth, shaved eyebrows and some added freckles she is unrecognizable. The performance goes deeper than that though. This isn't Nicole Kidman putting on a fake nose. Theron completely inhabits Wuornos to the point where you only see Aileen on screen and never Charlize. It's one of the best female lead performances of all time.
There's no contest here. Not only does Theron give the performance of the year and possibly the decade but the rest of the category is not exactly Oscar worthy. Maybe it's because Theron is so good that I can't see voting for anybody else but in most years Naomi Watts and Samantha Morton would be a 2 or 3 at best. Keaton is a pure veteran nomination and Castle-Hughes is here because...well, I'm not sure how she got here. If they wanted to go with an unknown they could have picked Evan Rachel Wood in Thirteen. It doesn't really matter because I went through all the other years in the 2000s and Theron would by my vote in every year. So it doesn't matter who she was up against she would always be my vote.
Oscar Winner: Charlize Theron
My Vote: Charlize Theron
GABBY Winner: Charlize Theron
Best Supporting Actor
4. Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai - Kind of the polar opposite of Hounsou, Ken Watanabe is the best part of a movie I didn't like. The Last Samurai is not a bad film but it's also not a good film. I can understand why some people love it, I've read some reviews calling it one of the best of the decade, but it didn't connect with me. Tom Cruise is a cavalry sergeant who goes to Japan to help their army. While there he ends up living with a samurai and his family where he learns the language and the culture. Watanabe plays the samurai and he is concerned with the westernization of Japan and the waning days of the samurai. He's good in the film but I would never vote for him just because I wasn't a fan of the film. I would actually rather have seen Hounsou win now that I think about it.
3. Tim Robbins - Mystic River - Robbins plays a Boston dad who is a survivor of extreme childhood sexual abuse. I can tell you that his performance is good because it is technically very impressive. I don't think the character works for the film though but that is not the fault of Robbins. I talked about it in the Best Picture discussion but Robbins is innocent of the murder of Sean Penn's daughter. He did murder someone that night but it was a pedophile that he stumbled upon. Why oh why then is he acting so mysterious and shifty when the subject of Penn's daughter comes up? He lies to Penn, the police and his wife about his whereabouts only to end up murdered for it. If he actually was the killer it would make sense but since he's not I don't really understand why Robbins is playing the part the way he is.
2. Alec Baldwin - The Cooler - Maybe it's because my most recent impression of Alec Baldwin comes from 30 Rock and his stint playing Donald Trump on SNL but his performance in The Cooler did have the feel of an SNL character at times. He plays a gruff and tough casino boss who loves the old school Vegas ways and resists change. He has some good moments, mostly the ones where he flies into a fit of rage but there was also something I found a bit silly about the performance. Like I said, that's probably just me comparing current Baldwin to pre-Trump Baldwin. This was just 10 years after Glengarry Glen Ross so he's still Mamet Baldwin at this point in his career. There is a moment where he knees a pregnant woman in the stomach in this movie, I think that's what got him the nomination.
1. Benicio Del Toro - 21 Grams - Del Toro plays a former drug user and criminal who is now a born again Christian. He tries his best to hold down a job, keep his sobriety and raise his family. One day he accidentally kills 3 people in a hit and run. He goes to prison and has a crisis of faith. Once out he is a lost soul looking for meaning when he comes in contact with the man who got the heart of the man he killed. Del Toro is exceptionally good here. The movie is told in a non-linear fashion so it jumps around from the beginning to the end to the middle and Del Toro's character goes through a major arc. We as the audience may not always know where in the movie we are but you can tell that Del Toro knows exactly what his character is going through at all times.
The first movie I watched on this list was 21 Grams and while I loved Del Toro's performance I thought for sure he was gonna end up in the 5th slot just because he's won before. Then I watch Mystic River, The Cooler, The Last Samurai and In America and nobody compares to him. I don't want to vote for him because he just won this category 3 years ago but I don't want to vote for anybody else either. I also like Del Toro much better here than I did in Traffic. I am glad Tim Robbins won because I like him as an actor and a director I just didn't care for his character. So I'm going to vote for Del Toro knowing full well that my vote is meaningless anyway.
Oscar Winner: Tim Robbins
Best Supporting Actor
5. Djimon Hounsou - In America - I love this film but I can't really get behind this nomination. I'm glad he's here because it gives another nomination to one of my favorite films of the year but he's just good, not great. He plays the screaming man. The children call him that because all he does is paint and scream locked in his apartment. One day they knock on his door to trick or treat and he lets them in and we see that he has a softer side. He's also dying of AIDS that he got from a blood transfusion. He only has two levels in the film, he either screams or speaks very softly. It's a nice performance in a great film but not something I can vote for.
4. Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai - Kind of the polar opposite of Hounsou, Ken Watanabe is the best part of a movie I didn't like. The Last Samurai is not a bad film but it's also not a good film. I can understand why some people love it, I've read some reviews calling it one of the best of the decade, but it didn't connect with me. Tom Cruise is a cavalry sergeant who goes to Japan to help their army. While there he ends up living with a samurai and his family where he learns the language and the culture. Watanabe plays the samurai and he is concerned with the westernization of Japan and the waning days of the samurai. He's good in the film but I would never vote for him just because I wasn't a fan of the film. I would actually rather have seen Hounsou win now that I think about it.
3. Tim Robbins - Mystic River - Robbins plays a Boston dad who is a survivor of extreme childhood sexual abuse. I can tell you that his performance is good because it is technically very impressive. I don't think the character works for the film though but that is not the fault of Robbins. I talked about it in the Best Picture discussion but Robbins is innocent of the murder of Sean Penn's daughter. He did murder someone that night but it was a pedophile that he stumbled upon. Why oh why then is he acting so mysterious and shifty when the subject of Penn's daughter comes up? He lies to Penn, the police and his wife about his whereabouts only to end up murdered for it. If he actually was the killer it would make sense but since he's not I don't really understand why Robbins is playing the part the way he is.
2. Alec Baldwin - The Cooler - Maybe it's because my most recent impression of Alec Baldwin comes from 30 Rock and his stint playing Donald Trump on SNL but his performance in The Cooler did have the feel of an SNL character at times. He plays a gruff and tough casino boss who loves the old school Vegas ways and resists change. He has some good moments, mostly the ones where he flies into a fit of rage but there was also something I found a bit silly about the performance. Like I said, that's probably just me comparing current Baldwin to pre-Trump Baldwin. This was just 10 years after Glengarry Glen Ross so he's still Mamet Baldwin at this point in his career. There is a moment where he knees a pregnant woman in the stomach in this movie, I think that's what got him the nomination.
1. Benicio Del Toro - 21 Grams - Del Toro plays a former drug user and criminal who is now a born again Christian. He tries his best to hold down a job, keep his sobriety and raise his family. One day he accidentally kills 3 people in a hit and run. He goes to prison and has a crisis of faith. Once out he is a lost soul looking for meaning when he comes in contact with the man who got the heart of the man he killed. Del Toro is exceptionally good here. The movie is told in a non-linear fashion so it jumps around from the beginning to the end to the middle and Del Toro's character goes through a major arc. We as the audience may not always know where in the movie we are but you can tell that Del Toro knows exactly what his character is going through at all times.
The first movie I watched on this list was 21 Grams and while I loved Del Toro's performance I thought for sure he was gonna end up in the 5th slot just because he's won before. Then I watch Mystic River, The Cooler, The Last Samurai and In America and nobody compares to him. I don't want to vote for him because he just won this category 3 years ago but I don't want to vote for anybody else either. I also like Del Toro much better here than I did in Traffic. I am glad Tim Robbins won because I like him as an actor and a director I just didn't care for his character. So I'm going to vote for Del Toro knowing full well that my vote is meaningless anyway.
Oscar Winner: Tim Robbins
My Vote: Benicio Del Toro
GABBY Winner: Peter Sarsgaard for Shattered Glass
Best Supporting Actress
4. Patricia Clarkson - Pieces Of April - Clarkson was in both this and The Station Agent this year and was earning critic's awards for both performances. Instead of nominating her for her lovely turn in The Station Agent they nominated her for this nearly unwatchable film about Katie Holmes trying to cook dinner. Honestly, I was about an hour into this movie and I thought I was watching the wrong thing. I couldn't believe that this movie got an Oscar nomination. Clarkson plays a mother who has cancer and she's going to her daughter's apartment for thanksgiving dinner. Holmes plays the daughter and spends the most of the movie trying to cook a turkey with a broken oven. She knocks on all her neighbors's door to ask to borrow their oven and keeps getting into hi-jinks, like when Sean Hayes steals her turkey. Clarkson has a few good moments but the movie is shot on handheld digital cameras and looks like a home movie from 1989.
3. Shoreh Aghdashloo - House Of Sand And Fog - Ashdashloo plays the wife of Ben Kingsley, she sort of resents him for them having to move to America in the first place but she's in a very subservient role. In front of people she acts very demure but when it's just the two of them she lets loose a little bit. This was her first American film and she is perfectly fine in the film but nothing really leaped out to me as deserving of an Oscar. If Aghdashloo is your winner then you have clearly never heard the phrase, "it's an honor just to be nominated".
2. Holly Hunter - Thirteen - I don't think this movie would have been the small cultural phenomenon that it was without knowing about the production. The movie is about a 13 year old girl who gets new friends at school and starts having sex, using drugs, stealing and cutting herself. It's a perfectly fine movie but the real reason it got on people's radars is because one of the young girls is also the writer of the script. Nikki Reed wrote this when she was 14 and based it on her real life. So parents started flipping out because this was a movie about teenagers by teenagers. Some assumed that all teens at the time were doing drugs. Holly Hunter plays the main teen's mom and much like Diane Keaton this year also has a full frontal nude scene. She's a recovering alcoholic who doesn't know how to connect with her daughter even though they are so clearly the same person. Hunter does a great job of acting like she is the mom of Evan Rachel Wood. I'm not sure if it's good casting or if Hunter studied the way she moved because they definitely look like they could be related.
1. Renee Zellweger - Cold Mountain - I'll explain later but Renee Zellweger makes my number 1 spot for the same reason I voted Return Of The King for Best Picture. It was bound to happen so I might as well sit back and let it happen. While Jude Law is off fighting and trying to get back to Nicole Kidman, she is running a farm. She has no idea how to run a farm so that's where Zellweger comes in. She's a farm hand who strangles chickens, spits, speaks her mind and teaches Kidman the value of a hard day's work. This is a part that Thelma Ritter would have played in the 50s. Zellweger is serviceable but out of place. She's so beautiful that she just doesn't fit with this character. The same can be said for her as Bridget Jones. She packs on 20 pounds and she's still gorgeous. Leave the character parts to the character actors.
Harvey Weinstein fought so hard for this win. I'm sure he did everything he could to get the movie nominated but once he saw that Zellweger was his best shot he put all his eggs in this basket. He convinced the world that she was overdue even though she's only been in films for a little less than a decade. This was her 3rd nomination in 3 years and she should have been nominated the year before that for Nurse Betty. She also should have won last year over Nicole Kidman. She's a great actress, she was bound to win sometime, this is just not her best performance. She's miscast and does the best she can but the whole time she was on screen I was thinking of how fun this part could be with a different actress. Since there's nobody else to really vote for, Harden and Hunter already won, Aghdashloo is in her first American film and Clarkson's movie sucks, then it's better to have her win for a lesser role than never win at all or win an Oscar in favor of someone else deserving.
Oscar Winner: Renee Zellweger
Best Supporting Actress
5. Marcia Gay Harden - Mystic River - Harden just won 3 years ago for a role she shouldn't have so she lands in the 5th spot due to that. Based on performance she's a 2 or a 3. She plays the fearful and concerned wife of Tim Robbins and much like Robbins, her character's actions don't make much sense in hindsight. She sees her husband come home covered in blood the night a girl was killed. She doesn't believe his story. She thinks he killed the girl. She goes to Sean Penn and tells him that, which results in Tim getting murdered. I didn't understand why she was so untrusting of her husband and I also didn't understand why he lied to her. That's a fault with the script though not with their performances, which are engaging and quite good.
4. Patricia Clarkson - Pieces Of April - Clarkson was in both this and The Station Agent this year and was earning critic's awards for both performances. Instead of nominating her for her lovely turn in The Station Agent they nominated her for this nearly unwatchable film about Katie Holmes trying to cook dinner. Honestly, I was about an hour into this movie and I thought I was watching the wrong thing. I couldn't believe that this movie got an Oscar nomination. Clarkson plays a mother who has cancer and she's going to her daughter's apartment for thanksgiving dinner. Holmes plays the daughter and spends the most of the movie trying to cook a turkey with a broken oven. She knocks on all her neighbors's door to ask to borrow their oven and keeps getting into hi-jinks, like when Sean Hayes steals her turkey. Clarkson has a few good moments but the movie is shot on handheld digital cameras and looks like a home movie from 1989.
3. Shoreh Aghdashloo - House Of Sand And Fog - Ashdashloo plays the wife of Ben Kingsley, she sort of resents him for them having to move to America in the first place but she's in a very subservient role. In front of people she acts very demure but when it's just the two of them she lets loose a little bit. This was her first American film and she is perfectly fine in the film but nothing really leaped out to me as deserving of an Oscar. If Aghdashloo is your winner then you have clearly never heard the phrase, "it's an honor just to be nominated".
2. Holly Hunter - Thirteen - I don't think this movie would have been the small cultural phenomenon that it was without knowing about the production. The movie is about a 13 year old girl who gets new friends at school and starts having sex, using drugs, stealing and cutting herself. It's a perfectly fine movie but the real reason it got on people's radars is because one of the young girls is also the writer of the script. Nikki Reed wrote this when she was 14 and based it on her real life. So parents started flipping out because this was a movie about teenagers by teenagers. Some assumed that all teens at the time were doing drugs. Holly Hunter plays the main teen's mom and much like Diane Keaton this year also has a full frontal nude scene. She's a recovering alcoholic who doesn't know how to connect with her daughter even though they are so clearly the same person. Hunter does a great job of acting like she is the mom of Evan Rachel Wood. I'm not sure if it's good casting or if Hunter studied the way she moved because they definitely look like they could be related.
1. Renee Zellweger - Cold Mountain - I'll explain later but Renee Zellweger makes my number 1 spot for the same reason I voted Return Of The King for Best Picture. It was bound to happen so I might as well sit back and let it happen. While Jude Law is off fighting and trying to get back to Nicole Kidman, she is running a farm. She has no idea how to run a farm so that's where Zellweger comes in. She's a farm hand who strangles chickens, spits, speaks her mind and teaches Kidman the value of a hard day's work. This is a part that Thelma Ritter would have played in the 50s. Zellweger is serviceable but out of place. She's so beautiful that she just doesn't fit with this character. The same can be said for her as Bridget Jones. She packs on 20 pounds and she's still gorgeous. Leave the character parts to the character actors.
Harvey Weinstein fought so hard for this win. I'm sure he did everything he could to get the movie nominated but once he saw that Zellweger was his best shot he put all his eggs in this basket. He convinced the world that she was overdue even though she's only been in films for a little less than a decade. This was her 3rd nomination in 3 years and she should have been nominated the year before that for Nurse Betty. She also should have won last year over Nicole Kidman. She's a great actress, she was bound to win sometime, this is just not her best performance. She's miscast and does the best she can but the whole time she was on screen I was thinking of how fun this part could be with a different actress. Since there's nobody else to really vote for, Harden and Hunter already won, Aghdashloo is in her first American film and Clarkson's movie sucks, then it's better to have her win for a lesser role than never win at all or win an Oscar in favor of someone else deserving.
Oscar Winner: Renee Zellweger
My Vote: Renee Zellweger
GABBY Winner: Catherine O'Hara for A Mighty Wind
Best Director
Peter Jackson wins for The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King like we all knew he would.
Best Original Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay
Sophia Coppola wins one of the few categories where Return Of The King was ineligible as Lost In Translation takes home Best Original Screenplay. That's not a bad choice at all. I preferred In America, which would have made a fantastic Oscar moment, seeing Jim Sheridan up there with his daughters who co-wrote the film. Guess what? The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King wins Best Adapted Screenplay. The only other movie worth voting for was American Splendor so this win doesn't stink.
Best Animated Feature
Finding Nemo beats Brother Bear and The Triplets Of Belleville. I love The Triplets Of Belleville but I'll completely accept the Finding Nemo win. Quick Oscar story, I was at an Oscar party this year where we all voted on what would win. It was pretty unexciting due to the Lord Of The Rings sweep and all the locks in the acting categories. When they got to this category the scorekeeper said, "raise your hand if you DIDN'T have Finding Nemo" and one guy raised his hand because he thought Brother Bear was gonna win. Since then we have had a running joke at future Oscar parties where people will say they accidentally voted for Brother Bear in different categories.
Best Documentary Feature
Errol Morris finally wins this category for The Fog Of War: Eleven Lessons From The Life Of Robert S. McNamara. I would have voted for Capturing The Friedmans.
Best Original Score/Original Song
The Lord Of The Rings wins both categories. The score is fine but I would have picked Big Fish or Finding Nemo. Annie Lennox wins Best Song for Into The West. This is the category I take the most offense to when it comes to the LOTR sweep. They should have picked A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow from A Mighty Wind. There are better songs in the film but that's the one that packs the most emotional punch. Watching the awards live there was no question what should win, boring ballad, boring ballad, boring ballad, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara making out on stage.
Best Sound Mixing/Sound Editing
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King wins Sound Mixing because, of course it did. For some reason it wasn't nominated for Best Sound Editing which let Master And The Commander: The Far Side Of The World get an Oscar.
Best Cinematography
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King was suspiciously absent from this category too which let Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World get another Oscar.
Best Art Direction/Makeup/Costume Design/Film Editing/Visual Effects
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King wins all 5 of these technical categories bringing its grand total to 11 wins and a tie for the most Oscar wins of all time. All these are deserved. The only one I would have voted differently was Best Film Editing. City Of God deserved that one more.
Up Next
2014
Best Director
Peter Jackson wins for The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King like we all knew he would.
Best Original Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay
Sophia Coppola wins one of the few categories where Return Of The King was ineligible as Lost In Translation takes home Best Original Screenplay. That's not a bad choice at all. I preferred In America, which would have made a fantastic Oscar moment, seeing Jim Sheridan up there with his daughters who co-wrote the film. Guess what? The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King wins Best Adapted Screenplay. The only other movie worth voting for was American Splendor so this win doesn't stink.
Best Animated Feature
Finding Nemo beats Brother Bear and The Triplets Of Belleville. I love The Triplets Of Belleville but I'll completely accept the Finding Nemo win. Quick Oscar story, I was at an Oscar party this year where we all voted on what would win. It was pretty unexciting due to the Lord Of The Rings sweep and all the locks in the acting categories. When they got to this category the scorekeeper said, "raise your hand if you DIDN'T have Finding Nemo" and one guy raised his hand because he thought Brother Bear was gonna win. Since then we have had a running joke at future Oscar parties where people will say they accidentally voted for Brother Bear in different categories.
Best Documentary Feature
Errol Morris finally wins this category for The Fog Of War: Eleven Lessons From The Life Of Robert S. McNamara. I would have voted for Capturing The Friedmans.
Best Original Score/Original Song
The Lord Of The Rings wins both categories. The score is fine but I would have picked Big Fish or Finding Nemo. Annie Lennox wins Best Song for Into The West. This is the category I take the most offense to when it comes to the LOTR sweep. They should have picked A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow from A Mighty Wind. There are better songs in the film but that's the one that packs the most emotional punch. Watching the awards live there was no question what should win, boring ballad, boring ballad, boring ballad, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara making out on stage.
Best Sound Mixing/Sound Editing
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King wins Sound Mixing because, of course it did. For some reason it wasn't nominated for Best Sound Editing which let Master And The Commander: The Far Side Of The World get an Oscar.
Best Cinematography
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King was suspiciously absent from this category too which let Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World get another Oscar.
Best Art Direction/Makeup/Costume Design/Film Editing/Visual Effects
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King wins all 5 of these technical categories bringing its grand total to 11 wins and a tie for the most Oscar wins of all time. All these are deserved. The only one I would have voted differently was Best Film Editing. City Of God deserved that one more.
Up Next
2014
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