My Looking Glass

My Oscar Picks

I am going to separate these out from what I want to win and what I think will win, because sometimes, they are two different things. UPDATE: *** WINNERS ***.

What I want to win will be in italics.

What I think will win will be bold.

Hopefully, I can remember my own system as I go through the nominees. And yes, I'm going to skip a few categories. Here goes.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Diana Ossana, James Schamus
Capote (2005) - Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven
*** Crash (2004) - Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman ***
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - Grant Heslov
Munich (2005) - Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
*** Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote (2005) ***
Terrence Howard for Hustle & Flow (2005)
Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line (2005)
David Strathairn for Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Judi Dench for Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
Felicity Huffman for Transamerica (2005)
Keira Knightley for Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Charlize Theron for North Country (2005)
*** Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005) ***

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
*** George Clooney for Syriana (2005)***
Matt Dillon for Crash (2004)
Paul Giamatti for Cinderella Man (2005)
Jake Gyllenhaal for Brokeback Mountain (2005)
William Hurt for A History of Violence (2005)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Amy Adams for Junebug (2005)
Catherine Keener for Capote (2005)
Frances McDormand for North Country (2005)
*** Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener (2005) ***
Michelle Williams for Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
George Clooney for Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
Paul Haggis for Crash (2004)
*** Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain (2005) ***
Bennett Miller for Capote (2005)
Steven Spielberg for Munich (2005)

Yes, that's right, I've got two picks here. I can't decide who I want to win more, Ang or George!

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
*** Crash (2004) - Paul Haggis, Robert Moresco ***
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - George Clooney, Grant Heslov
Match Point (2005) - Woody Allen
The Squid and the Whale (2005) - Noah Baumbach
Syriana (2005) - Stephen Gaghan

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
*** Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana ***
Capote (2005) - Dan Futterman
The Constant Gardener (2005) - Jeffrey Caine
A History of Violence (2005) - Josh Olson
Munich (2005) - Tony Kushner, Eric Roth

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:
Batman Begins (2005) - Wally Pfister
Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Rodrigo Prieto
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - Robert Elswit
*** Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - Dion Beebe ***
The New World (2005) - Emmanuel Lubezki

Yep, another tie for me. I loved the cinematography of both films noted. The use of B/W and shadows was very, very effective in Good Night, and Good Luck. I strongly recommend seeing this film on the big screen for that very reason.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Nominees:
*** Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Gustavo Santaolalla ***
The Constant Gardener (2005) - Alberto Iglesias
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - John Williams
Munich (2005) - John Williams
Pride & Prejudice (2005) - Dario Marianelli

I am boycotting this category entirely because of the omission of T. Bone Burnett for Walk the Line. The fact that T. Bone was overlooked and that John Williams has two nominations - and one for Munich at that - tells you all you need to know about the credibility problem of these award shows.

posted by LA @ 11:22 AM