Best Picture: The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby, Ray, Sideways

Best Director: Martin Scorsese - The Aviator, Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby, Alexander Payne - Sideways, Taylor Hackford - Ray, Mike Leigh - Vera Drake

Best Actor: Don Cheadle - Hotel Rwanda, Johnny Depp - Finding Neverland, Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator, Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby, Jamie Foxx - Ray

Best Actress: 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

Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett - The Aviator, Laura Linney - Kinsey, Virginia Madsen - Sideways, Sophie Okonedo - Hotel Rwanda, Natalie Portman - Closer

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Alda - The Aviator, Thomas Haden Church - Sideways, Jamie Foxx - Collateral, Morgan Freeman - Million Dollar Baby, Clive Owen - Closer

Best Original Screenplay: The Aviator, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Hotel Rwanda, The Incredibles, Vera Drake

Best Adapted Screenplay: Before Sunset, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby, The Motorcycle Diaries, Sideways

Best Foreign Film: As It Is In Heaven, The Chorus, Downfall, The Sea Inside, Yesterday.


I really need to get out more and can only comment on the movies I've seen, so - here are my few picks:

Best Picture: Sideways - sorry, I haven't seen any of the others but I can't believe I would have loved any one of them more than this movie about two middle-aged college buddies out for one final fling. Anyone who says this movie is about nothing is wrong. It's about real characters experiencing real life in a real, and sometimes very comical way. Director/Screenwriter Alexander Payne is a major American talent and I can't imagine that he will ever make a bad movie.

Best Director: Martin Scorsese - nominated 5 times previously and has yet to win. Sentimental favorite regardless of the merits of The Aviator.

Best Actress: Kate Winslet - if I had seen anything other than Eternal Sunshine, I expect my choice might have been different.

Best Supporting Actress: Virginia Madsen/Sideways - glad to see this always interesting actress back on the "A" list.

Best Supporting Actor: Thomas Hayden Church - I had never seen this guy in anything before except as one of the Clantons in Tombstone - but he is absolutely freakin' hilarious - and extremely likeable - as the past his prime former soap star/incorrigible womanizer in Sideways.

Best Original Screenplay: I'm pulling for Brad Bird and The Incredibles - Bird is the Alexander Payne of animated features.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Sideways.


... and I've got a whole lotta' movies I need to see in the next few weeks.

Well, I can recommend Ray, for what that's worth. Seems to have been a fairly balanced look at the life of Ray Charles, neither emphasizing his flaws to the detriment of his genius nor celebrating his talent to the point of glossing over his flaws. And the music is fantastic, of course.

Jamie Foxx made me forget I wasn't watching the real Ray Charles, which is pretty high praise for him in my book.

There were a number of other excellent performances in this film, which dealt with a well-known person about whom, going in, I knew next to nothing beyond the music.

Qapla'

SSB

("Sideways") is about real characters experiencing real life in a real, and sometimes very comical way.

Oh come on... in "real life" Virginia Madsen's character wouldn't give Paul Giamatti's character the time of day -- and with good reason.

Great performances though; Giamatti is the best thing about the movie. Pity he wasn't nominated.

Oh come on... in "real life" Virginia Madsen's character wouldn't give Paul Giamatti's character the time of day -- and with good reason.

Great performances though; Giamatti is the best thing about the movie. Pity he wasn't nominated.

I figure Miles just got real lucky. And you're right that Giamatti should have been nominated.

Bet Eastwood gets the best actor oscar as a sort of reward for his career as an actor.

"The Aviator" deserved all the nods it got. It's a picture that has almost everything but includes a great performance by DiCaprio (hard to believe, isn;t it), great script and editng and, best of all, an outstanding performance by Cate Blanchett (who's perfect for every role she plays) as Katherine Hepburn.

I'm also pleased at Jamie Fox being nominated for "Ray" and "Collateral."

"Aviator" and "Million Dollar Baby" will pick up most of the awards leaving a few scraps for "Sideways" and "The Incredibles."

Just MHO.

Jim

Bet Eastwood gets the best actor oscar as a sort of reward for his career as an actor.
I'll take that bet.
I'm not rooting for anyone in particular but all signs point to Jamie Foxx.

Saw Ray last night. I wasn't overly impressed by Taylor Hackford's direction or James White's screenplay so I would hope it wouldn't win Best Picture but Jamie Fox is Ray Charles! This is a biographical performance equal to Sissy Spacek's as Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter, although the movie itself is not nearly as good as that one, IMHO. 3 more to go.

I haven't seen Ray, but unless Foxx is so good that will people will cry foul causing the academy to lose all credibility, I don't think he'll get it. I think the academy will use this year to tie up loose ends. Eastwood for best actor, not just for Million Dollar Baby but for 40 years of work(as an actor). Just like they did for Newman. Color of Money was the worst performance he was nominated for, he gave other non-nominated performances that were better, and probably not the best of that year. But as always he was very good. Scorcese will get best director, not just for The Aviator, but for his whole career as a director. Eastwood, even though he got Director's Guild, already has one for best director(or is it two? Mystic River?) and won't win. That's my guess on those. Have to wait and see.

Saw Million Dollar Baby this afternoon. Powerful movie. Not quite up to Unforgiven in my opinion. Clint already won Best Director for that film. Hilary Swank delivers the kind of dramatic performance the Academy likes so I would give it to her over Kate Winslet. Still pulling for Sideways for Best Picture and agree that Foxx is probably a shoe-in for Best Actor. 3 down 2 to go.

I have yet to see "Ray" but out of the four I've seen, MDB is my personal favourite and it seems like the most Academy-like picture (no, I can't articulate exactly what I mean ;) ).

Foxx/Eric Bishop has all the momentum going in (even moreso given his SAG win last night) -- plus the Academy looooooooooooves when actors take on a role where the character is physically or mentally challenged; I dare say even more than an overdue and/or sentimental acknowlegdement of a body of work.

The same factor may or may not apply to Swank, her character is so poor it's definitely a handicap.

Just a gut feeling, but I believe Eastwood would rather a directing Oscar (not guaranteed but more likely than not after the DGA accolade) than an acting nod anyhow -- his peers probably have the same feeling.

Ultimatley it's all meaningless -- Oscar speculation is fer sissies anyhow ;)

It's amazing Hollywood is ignoring Mel Gibson's masterpiece "The Passion of the Christ".

It's amazing Hollywood is ignoring Mel Gibson's masterpiece "The Passion of the Christ".

I believe it's nominated for music.

To his credit, Mel Gibson did nothing to promote "T.P.O.T.C." as an Oscar contender for this year's awards. In any event, the Academy tends to steer clear of controversial subject matter (just ask Michael Moore).

I believe this is the first year since 1969 where I've seen NONE of the nominees.

Wow.

Enjoying making it through the stacks and stacks of DVDs and tapes. Not to mention TCM and IFC. Did you hear someone at the door? I'll peek through the venetian blinds. Is it day or night out there?

Million Dollar Baby was kind of disapponting to me. I wish it had kept going in its' original direction rather than the 'twist.' Swank had no deep scenes afterward anyway. The movie didn't know if it was hers or his.