2004 Oscars Revisited

Let’s start off with some reference notes. (1) The year in the title of these posts will be the year the movies came out, not the year the awards were given. So this first post is actually the 2005 Academy Awards, but it’s for the movies released in 2004. (2) I’ve used colored text for the winners in each category: blue text for my pick and red for the Academy’s. (3) Formatting these tables has been an experience. Please let me know how they look in whatever browser you are using. Thanks.

Let’s get started

BEST PICTURE
MINE	THEIRS
Before Sunset	The Aviator
Collateral	Finding Neverland
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	Million Dollar Baby
Mean Creek	Ray
Sideways	Sideways

Only one match, Sideways. More than these five picks being great movies they are the five that I think will stand up over time, much more so than the five movies nominated for Oscars.

BEST DIRECTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Alfonso Cuarón, Harry Potter	Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
& the Prisoner of Azkaban
Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine	Taylor Hackford, Ray
of the Spotless Mind
Michael Mann, Collateral	Mike Leigh, Vera Drake
Mike Nichols, Closer	Alexander Payne, Sideways
Alexander Payne, Sideways	Martin Scorsese, The Aviator

Only one match here too. Again it’s Sideways. I’ve always found it odd that the Best Picture nominations didn’t always match exactly with Best Director nominations, but mine didn’t come close either.

BEST ACTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Jeff Bridges, The Door in the Floor	Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda	Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Will Ferrell, Anchorman	Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
Jamie Foxx, Ray	Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Paul Giamatti, Sideways	Jamie Foxx, Ray

I was torn between Jamie Foxx and Paul Giamatti. Paul Giamatti had to completely create his character where Jamie Foxx had a very solid template to work with. I went with Jamie Foxx though because of the physicality of his performance. It seems fairly easy to sound like Ray Charles all the time. The wardrobe and makeup people will help you look like Ray Charles all the time, but Jamie Foxx really moved like Ray Charles. To completely change your own body’s rhythms of movement and expression on top of keeping the voice and the look down is very impressive.

BEST ACTRESS
MINE	THEIRS
Catalina Sandino, Maria Full of Grace	Annette Bening, Being Julia
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby	Catalina Sandino, Maria Full of Grace
Uma Thurman, Kill Bill, Vol. 2	Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake
Sigourney Weaver, Imaginary Heroes	Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of	Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind	the Spotless Mind

To explain why I didn’t agree with Hilary Swank’s win in this category, let me use a quote from the movie Soapdish, “Actors don’t like to play comas. They feel it limits their range.” Indeed it does. I hate to harp on it but it is that last 30 minutes of Million Dollar Baby that takes Hilary Swank’s performance down a peg for me.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways	Alan Alda, The Aviator
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby	Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
Clive Owen, Closer	Jamie Foxx, Collateral
Josh Peck, Mean Creek	Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
Peter Sarsgaard, Kinsey	Clive Owen, Closer

I have to freely admit that I’d award Morgan Freeman’s performance in even his worst movies so this one is a cinch pick for me. Note Josh Peck of Mean Creek. All the kids in that movie give great performances.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MINE	THEIRS
Laura Linney, Kinsey	Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
Virginia Madsen, Sideways	Laura Linney, Kinsey
Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda	Virginia Madsen, Sideways
Natalie Portman, Closer	Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda
Yenny Paola Vega, Maria Full of Grace	Natalie Portman, Closer

As fun as Cate Blanchett’ portrayal of Katherine Hepburn is, it isn’t an amazing performance. This was a tough category. I went with Virginia Madsen because she has an almost thankless yet important role and makes it stand out. Her performance is just as memorable as Paul Giamatti’s. Their scene together where they talk about wine is the emotional core of the movie.