Oscars Commentary

While the nominations were definitely not that surprising, the Academy has still picked a stellar crop of films.

The 5 films nominated for Best Picture are each wonderful; in fact, this is the best Best Picture line-up in years.

Also unique is how "small" the nominees are. The box-office totals for the Best Pic nominees are:

Brokeback Mountain - $52m
Capote - $15m
Crash - $53m
Good Night, and Good Luck - $25m
Munich - $41m

Usually the Academy feels it has to nominate at least one blockbuster, but this year they went for quality over money. Hopefully these nominations will convince more people to see these pictures. Brokeback's box-office will surely soar... it'll cross $100m before it's done. Munich will also see a significant boost.

And isn't that what the Oscars should be all about?

Boo-ya!

Yes, I woke up early for the Oscar nominations, and "Munich" just bitch-slapped "Walk the Line." Oh yeah!

I was 4/5 in Best Pic, 5/5 in Director, 5/5 in Actor, 5/5 in Actress, 5/5 in Supp Actor, 4/5 in Supp Actress, 5/5 in Orig Screenplay, 5/5 in Adapted Screenplay, and 3/3 in Animated Film.

Damn, I'm good.

Oscar Wishes

So the Oscar nominations are announced tomorrow morning.

There are a few things that will make me very happy if they happen:

1. "Munich" getting nominated for Best Picture over "Walk the Line."
2. Terrence Malick earning a surprise Best Director nomination.
3. Q'Orianka Kilcher being nominated for Best Actress.
4. Amy Adams getting a Supporting Actress nomination.
5. Scarlett Johansson finally being nominated.
6. "Howl's Moving Castle" not being overlooked for Best Animated Film.
7. "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" getting an Original Screenplay nod.
8. "The New World" getting nominated for Best Cinematography.
9. "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" being nominated for Best Song.

I'm predicting #4, #5, #6, and #8 will actually happen... but the more the merrier.

Final Oscar Predictions

Best Picture
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Crash
3. Good Night, and Good Luck
4. Capote
5. Walk the Line

Others: Munich, King Kong

Best Director
1. Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
2. George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
3. Paul Haggis, Crash
4. Bennett Miller, Capote
5. Steven Spielberg, Munich

Others: David Cronenberg (A History of Violence), James Mangold (Walk the Line), Peter Jackson (King Kong)

Best Actor
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
2. Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
3. Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
4. David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck
5. Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow

Others: Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man), Eric Bana (Munich)

Best Actress
1. Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
2. Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
3. Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
4. Charlize Theron, North Country
5. Keira Knightly, Pride & Prejudice

Others: Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha)

Best Supporting Actor
1. George Clooney, Syriana
2. Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
3. Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
4. Matt Dillon, Crash
5. William Hurt, A History of Violence

Others: Don Cheadle (Crash), Terrence Howard (Crash)

Best Supporting Actress
1. Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
2. Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain
3. Catherine Keener, Capote
4. Amy Adams, Junebug
5. Scarlett Johansson, Match Point

Others: Maria Bello (A History of Violence), Frances McDormand (North Country), Thandie Newton (Crash)

Best Original Screenplay
1. Crash
2. Good Night, and Good Luck
3. The Squid and the Whale
4. Match Point
5. Syriana

Others: Cinderella Man, The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Capote
3. Munich
4. The Constant Gardener
5. A History of Violence

Others: Walk the Line, Pride & Prejudice

Best Animated Feature
1. Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
2. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
3. Howl's Moving Castle

Others: Madagascar, Chicken Little

PS2 is Fun

I got a Playstation 2 for Christmas, and I'm having a great time playing some of the incredible games on the system. Like these...

"God of War"

"Shadow of the Colossus"

"SSX 3"

"Burnout Revenge"

"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas"

Classes

Rundown of my classes...

WRIT 340 - Advanced Writing for Business
I thought it would be smart to take a business writing class, because you never know when you may have to write a memo or report. Turns out business writing is the equivalent of 4th-Grade writing. For instance, instead of using the word "assist," I have to use the word "help." This totally goes against my brain's thinking process, which means this class may be difficult ... errr, I mean "hard," which is a less difficult word than "difficult."

CTCS 473 - Film Theories
Gonna be a bitch. Interesting topics, but the amount of reading assigned is ridiculous, and the concepts are sophisticated. And the professor has purple hands. Literally.

CTCS 469 - Japanese Anime
This is my "fun" class, and so far it has been quite enjoyable. I love anime... it's such a beautiful style of animation, and it deals with so many intriguing themes that American animation would never touch. Like today we watched an anime film with lesbianism. And then the protagonist transformed into a car.

CTCS 464 - Screening the Past
Should be a challenging but enjoyable class. It's about historical films, and how films choose to represent the past. The professor reminds me of Ms. Merrill, and for those of you who know Mollee, then you know that is a very good thing.

My Oscar Ballot

I had to submit an awards ballot for a critics group I belong to, so please indulge me. If I had an Oscar ballot, this is what I'd vote for.

PICTURE
Downfall
Howl’s Moving Castle
Munich
Murderball
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

DIRECTOR
Oliver Hirschbiegel, Downfall
Tommy Lee Jones, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Hayao Miyazaki, Howl’s Moving Castle
Steven Spielberg, Munich
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tropical Malady

ACTOR
Eric Bana, Munich
Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale
Bruno Ganz, Downfall
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain

ACTRESS
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Q’Orianka Kilcher, The New World
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Nathalie Press, My Summer of Love
Liv Ullmann, Saraband

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Clifton Collins Jr., Capote
Brady Corbet, Mysterious Skin
Jesse Eisenberg, The Squid and the Whale
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt, A History of Violence

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Junebug
Scarlett Johansson, Match Point
Catherine Keener, Capote
Jane Lynch, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Emily Mortimer, Match Point

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Downfall
Head-On
Howl’s Moving Castle
Oldboy
Tropical Malady

ANIMATED FILM
Howl’s Moving Castle
Robots
Wallace & Gromit

DOCUMENTARY
Grizzly Man
March of the Penguins
Murderball

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Match Point
Oldboy
The Squid and the Whale
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Downfall
Howl’s Moving Castle
Munich

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Millions
My Summer of Love
The New World
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Tropical Malady

EDITING
Capote
Downfall
Murderball
Oldboy
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

ART DIRECTION
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Downfall
Howl’s Moving Castle
King Kong
The New World

COSTUME DESIGN
2046
Downfall
Memoirs of a Geisha
The New World
Pride & Prejudice

ORIGINAL SCORE
Howl’s Moving Castle
Kung Fu Hustle
Murderball
The New World
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

ORIGINAL SONG
“Augustus Gloop,” Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
“So Long and Thanks for All the Fish,” The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
“The Wedding Song,” Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

SOUND
Downfall
King Kong
Munich
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
War of the Worlds

SOUND EDITING
Howl’s Moving Castle
Kung Fu Hustle
War of the Worlds

VISUAL EFFECTS
King Kong
Sin City
War of the Worlds

MAKE UP
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The New World

--The Tally--
Downfall - 9
Howl's Moving Castle - 8
The New World - 6
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - 6
Capote - 5
Munich - 5
Murderball - 4
Brokeback Mountain - 3
King Kong - 3
Match Point - 3
Oldboy - 3
The Squid and the Whale - 3
Tropical Malady - 3
War of the Worlds - 3
The 40-Year-Old Virgin - 2
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - 2
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - 2
Kung Fu Hustle - 2
My Summer of Love - 2
Pride & Prejudice - 2
2046 - 1
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - 1
Grizzly Man - 1
Head-On - 1
A History of Violence - 1
Junebug - 1
March of the Penguins - 1
Memoirs of a Geisha - 1
Millions - 1
Mysterious Skin - 1
Robots - 1
Saraband - 1
Sin City - 1
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith - 1
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride - 1
Transamerica - 1
Wallace & Gromit - 1

Post-Golden Globes

I was 8/10 with my predictions, not bad at all.

So it looks like "Brokeback Mountain" is going to go all the way. It's a wonderful picture, and although I'd rather the Best Picture Oscar go to "Munich" or "Capote," I'll still be very happy when "Brokeback" wins. And it's way better than last year's winner, "Million Dollar Baby."

What will be unique about this Oscars is how the competition is pretty much all small films. This may be the most indie-esque Oscars we've seen in a long time, and that's fine by me.

If the BP nominees turn out to be "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Crash," "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Munich," I'll be totally thrilled. All five of those are in my Top 20, and three of them are in my Top 10.

So now we just need to hope that Walk the Line doesn't steal Munich's spot. And that "Howl's Moving Castle" is at least nominated for Animated Film. If "Chicken Little" or "Madagascar" gets in over "Howl," I'm going to ... (fill in the blank).

Golden Globes

A look at who will win and who should win...

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Nominees:
	Brokeback Mountain (2005) Constant Gardener, The (2005) Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) History of Violence, A (2005) Match Point (2005)

Will Win: Brokeback Mountain
Should Win: Match Point

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Nominees:
	Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) Pride & Prejudice (2005) Producers, The (2005) Squid and the Whale, The (2005) Walk the Line (2005)

Will Win: Walk the Line
Should Win: The Squid and the Whale

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Nominees:
	Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Heath Ledger Capote (2005) - Philip Seymour Hoffman Cinderella Man (2005) - Russell Crowe (I) Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - David Strathairn Hustle & Flow (2005) - Terrence Howard

Will Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Nominees:
	Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - Cillian Murphy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - Johnny Depp Matador, The (2005) - Pierce Brosnan Producers, The (2005) - Nathan Lane Squid and the Whale, The (2005) - Jeff Daniels (I) Walk the Line (2005) - Joaquin Phoenix

Will Win: Joaquin Phoenix
Should Win: Jeff Daniels

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Nominees:
	History of Violence, A (2005) - Maria Bello (I) Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - Ziyi Zhang North Country (2005) - Charlize Theron Proof (2005) - Gwyneth Paltrow Transamerica (2005) - Felicity Huffman

Will Win: Felicity Huffman
Should Win: Felicity Huffman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Nominees:
	Family Stone, The (2005) - Sarah Jessica Parker Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) - Judi Dench Pride & Prejudice (2005) - Keira Knightley Squid and the Whale, The (2005) - Laura Linney Walk the Line (2005) - Reese Witherspoon

Will Win: Reese Witherspoon
Should Win: Keira Knightley

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Nominees:
	Cinderella Man (2005) - Paul Giamatti Crash (2004) - Matt Dillon (I) Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) - Bob Hoskins Producers, The (2005) - Will Ferrell Syriana (2005) - George Clooney

Will Win: George Clooney
Should Win: George Clooney

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Nominees:
	Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Michelle Williams (I) Constant Gardener, The (2005) - Rachel Weisz In Her Shoes (2005) - Shirley MacLaine Match Point (2005) - Scarlett Johansson North Country (2005) - Frances McDormand

Will Win: Michelle Williams
Should Win: Scarlett Johansson

Best Director - Motion Picture

Nominees:
	Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Ang Lee Constant Gardener, The (2005) - Fernando Meirelles (I) Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - George Clooney King Kong (2005) - Peter Jackson (I) Match Point (2005) - Woody Allen Munich (2005) - Steven Spielberg (I)

Will Win: Ang Lee
Should Win: Steven Spielberg

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Nominees:
	Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Larry McMurtry; Diana Ossana Crash (2004) - Paul Haggis; Robert Moresco Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) - George Clooney; Grant Heslov Match Point (2005) - Woody Allen Munich (2005) - Tony Kushner; Eric Roth (I)

Will Win: Crash
Should Win: Match Point

Top 10 Article

My "Top 10 Films" article for the Daily Trojan has been published.

Go here.

Top 20 Films of 2005

#20

Millions

#19

Good Night, and Good Luck

#18

Crash

#17

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

#16

Head-On

#15

My Summer of Love

#14

The Squid and the Whale

#13

King Kong

#12

Oldboy

#11

War of the Worlds

#10

Brokeback Mountain

#9

Match Point

#8

The New World

#7

Capote

#6

Tropical Malady

#5

The Three Burials of

Melquiades Estrada

#4

Munich

#3

Murderball

#2

Downfall

#1

Howl's Moving Castle

Exciting... If only for me

If all goes according to plan -- that is, if I watch the final two Netflix movies I have here -- my Top 10 Films of 2005 list will go up late tonight.

I've never been quite so happy with a Top 10 list as I am with this one... perhaps it's because each year I see more and more of those foreign and indie flicks I used to miss in previous years. But it's also because 2005 was an awesome year for movies, despite what the pessimists and box-office analysts might say. There were so many great films, I feel like I may do a Top 20 instead.

I get to write the Top 10 article for the Daily Trojan as well, so that will be fun (especially because most DT readers will have never heard of 7 or 8 of these films). But that's what Top 10 lists are all about... getting people to see those movies that may have missed. Or to just feed a critic's ego. Either way, I'm looking forward to finalizing mine.

2005 Triumphant

2005 is shaping out to be perhaps the best movie year of the decade. If you aren't going out to the movie theaters right now, you're missing some incredible films.