Amph The Oscar Race: Now Disc. Ranking the Oscar hosts of the past 20 years

Yeah, Rogue, but there's always some amazingly egregious Oscar Snub (you remember that thread ), and it's always fun to spectulate on the person or film they are going to egregiously screw over this year.

 

These are the ten films deemed eligible for the animated film category:

Chicken Little
Gulliver's Travel
Hoodwinked
Howl's Moving Castle
Madagascar
Robots
Steamboy
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Valiant
Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit


I'm thinking Corpse Bride and W & G are likely, and probably Madagascar because it made lots of money (which does count some, unfortunately).

 

I'd nominate "Howl's Moving Castle", too.

Saw "Walk the Line" on the weekend, and have to say I was wrong about the Jaw (That Walks Like a Starlet) aka Reese Witherspoon. For once her demented cheerleader vibe is properly used, and she is very, very good. The genuine Southern accent also helps.

Joaquin Phoenix looks nothing like Cash, but still nails it. He does his own singing (as does Witherspoon, and the actors who play Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis) and does not disgrace himself there, either.

OTOH, I also saw Harry Potter IV, and enjoyed it until the climactic scene in the graveyard, which was thoroughly mishandled. I heard Ralph Fiennes say in interviews, that he thought that he should underplay Voldemort, but then decided he couldn't. But that's what he does anyway. And he's right, it doesn't work. The makeup isn't sufficiently snakelike, and the staging, which should be operatic, is mundane, and goes too quickly. Bah.

 

For animated films, I think Howl's Moving Castle is a sure bet for a nomination. A couple years ago Spirited Away took home the award and was directed by the same man, Hayao Miyazaki. If Howl's Moving Castle was as good as Spirited Away, it will surely win. It's animation, music, and story are top notch and could propel it over Wallace and Gromit, The Corpse Bride, and others.

EDIT: I agree with you Zaz. I was unimpressed by the graveyard seen as well. I felt it was rushed and I really didn't like how they had Voldemort running around after Harry. He should have been calm, collected, and cool (sort of like Palpatine). I didn't like the makeup at all too. When I saw Voldemort, I could immediately tell it was Ralph Fiennes.

 

Voldemort didn't even seem to dominate the Death Eaters. They just blew it. And it was such a great scene in the book...

 

I was surprised that no one mentioned RENT yet, I've heard excellent things about it coming up.

 

I disagree that Voldemort didn't dominate the Death Eaters. He completely owned them. The only one who gave Voldemort any lip was Malfoy. Although, I do confess to being slightly disappointed that they cut most of his speech, however, that said I thought that Ralph Fiens did a good job portraying Voldemort as a raving ego maniac. As for, the character being underlayed, I remember hearing that George Lucas told Hayden to hold back in Ep.II so that he could be let off the leash in Ep.III. I could see where Voldemort will be much more dramatic in OOTP then in GOF and he has to be after all, he duels with Dumbledore.

 

So how about putting the Harry Potter talk in the Potter thread?

While Rent has been generally well received, I don't think it has the heat on it for any awards.

I think the fact the Miyazaki already having won an academy award works against him and his film this time around. It shouldn't but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

 

Well, we can agree to disagree, then. This should have been the high point in the movie, and IMO it just falls flat.

YMMV.

 

Jarhead
North Country
King Kong
Walk the Line
Chicken Little
ROTS (for visuals)
Batman Begins (production design)
March of the Penguins - documentary

 

EW's early mentions for Best Supporting Actor:

Don Cheadle & Matt Dillon & Terrence Howard from "Crash"

Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright & Christopher Plummer from "Syriana"

Ed Harris & William Hurt from "A History of Violence"

Jamie Foxx & Peter Sarsgaard from "Jarhead"

Daniel Craig & Geoffrey Rush from "Munich"

Paul Giamatti from "Cinderella Man"

Jake Gyllenhaal from "Brokeback Mountain"

Barry Pepper from "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada"

Clifton Collins, jr. from "Capote"

Donald Sutherland "Pride & Prejudice"

Oliver Platt "Casanova"

Frank Langella "Good Night and Good Luck"

Bob Hoskins "Mrs. Henderson Presents"

Ken Watatabe "Memoirs of a Geisha"

Ben Kingsley "Oliver Twist"

Kevin Costner "The Upside of Anger"

Steve Martin "Shopgirl"

 

Well, gee, when you pick that many, it's not going to be surprising when you hit all five, is it?

I'd like to see Robert Patrick get a nom for Walk the Line, just because I love that guy.

 

I thought he was rather miscast, actually.

 

Because he wasn't in a policeman uniform?

Prediction: Julianne Moore will get a nomination for The Prize Winner movie. Really going out on a limb there, eh?

 

In "Walk the Line" I liked Dallas Roberts, who plays Sam Phillips of Sun Records. Though he only has about one scene in the movie, that scene is the best one...

 

EW's possibles for Best Supporting Actress:

Frances McDormand ("North Country")

Shirley MacLaine ("In Her Shoes")

Diane Keaton ("The Family Stone")

Laura Linney ("The Squid & the Whale")

Catherine Keener ("Capote")

Uma Thurman ("The Producers")

Maria Bello ("A History of Violence")

Michelle Williams & Anne Hathaway ("Brokeback Mountain")

Gong Li & Michelle Yeoh ("Memoirs of a Geisha")

Thandi Newton & Sandra Bullock ("Crash")

Ginnifer Goodwin ("Walk the Line")

Hope Davis ("Proof")

Amy Adams ("Junebug")

 

Hopefully Revenge of the Sith will win 12 Oscars, but I guess that's just in my dreams *sighs*

 

My predictions for the major categories....

(Best Picture)

I`m thinking the statue will go to either Walk the Line or Munich. Jarhead and Capote will most likely get a nomination and King Kong if it is lucky enough(I sort of doubt it but then again I was the man who doubted that Lord of the Rings would be nominated on three occasions.

(Best Actor) It`ll go to Phoneix and deservingly so.

Best Actress Tough one but probably Witherspoon

Best Supporting Actor as much as I hope McDarmid gets a nomination I don`t think he will. I`m thinking Jamie Foxx for Jarhead because his speeches are crowd pleasing.

Best Supporing Actress I personally hope Ginnifer Goodwin wins,she`s beauitful and gives a worthy performance.

Director It`s between Spielberg and Mangold

As for the technical cateogories I think King Kong will sweep them but I think ROTS will have a nomination or two

 

As for the technical cateogories I think King Kong will sweep them but I think ROTS will have a nomination or two


No way! King Kong won't win any Oscars. It has crappy F/X (just watch the trailer). It's time for Star Wars Oscar glory. Too many times has the prequels been robbed at the Oscars!

 

King Kong won't win anything. The Academey will watch KK and think didn't we just give this guy a crap load of Oscars?

 

Its looking like Memoirs of a Geisha just might be the nice and safe choice the Academy likes to make in the absence of a clear cut front runner. Its long, dull (from what I hear), and is great to look at. Some pundits are already calling it to win. This is distressing...

 

The Academy hates Lucas and vice versa,Kong will be fresh on people`s minds

 

Both true, but don't forget that when people hear the Peter Jackson they think Lord of the Rings, the Academy voters won't want to vote for KK because it wasn't that long ago that Peter Jackson won 11 Oscars for ROTK, hence Kong won't win anything.

 

Ralph Fines for best actor
from the Constant Gardener

 

I think it has a chance for the effects oscars,I really do. WETA`s special effects have given ILM a black eye,they are far more realistic.

The King Kong trailer and footage is impressive and Kong is the most realistic thing I have seen,I hope my opinion will stay the same after the movie but if it doesn`t Gollum another Weta creation will still hold the title