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Oscars 2004

Gold Standard

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

The nominations yielded very few surprises, except for one knockout: Alan Alda for The Aviator. Otherwise, we have the usual batch of a few very good movies, too many mediocre movies and several glaring omissions.

I made my predictions in the heat of the moment on Tuesday morning, and some of them are subject to change in the coming week. The Oscars will be broadcast on Sunday, February 27, 2005.

February 28: The Aviator took home five awards, but Million Dollar Baby snatched four top prizes, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. For the most part, movies that deserved to win actually won. My own predictions came in at 12 out of 21, about usual for me. So, until next year!

Please also see my past interviews with the nominees: Johnny Depp, Mike Leigh Hilary Swank, Laura Linney, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry, Terry George and Alexander Payne (coming soon).

And check out my contribution to an Oscar-related story in the Las Vegas Weekly.

Nominees Jeff's Take
Best Picture
  • The Aviator
  • Finding Neverland
  • Million Dollar Baby
  • Ray
  • Sideways
  • The Winner: Million Dollar Baby
    My Prediction: Million Dollar Baby
    My Vote: Million Dollar Baby
    Unfairly Overlooked: Before Sunset
    Best Director
  • Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
  • Taylor Hackford, Ray
  • Mike Leigh, Vera Drake
  • Alexander Payne, Sideways
  • Martin Scorsese, The Aviator
  • The Winner: Clint Eastwood
    My Prediction: Clint Eastwood
    My Vote: Clint Eastwood
    Unfairly Overlooked: Richard Linklater
    Best Actor
  • Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
  • Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
  • Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
  • Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
  • Jamie Foxx, Ray
  • The Winner: Jamie Foxx
    My Prediction: Jamie Foxx
    My Vote: Clint Eastwood
    Unfairly Overlooked: Johnny Depp, Secret Window; Paul Giamatti, Sideways
    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
  • The Winner: Hilary Swank
    My Prediction: Hilary Swank
    My Vote: Imelda Staunton
    Unfairly Overlooked: Julie Delpy, Before Sunset
    Best Supporting Actor
  • Alan Alda, The Aviator
  • Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
  • Jamie Foxx, Collateral
  • Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
  • Clive Owen, Closer
  • The Winner: Morgan Freeman
    My Prediction: Morgan Freeman
    My Vote: Morgan Freeman
    Unfairly Overlooked: David Carradine, Kill Bill - Vol. 2
    Best Supporting Actress
  • Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
  • Laura Linney, Kinsey
  • Virginia Madsen, Sideways
  • Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda
  • Natalie Portman, Closer
  • The Winner: Cate Blanchett
    My Prediction: Cate Blanchett
    My Vote: Cate Blanchett
    Unfairly Overlooked: Natalie Portman, Garden State; Meryl Streep, The Manchurian Candidate; Sandra Oh, Sideways
    Foreign Language Film
  • The Chorus (Les Choristes) (France)
  • Downfall (Germany)
  • The Sea Inside (Spain)
  • As in Heaven (Sweden)
  • Yesterday (South Africa)
  • The Winner: The Sea Inside
    My Prediction: The Chorus (Les Choristes)
    My Vote: none
    Unfairly Overlooked: Moolaadé; Notre Musique
    Adapted Screenplay
  • Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Before Sunset
  • David Magee, Finding Neverland
  • Paul Haggis, Million Dollar Baby
  • Jose Rivera, The Motorcycle Diaries
  • Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Sideways
  • The Winner: Sideways
    My Prediction: Sideways
    My Vote: Before Sunset
    Unfairly Overlooked: Alvin Sargent, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Michael Chabon, Spider-Man 2
    Original Screenplay
  • John Logan, The Aviator
  • Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Terry George, Keir Pearson, Hotel Rwanda
  • Brad Bird, The Incredibles
  • Mike Leigh, Vera Drake
  • The Winner: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    My Prediction: The Aviator
    My Vote: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    Unfairly Overlooked: Kill Bill - Vol. 2; Dogville
    Animated Feature Film
  • The Incredibles
  • Shark Tale
  • Shrek 2
  • The Winner: The Incredibles
    My Prediction: Shrek 2
    My Vote: The Incredibles
    Unfairly Overlooked: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
    Art Direction
  • The Aviator
  • Finding Neverland
  • Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
  • The Phantom of the Opera
  • A Very Long Engagement
  • The Winner: The Aviator
    My Prediction: Finding Neverland
    My Vote: The Aviator
    Unfairly Overlooked: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
    Cinematography
  • Robert Richardson, The Aviator
  • Xiaoding Zhao, House of Flying Daggers
  • Caleb Deschanel, The Passion of the Christ
  • John Mathieson, The Phantom of the Opera
  • Bruno Delbonnel, A Very Long Engagement
  • The Winner: The Aviator
    My Prediction: The Aviator
    My Vote: The Aviator
    Unfairly Overlooked: The Saddest Music in the World
    Sound Mixing
  • The Aviator
  • The Incredibles
  • The Polar Express
  • Ray
  • Spider-Man 2
  • The Winner: Ray
    My Prediction: Ray
    My Vote: Spider-Man 2
    Unfairly Overlooked: Kill Bill - Vol. 2
    Sound Editing
  • The Incredibles
  • The Polar Express
  • Spider-Man 2
  • The Winner: The Incredibles
    My Prediction: Spider-Man 2
    My Vote: Spider-Man 2
    Unfairly Overlooked: Kill Bill - Vol. 2
    Original Score
  • Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Finding Neverland
  • John Williams, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Thomas Newman, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
  • John Debney, The Passion of the Christ
  • James Newton Howard, The Village
  • The Winner: Finding Neverland
    My Prediction: Finding Neverland
    My Vote: none
    Unfairly Overlooked: Alexandre Desplat, Birth
    Original Song
  • "Look to Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" from The Chorus (Les Choristes), Bruno Coulais, Christophe Barratier
  • "Al Otro Lado Del Río" from The Motorcycle Diaries, Jorge Drexler
  • "Learn to Be Lonely" from The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart
  • "Believe" from The Polar Express, Glen Ballard, Alan Silvestri
  • "Accidentally in Love" from Shrek 2, David Bryson, Adam Duritz, David Immerglück, Matthew Malley, Dan Vickrey, Charles Gillingham, Jim Bogios
  • The Winner: "Al Otro Lado Del Río"
    My Prediction: "Accidentally in Love"
    My Vote: none
    Unfairly Overlooked: "Vindicated" from Spider-Man 2, Dashboard Confessional
    Costume
  • The Aviator
  • Finding Neverland
  • Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
  • Ray
  • Troy
  • The Winner: The Aviator
    My Prediction: Finding Neverland
    My Vote: none
    Unfairly Overlooked: Kill Bill - Vol. 2
    Documentary Feature
  • Born Into Brothels
  • The Story of the Weeping Camel
  • Super Size Me
  • Tupac: Resurrection
  • Twist of Faith
  • The Winner: Born Into Brothels
    My Prediction: Born Into Brothels
    My Vote: none
    Unfairly Overlooked: Tarnation
    Documentary Short
  • Autism Is a World
  • The Children of Leningradsky
  • Hardwood
  • Mighty Times: The Children's March
  • Sister Rose's Passion
  • The Winner: Mighty Times: The Children's March
    My Prediction: n/a
    My Vote: n/a
    Unfairly Overlooked: n/a
    Film Editing
  • The Aviator
  • Collateral
  • Finding Neverland
  • Million Dollar Baby
  • Ray
  • The Winner: The Aviator
    My Prediction: Million Dollar Baby
    My Vote: Million Dollar Baby
    Unfairly Overlooked: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    Makeup
  • Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
  • The Passion of the Christ
  • The Sea Inside
  • The Winner: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
    My Prediction: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
    My Vote: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
    Unfairly Overlooked: Million Dollar Baby
    Animated Short
  • Birthday Boy
  • Gopher Broke
  • Guard Dog (Bill Plympton)
  • Lorenzo
  • Ryan
  • The Winner: Ryan
    My Prediction: n/a
    My Vote: n/a
    Unfairly Overlooked: n/a
    Live Action Short
  • Everything in This Country Must
  • Little Terrorist
  • 7:35 de la mañana
  • Two Cars, One Night
  • Wasp
  • The Winner: Wasp
    My Prediction: n/a
    My Vote: n/a
    Unfairly Overlooked: n/a
    Visual Effects
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • I, Robot
  • Spider-Man 2
  • The Winner: Spider-Man 2
    My Prediction: I, Robot
    My Vote: Spider-Man 2
    Unfairly Overlooked: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    Hulu
    TASCHEN
    Movies Unlimtied
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