The Oscars: Fresh Or Stale?

Best Picture

Best Picture

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
CRASH
CAPOTE
MUNICH

Actor in a Leading Role

Philip Seymour Hoffman, CAPOTE
Heath Ledger, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Terrence Howard, HUSTLE AND FLOW
David Strathairn, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Joaquin Phoenix, WALK THE LINE

Actress in a Leading Role

Felicity Huffman, TRANSAMERICA
Charlize Theron, NORTH COUNTRY
Reese Witherspoon, WALK THE LINE
Keira Knightley, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Judi Dench, MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS

Best Director

Steven Spielberg, MUNICH
Ang Lee, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
George Clooney, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Paul Haggis, CRASH
Bennet Miller, CAPOTE

Actor in a Supporting Role

Paul Giamatti, CINDERELLA MAN
George Clooney, SYRIANA
Matt Dillon, CRASH
William Hurt, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Jake Gyllenhaal, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Actress in a Supporting Role

Rachel Weisz, THE CONSTANT GARDENER
Frances McDormand, NORTH COUNTRY
Michelle Williams, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Amy Adams, JUNEBUG
Catherine Keener, CAPOTE

Best Original Screenplay

Woody Allen, MATCH POINT
George Clooney & Grant Heslov, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco, CRASH
Stephen Gaghan, SYRIANA
Noah Baumbach, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE

Best Adapted Screenplay

Dan Futterman, CAPOTE
Josh Olson, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Jeffrey Caine, THE CONSTANT GARDENER
Tony Kushner & Eric Roth, MUNICH
Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Best Original Score

Alberto Iglesias, THE CONSTANT GARDENER
Dario Marianelli, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Gustavo Santaolalla, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
John Williams, MUNICH
John Williams, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

Best Animated Film

WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
THE CORPSE BRIDE
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE

Best Art Direction

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
KING KONG
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

Best Cinematography

Rodrigo Prieto, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Robert Elswit, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
Emmanuel Lubezki, THE NEW WORLD
Dion Beebe, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
Wally Pfister, BATMAN BEGINS

Best Costume Design

MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
WALK THE LINE

Best Film Editing

CINDERELLA MAN
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
CRASH
MUNICH
WALK THE LINE

Best Makeup

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA...
CINDERELLA MAN
STAR WARS, EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

Best Sound Editing

KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Best Sound Mixing

WALK THE LINE
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WAR OF THE WORLD
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA...
KING KONG

Best Visual Effects

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA...
KING KONG
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Best Original Song

"In the Deep" - CRASH, Music by Kathleen "Bird" York and Michael Becker; Lyric by Kathleen "Bird" York
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - HUSTLE & FLOW Music and Lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard
“Travelin’ Thru” — TRANSAMERICA, Music & Lyrics by: Dolly Parton

Best Foreign Film

SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS
DON'T TELL
MERRY CHRISTMAS (JOYEUX NOEL)
PARADISE NOW
TSOTSI

Best Documentary Feature

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
MURDERBALL
DARWIN'S NIGHTMARE
STREET FIGHT
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

THE DEATH OF KEVIN CARTER: CASUALTY OF THE BANG BANG CLUB
GOD SLEEPS IN RWANDA
THE MUSHROOM CLUB
A NOTE OF TRIUMPH: THE GOLDEN AGE OF NORMAN CORWIN

Best Short Film (Animated)

BADGERED
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO
9
ONE MAN BAND

Best Short Film (Live-Action)

AUSREISSER (THE RUNAWAY)
CASHBACK
THE LAST FARM
OUR TIME IS UP
SIX SHOOTER

[The Freshness]

So let me first start of by saying I usually do not watch the Oscars. The only reason I did this time is because Eric hosted the thing at his house on the fresh projector. Alot of people did not like Jon Stewart, those people are dumb. i thought he did a good job, alot of his jokes fell flat on the audience attending but we were laughing at home.

Most of the awards no one really cares about, well I don't anyway. The most important ones are: Best Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actor, Best Actress and Supporting Actress, Animated Film. The shorts, who ever sees these? They have all the technical ones seperate, so why are the editing and costumes and stuff still on the regular show? Granted seeing Three Six Mafia win a freakin Oscar was amusing.

As far as who won, do I agree? For the most part, sure. I would have liked to have seen Paul Giamatti win Best Supporting Actor for a few reasons. I like him, I feel he is underated. George Clooney was good in Syriana, but I HATED that movie, so it should get nothing. Giamatti was good in Cinderella Man and it is a good movie, again very underated. I did not see Brokeback Mountain so I cannot say whether or not Ang Lee did a good job, granted someone must have thought he did. Some awards were ridiculous. Best Costume to Memoirs of a Geisha, come on now, she could have looked at pictures to see what the costumes looked like. I think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory should have won, come on, from scratch these costumes had to be designed.

[The Staleness]

Despite the fact that I do usually watch the Oscars, it’s usually something I just have on while I’m home and doing other things. I never watch the pre-show stuff to see Ooh, who’s wearing what dress, and I never sit down and devote my full attention to it. But I am still hungry for Hi-Def stuff to watch on my projector besides football and 24, especially if it’s something interesting enough to have people over for. So I held my first Oscar Party, and by Party, I mean had a couple people over to play Scene It and eat snacks while cracking on the Academy Awards all night.

Jon Stewart was great as the host, I was a big fan of how he carried the show. Had some great jokes, my favorite being “Oscars: Three 6 Mafia – 1 / Martin Scorscese – 0” Ouch.

I had not seen any of the movies up for most of the awards, out of the films with the most nominations, I had only seen Crash, though I wanted to see everything except for Brokeback Mountain. I thought Crash was good, I liked it, but I really don’t think it is Best Picture worthy. Maybe I need to watch it again.

For the Best Shorts, live action and animated, who the hell has seen any of these? Anyone? Bueller? Most, if not all of the feature length films nominated are accessible to most people, simply by going down to their local multiplex. The documentaries, you might have to go out of your way to go to your local art house cinema. But unless you happen across the right type of film fest or something, how would you have seen any of the shorts? My thought is that during the day, leading up to the awards show itself, they should run all the shorts, and possibly even the Short Subject Documentaries, so that people can have actually SEEN these and have an opinion on which ones should win.

And please, someone leave a comment and explain to me what the heck the difference is between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing exactly? I guess one is sound effects and such and the other is… what exactly? And for that matter, how does one judge the Best Film Editing award? I know what editing a film is, but what exactly makes one film stand out over another in this regard?

[The Verdict]

[The Freshness] Overall I will say that the awards were mostly Fresh. Aside from a few things falling flat, old people not shutting up. I found them to be entertaining.

[The Staleness] I would concur. The broadcast as a whole was pretty Fresh, Jon Stewart was great and kept the show entertaining.