Whedonesque : Comments on 9727 : Who Got Snubbed? A Shout-outathon.

Miranda July in Me and You and Everyone We Know

Maria Bello in A History of Violence

Nolan - Batman Begins. Crafting a film like that is very hard. And it turned out really interesting. And profitable.

[ edited by gossi on 2006-03-06 03:19 ]

gossi | March 06, 01:52 CET

I would have been inclined to give Rachel McAdams a nomination - either as Best Actress for 'Red Eye' or Best Supporting Actress for 'The Wedding Crashers'. I'm making no particular comment about either film, just her performance in them. She's someone to look out for in the future, I think.

[ edited by dashboardprophet on 2006-03-06 02:53 ]

alien lanes | March 06, 01:53 CET

Two movies that I think should have been nominated for Best Picture, but weren't, were "Cinderella Man" and "The Constant Gardener." Ralph Fiennes and Russell Crowe (despite the tabloid stuff) should have gotten nominations for best performance by an actor.

Nebula1400 | March 06, 01:58 CET

I don't know, I spent all of my money seeing Serenity repeatedly. I couldn't afford to see other movies.

kishi | March 06, 02:00 CET

I don't know, I spent all of my money seeing Serenity repeatedly. I couldn't afford to see other movies.

Hey, can we nominate posters? I declare you winner of 100 penny sweets. The cola bottles are the best.

On a more serious note, (and sorry, this is off topic but on topic) - has anybody else noticed Sean Maher looks directly into the camera during the God-Make-River-A-Stone spin? It's like he's looking RIGHT AT me. I saw the film a surprising amount of times at early screenings and such (although Joss wins that prize...) - and this is what happened. And nobody else has mentioned it.

[ edited by gossi on 2006-03-06 03:07 ]

gossi | March 06, 02:05 CET

Yeah, I think I'm with Gossi. Nolan deserved a nod.

Plus, Mirrormask was last year, so probably, Neil Gaiman should win best original script and Dave McKean should win... many strange categories. But the movie didn't play here, and I haven't actually seen it, so I'm forced to go with Nolan. :-)

Niels(Telltale) | March 06, 02:10 CET

Michael Peña (Crash) and Alexander Siddig (Syriana) needed some Supporting Actor love. Their nominations went to the bigger names in their respective films. Bullcrap.

The First Weevil | March 06, 02:14 CET

I wish I could play, but my life is still not to the point where I can go out to see movies on a regular basis. Can we do this again in a couple years?

newcj | March 06, 02:16 CET

The thing with Batman is it's an origins story which actually plays as a proper origins story.. (I took a child to see it, and half way through he leaned over to me and said "Kevin.. This isn't Batman. We're in the wrong film". But as soon as the momentum got going, he was entranced - it didn't matter any more.)

But then there's the direction. That was a big ship to steer. A large studio looking over something like that, a lot of talent, and, you know, THAT CAR to direct. Give Chris an Oscar. Seriously. People at the Academy snub action films, but they forget how hard some of them are to realise -- and they can actually be intelligent films, too.

Rant. Over.

gossi | March 06, 02:16 CET

Oh, man! I forgot MirrorMask! I actually didn't get to see it in theaters, a friend got it for Valentine's Day (threatened her boyfriend with bodily harm if he didn't buy it) and she lent it to us. But my worship and adoration of Neil Gaiman's work is strong.

Gossi- I'm just glad to be nominated. =) And, no, I never noticed that before, but from watching the scene (yes, I already had Serenity in my DVD drive) I can see where that impression would come from.

[ edited by kishi on 2006-03-06 03:21 ]

kishi | March 06, 02:18 CET

You could fanwank Simon was looking at the crew (of the ship) behind him. He might have been, I don't know. It's a fantastic take, and I don't think anybody but me noticed it. So, uhm, sorry to those I just ruined that scene for.

gossi | March 06, 02:20 CET

Well, I was surprised Jarhead didn't get nominated in some of the major categories, although I'm not sure which nominations I'd have traded. So scratch that.

I'm not sure what the deadline is for nominations (late 2004 can get Oscar nods as well, right?), so I'm not quite certain if either of these count. But anyway:

Danny Boyle should have gotten a directors nod for Millions and Carly Schroeder should have gotten a best supporting actress nod for Mean Creek (although pretty much the entire cast was great in that one). She was only 14 (I think) when the movie came out, but man, that girl could make you feel the pain.

And that concludes my two (ha! I picked more than Joss would let me!) choices.

GVH | March 06, 02:24 CET

This may be weird, but I'm going to go with Tim Robbins as supporting actor in War of the Worlds. He just does creepy so well. (hope I got the right year goin' on here!) I think he's way underrated.

I was pleasantly surprised by the movie itself. Which is saying something because I'm not always a fan of remakes, especially of something that classic.

Grace | March 06, 02:24 CET

Visual Effects - Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

rayne&ripper | March 06, 02:24 CET

Christopher Nolan for Batman Begins...best comic film so far. Joss, what do you think of Batman Begins and/or Nolan?

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 02:27 CET

Jarhead - yes. Good point. Not sure where to place it.

I also had a lot of love for War of the Worlds. The story had some misplaced elements (or rather, element: the boy/man 'story') -- but the first 30 minutes are unreal, and overall it had some nice themes, basically playing on the american fears of today (terrorists, pretzels).

I'm too greedy.

gossi | March 06, 02:28 CET

Shane Black for the screenplay of "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"

GVH wrote:
I'm not sure what the deadline is for nominations

The film has to play for a week in Los Angeles in the previous calendar year. If it has played for a week the year before, then it doesn't count.

crossoverman | March 06, 02:28 CET

Keith - I picked up "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" after you spoke about it here last week, and just wanted to say thanks - it was very enjoyable.

gossi | March 06, 02:30 CET

Grizzly Man, Best Documentary. Incredible film about a unique guy. (But much love to Murderball, too, which did get the nomination.)

billz | March 06, 02:32 CET

Gossi, glad you enjoyed it! It is just so clever and so much fun - and a great mix of genres. Easily the film I laughed hardest at last year. (Serenity was funny but also with the drama...)

crossoverman | March 06, 02:35 CET

I'm echoing a lot of what everyone else has said..I think Nolan and "Batman Begins" definitely got "jipped" (sp??) however, I haven't seen too many of the nominated films *pouts* but I do think Crash is very deserving.

buffyfanatic18 | March 06, 02:35 CET

Gong Li in Memoirs of a Geisha. While Zhang Ziyi got Bafta (and Golden Globe?) nods and I was a bit surprised she didn't for the Oscars, there was something amazingly entertaining about watching Gong Li as a fiery bitchmonster instead.

Oh, and on an Asian rant, maybe 2046, The Promise, or Kung Fu Hustle for best foreign picture. They have so many screwed up policies regarding that (only language of production can submit films and they're only allowed one, weird acknowledgement of things as countries...) While The Promise is silly and over the top epic, considering the other two better movies were snubbed so China would submit it, it does have some merits.

orangewaxlion | March 06, 02:36 CET

Oh, god. Grizzly Man. With the fox. Made me cry. That definitely deserved to be nominated for the simple fact it was an indescribly great character study.

gossi | March 06, 02:36 CET

I kind of adore Peter Jackson, so I'm a little sad he didn't pick up a nom for director.

And I'm with you on Grizzly Man, billz. I just saw it on the Discovery Channel the other night. Absolutely hilarious.

obsessed | March 06, 02:39 CET

If Batman Begins was eligible (I get confused about timelines), then it should have be nominated. That was one movie I just started smiling in the middle of because it was just so much fun to watch.

lycoming | March 06, 02:39 CET

Mirrormask, best animated feature. I love Grommit, but the latest movie wasn't any different from previous W&G movies whereas Mirrormask was stunning. Should I be embarrassed to admit I liked Skandar Keynes and Tilda Swinton in Narnia?

tungsten_needle | March 06, 02:39 CET

Batman Begins...best comic film so far

Hmm. Not sure if I agree, there. Yes, it did dark and it did it with class and style. But still, Spiderman 2 made me feel more, so that's why that's still my #1 comic book movie.

Although I agree, Christopher Nolan was great in Batman Begins. But if we're doing BB-nominations, I think Cillian Murphy did better work. So I'd put him up for best supporting actor.

I also want to chime in with the War of the Worlds love - man, that movie was quite a theatrical rollercoaster ride. It made me feel all drained and tired afterwards - in a good way. The first time those tripods emerged? Shivers. And during the rest of the movie their sound alone had me scared. But, unfortunately, I found it doesn't stand up well to repeated viewings - the things that didn't bother me because of the pure thrill of the movie the first time round, tend to bother me more when I rewatch it on DVD - unlike, for instance, Serenity, which I can keep seeing over and over again.

The film has to play for a week in Los Angeles in the previous calendar year. If it has played for a week the year before, then it doesn't count.

Right. Well, I have no clue if either Millions or Mean Creek meets those criteria (and no idea how to find out either). I've seen Millions mentioned in another recent Oscars article, so maybe it does meet 'em. Anyway, if they can't be nominated this year, then they were overlooked last year :-p

GVH | March 06, 02:40 CET

Cillian Murphy, for Batman Begins and/or Red Eye. That's my ten cent's worth.

whirligig | March 06, 02:41 CET

I'd love to give an original answer here, but I really do have to agree with dashboardprophet and say that Rachel McAdams deserves huge praise! She's been amazing in everything I've seen her in and her performance in 'Red Eye' was most definitely top notch!

satine79 | March 06, 02:41 CET

I went to an early prescreening of War of the Worlds thanks to UIP. And then I caught it again when it was released. Twice, enough.

However, then somebody else got me to take her kids. And then somebody got me to go with them to see it. 4 times? Too much.

There's a bus which goes by my work, which the brakes make THAT Tripod sound. When the bus goes by and brakes to stop, I still get shivers.

gossi | March 06, 02:44 CET

Yeah, gossi, the incredible shots of Tim and the foxes in Grizzly Man! Even if he had never met a bear, his relationship with those little foxes & footage of them was unreally beautiful and heartbreakingly sweet.

Y'know, don't mean to violate the rules of this thread, but where was the love for Summer Glau (best supporting actress), Nathan Fillion (best actor), and Joss Whedon in all the same categories as George Clooney (including, I stubbornly proclaim, best supporting actor)? ;-)

billz | March 06, 02:48 CET

Q'Orianka Kilcher in The New World gets my vote.

kylie | March 06, 02:51 CET

Wilson Jermaine Heredia for Rent.

JustNick | March 06, 02:57 CET

MirrorMask deserved an effects nod, at least...

(And in previous years - Ray Harryhausen wasn't even nominated for Jason And The Argonauts.)

Craig Oxbrow | March 06, 02:58 CET

I second the "Mean Creek" suggestion, only possible because I saw it on DVD last week.

Finally, after a really long time, I have a "reduced parenting role/day off" tomorrow, and might be able to actually see a movie from last year. I don't have much to choose from right now.

BTW: My little boy IS the cutest+my personal sunshine of course...except for the ouchy hair yanking.

joH40 | March 06, 03:00 CET

Not to further derail the topic, but on the subject of superhero movies and Spider-Man 2, I have to say that one of the things that threw me about that movie was the fact that it was the first superhero movie that made me feel like it had gotten super-fight right. If you've got two people with super-human abilities and/or technological enhancements, their fight is going to be like those in Spider-Man 2: Knock-down, drag-out street brawls, with almost no artistry to them at all.

Anyway, I now return you to your previously-scheduled topic.

theonetruebix | March 06, 03:03 CET

Ralph Fiennes scared the crap out of me in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I'm talking chills and everything. That was an extremely powerful performance. I read that book 3 times before seeing the movie. I obviously knew what was going to happen but I have NEVER been more afraid of Voldemort like I was when I first saw that movie. Props to him and I hope he sticks around for the remaining films.

Turtle | March 06, 03:08 CET

After I finally got to watch Serenity today (yes I know I've been a bad browncoat but due to health probs I wasnt able to watch it while it was in cinemas) I have to say you Joss. *g* You should get an oscar for scarying me so much that you would kill off all our beloved characters. *g*

But honestly I have no idea who else I would have liked to see nominated. Probably its because Im too tired right now.

Joss: So who do you think should have been nominated and wasnt?

[ edited by Princessofdarkness on 2006-03-06 04:10 ]

Princessofdarkness | March 06, 03:09 CET

Rosario Dawson for RENT. She wrings meaning and passion out of every syllable. Blew me away, and I've never really been impressed by her before. (Also, I've seen the original production three times, and that's far and away the hardest part to make sympathetic.)

(And can Wilson and Jesse get "Best Couple?")

Believe it or not, I think Costner was dazzling in "The Upside of Anger". His I've-had-too-many-beers reaction timing was kind of classic.

As for Batty, yes I think it's a hell of an achievement. But Spidey II, hokey on not, still has my withered heart.

Lifetime Achievement: Dakota Fanning. I'm sort of not kidding.

joss | March 06, 03:09 CET

Joss: oh yes of course Dakota Fanning. She's great. And such a cutie to her fans. She would deserve a price :)

Princessofdarkness | March 06, 03:12 CET

Well Kate Beckinsale in Underworld: Evolution should've gotten an oscar! Urm...for er....uhm....the 'Best Looking in a Vinyl Catsuit' category.....uhm...never mind.

Seriously, a lot of movies I have yet to see, and some of the ones that I did see and that really impressed me most are actually pretty well represented up there. Spielberg's 'Munich' was one. Clooney's 'Good night and Good Luck' was another. (Gotta say George Clooney really impressed me this year in more ways than one.)

Hm, didn't really contribute to this thread a lot did I? Ignore me....

EdDantes | March 06, 03:15 CET

Good calls! Dakota Fanning is scary-great. Even doing comedy, she's so adult she's kind of creepy. Her sister is really good, too. I take Spidey over the Bat, too. Spidey feels like the real world, in its way, even if he has to rescue people on Chicago's El train when everything else in the movie takes place in NYC. ;-)

Props to Good Night and Good Luck for making it feel so much like you are in the room with Mr. Murrow and company as the events are happening!

billz | March 06, 03:16 CET

In an act of patriotism, "Be With Me", a film by Eric Khoo, from Singapore, for Foreign Film. It's received considerable acclaim for a film from this tiny island, and is arguably one of the best Singaporean films, yet it was cut from even running for nominations for Foreign Language Film, because the (largely silent) film was deemed to contain too much English dialogue for it to be eligible for the category. Absurd when it was announced, and still absurd now.

Realistically, though, I think Ralph Fiennes was pretty robbed for Best Actor for The Constant Gardener. He definitely deserved at least a nomination.

[ edited by hrlo on 2006-03-06 04:19 ]

hrlo | March 06, 03:16 CET

Um...The Constant Gardner was hands down one of the best films of 2005. Editing is awesome. Acting awesome. Story awesome. Cinematography awesome. This movie just won one award for best supporting actress, but the movie itself needs more recognition. Maybe it doesn't need (its awesome anyway), but it would've been nice to see it up there.

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 03:23 CET

Constantine - Achievement in Visual Effects
House of Flying Daggers- Achievement in Art Directions

Sin City -Adapted Screenplay (I think this one qualifies)and Film Editing, Cinematography

March of the Penguins - Foreign Feature Film (well, it DID take place in the Antarctic and it was a bunch of penguins...) Oh fine...Best Documentary

Bride and Prejudice- Costume design (cuz I loves me some Bollywood!!)

David Thewlis or Jeremy Irons (Kingdom of Heaven)-Best supporting Actor

Laura Linney (Exorcism of Emily Rose)- Best supporting actress

Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) - Best Director

Mickey Rourke (Sin City and Domino)- Best Actor, The boy got his mojo back.

Jennifer Carpenter (Exorcism of Emily Rose)-Best Actress
because she was terrifying

Best Motion Picture- SERENITY!!!!!!! Because I don't care what you say Joss....I can choose who I want neener neener. (I was going to choose you as Best Director but I am pouting, so you don't get it)

Obviously, I have not seen the critics' favorites.

DejaThoris | March 06, 03:25 CET

Rent, have not yet seen that. But then again, I'm not big on the musical thing, so it wasn't very high on my list.

Believe it or not, I think Costner was dazzling in "The Upside of Anger".

I have not seen The Upside of Anger either, although I've walked by it a couple of times. Never really grabbed my attention, though. Figured I'd end up renting it sometime in the future. I take it it's good then?

As for Dakota Fanning...I'm not sure what to think there. She's so great in most of the movies she does, it's almost scary. So I just can't decide if I'm simply very impressed with, or very scared by, a girl who can act like that at her age. At the moment, I'm leaning towards scared (ah, and I see billz is heading in the direction of scared as well) ;-)

As for Good night, and good luck, I still need to see it. It opened here two weeks ago, and dissapeared from most of the local theatres in the same week it premiered here, grmbl. I really want to see it, though, so I'll probably just take a train and head over to Amsterdam to see it while it's still playing there.

And, of course, joss, good call on Spidey. I love it when I get agreed with :-p

GVH | March 06, 03:26 CET

Rented tuxedoes: $75. Stuffed penguins: $35. Almost running over Jennifer Lopez while carrying stuffed penguins: priceless. ;-)

billz | March 06, 03:26 CET

Cillian Murphy in Breakfast on Pluto (best actor)
Brendan Gleeson in Breakfast on Pluto (best supporting actor)
Gavin Friday in Breakfast on Pluto (best musician turned actor)
Bryan Ferry in Breakfast on Pluto (creepiest musician turned actor)

Best song: Wig Wam Bam from Breakfast on Pluto, performed by Gavin Friday.

Best incidental music: Gavin Friday, Maurice Seezer and Quincy Jones for Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

Worst actor/most personality-lacking rapper ever: 50ct in Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

Life time achievement: Director Jim Sheridan.

Caroline | March 06, 03:28 CET

Okay, I'm confused. Why were there zombies stumbling around through a post-apocalyptic cityscape during that song from Crash?

theonetruebix | March 06, 03:28 CET

theonetruebix, I second your objection. Why do they always have to do some weird-ass, no-sense-making number every year? Too bad, too, because I was enjoying the singer and the song. (Isn't she Andrea on West Wing?)

Caroline, I really enjoy Cillian Murphy, so I hope to see Breakfast on Pluto when it comes to DVD.

billz | March 06, 03:32 CET

Rented tuxedoes: $75. Stuffed penguins: $35. Almost running over Jennifer Lopez while carrying stuffed penguins: priceless. ;-)

That was funny. Gotta say I'm also enjoying Jon Stewart and the whole tone of the evening. The theme is clearly 'let's poke fun at Hollywood, the Oscars, and ourselves' which I think is always the best way to go. And Jon joins the short list of brave men who made a funny about Russel Crowe while he was in the room!

Oh and Clooney's acceptance speech was definitely the best in a good long while. "Clooney. Sexiest man '97. Batman. Died in car crash." Hah!

EdDantes | March 06, 03:34 CET

(Isn't she Andrea on West Wing?)

Oh, holy crap. I knew I recognized her, but couldn't place where. You're exactly right.

theonetruebix | March 06, 03:35 CET

I've got 60 digital channels and I can't watch the Oscars.

Breakfast on Pluto isn't Neil Jordan's best, but Cillian pulls off a good performance. Gleeson is the best thing in it, though. And Gavin, not because he's a friend, but because he seriously did impress me with his debut performance.

Caroline | March 06, 03:42 CET

GVH expressed my thoughts exactly with:

Hmm. Not sure if I agree, there. Yes, it did dark and it did it with class and style. But still, Spiderman 2 made me feel more, so that's why that's still my #1 comic book movie.

I would put Batman Begins at number 2 though.

Gotta echo the Shane Black love also, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was definitely one of my favourite films of last year. Not sure either should've won but I would've liked Sin City and/or Batman Begins to get a nom in Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.

Paul_Rocks | March 06, 03:42 CET

Lol I am slighty giddy at the fact that Joss indirectly answered my Batman Begins question. I'm such a dork. One day I'll meet you Joss. My name is Adriano, remember me! God we need a con in New York City for you to come to and for your schedule to permit!

Okay back to the topic, sorry.

Best Actor: Steve Carrell for 40 Year Old Virgin , lol

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 03:43 CET

Did anyone else think the "Hollywood Tackles Important Issues" montage was kinda shot with the clip from "Day After Tommorow"?

Sure, global warming and all......but, *c'mnon*. By the end of that movie I was more worried about wolves escaping from the zoo after New York freezes over then hiding out in a ship in front of the public library, and causing me near-fatal injury when I go raid the ship for supplies.

Sigh. Stupid, rasafrasin'....

Sorry for the tangent, Joss.

pat32082 | March 06, 03:45 CET

Mmm, Loved "The Upside of Anger". Joan Allen and Kevin Costner were perfect. I thought that the film was really good, too. I heart Evan Rachel Wood.

non sequitur | March 06, 03:46 CET

I really enjoyed Danny Huston in The Constant Gardener and The Proposition (maybe Nick Cave can get a nod for Best screenplay). Hope to see more of him.

Caroline | March 06, 03:47 CET

Did anyone else think the "Hollywood Tackles Important Issues" montage was kinda shot with the clip from "Day After Tommorow"?

You are not the only one. Well, I don't think it shot the sequence entirely, but it certainly marred it. "Dat After Tomorrow" in the same montage as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Network" and "Inherit the Wind"? Um, no.

On edit: I should say that I would not mind if I woke up one morning to discover I had turned into Atticus Finch.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2006-03-06 04:49 ]

theonetruebix | March 06, 03:48 CET

I gotta go with Shane Black too. It was my second favorite film last year.

Dietcoke | March 06, 03:49 CET

Wow... it's cool, that several people have already mentioned MirrorMask. Besides such an great movie story-wise, visually it's like nothing else I've seen before. It really should have been nominated for Visual Effects (since I don't think it qualifies as an Animated Movie with all the people in it). I hope more movies break out from the more traditional CGI like MirrorMask and do more stylized different CGI.

Sin City was another movie that should had been nominated for Visual Effects as it was another movie that visually was just so different and incredible bringing Frank Miller's comic to life.

Of course King Kong would have still won that category, but those two movies should have at least been nominated.

Also it's a crime that Danny Elfman wasn't nominated for Best Original Song for the Corpse Bride's song Remains of the Day.

That's all I can think of right now off the top of my head.

Matt_Fabb | March 06, 03:50 CET

I loved the trailer for Jarhead and feel it should have gotten a nomimation at least. My entire fall was taken up seeing Serenity (17 times), so I can't come up with much beyond the trailers I hated and those I liked seeing again.
Movie? Performances? Sorry, everything before Serenity was a blank. Except that I didn't expect to like Batman and I did. A lot.

Lioness | March 06, 03:51 CET

I do as Joss commands...

I so think Cillian Murphy should've gotten nom'ed for something this year. He was the best thing about Red Eye and Batman Begins, and amazing in Breakfast on Pluto.

Cillian Murphy and Breakfast on Pluto are my why-weren't-they-nominated picks. It was the most exuberant movie of the year, and it was everything I wanted of a movie: moving, funny, great music, fun and intensely free. It had a message, it had a serious heart, but it gorgeously fun and free-wheeling as well.

Also, Woody Allen for Match Point. It's his best work in years, and Jonathon Rhys-Meyer was amazing in it.

dottikin | March 06, 03:52 CET

You know, with the exception of Kong himself, I was rather disappointed in the movie's effects. Sin City or Narnia should have won that.

pat32082 | March 06, 03:52 CET

I know you said forget Serenity, Joss... but dammit, it should be nominated for a number of things, not the least of which is score. David Newman made an astonishingly good score. It should have been nominated...

And oh yeah, you and the actors did good too. ;)

IMForeman | March 06, 03:55 CET

Did anyone else think the "Hollywood Tackles Important Issues" montage was kinda shot with the clip from "Day After Tommorow"?

All of these montages are silly. They just waste time. I'd rather just get through the show without "salutes to ourselves" and zombie-dance-raves, thank you. ;-)

billz | March 06, 03:57 CET

Gotta agree with Sin City for art direction or effects. Was it blacklisted because of the whole DGA thing with Frank Miller getting co-director credit?

Other than that, there were movies besides Serenity? *g* I'd have loved to have seen it nominated for costuming or makeup. (Because that's all that can be hoped for with a genre film.)

And ITA with the above questioning the Day After Tomorrow placement. Though Jon Stewart's comment after was fantastic. "And those problems were never heard from again!"

XanFan32 | March 06, 03:57 CET

On a side note... what's with the DVD attacks? That's like 2 in the last 15 minutes. And they've been meeting silence...

IMForeman | March 06, 03:59 CET

Jon Stewart's up there just being, well, Jon Stewart. He's awesome. :-)

ETA: Montage joke! Hah!

[ edited by pat32082 on 2006-03-06 05:00 ]

pat32082 | March 06, 03:59 CET

I know not many people will agree with me, but I loved 'The Devil's Rejects'. Bill Moseley was pure evil on screen and I think Rob Zombie made a great horror film.

Yes, Dakota Fanning is something special. I was just watching 'Man On Fire' last night and her and Denzel just light up the screen.

Spikecam21 | March 06, 04:01 CET

I haven't seen any of these movies - all my money goes to buying Sideshow figures! Seriously, I'm not much of a movie goer and prefer to wait and get things on DVD. The only movie I've seen at the theater this year was Serenity! Definitely want to see Rent, Batman Begins, War of the Worlds (actually have these two but haven't watched them yet), Crash, Jar Head and several others that you all have mentioned.

And I didn't see King Kong at the theater but I did play the Xbox 360 game - it was pretty good!!

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 04:04 CET

I recently asked my buds to create new oscar categories (my favorite being my wife's: "Best picture, for real".) Someone (it may have been Espenson) came up with "Best bunch of different performances", the stretching award, and Cillian Murphy would definately be nominated. However, he loses in a photo finish to...

Chewitel! Serenity, Kinky Boots and Four Brothers -- all out at the same time! Take three bows.

joss | March 06, 04:04 CET

On a side note... what's with the DVD attacks?

It's been suggested to me that someone decided they'd overdone it lately with the Internet attacks, but they still neeeded SOMETHING to attack that wasn't going to the theater. ;)

theonetruebix | March 06, 04:04 CET

I didn't see many movies this year, except for Batman and Crash, and of course Serenity (six times) so I can't come up with any people who got snubbed. All I want to say is that this is the best Oscars ever, because I get to virtually watch it with my favorite community (albeit normally as a lurker). Oh, and that Jon Stewart chap is quite funny! Thanks Joss, for starting this topic!

JudyKay7 | March 06, 04:05 CET

Paradise Now

This film has been nominated, but the category hasn't come up yet, and I really hope it wins.

I know Joss said "not recognized by the academy," but I have to talk about this film because it represents my country of Palestine. Now I know what you're thinking: she's gonna go all "Ms. Universe-y" on us, and I'll try not to.

The filmmakers of Paradise Now have grown concerned that the film will lose the Academy Award due to the fact that protestors have signed petitions asking the Academy to either revoke the film's nomination, or to change the country of origin from "Palestine" to "Palestinian Authority."

I have just signed an opposing petition calling for the support of the film. I pointed out in the little "comments" section that this attention just strengthens the film. Whether or not "Palestine" is the country of origin isn't relevant. The film was made in the Palestinian spirit and has stood strong in the international arena. The protestors have only strengthened people's interest in the film--negating their purpose. I applaud the makers of this film and the distrubutors who believed in it. It is an independant film, and no matter the subject matter, that's what it calls for.

And that's why I would make a great Ms. Universe.

Arabchick | March 06, 04:06 CET

I would also like to have seen the young actress who played Lucy in Chronicles of Narnia get some sort of award. She was fantastic.

IMForeman | March 06, 04:07 CET

Oh, yeah... the Batman Begins score should have been nominated as well. Fab.

IMForeman | March 06, 04:08 CET

Omigod! Somebody make a movie with Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin, NOW!! ;-)

BTW, Joss, thanks for watching (and snarking) the Oscars with us. It makes it so much more enjoyable for ALL of us to enjoy "MSTie-ing" them together! :-)

billz | March 06, 04:09 CET

I hope Paradise Now wins too, because the director is based in the Netherlands. That's about as patriotic as I'll ever get.

Caroline | March 06, 04:10 CET

Man, if I were onstage giving a speech, I just know I'd get hit with the Giggle Loop. I don't know how anyone makes speeches without laughing out loud.

IMForeman | March 06, 04:13 CET

Altman's acceptance speech was exceptional.

The Dark Shape | March 06, 04:15 CET

IMForeman, thanks for mentioning Narnia. I loved the set and feel that should have been nominated. I lurve English country homes. And Narnia, the country, was great too.

Lioness | March 06, 04:15 CET

Chiwetel was also phenomenal (and very, very different from his other performances) in "Melinda & Melinda."

[ edited by TheZeppo on 2006-03-06 05:19 ]

TheZeppo | March 06, 04:19 CET

The filmmakers of Paradise Now have grown concerned that the film will lose the Academy Award due to the fact that protestors have signed petitions asking the Academy to either revoke the film's nomination, or to change the country of origin from "Palestine" to "Palestinian Authority."

Thanks for bringing this up, Arabchick. It would be so wrong for a film to be judged based on opinions about its country rather than looking at the film itself. Isn't that just about exactly the definition of racism? I'll look for "Paradise Now" on DVD, Arabchick. :-)

Also, replying to others (including The Man) -- yes, definitely -- yay Altman, and yay Chiwetel!

billz | March 06, 04:20 CET

It's 4am here, I have to sign off. The other mods seem to be asleep/away. Y'all behave now, while we're gone. One last nod: Robert Downey Jr should get an Oscar for being so very, very, pretty.

Caroline | March 06, 04:20 CET

Good night Caroline!

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 04:21 CET

hee. Morgan Freeman should get nom'ed every year, for the "Best Bunch of Different Performances" award, even if he technically hadn't been in anything last year. Just because.

re: Altman

agreed, he was wonderful. And his movies, even wonderfuller.

re: Robert Downey jr.

He should get some award, any!, because I nearly laughed a lung out at one of his lines in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. See, I liked the movie, but it felt like a pure shot of entertainment-candy to me, no nutritious substance at all, so much fun in the moment, but nothing that lingers with you at the end.

[ edited by dottikin on 2006-03-06 05:26 ]

dottikin | March 06, 04:22 CET

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Oscars (Think They) Get Down with Rappers. *shudders* ;-)

But big, big YAY for winning! Excellent surprise! :-)

[ edited by billz on 2006-03-06 05:36 ]

billz | March 06, 04:22 CET

Or the other mods are watching the Oscars. We'll behave if Joss does.

[ edited by Lioness on 2006-03-06 05:24 ]

Lioness | March 06, 04:23 CET

Joss... maybe that's what was missing from Serenity: A kick-butt song! Seems like there were fewer than usual this year. 3? Didn't it used to be 5?

IMForeman | March 06, 04:24 CET

Caroline and billz: thanks for the support. The petition can be found at http://www.petitiononline.com/para222/petition.html. I don't know when PN comes out on DVD, but I'm excited about it because then I can share it with my friends.

I'm getting anxious. This is the only category I care about and I need to get to studying my Biochemistry. Is it wrong that every time my professor says "shunt" I giggle?

Arabchick | March 06, 04:26 CET

Joss... maybe that's what was missing from Serenity: A kick-butt song! Seems like there were fewer than usual this year. 3? Didn't it used to be 5?

Yeah. Where was Bette Midler singing, "My Turn (You Take Care Of Me)"?

theonetruebix | March 06, 04:26 CET

Correction Dottikin,

Morgan Freeman was in Danny the Dog aka Unleashed with Jet Li. Let me say, it was actually a good flick and of course Morgan Freeman can do no bad. He was really pleasant in it.

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 04:27 CET

Colbert! Bear attack!

IMForeman | March 06, 04:27 CET

~The 2006 Bad Kitty Awards For Achievement In Cool Stuff (That The Oscars Ignored)~

I would've nominated the films "DiG!", "We Jam Econo" and "The Aristocrats" in the Best Feature Documentary catagory alongside "March of the Penguins" and "Grizzly Man" (because rock stars and comedians should ALWAYS be in competition with penguins and grizzly bears.)

Nominated, Best Lead Actor: Bill Murray for "Broken Flowers", Kevin Bacon for "The Woodsman" and Eric Bana for "Munich".

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Happy Endings".

Nominated, Art Direction: "Sin City" and "2046".

Nominated, Best Foreign Film: "Caché" (Hidden) and "2046".

Nominated, Adapted Screenplay: "Sin City", "Jarhead" and "Everything Is Illuminated".

Nominated, Best Picture: "Jarhead" and "A History of Violence".

Nominated, Best Onscreen Duo That Aren't Called Jack & Ennis: Val Kilmer & Robert Downey Jr in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang".

Nominated, Disturbed Me A Little Bit.. But I Think I Liked It: "Palindromes", "Mysterious Skin", "Last Days", "9 Songs" and "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things".

Other than that, amazingly, I actually rather approve of this years nominatations...

Bad Kitty | March 06, 04:31 CET

There must not have been time to get Don Knotts in there.

IMForeman | March 06, 04:34 CET

Ok. I missed that Brock Peters died this year. Suck.

ON EDIT:

There must not have been time to get Don Knotts in there.

He died in 2006, not 2005. Same with Darren McGavin, who was once grilled over dinner by me and a friend of mine when we were young about just how they got his eye that way in The Natural.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2006-03-06 05:36 ]

theonetruebix | March 06, 04:34 CET

I'm going to have to throw my lot in with the Rachel McAdams fans. She's one of those actresses that can make your heart melt (or break) with just a smile. And the fact that she also played the bitchy one in Mean Girls cracks me up.

RayHill | March 06, 04:35 CET

I’m glad to hear “The Upside of Anger” praise. I have loved Mike Binder since the days of “The Mind of the Married Man.” I would nominate Binder for screenplay and direction, but not supporting actor. He creeped me out too much as Shep, but I guess, if that was his intention, maybe he should be nominated for acting.

And for the made up category, I would create “Best Performance By An Animal, Child, Or Other Difficult Actor.” I won’t make a further comment on that category, but wasn’t Donald Sutherland fantastic in “Pride and Prejudice”?

Pliny | March 06, 04:38 CET

Eric Bana in Munich
Maria Bello in A History of Violence
David Cronenberg for A History of Violence

P.S. When will audience members at the Oscars learn to wait until the "In Memoriam" portion of the show is over before they applaud? Does everything have to be a popularity contest?

| March 06, 04:39 CET

Ok. I missed that Brock Peters died this year. Suck.

I'm still pissed that when Richard Pryor died, there was barely a mention in the american news. Everytime Paris Hilton pukes it's front page, but when Richard Pryor dies, we barely notice. Feelthy media. Ptuey....

EdDantes | March 06, 04:40 CET

Everytime I see Sutherland I see Merrick.

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 04:40 CET

ooh, Bad Kitty, I totally forgot about 2046, maybe because the release date was so screwy, and even though I'm a huge fan of Wong Kar-Wai, his name never pops up naturally for me. But 2046 and Best of Youth (though technically released a few years ago, only debuted in the U.S. last year) should totally, totally have been nominated.

ETA: I adore Lily Tomlin. She has the best laugh in the world!

[ edited by dottikin on 2006-03-06 05:43 ]

dottikin | March 06, 04:41 CET

Everytime I see Sutherland I see that last shot from Bodysnatchers where he points and screams.

IMForeman | March 06, 04:41 CET

Yeah. Where was Bette Midler singing, "My Turn (You Take Care Of Me)"?

LMAO! :-)

Yes, yes, a theme song! Note for future filmmaking, 'kay, Joss? So, um, "You'll Never See Me" from "Goners" by Bryan Adams, and "She's My Best Friend Forever" from "Wonder Woman" by Randy Newman? ;-)

billz | March 06, 04:42 CET

*shakes head*
my heart just broke.
*shakes fist*

SNUB!

One day. One day, I'm going to win the Academy Award for Best Actress as an Amazonian super hero. Let's see 'em protest THAT.

*cries*

Arabchick | March 06, 04:42 CET

Constant Gardner deserved the editing award...

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 04:43 CET

I'll just say this, Arabchick. "Tsotsi" is also very strong, not some dumb romantic comedy or something. But I'll totally pay to see you at the theatre as WW -- yeah, you go, girl! ;-)

billz | March 06, 04:44 CET

SNUB!

Heh. Just because something doesn't win doesn't make it a snub. Tsotsi is supposed to be amazingly good, and it's based on a novel by Athol Fugard. Not like something with nothing to it won the award. ;)

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2006-03-06 05:46 ]

theonetruebix | March 06, 04:45 CET

Arabchick, here's a *hug*! I'll look forward to seeing you as WW!!

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 04:46 CET

...and "She's My Best Friend Forever" from "Wonder Woman" by Randy Newman? ;-)

I can hear it now.

She's a Wonder Woman.
A Woman of Wonders.
When she get's mad
She's a Woman who Thunders.
But she's my best friend.
Best Friend Forever.

She's from Paradise Island
An island of women
Themescra, an Amazon Highland
is a place of no men.
But she's my best friend.
Best Friend Forever.

BFF.

IMForeman | March 06, 04:48 CET

I have not been able to see a Sutherland movie since I found out what a *ick he was in the original Buffy movie

I'm petty that way.

One of these days, the academy will BOW to Joss...

All Bow to Joss!
All Bow to Joss!
All Bow to Joss!
All Bow to Joss!

hbojo | March 06, 04:49 CET

You people are all actually watching this on tv. I didn't even know the award show was on tonight. I don't even have a tv. I feel so alone.

DejaThoris | March 06, 04:52 CET

I'm more upset that the protestors got their way in changing "Palestine" to "Palestinian Territory." It really just breaks my heart. When they announced the nominations and they said Palestine, I was honestly surprised. Would it have been that much of a big deal for them to leave it be? The snub is there in the fact that those 4 syllables were added at the end of Palestine. And that the Academy will bend because of a petition.

I have no doubt that "Tsotsi" is a strong film and I admit that I'm totally biased in favor of "Paradise Now." We all have our movies/actors/actresses we're cheering for.

Arabchick | March 06, 04:53 CET

Serenity for Best Picture and Joss for Best Director, of course. We saw it 3 times (taking our employees the 3rd time), while you'd have to pay ME to see any of the movies actually nominated.

While I love Keira Knightly, I did have the misfortune to see Pride and Prejudice. Anyone who thought that movie or it's actors merited any awards (other than set design, perhaps) needs to run not walk to the video store and buy the A&E version from ~10 years ago.

rkayn | March 06, 04:54 CET

She's a Wonder Woman.
A Woman of Wonders.
When she get's mad
She's a Woman who Thunders.
But she's my best friend.
Best Friend Forever.

Hey, IMForeman, who needs Randy Newman when they've got US? Excellent lyrics!! ;-P

billz | March 06, 04:55 CET

Steve Carrell - The 40 Year Old Virgin

Unitas | March 06, 05:00 CET

Joss, Rosario Dawson? She was good, but nothing special. Granted I haven't seen the original stage RENT, hard over here in Finland, but I thought she was too old to play Mimi, who's 19...

Andrew Tom | March 06, 05:00 CET

Go Reese!

pat32082 | March 06, 05:01 CET

Man I really wanted David Stratham to win for Good Night and Good Luck. He was chilling.

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 05:04 CET

Go Reese! not for Walk the Line, b/c I'm not a big watcher of biopics or political movies, but she was beyond kick-ass in Freeway, 10 years ago. I remember watching that movie and falling in love, and no matter how many limp romantic comedies she has made since, I still adore her.

oh, and absolute agree about Pride and Prejudice -- the BBC version is a near-perfect adaptation of Austen's novel, and Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth are forever in my mind the perfect Lizzie Bennet and Darcy.

[ edited by dottikin on 2006-03-06 06:06 ]

dottikin | March 06, 05:04 CET

Go Reese!

Totally. Not surprising to me though. Many years ago, when she was much younger and doing stuff like The Man In The Moon (no not the Andy Kaufman picture), you could tell where she was headed.

theonetruebix | March 06, 05:05 CET

Ah, Reese is such a sweetie! I was glad she won! DejaThoris, I haven't been watching the whole thing, I usually tune in near the end to just watch the big awards being given out. I was actually watching a couple of episodes Miracles earlier which I haven't yet finished the DVDs and am yet again blown away by another great show that was never given a chance.

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 05:07 CET

And you know, I have to give props to her husband, too. I never could tell if Ryan was the real deal or not, but he kicked ass in "Crash."

pat32082 | March 06, 05:08 CET

I think somebody has been hit with The Giggle Loop.

IMForeman | March 06, 05:09 CET

Arg. Am I the only one who thinks Crash is good but not awesome?

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 05:15 CET

Arabchick, I am definitely planning to buy Paradise Now when it comes out on DVD.

Ed Dantes, which America do you live in? I saw tons of coverage on Richard Pryor's death. Re which, RIP. There's plenty of institutionalized racism in America, no doubt, but I thought Pryor's death was covered fully and respectfully.

cronopio | March 06, 05:17 CET

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire should have gotten nominations for Visual Effects, Score, and Costumes. Also, though the part was small, Fiennes should have gotten something for his portrayal of Voldemort.

In my opinion, HPatGoF was the most snubbed film of the year, followed by Revenge of the Sith. Who did Lucas finally t'off to not be nominated for visual effects or costumes? If you ask me, the movie industry had a bad year and took it out on films that actually did well at the box office.

The_Joker | March 06, 05:20 CET

I guess I'm a little late to the party. Anyway here are my snubs:

Thandie Newton for Best Supporting Actress in Crash (although I think you can make an argument for any member of that cast to get a Supporting Actor/Actress nomination)

Sin City for Visual Effects and Cinematography (that film is just oh so pretty to look at)

and

Grizzly Man for Best Documentary

WindTheFrog | March 06, 05:21 CET

Arg. Am I the only one who thinks Crash is good but not awesome?

You are not alone.

Bad Kitty | March 06, 05:23 CET

I, for one, am happy to see Lucas' work be snubbed. It, and he, deserve to be at this point. As for effects, I'm sorry, but I don't think a movie that loudly screams with practically every frame "LOOK ITS A COOL ALL-CGI SCENE AREN'T WE JUST AMAZING" is something that deserves any sort of reward at all.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2006-03-06 06:25 ]

theonetruebix | March 06, 05:24 CET

The use of the words "Social Signifigance" there, I find somewhat troublesome. While I think it's certainly germaine for the Best Picture category, I just don't think the impact on contemporary social issues should be a consideration in ANY other category. Best Director should simply be on the Directorial merit, not on any other facet of the film.

I first thought this in the Best Score category, where I honestly felt Brokeback had the weakest score, but it was nominated and won and I'm just not sure that it really earned that on the merit of the score. I don't know, but were I the composer, that would always bug me. If I really earned it.

Know what I mean?

IMForeman | March 06, 05:24 CET

Don't agree with best movie. But what can ya do.

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 05:24 CET

I loved "Crash." *covers ears against dissenters*

pat32082 | March 06, 05:24 CET

Arg. Am I the only one who thinks Crash is good but not awesome?

Nope, definitely not alone.

dottikin | March 06, 05:25 CET

Oh.My.God.

*is genuinely shocked*

Bad Kitty | March 06, 05:26 CET

Dude... best picture is one category you should not get played off on... it's the big'un!

IMForeman | March 06, 05:27 CET

Well, it wasn't as good as Munich or Good Night and Good Luck...didn't see Brokeback or Capote.

But it was a good movie, and I think it was kind of an underdog. Hell, Jack Nicholson looked surprised when he read it!

Rogue Slayer | March 06, 05:27 CET

Crash was so very very good. Yaaaay! Although I think it sort of unusual that Reese got such a long time but Best picture got music'd out.

VeryVeryCrowded | March 06, 05:28 CET

I also have yet to see Brokeback, I'd like to see if its awesome also. I'm sure its good, but Good Night was snubbed, Syriana's screenplay was snubbed, Munich was snubbed. Munich was so suspenseful, I loved it.

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 05:28 CET

pat32082: I loved Crash too.
Rogue Slayer: it was totally the underdog. I didn't see it coming.
That was a film I didn't see in the theater, but bought it immediately when it came out on DVD. Since then, I've watched it with everyone I know who hasn't seen it. Its that kind of movie that you want to show everyone, if not just so you have someone to talk to about it. The whole cast, but especially Terrence Howard and (you were toally right WindTheFrog) Thandie Newton, did a great job. I didn't think it had a chance to win Best Picture. I was definetly surprised.

Arabchick | March 06, 05:29 CET

I also saw a lot of coverage for Richard Pryor's passing. Had a hard time explaining to my kids who he was because I was tearing up so much.

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 05:31 CET

Best Director: Michael Haneke for Caché. It's not my favorite movie of the year (which was Crash) but I'm just so impressed how he handled that movie, it something I have trouble believing anyone else could have pulled off.

And what a shocker with Crash as best film. I was sitting here getting a bit bored, every single one of my predictions went through (didn't predict the shorts and song) and I was felt like a very predictable year. And then Crash goes home and wins the big one. Yikes!

[ edited by Djungelurban on 2006-03-06 06:34 ]

Djungelurban | March 06, 05:32 CET

Here's one mod back on (been at work all day), just in time to make the link go somewhere - yep, I'm anal like that. :)

Crash won Best Pic? Jeez. I remember reading the L.A. Times' scathing review when it was released and thinking "there's one I don't need to go see."

SoddingNancyTribe | March 06, 05:32 CET

Horrific scenes over at the IMDB 'Brokeback Mountain' board right now. Sort of thing that makes you ashamed to be seen as part of the human race. Seriously.

Bad Kitty | March 06, 05:34 CET

Munich was so suspenseful, I loved it.

Hehe, probably not so suspenseful for those who were alive back then! Which doesn't include me...but thanks to wikipedia, I knew the story. But I agree, it was a wonderful movie. Hey, Spielberg ain't 'da man' for nothing!

Rogue Slayer | March 06, 05:35 CET

Man I really wanted David Stratham to win for Good Night and Good Luck. He was chilling.

Me, too. He's been one of my favorite actors ever since he appeared on "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," and I think the role in this movie is representative of his body of work.

P.S. I'm really glad Crash won....

Nebula1400 | March 06, 05:35 CET

LOL - I just read Joss's tags!

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 05:35 CET

Serenity, best screenplay.
Fillion, best actor
Ron Glass, best supporting
Gina Torres, best supporting
Summer Glau, best actress
Whedon, best director

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 05:36 CET

Ed Dantes, which America do you live in? I saw tons of coverage on Richard Pryor's death. Re which, RIP. There's plenty of institutionalized racism in America, no doubt, but I thought Pryor's death was covered fully and respectfully.

First off, I live in Los Angeles, and my wife heard a mention on the radio. I went to every news site, barely found a line and never saw anything on any TV news except for a tiny moving line at the bottom. Guess I somehow missed it all then.

Secondly, I didn't say a single word about racism. Which is probably because I wasn't thinking about racism in any way. No idea why you even bring it up. I'm just as peeved that Peter Ustinov's death was hardly mentioned at the time. (Not even AICN could be bothered to write a single line).

Arg. Am I the only one who thinks Crash is good but not awesome?

No, same here. Good movie, sure. I liked it. But 'Munich' and 'Good Night' kicked its ass if you ask me. Oh well, almost everybody got something I guess.

EdDantes | March 06, 05:36 CET

DJUNGELURBAN, Michael Haneke is a filmmaking god. Actually. He's more like a filmmaking demon. He's beyond brilliant and will never be rightfully appreciated in his time. I'm sure you've seen "The Piano Teacher" and "Code Unknown" and (afraid to even type the title) "Funny Games" but if you haven't, tough it out and enjoy the sensory bitch-slapping. VERY excited to see his name mentioned on this board.

TheZeppo | March 06, 05:37 CET

Clooney got the one award he didn't deserve. His award was clearly Best Screenplay or Director, yet he wins best supporting for Syriana. Best supporting should've gone to the Saudi guy that Clooney's after in the movie. Well...had he been nominated.

ChosenOne5376 | March 06, 05:39 CET

And Reese Witherspoon is winning ten years later for "Freeway."

TheZeppo | March 06, 05:40 CET

Well, I frickin loved King Kong, went in not expecting much, and it blew my head off.

nixygirl | March 06, 05:41 CET

Ed, I didn't think your comment was racist at all and have to agree about your Paris Hilton comment. Why is she a celebrity in the first place? I almost gag and puke everytime I see her!

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 05:41 CET

Nixygirl - the game was so good it made me want to see the movie, which I'll be getting on DVD. I was a big fan of the original and didn't think I'd really want to see this remake. My kids went and saw it (after playing the game) and absolutely loved it.

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 05:42 CET

Biggest snub of the year:

Kate Dollenmayar in "Funny Ha Ha"

Unlike anything any actress has ever done before.

TheZeppo | March 06, 05:43 CET

So, Joss~

What do YOU think of the actual outcome of the Oscars. Thoughts? Opinions? Wishes? Amorphous babble? Inquiring minds WANT to know :-)

Kessa | March 06, 05:43 CET

No, actually Caché was my very first Haneke experience but I'm sure to check the rest out aswell. I'm especially curious about Funny Games being a bit of a thriller geek, partly just because it's, I presume, highly ironic title.

Djungelurban | March 06, 05:43 CET

Just got done watching the awards as well. Thought about doing picture in picture with this thread in the small pic, but, you know, I was busy enjoying the pageantry or something (eyerolling) :) It reminded me there are a number of flicks that I didn't see cause I was totally too busy moderating and stuff ;)

zeitgeist | March 06, 05:45 CET

You just have no idea how much, Djungelurban. My first was "Code Unknown" and I had a new favorite contemporary filmmaker. But his masterpiece is "Piano Teacher."

And I'm still shaking from "Funny Games."

Can't wait to discuss them with you!

TheZeppo | March 06, 05:47 CET

Nolan - Batman Begins. Crafting a film like that is very hard. And it turned out really interesting. And profitable.

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard for the music for Batman Begins. That music is really wonderful. Anyway, I'm glad the beautiful music for Brokeback Mountain won.
Bye now...must get back to watching Sin City with the Rodriguez/Tarrantino commentary.
: )

AmazonGirl | March 06, 05:49 CET

Revenge of the Sith for Best Visual Effects. Whatever you think of the film (I personally think the first half was a boring and unengaging), the visual effects were head and shoulders the best of the year - perhaps ever.

Also deserving of mention: Christian Bale and Michael Caine for Batman Begins. They gave that movie its heart and its soul.

CG-Realms | March 06, 05:50 CET

Tsotsi won Foreign Language Film... nice to see the film that pipped Serenity (and MirrorMask) to the audience award at the Edinburgh Film Festival doing well beyond that somewhat personally irksome plaudit.

Craig Oxbrow | March 06, 05:51 CET

Disagree re: Revenge of the Sith. It was well done, but none of it blew me away and none of it was anything we haven't seen before. It also didn't just become part of the movie for me, I always had the feeling that hey there's some vxf. It was certainly good stuff, as always from them, but I didn't think it merited any particular recognition. Your mileage may vary.

Bale and Caine were most excellent in Bats Begins.

zeitgeist | March 06, 05:52 CET

Good Night and Good Luck was a GREAT movie, but I knew it wasn't going to win. It was too intelligent. While I would have been in awe and in agreement if it had won, I'm glad Crash got it instead. Both movies give people something to think about afterward, and honestly, the issues brought out in Crash are more universal and pressing to more people than in Brokeback Mountain. Racism is such a pervasive issue, it crosses all other lines - economic, political, sexual, etc. I also loved Paul Haggis's quoting Bertolt Brecht, because that quote is ultimately the paradigm that drives many artists to create challenging works.

I'm not saying the issues in Brokeback are unimportant, but that movie is sort of like Titanic - decent to watch once, but over exposed and ultimately you feel empty afterwards. At least I did. It was "Love Story, but with Gay Cowboys." I still feel the story was missing a crucial transition between the two men going from being work buddies to lifelong lovers.

Nebula1400 | March 06, 05:53 CET

Ed, I didn't think your comment was racist at all and have to agree about your Paris Hilton comment. Why is she a celebrity in the first place? I almost gag and puke everytime I see her!

Oh I know! When does it end? How can someone be famous for being a spoiled, talentless rich kid who somehow manages to think the world of herself? I swear, ten years from now people will make jokes on VH1 about why in the world she was somehow considered Ptuey! Let's speak of her no more...

Clooney got the one award he didn't deserve. His award was clearly Best Screenplay or Director,"

Yeah I was kinda hoping he'd get that one. There was something very powerful about the pure and basic style of "Good Night"'s visual storytelling.

EdDantes | March 06, 05:55 CET

You know what I think is interesting is how my mind didn't even cross the 'Brokeback Mountain didn't win because it has gay men in it' line until the news afterward, where there was a guy on it using his screen time to tell everyone how horrible we all are. I honestly think that Crash is worthy of the award, and it's absolutely fantastic that it won. It was very well done, its message didn't blare at you, it was subtle and gave messages not only on racism but also on what you value the the most. I think it did that very well. Had it been done differently, if it was screaming at you in the face its message, I wouldn't've liked it.

VeryVeryCrowded | March 06, 05:59 CET

Oh seriously Firefly Flanatic? Man, I have wanted to buy it, and I'm thinking I may just.

Michelle Williams in BrokeBack, kinda broke my heart, she was good.
As was Matt Dillan, in Crash.
Plus, I'll vote for Tim burton, I love his stop motion stuff;
King Kong for art direction;
Memoirs of a Geisha for cinematography;
Charlie and the Chocolate factory for costumes;
Crash for directing and editing;
Star Wars for make up (only cause I know one of the guys);
Brokeback Mountain for music;
Paradise Lost best foreign;
Walk the Line sound mixing, and Joaquin for best actor (just love him).
I haven't seen enough of the movies to pick a best actress or best movie as yet.
So there ya go. Nix list.

nixygirl | March 06, 06:03 CET

[T]he issues brought out in Crash are more universal and pressing to more people than in Brokeback Mountain

Well, I see what you're saying, but that would never be my measure of what makes a good movie. Not having seen either, that's about as much as I can say on that one.

What I really want to know is: how did Jon Stewart do in the final appraisal?

SoddingNancyTribe | March 06, 06:04 CET

It's inevitable, if BM had won there would be people screaming that it only won because it was a controversial subject and because it didn't win there will be those who claim it is because it had gay leading characters.

[ edited by Firefly Flanatic on 2006-03-06 07:05 ]

Firefly Flanatic | March 06, 06:05 CET

Best Animated Short: Don Hertzfeldt - The Meaning of Life

zoinkers | March 06, 06:06 CET

Definitely Grizzly Man for Best Documentary. What an amazing film.

And yay Joss for the Spidey 2 love! ...Not so much for the love of The Shriek-y Annoying One...AKA Dakota Fanning. War of the Worlds sucked, as has most of her filmography.

And Crash won Best Picture...wow...I was slightly pissed...

UnpluggedCrazy | March 06, 06:07 CET

I stopped taking the Oscars seriously with Chariots of Fire. The fact Serenity was ignored only reinforces my decision. I went to see two films last year. Batman Begins, and Serenity. I made a pact with a friend that I'd go see Batman Begins with him, if he went to see Serenity with me. By the way he now has the DVD set too, and when he found out his favorite author, Orson Scott Card, was also a fan, my buddy was SOLD on this. He's in some ways a bigger fan now than I am. LOL! I'm sure all those other films are great and blah blah blah...

Serenity was the only film last year that I HAD to see in the movie theater. I only wish I could put a golden naked guy on the mantle of every single person who had anything to do with the film. Though why anyone would want a golden naked guy on their mantle is beyond me.

...

(actually I lied. Three movies. I had to see Hitchhiker's last year too, but I only appreciated it out of respect for The Dead Tall One. The end result was more like a vain attempt at a racy family film. Serenity was the only movie I HAD to see last year that was actually GOOD. Batman Begins by the way was very ...okay, and I'm glad my friend talked me into going.)

[ edited by ZachsMind on 2006-03-06 19:23 ]

ZachsM

March 06 2006