Oscar Picks
4:00 PM -- For your perusal, my Oscar picks.
And, I've taken the care to only pick winners in categories where I haven't actually seen any of the films nominated. Think of it as objectivity taken to its most ridiculous extreme. Nominations are listed below each category, and my pick is below that. Parenthetically I've listed my reasoning, if any:
ACTOR – LEADING
Philip Seymour Hoffman – CAPOTE
Terrence Howard - HUSTLE & FLOW
Heath Ledger - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Joaquin Phoenix - WALK THE LINE
David Strathairn - GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
The Philter picks:
Philip Seymour Hoffman – CAPOTE (Only because Steve Carell isn't nominated)
SHORT FILM – ANIMATED
BADGERED
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO
9
ONE MAN BAND
The Philter picks:
9 (I didn't see 1 through 8, either. So I guess I haven't missed much.)
ACTRESS – LEADING
Judi Dench - MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
Felicity Huffman - TRANSAMERICA
Keira Knightley - PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Charlize Theron - NORTH COUNTRY
Reese Witherspoon - WALK THE LINE
The Philter picks:
Heath Ledger - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (I'm submitting a write-in vote on this one.)
ART DIRECTION
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
The Philter picks:
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (Original title of the film was "Let's Try to Forget Dan Rather.")
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
MURDERBALL
STREET FIGHT
The Philter picks:
MURDERBALL (This is what we called dodgeball at Burlington Elementary, Burlington, KY.)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
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
The Philter picks:
THE MUSHROOM CLUB (It puts the fun in fungus.)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
DON’T TELL
JOYEUX NOËL
PARADISE NOW
SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS
TSOTSI
The Philter picks:
TSOTSI (This is the category where sounding foreign actually helps.)
ORIGINAL SCORE
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
MUNICH
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
The Philter picks:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Lots of original scoring going on in that film.)
SHORT FILM – LIVE ACTION
AUSREISSER (THE RUNAWAY)
CASHBACK
THE LAST FARM
OUR TIME IS UP
SIX SHOOTER
The Philter picks:
THE LAST FARM (First rule of filmmaking: All films about farms should be short.)
SOUND EDITING
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WAR OF THE WORLDS
The Philter picks:
KING KONG (Big monkey factor.)
SOUND MIXING
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WALK THE LINE
WAR OF THE WORLDS
The Philter picks:
WALK THE LINE (It's hard to make anyone sound that bad.)
VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
WAR OF THE WORLDS
The Philter picks:
WAR OF THE WORLDS (For making Tom Cruise appear less crazy.)
SCREENPLAY – ADAPTED
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
MUNICH
The Philter picks:
MUNICH (Looks closest to the word, Munchy. One of my favorite words.)
— Phil Harvey, Fine Arts Editor, Light Reading
And, I've taken the care to only pick winners in categories where I haven't actually seen any of the films nominated. Think of it as objectivity taken to its most ridiculous extreme. Nominations are listed below each category, and my pick is below that. Parenthetically I've listed my reasoning, if any:
ACTOR – LEADING
Philip Seymour Hoffman – CAPOTE
Terrence Howard - HUSTLE & FLOW
Heath Ledger - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Joaquin Phoenix - WALK THE LINE
David Strathairn - GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
The Philter picks:
Philip Seymour Hoffman – CAPOTE (Only because Steve Carell isn't nominated)
SHORT FILM – ANIMATED
BADGERED
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO
9
ONE MAN BAND
The Philter picks:
9 (I didn't see 1 through 8, either. So I guess I haven't missed much.)
ACTRESS – LEADING
Judi Dench - MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
Felicity Huffman - TRANSAMERICA
Keira Knightley - PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Charlize Theron - NORTH COUNTRY
Reese Witherspoon - WALK THE LINE
The Philter picks:
Heath Ledger - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (I'm submitting a write-in vote on this one.)
ART DIRECTION
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
The Philter picks:
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (Original title of the film was "Let's Try to Forget Dan Rather.")
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
MURDERBALL
STREET FIGHT
The Philter picks:
MURDERBALL (This is what we called dodgeball at Burlington Elementary, Burlington, KY.)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
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
The Philter picks:
THE MUSHROOM CLUB (It puts the fun in fungus.)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
DON’T TELL
JOYEUX NOËL
PARADISE NOW
SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS
TSOTSI
The Philter picks:
TSOTSI (This is the category where sounding foreign actually helps.)
ORIGINAL SCORE
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
MUNICH
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
The Philter picks:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Lots of original scoring going on in that film.)
SHORT FILM – LIVE ACTION
AUSREISSER (THE RUNAWAY)
CASHBACK
THE LAST FARM
OUR TIME IS UP
SIX SHOOTER
The Philter picks:
THE LAST FARM (First rule of filmmaking: All films about farms should be short.)
SOUND EDITING
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WAR OF THE WORLDS
The Philter picks:
KING KONG (Big monkey factor.)
SOUND MIXING
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WALK THE LINE
WAR OF THE WORLDS
The Philter picks:
WALK THE LINE (It's hard to make anyone sound that bad.)
VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
WAR OF THE WORLDS
The Philter picks:
WAR OF THE WORLDS (For making Tom Cruise appear less crazy.)
SCREENPLAY – ADAPTED
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
MUNICH
The Philter picks:
MUNICH (Looks closest to the word, Munchy. One of my favorite words.)
— Phil Harvey, Fine Arts Editor, Light Reading
