Million Dollar Baby, Finding Neverland Right Behind
with Seven
By
Sara Michelle Fetters
Martin
Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio were probably all smiles this
morning as their labor of love Howard Hughes biography The
Aviator soared with 11 Academy Award nominations, including
nods for picture, director and actor. Waiting in the wings to
land a knockout of its own, however, is the Clint
Eastwood-directed boxing drama Million Dollar Baby which
scored seven nominations, including ones for picture, actor and
actress Hilary Swank.
Overall, there were
very few surprises in this morning’s Oscar announcements. As expected
Jamie Foxx found himself a dual nominee with nomination for Best Actor
for Ray and Best Supporting Actor for his work in Collateral.
Joining Foxx in the lead actor category are DiCaprio, Eastwood, Don
Cheadle for his stellar work in Hotel Rwanda and Johnny Depp as
J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland. The only major surprise came
in this category, the actor’s branch giving the shaft to veteran
character actor Paul Giamatti for the second straight year, this time
for his sublime turn in Sideways.
The big story in
the Best Actress category is the rematch of 1999 opponents Swank and
Annette Benning (nominated for her spoiled actress character in
Being Julia). The last go-around, a very pregnant Benning was the
odds on favorite and Swank the surprise underdog. This year, those
roles seem to be reversed, but probably only slightly with the
Academy’s obvious fondness for the Benning. Working against her, this
is the only nomination for the otherwise lackluster Being Julia,
while Million Dollar Baby has quietly (and quickly) turned into
the critical darling of 2004. Joining these two as nominees are Kate
Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, veteran
British actress Imelda Staunton as a saintly abortion-giving
housekeeper in Vera Drake and Catalina Sandino Moreno as a
scared drug mule in Maria Full of Grace.
Even though
Giamatti was shut-out, Alexander Payne’s Sideways still
performed strongly with six nominations of its own including nods for
picture, director, supporting actor Thomas Haden Church and supporting
actress Virginia Madsen. Having won a bushel of critic’s awards, as
well as the Best Comedy Golden Globe, Sideways has to also be
considered a contender for the top prize even if most industry pundits
now appear to be disregarding its chances.
Filling the other
two Best Picture slots were Marc Forster’s Finding Neverland
and Taylor Hackford’s Ray which both scored an impressive seven
and six nominations respectfully. Hackford also scored a nomination
for directing, while Forster found himself the only member of the five
Best Picture nominees to not get a nod for his job handling the J.M.
Barrie biopic. The final spot was taken up by veteran Mike Leigh for
his work on Vera Drake. This is Leigh’s second nomination, his
last happening in 1996 with Secrets & Lies.
Scorsese, nominated
many times in his illustrious career yet never winning, has to be
considered the sentimental favorite this year. Working against him is
the fact many regard The Aviator, while easier to digest than
Gangs of New York, not up with the director’s best. With Golden
Globes splitting between Eastwood (for directing) and Scorsese (for
Best Drama), the same thing could happen here, but with the more
likely scenario the duo finding their awards switched.
In the other
categories, not much really came as a surprise save for Sophie Okendo
scoring a much-deserved nod for her performance as Cheadle’s
supportive wife in Hotel Rwanda. She faces stiff competition
from critical darling Madsen and Globe winner Natalie Portman of
Closer, with Cate Blanchett’s channeling of Katherine Hepburn in
The Aviator and Laura Linney as the title character’s sexually
adventurous wife in Kinsey rounding out the field.
In the race for
Supporting Actor, Church has to be seen as the frontrunner, although
with Clive Owen scoring the Golden Globe for his work in Closer
and Foxx having a real shot at becoming the first person to ever win
two Academy Awards in acting categories Church’s chances can’t be
considered a lock. But with Alan Alda, as the manipulative senator in
The Aviator, and Morgan Freeman, as the sage ex-boxer of
Million Dollar Baby, as elder statesmen who’ve never won an Oscar
(and with this actually being Alda’s first-ever nomination),
Supporting Actor could actually be the most competitive field of the
day, each of the five nominees with a shot at taking home the little
golden statue.
The year’s most
controversial pictures Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of
the Christ found themselves mostly shut out, with the latter
receiving three technical nods for Makeup, Music and Cinematography.
Michael Moore, a former documentary winner for Bowling for
Columbine, probably slit his own throat refusing to submit his
movie in the documentary category, desperately politicking his
anti-Bush polemic for a precedent-setting Best Picture nomination.
The Incredibles,
Shrek 2 and the critically-derided Shark Tale were the
Best Animated Film nominees, the surprise being the omission of the
box office smash The Polar Express. It did receive three
nominations, however, getting nods for Best Song with Glen Ballard and
Alan Silvestri’s syrupy ballad “Believe,” as well as notices for both
Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
Article Posted: 01.25.05
