Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

This is an easy pick for me: Amy Adams, all the way, in one of the best acted films of the decade (Celia Weston would have made another worthy nominee). I haven't been a huge fan of what she's done since (she almost single-handedly made Julie & Julia crumble), but she's wonderful here. Michelle...

Madsen vs. Linney for me. It was a crushing shame that Linney was Kinsey's only nomination. She's pretty wonderful in the role, but Madsen is so perfectly cast in Sideways that it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime performance. Madsen gets my vote. Cate Blanchett--like Kate Winslet--won her Oscar for...

Wow, Magilla. I can't say I know where all the vitriol comes from--this lineup isn't exactly inspired, but, in terms of overall quality, it's in keeping with previous years (and far better, I think, than the nadir of 2000). Anyway, I agree that Aghdashloo is the best here. Her film is an overwrough...

I think 4 of the nominees here--Bates, Zeta-Jones, Latifah, and Moore--were were swept in by good will for their films or characters, rather than their particular performances. Bates is the only one in the bunch who goes beyond the call of duty, adding a layer of simmering anger to her role. Like T...

This group was a marked improvement on the previous year. All are deserving as nominees. My personal pick was Kerry Armstrong for Lantana. From this field, the first out is Tomei. On the plus side, she manages to make her character both sympathetic and a bit maddening--a pretty neat trick. But the ...

I'm not over the moon about any of the nominees here. My personal pick, as I recall, was Jennifer Ehle for the long-forgotten Sunshine. Hudson and Dench were both competent, but neither memorable. I find Marcia Gay Harden far too mannered (and later, in her second nominated performance, downright i...

Jolie's performance was one of those that seemed to divide people: those who thought she was revelatory vs. those who had no idea what all the fuss was about. I was definitely in the latter camp. Her character is troubled, and she "plays crazy," but beyond that there's nothing very specia...

I remember finding Blethyn amusing, but incapable of creating anything resembling a human being. It was certainly ironic that she received the only nomination for a film that seemed like a vehicle for Caine and Horrocks. Redgrave was a very good actress, and she nails the accent in G&M. But I w...

Nelligan and Elliot would have definitely been stronger choices than Basinger, Stuart, or Driver. I didn't pay any attention to the SAG awards this year, so Driver's nomination really left me stunned. I can't remember anything about the performance (or the role, other than that she was Damon's girl...

And Kova, by the way... was Bacall lost more stunning than Brokeback Mountain loosing Best Picture? Even though I had a feeling it could occur I wished so much it didn't happen... That's my shockest moment ever! I would say Bacall was more surprising, mostly because after Crash won the SAG ensemble...

I don't recall Courtney Love being considered for anything but supporting awards so her lack of a nomination may have more to do with the feminine backlash against The People vs. Larry Flynt , although that didn't hurt Woody Harrelson. She was nominated as a lead at the Golden Globes, and I'm prett...

What's more interesting, Kova, is that if they were so fascinated with Paul Sorvino, then his dead-on impersonation of Henry Kissinger should have been considered and given an Oscar nomination for Nixon...but wasn't. So, it's a bit baffling altogether. Maybe it was a make up for not nominating him?...

Quinlan's nod is a perfect example of voter laziness. She's perfectly fine, but the only reason she made the cut was because voters were more familiar with her film than those of her main competitors. Sorvino's win was mostly for her role--she doesn't add much more to it than Jennifer Tilly added t...

I don't remember much about Harris in Tom & Viv, other than thinking she was solid--nothing spectacular. She at least had the NBR win, so this inclusion wasn't exactly shocking. My assumption is that Mirren was swept in by 2 factors: 1) good will over her highly buzzed work in the Prime Suspect...

Hunter's nod was the surprise; Thompson's less so, if only in retrospect (she had a big, well-delivered speech during the film's climax, and her film was an overachiever with Academy voters). Neither had any shot of winning, which might explain their reactions of sheer delight when Paquin was named...