that 78th Academy Awards? I've Got A Say!

Enough said, I am presenting these films and the stars who will go down in the history of either being robbed or being sentimentally acknowledged.

This is how a popularity show works, and make that for almost eight decades.

BEST PICTURE
Will win:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Should win:
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Comment:
The wave of praises is unstoppable for Brokeback Mountain, a film that breaks the barrier of traditional values, and more than that, a film that gives the Western genre a refreshing look while maintaining the genre’s dignity in a very subtle way. However, as far as relevancy to the current state of the world is greatly indebted to the presence of media, no other film can be as smart as Good Night, and Good Luck. Sleek and substantial, the film made me applauding every single speech bravely spoken out. To think that the film is set some fifty decades earlier yet its resonance is still strong as of today is a cinematic achievement unlike any other kind.
Should have been nominated:
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE



BEST DIRECTOR
Will win:
ANG LEE (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN)
Should win:
ANG LEE (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN)
Comment:
No other director is able to redefine a genre, and no other director can be fairly giving each and every character in a film their own voice equally compelling to grab and win our attention. No other director can be patiently guiding us to the lives as vastly different from one another, and no other director can be this innocent in looking at the world, thus constantly giving us films that are not judgmental, but strikes to our mind and emotion.
Should have been nominated:
FERNANDO MEIRELLES (THE CONSTANT GARDENER)
DAVID CRONENBERG (A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE)

BEST ACTOR, LEADING ROLE
Will win:
PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (CAPOTE)
Should win: P
HILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (CAPOTE)
Comment:
Unlike any other overdue thespians who get the accolade in some mediocre role, Hoffman triumphs in arguably his role of a lifetime. More than just donning a spectacle and delivering the lines in squeaky voice, Hoffman breathes the soul of otherwise despicable character, leaving us rooting for Capote’s arrogance and by that, we are won over.
Should have been nominated:
RUSSEL CROWE (CINDERELLA MAN)



BEST ACTRESS, LEADING ROLE
Will win:
REESE WITHERSPOON (WALK THE LINE)
Should win:
FELICITY HUFFMAN (TRANSAMERICA)
Comment:
It is interesting how Witherspoon injects much of her own persona in the character of June Carter, and by that, we know how Witherspoon hijacks the film completely from Joaquin Phoenix. Yet, as much as Witherspoon’s ability to carry both dramatic and musical quality at the same time is applaudable, no other actress could match Huffman’s believable, thus terrifying, transformation as a transvestite on the verge of her complete womanhood. A very challenging role that she carries under her skin so convincingly that we do not have problems accepting and acknowledging her full-of-life presence that beguils us for years to come.
Should have been nominated:
JOAN ALLEN (THE UPSIDE OF ANGER)

BEST ACTOR, SUPPORTING ROLE
Will win:
GEORGE CLOONEY (SYRIANA)
Should win:
JAKE GYLLENHAAL (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN)
Comment:
Two actors are vying for sentimental values here. Paul Giamatti for being snubbed two years in a row for American Splendor and Sideways, and George Clooney who stands a ghost of a chance in two other categories he’s nominated in. Clooney might walk up to the stage, thanks to his undeniable charming charisma, and add that to the fact that Hollywood loves de-glamorizing its gorgeous habitants.
However, as much as sensitivity goes, no other actor in this category has a rich character as Jake Gyllenhaal’s character in Brokeback Mountain, a film that generously showcases his character in a life journey, allowing us to see his emotional and psychological development. As a tortured and tormented cowboy, Gyllenhaal embodies this character with a tenderness that in turn, leave us in tears.
Should have been nominated:
TERRENCE HOWARD (CRASH)



BEST ACTRESS, SUPPORTING ROLE
Will win:
RACHEL WEISZ (THE CONSTANT GARDENER)
Should win:
-
Comment:
I’m sorry, but as much as I think that Rachel Weisz is an underrated actress of this decade and as much as I praise her luminuous performance in The Constant Gardener (arguably the best in the film), I do not place my faith of such a character could pull off an Oscar quality.
Yet, this is the weakest major category, as what we have here is less than stellar. Catherine Keener has to settle being shadowed by Hoffman, whereas Michelle Williams experience the same from her own hubby, Heath Ledger. The fact that the two actresses I have championed for were not nominated might pretty much affect my decision to leave this category up in the smoke.
Should have been nominated:
MARIA BELLO (A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE)
SCARLETT JOHANSSON (MATCH POINT)
GONG LI (MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Will win:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Should win:
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Comment:
A beautiful short story that gets its justice after being translated in a screenplay that does not speak much, but tells all we need to know, including the unspoken quality of longing for love, and affection. What could possibly top that?
Should have been nominated:
(doesn't SYRIANA actually belong in this category instead?)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will win:
CRASH
Should win:
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
Comment:
A film about interracial slur with a strong echo of post-9/11 trauma is exactly what America needs to hear, and having lines that reflect the painful scars is indeed what made Crash an unusual, likeable subject.
However, referring to my choice on Best Picture above, it’s been a while since we have a film that overwhelms us with its stature speeches, and leaving us staring in wonder and amazement at the white screen while absorbing every single sentence to our hunger mind of a good film. Good Night, and Good Luck. does that all.
Should have been nominated:
ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Will win:
PARADISE NOW
Should win:
PARADISE NOW
Comment:
To all Tsotsi fan out there, I understand that the film’s beguiling story about low life in South Africa is one thing to notice. Yet, rip off the background of the story, and replace it with Bronx for example, will it be hardly any different from any of earlier Spike Lee’s works? The same case can not be applied to Paradise Now, as a story on jihad is distinctively owned by the country where it was produced.
Should have been nominated:
C.R.A.Z.Y. (Canada)



BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Will win:
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
Should win:
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
Comment:
The best selection in this category ever since it was created 4 years ago. How thankful we are that the voters are not that easily surrendered to the charm of a has-been company called Disney!

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Will win:
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
Should win:
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
Comment:
Here's my piece on a little flick about a circle of life of that cutesy penguins: it is overrated. What appeals to me from the US version is the grand voiceover on the narration as provided by Morgan Freeman, but the subject per se is hardly related and appealing to the circle of of our own lives as the filmmakers intended, in one way or another. Thus, as the echo of last year's snub on Fahrenheit 9/11 is still too strong to ignore, my choice falls on to Enron, a political statement that goes in tune with the year's Oscar color.
Should have been nominated:
MAD HOT BALLROOM
RIZE


There you go once again, this year’s prediction of 11 major categories, and as much as I try not having any puns intended, I’d like to extend my heartiest greeting to all of you gearing up for Academy Awards on March 5:

Good night, and good luck. :)