BEST PICTURE
Picture - Studio	Comment
Munich - Universal	The movie to beat... can only lose to its own problems
The Producers - Universal	Oscar pedigree, biggest Tony winner ever, one of the few pleasant movies in contention
Memoirs of a Geisha - Columbia	Seems to be the serious arty choice that still panders well enough to be nominated
The New World - New Line	Political correctness that doesn't feel like a lecture... a breakthrough social conversation piece
Walk The Line - Fox	Will Ray kill Johnny? We'll find out. Cash's story is a bit more interesting... and his music more of a new surprise for Academy members
All The King's Men - Columbia	A solid tale with a great cast... and seven Oscar nods for the original
Jarhead - Universal	Too raw, too fresh... or a rallying cry for Hollywood's liberal community?
Elizabethtown - Paramount	Inevitably beloved, but is it Oscar?
Ask The Dust - Paramount	Is Towne's dream project real Oscar bait?
The Constant Gardener - Focus Features	Absolutely brilliant... but very small
A History Of Violence - New Line	Cronenberg's best... smart, violent and personal... hits hard
Brokeback Mountain - Focus Features	Ang Lee's cowboy drama... hmmmm
Syriana - Warner Bros	What is with this title?!?!?! Seems small and Gaghan doesn't have Soderbergh's rep
The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada	Pete Hammond already gave it the award... can he help it find a distributor?
Crash - Lions Gate	They'll push hard... uphill fight
North Country - Warner Bros	Long shot... but people are rooting for it already
Other Possibles - By Studio
Columbia/Tri-Star
Oliver Twist	More for Polanski? No singing, no dancing
Rent	How can something less than a decade old feel so passe' already?
Disney
Shopgirl	Tight, but tiny
Casanova	Not really.
DreamWorks
Match Point	One serious Woody... but will need a lot of magic
Focus
Broken Flowers	A delight, but slight
Pride & Prejudice	Focus pushed it into November in a show of great faith... very Harvey
Fox
The Family Stone	From the producer of Sideways... a spectacular cast has the studio excited
In Her Shoes	Solid, but said to be a little short
Kingdom of Heaven	A gross, a gross, my kingdom for a...
Fox Searchlight
Bee Season	Pop book... but...
Miramax
The Libertine	Johnny on the spot
Proof	This was on this same list last year at this time... and the odds of it surviving Le Divorce are bad
An Unfinished Life	Uhhhhh, yeah... maybe it will stand up as a faded photograph of what Bob and J-lo used to look like.
New Line
The Upside Of Anger	It did pretty well when it finally arrived, but no.
Paramount
Four Brothers	A long row to hoe
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'	50 Cent puts the black in irish... Jim Sheridan shoots a rap star out of America and doesn't draw attention from the 5-0
Paramount Classics
Hustle & Flow	Probably too early and too small
Twentieth Century Fox
In Her Shoes	Held over with awards hopes...
Sony Pictures Classics
Breakfast On Pluto	The great Neil Jordan returns with a transvetite saga
Capote	Can you smell the Indie Spirit awards?
Universal
Cinderella Man	TKO
King Kong	For the monkey to compete, outside of tech categories, it would... no, really... it's not funny...
Warner Indie
Good Night. And, Good Luck	Serious, smart, and black + white
March of the Penguins	Someone's gonna say it sooner than later... won't happen, but it'll come up.
The Weinstein Company
Mrs. Henderson Presents	Stephen Frears loving theater and the humanity of the aging charmers.

 

July 27 , 2005
- by David Poland