Author: NewMexiKen

Carpetbagger is an Oscars blog by New York Times critic David Carr. It has included both informative and amusing writing in the lead-up to today’s nominations. You might want to bookmark it. In the meantime, I liked this little summary:

This is the year that serious films about real stuff captured a city built on selling fantasy. And while the pert little movie stars are in the race — let’s retool that speech Reese and Kiera; insouciance has its upside, no? — grown-ups who have been annealed by countless roles and time’s winged feet are in there too. Anything that gets Felicity Huffman near a microphone is a good vote, and Judi Dench’s elegant durability is something to behold. Schlubs are having a big year, which is heartening for the Bagger to see. Both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are guys who know their way around hitching up pants being forced toward earth by ample midsections. The Academy knows a good ambassador when they see one, which may be part of the reason that Terrence Howard made it into the Best Actor category. He may not be a big movie star yet, but his willingness to engage in the awards season absent archness and with a clear enthusiasm for the craft has made everyone’s job easier, including the Bagger’s. And he can rap, too, if “Hustle and Flow” is to be believed. Russell Crowe is nowhere to be seen, which is too bad for the business and not such a good thing for audiences. Tantrums aside, he combines real curb appeal and the kind of acting muscle that rarely comes along. But you can’t really doubt the process. This is the first time since 1981 that the best director and best picture categories contain the same five pictures. The Academy is of a single mind, including the fact that studios might want to try something new, like making better movies.

The major nominees:

BEST PICTURE
“Brokeback Mountain,” Diana Ossana and James Schamus, producers
“Capote,” Caroline Baron, William Vince and Michael Ohoven, producers
“Crash,” Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman, producers
“Good Night, and Good Luck,” Grant Heslov, producer
“Munich,” Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Barry Mendel, producers

BEST DIRECTOR
Ang Lee, “Brokeback Mountain”
Bennett Miller, “Capote”
Paul Haggis, “Crash”
George Clooney, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
Steven Spielberg, “Munich”

BEST ACTRESS
Judi Dench, “Mrs. Henderson Presents”
Felicity Huffman, “Transamerica”
Keira Knightley, “Pride & Prejudice”
Charlize Theron, “North Country”
Reese Witherspoon, “Walk the Line”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Junebug”
Catherine Keener, “Capote”
Frances McDormand, “North Country”
Rachel Weisz, “The Constant Gardener”
Michelle Williams, “Brokeback Mountain”

BEST ACTOR
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Capote”
Terrence Howard, “Hustle & Flow”
Heath Ledger, “Brokeback Mountain”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Walk the Line”
David Strathairn, “Good Night, and Good Luck”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
George Clooney, “Syriana”
Matt Dillon, “Crash”
Paul Giamatti, “Cinderella Man”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Brokeback Mountain”
William Hurt, “A History of Violence”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, “Crash”
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
Woody Allen, “Match Point”
Noah Baumbach, “The Squid and the Whale”
Steven Gaghan, “Syriana”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, “Brokeback Mountain”
Dan Futterman, “Capote”
Jeffrey Caine, “The Constant Gardener”
Josh Olson, “A History of Violence”
Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, “Munich”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Don’t Tell” (Italy)
“Joyeux Noël” (France)
“Paradise Now” (Palestine)
“Sophie Scholl – The Final Days” (Germany)
“Tsotsi” (South Africa)