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Nominees List - 76th Annual Academy Awards, 29 February 2004

Actor in a Leading Role
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley - House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law - Cold Mountain
Bill Murray - Lost in Translation
Sean Penn - Mystic River

Actor in a Supporting Role
Alec Baldwin - The Cooler
Benicio Del Toro - 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou - In America
Tim Robbins - Mystic River
Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai

Actress in a Leading Role
Keisha Castle-Hughes - Whale Rider
Diane Keaton - Something else else's Gotta Give
Samantha Morton - In America
Charlize Theron - Monster
Naomi Watts - 21 Grams

Actress in a Supporting Role
Shohreh Aghdashloo - House of Sand and Fog
Patricia Clarkson - Pieces of April
Marcia Gay Harden - Mystic River
Holly Hunter - Thirteen
Renée Zellweger - Cold Mountain

Animated Feature Film
Brother Bear
Finding Nemo
The Triplets of Belleville

Art Direction
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

Cinematography
City of God
Cold Mountain
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

Costume Design
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

Directing
City of God
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River

Documentary Feature
Balseros
Capturing the Friedmans
The Fog of War
My Architect
The Weather Underground

Documentary Short Subject
Asylum
Chernobyl Heart
Ferry Tales

Film Editing
City of God
Cold Mountain
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

Foreign Language Film
The Barbarian Invasions
Evil
The Twilight Samurai
Twin Sisters
Zelary

Makeup
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Music (Score)
Big Fish
Cold Mountain
Finding Nemo
House of Sand and Fog
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Music (Song)
"Into the West" - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
"A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" - A Mighty Wind
"Scarlet Tide" - Cold Mountain
"The Triplets of Belleville" - The Triplets of Belleville
"You Will Be My Ain True Love" - Cold Mountain

Best Picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit

Short Film (Animated)
Boundin'
Destino
Gone Nutty
Harvie Krumpet
Nibbles

Short Film (Live Action)
Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket)
Most (The Bridge)
Squash
(A) Torzija ([A] Torsion)
Two Soldiers

Sound
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Seabiscuit

Sound Editing
Finding Nemo
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Visual Effects
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
American Splendor
City of God
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Mystic River
Seabiscuit

Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Barbarian Invasions
Dirty Pretty Things
Finding Nemo
In America
Lost in Translation

Multiple nominations
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 11
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - 10
Cold Mountain - 7
Seabiscuit - 7
Mystic River - 6
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - 5
City of God - 4
Finding Nemo - 4
The Last Samurai - 4
Lost in Translation - 4
Girl with a Pearl Earring - 3
House of Sand and Fog - 3
In America - 3
The Barbarian Invasions - 2
The Triplets of Belleville - 2
21 Grams - 2

One nomination (features only)
American Splendor
Balseros
Big Fish
Brother Bear
Capturing the Friedmans
The Cooler
Dirty Pretty Things
Evil
The Fog of War
A Mighty Wind
Monster
My Architect
Pieces of April
Something else else's Gotta Give
Thirteen
The Twilight Samurai
Twin Sisters
The Weather Underground
Whale Rider
Zelary

Printable ballot

Ok, so this years nominations are possibly the least inspiring in years, at least for me. Virtually none of the films are ones that i would want to see in the first place and in fact that only ones that I have seen are Pirates of the Carribean and Whalerider (although I do intend to see Lost In Translation as well). I would love, *love*, Johnny Depp to win Best Actor just because the role and the way he played it is so not the normal Oscar fare, but I think it's probably unlikely to happen. Keisha Castle-Hughes also deserves the nomination but again I'd be surprised, but happy, if she wins.

Having said the nominations are uninspiring I should also say that really there aren't any other films that really spring to mind as having been really, really great this year either though. The only ones that I can think of that should get awards are 'Etre et Avoir' (probably for foreign language or documentary but actually for best film too) and 'Spellbound' (again either documentary or best film) but I'm not sure if either of them are elligble for this years Oscars. No idea if Etre Et Avoir has been released in the States and I think Spellbound might have come out last year. Other than that... nope, nothing that I immediately think 'why hasn't that got nominated?'.

Oscar RARELY includes movies that I have seen and/or enjoyed.

Of the major categories, I've only seen Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo. Of the rest, I'll probably see Brother Bear since I'm an animation fan and I may eventually see Last Samurai, but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm probably missing some really great movies but none of the others even remotely appeal to me.

Wouldn't you just love to go back in time 20 years ago and make a bold prediction that Bill Murray, Jonny Depp and Sean Penn would all be nominated for Oscars in the same year? You would look like an idiot.

I certainly hope Johnny Depp wins. He's just... cool.

As for the femmes, I heard Charlize Theron in MONSTER is gonna be hard to beat. I myself haven't seen it.

I thought Brother Bear was fun. Not groundbreaking by any means, but solid and enjoyable. I'm glad to see it nominated for Best Animated Feature -- although there's really no doubt that Finding Nemo will win.

I'm just disappointed that Finding Nemo wasn't nominated for Best Picture. It was far better, I thought, than the much-overrated Lost in Translation.

Me too. It would rock if Depp won.

And I also want to see MONSTER -- not only for Theron's terrific acting, but also because it's a really compelling story.

Johnny Depp was BRILLIANT!
I have never really been a huge fan of his. I didn't dislike him but I didn't really think that highly of him either. His role, and especially how he played his role, in Pirates has won him a fan. The movie was good all around but he made it incredible.

Lord of the Rings has to win best picture, if for no other reason than all of the love, blood, sweat and tears that went into making the trilogy. Like I said, Oscar don't mean much to me, but if they don't give the best movie Oscar to LotR and the best director Oscar to Peter Jackson, then I'm gonna... well... I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be good!!!

Here would be my predictions:
Actor in a Leading Role
Sean Penn - Mystic River

Actor in a Supporting Role
Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai

Actress in a Leading Role
Charlize Theron - Monster
(though I would *love it* if Keisha Castle-Hughes won -- "Whalerider" was amazing!)

Actress in a Supporting Role
Marcia Gay Harden - Mystic River

Animated Feature Film
Finding Nemo

Art Direction
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Cinematography
Cold Mountain

Costume Design
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Directing
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Documentary Feature
Capturing the Friedmans

Ger, you were'nt a Depp fan? Oh my!

Cry-Baby, Edward Scissorhands, Benny & Joon, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Ed Wood... I loved them all.

Yep... I reaLLLLLLy hope Depp wins... and I haven't even SEEN Pirates... yet.

I trust Depp won't go "Hollywood" and will continue to select off-kilter roles... an Oscar for Pirates... would, in my eyes anyway, honor him for his entire eclectic body of work...

yes I love Depp too Though I am a little bewildered by them nominating him for this role. Anyway I still hope he wins.

I am also bewildered that Nicole Kidman was not nominated for Cold Mountain, she really deserved it for that role.

*sigh* oh well

...21 Jump Street... :rolleyes:

I boldly predict a bunch of movies I have NOT seen in the theatres will win Oscars! You heard it HERE first!

I can say the same. Out of all the categories and movies I've seen exactly one. Pirates of the Caribbean. I own Finding Nemo but haven't watched it yet.

I watched and loved PIRATES when my housemates got it thru their Netflix account. I still need to borrow NEMO from my sisters, though.

I've seen a few Depp movies, but they didn't really register with me. Edward Scissorhands just reminded me how cruel and mean and unforgiving mankind can be. Stuff like that can ruin a movie for me no matter how good it is.

Nobody talking Oscar for a whole month? I'm surprised. Anyway, here are my predictions and favorites. (I haven't seen ALL of these films, but that's not entirely necessary for Oscar predictions, as I've found over thirty years.)

Actor in a Leading Role

Will win: Sean Penn - "Mystic River." He's been too often overlooked. (Not a good reason, but too often a reason.) He also emotes powerfully.

Who I'm pulling for: Bill Murray - "Lost in Translation." A vastly underrated talent, and the Academy is decades behind in honoring comedians.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Will win: Djimon Hounsou - "In America." It's the "diversity" vote. He's good, but the Irish family is better.

Who I'm pulling for: Ken Watanabe - "The Last Samurai." Power controlled by wit, and by his wits.

Actress in a Leading Role

Will win: Charlize Theron - "Monster." The Hannibal Lecter factor. Making yourself unrecognizable is an Academy flashpoint (or flashy point).

Who I'm pulling for: Diane Keaton - "Something else else's Gotta Give." I'm a Keaton fan from decades back, now. Still, she had some utterly moving scenes.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Will win: Renée Zellweger - "Cold Mountain." She's good, but it's also a sop to Miramax.

Who I'm pulling for: Patricia Clarkson - "Pieces of April." Underrated since "The Untouchables."

Animated Feature Film

Will win: "Finding Nemo." Disney/Pixar smothers all comers, and it dazzled the eye, but it was far from the best written.

Who I'm pulling for: "The Triplets of Belleville." Animation for adults, since the real best-told, most innovative film, "Sinbad," wasn't nominated.

Art Direction

Will win: No real prediction, though "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" will likely seize this technical category through past momentum from the trilogy, and the sheer size of its efforts. True of other categories below, as well.

Who I'm pulling for: "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." When it's an instance of genuine history, not mythic history, the veracity is even harder to achieve.

Cinematography

Will win and who I'm pulling for: "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." Too many varieties of innovation to deny it.

Costume Design

Will win: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." See Art Direction above.

Who I'm pulling for: "The Last Samurai." Part of its compelling appearance.

Directing

Will win: Peter Jackson - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." A trilogy award, it's silly to pretend otherwise.

Who I'm pulling for: No point even trying with anything else.

Film Editing

Will win: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." See Art Direction above.

Who I'm pulling for: "Seabiscuit." Astounding, especially that last race.

Makeup

Will win and who I'm pulling for: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." For powder, paint, masks, and CGI, most of all.

Music (Score)

Will win: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." See Art Direction above. It's not the most innovative score of the year, though.

Who I'm pulling for: "Big Fish." This one is.

Music (Song)

Will win and who I'm pulling for: "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from "A Mighty Wind." I defy augury and the Miramax double-behemoth, which songs will cancel each other out. This is too simply beautiful to pass up, and it hearkens back to commercial folksongs, even with the parody ... and that's from most of the voters' prime years.

Best Picture

Will win: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." A trilogy award. Again, what the Academy does, not what it should do.

Who I'm pulling for: "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." A sweeping piece of history, and it was underrated all along.

Short Film (Animated)

Will win: "Destino." Solely because this is the finally-finished collaboration of Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. I haven't seen this, but such a posthumous addition to Walt's record Oscar haul will be irresistible to the voters.

Sound

Will win: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." See Art Direction above.

Who I'm pulling for: "The Last Samurai." You could almost touch the sound.

Visual Effects

Will win: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Again, a trilogy award.

Who I'm pulling for: Again, no point pretending otherwise.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Will win and who I'm pulling for: "Seabiscuit." They're going to also honor the sprightly book. Too much of Tolkien, from all reports (I didn't read that trilogy), was changed to have "LOTR" take this one.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Will win: "Lost in Translation." They love having Oscars run in families, and this is Sofia Coppola's year.

Who I'm pulling for: No real favorite.

I'm still pulling for DEPP and THERON for "Pirates..." and "Monster" for top honors despite not having seen either film yet.

I'm such a fan of their previous works that I know I will love both films...

I *LOVE* the Oscars and am so bummed that I'm stuck at work down here in Madagascar and so won't be able to watch it!

It's so much fun to watch all the stars either handling themselves with dignity or with disgrace whenever they win, lose or present an award! Then there's the outfits! And the host! That would have to be one of the hardest gigs in the world but Billy Crystal always hits it out of the park, which is why I'm even more upset about missing this year's ceremony. Although Steve Martin did do an excellent job last year too.

Anyway, what do I think of the nominated films? I quite like them actually - they're an interesting mix of big and little films and comedy and drama. And a great mix of acting nominees too - very few of the usual Oscar favourites.

Its hard for me to say who I hope wins because I haven't seen a lot of the films on the list but here are a few thoughts -

Best Actor - Johnny Depp and Jude Law are the only 2 whose works I saw from this list but all of them are actors I admire. This is pretty much a win-win result for me but I'd be pleasantly surprised to see Bill Murray win as I think he's a great comedian and as someone said that's a genre criminally underrepresented in the acting categories.

Best Supporting Actor - Didn't see a single one of these films (didn't realise until now how little I've been to the cinema over the last year) but once again these are all good actors. No preference who wins.

Best Actress - I've only seen Charlize's performance from this list and it was *amazing*! Lots of very, very subtle acting nuances here. As depressing as it was I think I'd watch it again just to watch her. But having not seen any of the others it would be unfair of me to pick her over any of them. I will say that I hope Diane Keaton doesn't win though - I've never liked her (sorry to whoever it was that said that they did).

Best Supporting Actress - If Renee Zellwegger wins this I will throw a brick through someone else's television since I don't own one of my own! Speaking in a funny voice and pursing your lips to make your face look funny is not acting! She sucked! I just don't get what people's interest is in this woman? She's not especially beautiful or talented or interesting. And Nurse Betty is in my bottom 10 of worst films of all time! I actually don't care who wins this category as long as it is not her!

Best Picture - Tough one coz I've only seen Return of the King here, though Mystic River and Lost in Translation are on my must-see list. Can't stand Russel Crowe so Master and Commander suffers by association and Seabiscuit just looks too *worthy*. I guess I'll be pulling for LOTR if only to give some recognition to what has really been the most incredible action/adventure epic of our time.

So that's some random thoughts to keep this thread alive. Hope you all enjoy the show!

A few of my scattered thoughts:

Best film- I really, really want Lord of the Rings to win. I think out of the first two, one of them should have won, and this award is well overdue for the films.

Best Director- same thing. But if Clint Eastwood won for Mystic River, I wouldn't be too disapointed--the film was absolutely brillant, and I think this is his masterpiece.

Best Actor- Tough. Johnny Depp was amazing, and he deserves it. But I think Sean Penn in Mystic River was beyond amazing. I was totally blown away in the theaters, and he can't get enough praise IMO. In my world, they'd both get the Oscar, but who knows how it'll go.

Best Actress- hard for me, but Theron is a great actress is has always been under-rated.

Best actor in supporting- I haven't seen a lot of those films, but Tim Robbins was absolutely brillant in Mystic River. However, my father says that the guy from "Last Samuri" was amazing, and deserves this award.

Best actress in supporting- another tough one, although the girl in Mystic River was also great. I've heard that Zellwinger did an amazing job in "Cold Mountain", but I haven't seen it. It's tough when you haven't seen all the films.

And I think SeaBiscuit is one of the best movies I've ever seen, although I'm not rooting for it in any of these categories. I definately recommend it, it's one of the most uplifting films I've ever watched.

And although I don't think she's nominated for anything, Nicole Kidman is still my favorite actress right now!

I didn't see very many films this year so it's hard to really have an opinion on who should win or who should have been nominated.

I still think Fellowship was the best of the Rings movies, but if they want to give it and Jackson the nod for all three, I'm in favor of that. I still say LOTR needs to be done as a 26-hour BBC miniseries.

Master and Commander was probably the most beautiful movie I saw all year, and I think it had the best score. Any movie that uses Vaughn Williams gets major points from me.

Pirates was a lot of fun and I'm glad it's nominated for some stuff. I'm not sure it's a winner in any of the categories, however.

I didn't see any of the animated films but I'm rooting for Triplets just because I hate Hollywood animation so much. Brother Bear was the second most painful trailer I had to watch this year. The Last Samurai gets first prize in that category, btw.

I'm sort of rooting for In America just because we Irish have to stick together. I'm rooting for Bill Murray even though I haven't seen Lost in Translation. He was so good in Tenenbaums, Rushmore, and Hamlet that I think he deserves recognition.

If Annie Lennox doesn't take best song I hope Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara get it. I wasn't thrilled with Mighty Wind, but they were so real it made my teeth hurt.

I'm still trying to figure out why Russian Ark wasn't nominated for a single award in 2002 so it's pretty clear I know nothing about Oscar.

Ken

I think everyone here probably knows that I would be okay with it if Lord fo the Rings won everything there is to offer for the next 10 years, so I won't bore you all with my homily on the subject.

Hopefully, with this out of the way, next year I'll be able to be a bit less one-sided in my outlook.

I am satisfied.

Eleven for eleven, you'd bloody well better be. Have a drink! Have two!