OSCAR WINNERS 2005
Hey...I picked all the winners. Not too bad!

Picture:
Million Dollar Baby

Director:
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

Actor:
Jamie Foxx, Ray

Actress:
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby

Supporting Actor:
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby

Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator

Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Sideways

Writing (Original Screenplay):
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Animated Feature Film:
The Incredibles

Constantine **1/2
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LeBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Max Baker, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Gavin Rossdale, Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare
Director: Francis Lawrence
Running Length: 1:57
MPAA Classification: R

Yet another comic book movie graces the big screen in the adaptation of DC Comics's "Constantine". John Constantine (Reeves) is cursed with the ability to see angels and demons in the world around us. And they are everywhere. As a child, he tried to kill himself rather than deal with what he saw. He was unsuccessful, and now he is trying to atone for his suicide and win God's favor so that he may enter heaven upon his death. Constantine does not really have faith though, and he finds himself tormented to one degree or another by the angel Gabriel (Swinton) and the demon Balthazar (Rossdale). Oh yeah, and he has terminal lung cancer. If that is not enough of a downer, Satan's son is trying to enter the "real world" and mess everything up. With the help of Angela Dodson (Weisz), a Los Angeles cop, he just might be able to stop him, but it will not be easy.

Keanu Reeves is still in "Matrix" mode, and Constantine is not too different from Neo, the character he played three times. Unfortunately, that character is growing tiresome. Reeves definately needs a more upbeat movie to work on next. Swinton does a good job as the androgenyous angel Gabriel, helping and tormenting poor Constantine at the same time. The real scene stealer is Peter Stormare as Satan himself. Played with creepy glee, one wishes that he had more screen time. "Constantine" also does not feel like it is playing fair at times, bending the rules that it has set up for the supernatural forces. My suggestion is to wait for the DVD.

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Picture:
The Aviator -- Will be a disappointing night for Martin Scorsese and company.
Finding Neverland -- Just does not have what it takes to win.
Million Dollar Baby -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN The most solid choice of all the candidates.
Ray -- Not a chance, this is riding on the coat tails of Jamie Foxx's performance.
Sideways -- Could be a surprise, and if so I would not be disappointed.

Hitch ***
Cast: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Amber Valletta, Julie Ann Emery
Director: Andy Tennant
Running Length: 1:56
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Smith) is the date doctor. Having problems getting the girl you want? Call Hitch. He will show you just what you need to do to win her over, and tell you what mistakes to avoid. He knows all this from observation. He has seen what works, and wants to share his knowledge. On the down side, his own love life is sorely lacking. Enter Sara, a gossip writer who catches Hitch's eye. They go on a series of disasterous dates in which Hitch can do nothing right, but somehow a connection is made. Of course, Sara is following a lead on the mythical date doctor, and you know that sooner or later, Hitch's secret will be revealed.

Will Smith does a good job in his first romantic comedy, showing the screen presence that movie-goers have come to expect. Kevin James steals almost every scene that he is in as the unlucky in love Albert. They are the reasons that this movie works, and is very funny at times. The story itself is predictable (as most romantic comedies are), but weaves a number of stories into an ending where everything comes together. "Hitch" is a good date movie, and a funnier than average film.

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Director:
Martin Scorsese, The Aviator -- He will be passed over again this year.
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN
Taylor Hackford, Ray -- Jamie Foxx's performance is better than the movie.
Alexander Payne, Sideways -- This is not his year, but he will win eventually.
Mike Leigh, Vera Drake -- DID NOT SEE

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Actor:
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda -- SHOULD WIN The breakout performance of an actor that has been great for a long time now. This performance will open him up yo so much more in the future.
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland -- Solid job as always, but nothing extraordinary. He will win eventually, but not this year.
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator -- A good job, I find him to be highly overrated.
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby -- Another great performance, Clint could surprise everyone and pull out a win here.
Jamie Foxx, Ray -- WILL WIN Big buzz, this seems to be the only category that is a "lock".

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Actress:
Annette Bening, Being Julia -- DID NOT SEE
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace -- DID NOT SEE
Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake -- DID NOT SEE
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN Gives an amazing performance as a girl who realizes her dream. Powerful and moving.
Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- Surprise nomination, but this came out too long ago for her to have a chance.

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Supporting actor: Could be a close race.
Alan Alda, The Aviator -- Surprisingly good performance in a role that would not appear to be much at first.
Jamie Foxx, Collateral -- His performance in Ray is getting the bigger buzz.
Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN Great performance by an actor that has been around for a long time and has never won.
Thomas Haden Church, Sideways -- Great performance, but will lose out to the veteran.
Clive Owen, Closer -- DID NOT SEE

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator -- WILL WIN Good impersination, but that's it.
Laura Linney, Kinsey -- DID NOT SEE
Virginia Madsen, Sideways -- SHOULD WIN Great performance.
Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda -- This was Don Cheadle's movie.
Natalie Portman, Closer -- DID NOT SEE

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Very close category, with all nominees worthy.
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, Before Sunset -- DID NOT SEE
David Magee, Finding Neverland -- Original take on the writing of "Peter Pan", but will be overshadowed by the other nominees.
Paul Haggis, Million Dollar Baby -- I would not be surprised if this wins, but it was the actiong that made this movie work. The screenplay is a tad manipulative.
Jose Rivera, The Motorcycle Diaries -- DID NOT SEE
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Sideways -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN Great story of midlife crises and finding ones self.

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Writing (Original Screenplay):
John Logan, The Aviator -- Covers a couple decades in Howard Hughes' life, but nothing too special.
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- SHOULD WIN AND WILL WIN A truly original and thought provoking story.
Brad Bird, The Incredibles -- An interesting take on the superhero genre.
Mike Leigh, Vera Drake -- DID NOT SEE

OSCAR PREDICTION:
Animated Feature Film: A weak category this year.
The Incredibles -- SHOULD WIN and WILL WIN The best of the nominations by a long shot, and has already won an bunch of animation awards.
Shark Tale -- The only other real competition, but we have seen this before (and will again).
Shrek 2 -- The nomination itself was a gift. This movie does not deserve a nomination and has absolutely no chance of winning.

The Wedding Date **
Cast: Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams, Jack Davenport, Sarah Parish, Jeremy Sheffield, Peter Egan, Holland Taylor
Director: Clare Kilner
Running Length: 1:25
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Kat (Messing) does not want to go alone to her sister's wedding. So, she hires an escort named Nick (Mulroney) for $6,000. Soon, they are off to England for the ceremony. She hasn't seen her family in a while, and only gets along with her stepfather (Egan). Oh yeah, and her ex-fiancee (Sheffield) is the best man. She wants to make him jealous, but soon sparks begin to fly between her and Nick.

"The Wedding Date" is a romantic comedy with no originality. One could argue that the genre itself has no originality, but this movie feels cobbled together from scenes from romantic comedies past. I hated "Pretty Woman", and there are enough similarities in "The Wedding Date" to make me cringe. The leads, Messing and Mulroney, do the best with what they have, and there are some laughs, but unless you really like romantic comedies, this movie is not for you.

Hide and Seek **
Cast: Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning, Famke Janssen, Elisabeth Shue, Amy Irving, Dylan Baker
Director: John Polson
Running Length: 1:42
MPAA Classification: R

After his wife kills herself, psychologist David Callaway (DeNiro) and his only daughter Emily (Fanning) move to a secluded house to start fresh. The death of her mother has affected Emily, and her father finds her very withdrawn and not herself. She lashes out at David's female friend Elizabeth (Shue), detailing her mother's suicide in an attempt to scare her off. The only happiness she finds is from her new imaginary friend, Charlie. But Charlie is not the nice sort of imaginary friend. He writes accusations on the bathroom walls for David to find, and kills the family cat. David refuses to hospitalize Emily for her imaginary friend's actions, hoping that things will get better on their own. But they don't, and Charlie becomes a force that must be reckoned with.

"Hide and Seek" is a movie that desperately wants to be better than it is, but director John Polson is no master cratsman, and the big reveal, when it comes, is not really a surprise. In addition, all the goodwill built up in the first 2/3 of the movie evaporates quickly as "Hide and Seek" degenerates into standard horror movie cliches. The time between revelation and end of the movie is too great to maintain the tension, and the second twist leaves you shaking your head.

Forget DeNiro, Dakota Fanning is the star of this movie, and the best reason to go see it. It is hard to believe that so young an actress can carry an entire movie, but carry it she does. Any faults are the script's and director's. Fanning is convincing as the girl who is haunted by her mother's death and an unstable imaginary friend. She deserves more than the final product delivers.

Million Dollar Baby ****
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman
Director: Clint Eastwood
Running Length: 2:17
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) has a dream to be a professional boxer. She seeks out gym owner Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) to be her trainer. He quickly turns her down because he doesn't train girls and she is too old anyway. Of course, Maggie is determined, and with the help of Frankie's long-time friend Eddie Dupris (Freeman), she is able to win him over in a weak moment. Soon, with Frankie's training, Maggie finds herself winning match after match.

A strong father-daughter relationship develops between the two. Maggie's dad is dead, and Frankie's daughter will not speak to him. The relationship is a second chance for both, and is the emotional core of the movie.

Clint Eastwood has crafted yet another fine movie with "Million Dollar Baby". There is more to it than a first glance would lead you to believe, and even if it is manipulative at times, it is done so well that it is not a detriment. The trio of actors that are the core of the movie are amazing both alone and together. The ease with wich Eastwood, Swank, and Freeman interact is so real that you will feel drawn to them, faults and all. This is a great boxing movie, perhaps the best since the original "Rocky", but "Million Dollar Baby" is about more than just boxing. To share more than this would be to spoil a movie that deserves a fresh viewing, but let's just say that the final act of the movie has another focus that is thought provoking.

This is a movie that will give you something to think about and debate for long after you leave the theater. "Million Dollar Baby" is more than the sum of its parts, and is well deserving of the Oscar nominations that have been heaped on it.

The Phantom of the Opera **1/2
Cast: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, Ciaran Hinds, Simon Callow
Director: Joel Schumacher
Running Length: 2:23
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Andrew Lloyd Webber's immensely popular musical is finally given the movie treatment, and to moderate success. Christine (Rossum) it taking singing lessons from the Phantom (Butler) at the opera house where she is a performer. She is still learning, but when the Phantom is done with her, she will be ready for the big time. The Phantom, when not teaching Christine, lurks around and beneath the Opera House, hiding his scarred face. He loves Christine, but fears her rejection.

With the arrival of Raoul (Wilson), a childhood sweetheart of Christine, the Phanton finds that he has waited too long, and Christine's heart has already been taken. The jealous Phantom of the Opera then decides to take revenge.

Let me say that I am not a huge fan of musicals. I have a problem with people spontaneously bursting into song, and that somewhat colors my review. I found "Moulin Rouge" and to a lesser degree "Chicago", the two most recent cinematic forays into the musical, to be superior, especially in terms of songs. Nothing stands out to me as being remarkable in "Phantom", although I do thing the actors try their hardest.

Emily Rossum is the standout in this otherwise unknown cast. I cannot help but think that a few bigger names might have helped things along somewhat. Joel Schumacher, the man responsible for the downfall of the "Batman" franchise, crafts a beautiful looking movie. It looks so good that I wanted to like the movie more than I did.

Acknowledging that this is probably a better movie than I think, here is my qualified review: if you like the stage version of this, or musicals in general, you will enjoy "Phanton" quite a bit. If you do not care for musicals, stay away. Simple as that.