Are you completely high on frakkin drugs? This is the best lineup on Best Picture films we've seen in ages. Finally, Hollywood has pulled its pants back on and is making serious films about important subjects. Forget Mountain. Syriana is one of the toughest films I've seen outta Hollywood in years. We haven't seen a line-up of films like this since the 70s. Okay, yeah, the actual Oscar ceremonies themselves have been lame every year since Letterman knocked it out tha park (even Stewart won't be able to top Dave), but don't diss the films themselves. She-it boy. Lucky you don't live in Oz or I'd be whupping your sorry ass.

On the subject of Oscars... I live in germany and when somebody from there actually does win an oscar, they act like it was a personal insult. For example the director Caroline Link who didn't even consider going to the prizegiving. She got her oscar through the post.

"Oh, nothing there intrests me, but I'll watch anyway" -summed up.

What? Okay, I know the real turn off is how 3 6 Mafia is going to clean up a few lryics to thier song from "Hustle & Flow" -- but aside from the weak choice and/or Indy Spirit Award darling Brokeback, Cameron is right on. While I thought Munich was great, Syriana is also worthy, John. I'm also rooting for 'Crash'- which personally I feel is going to pull an upset.

I don't think Catherine Keener will win supporting actress, but she's done great work last year. If the 'trend' holds, it may just be Amy Adams from 'Junebug'. The trend, of course, has been in play the last few years: rising new actress/talent gets huge career boost.

Everyone expects Reese Witherspoon to win for 'Walk The Line'. I do too. But what if she lost by the hair of her chinny chin chin?

But I'll tell you: I will not watch if they (Oscars) pull off the same bull they did last year: giving awards to folks in the aisles, or as Chris Rock joked "soon the drive thru window".
If it were me and I worked my ass off on a film, and I was nominated, if I were the winner I would want to go up onstage and have my two minutes, or stand with my collegues as one is chosen to speak for all. But I'd still want to be onstage.

Also, I don't want to see the floor turned into a graphic CGI image that I can barely make out.

Alas, I don't run the show- which will get it's annual Emmy nomination next year as usual.
Yes----I do want to see Jon Stewart as host and how he fares, even if the only film I remember him from was Th Faculty...

I totally disagree. This years Oscar is the best when it comes to quality in many years, in about every category. It's a shame you haven't seen the movies, but they have been out for some time now, haven't they? I live in Norway, far far north in Europa, and even I have got the chance to see ALL the nominees. And i'm very excited this year since I almost can't remember last time so many great movies and acting performances competed. Even if the show start in the middle of the night here, and none channels seems to broadcast live, I will follow the show live through some internet stream with great anticipations!

Hey JT,

You misunderstood me. I have seen the movies... it's just that because of when they were released I didn't get to see them until late late in the years.

Just a clarification.

I *know*. Where the fuck is Star Wars for best film? Damn it.

On a total side note, one can apply for tickets to the Oscars...John, you should have gone via that route! :P

Nah gonna watchit. A bunch of limousine liberal auto-fellation, surely? Seems that way to me.

And they stiffed The New World! Bastards.

Ann Coulter makes righteous fun of the whole affair here:

http://www.anncoulter.com/

That's just shallow enough to be right!

Anyhow, I like the idea of getting your Oscar through the mail. Did you ever see Wild Man Blues? Woody Allen's mom and dad kept his Oscars on top of their china cabinet in the dining room, like a grade school art project gathering dust.

I don't totally disagree. I was just asking a friend yesterday, after saying that I'm totally into the Oscars this year - meaning, seeing all the films, and even most of the best actor nom's - "I picked the *wrong* year to get back into the Oscars."

Though these films are all brave in subject (or maybe the academy is just brave to nominate/recognize them) and contain TOP NOTCH performances, not one of the Best Picture films this year are ones I'd want to buy on DVD (except maybe Crash, but even then... i dunno) - that, for me, says a lot. I like Best Picture nom's to have that "epic" quality and ones I can watch over and over - like The Green Mile, American Beauty, Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump (both nom'd in the same year), Seabiscuit, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, and so on... - all in recent years (well, last 10+ years). Cinderella Man being nom'd for Best Picture would have fit into that category, or maybe Walk the Line (?) - but I guess Ray last year prevented that.

But then again, Batman Begins was my favorite movie last year, so wtf do i know?

I totally agree with you in points 1 and 2, and it's turning into a tendency that's is going to ruin this awards ceremony in a few years. The people choosing these movies is too close minded so it's impossible to say that it is a fair contest.

I live in south america and we haven't seen some of the movies that are nominated, thanks God that in the last years the major movie theaters organize in February the "Oscar Festival / week" and there they bring most of the movies nominated...without that we will be lost in the actual day of the ceremony.

Mike: "But then again, Batman Begins was my favorite movie last year, so wtf do i know?"

You know a good movie when you see one! It was my second favorite after The New World.

I think I'd rather watch roadkill decompose that sit through the Academy Awards ... or any of the other 50 awards shows where the movie industry goes all Brokeback on itself.

Hollywood = The Oscars = puke and manure mixture

I'm the same with the whole not giving a shit thing. I've not seen all of the nominees but they're all predictable. Don't give me this "oh, how brave" bullshit. That's all they're doing. They're nominating movies based on subject matter. Racism, homophobia, alcoholism = YAWN. They would NEVER nominate Batman Begins no matter how brilliant it was. The Oscars are just a not-so-cheap excuse for Hollywood to try and pretend like they have a soul.

And that Technical-Awards-As-Snacks just dished out to their seats is COMPLETE fucking bullshit and just goes to show how the so-called award ceremony is about everything BUT recognising talent.

You're right who really cares? I would rather watch Anna Nicole Smith's horrible show. Joan Rivers is like a walking leatherface. I wrote an article about it on my blog www.deanabianco.com.

Brian wrote:
Ann Coulter makes righteous fun of the whole affair here:
http://www.anncoulter.com/

"George Clooney has been mau-mauing the awards committee by going around boasting that conservatives have called him a "traitor," although I believe the precise term was "airhead."

Hehe, I'm not a big Coulter fan by any stretch, but that really made me laugh.

P.S. wtf don't html tags work on this site?

I agree with marty93. There was nothing brave about any of these films.

from Mark Steyn at National Review:

That (Brokeback Mountain, Capote) might have been “bold, courageous” movie-making half-a-century ago. Ever seen the Dirk Bogarde film Victim? He plays a respectable married barrister whose latest case threatens to expose his homosexuality. That was 1961, when homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom and Bogarde was the British movie industry’s matinee idol and every schoolgirl’s pinup: That’s brave. Doing it at a time when your typical conservative politician gets denounced as “homophobic” because he’s only in favor of civil unions is just an exercise in moral self-congratulation.

I know what you mean about the Oscars creeping up like that. I too have seen precious little all-round from this year and, with the exception of the formidably talented Hoffman, had nobody really to root for this year.

Great to see the rise and rise of two of Hollywood's new-wave of elite talent, George Clooney and Reese Witherspoon. To see from the sidelines peoples careers expanding before you and the choices they make is truly fascinating.