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2004 Oscar Nominations

Opinions by Shawn McKenzie 02/29/2003

The nominations for the 76^th Academy Awards are in, and as opposed to years past, there are some surprises.  The show airs tonight, February 29, on ABC.  It is being hosted for the eighth time by Billy Crystal this year (remember when he used to make movies?)  Below are all the nominations in every category.  My predictions of who I think will win are in blue (my averages on the Oscars tend to be much better than on the Golden Globes; all predictions are based on expert analysis and the winners of previous awards shows.)  My choices of what I think should win (if the world were run by me) are in bold (not every category has my choice, since I haven’t seen all the nominees, and I don’t feel qualified to pick a choice in the technical categories.)  Please check back here after the show for the winners and see if my predictions were correct.  Update:  The winners are in the larger font.  I got 19 out 24 predictions correct.  I will save my comments about the show itself for the free weekly newsletter (see the left side of any page to learn how to subscribe.)

Best motion picture of the year

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) A Wingnut Films Production; Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh, Producers

• Lost in Translation (Focus Features) An American Zoetrope/Elemental Films Production; Ross Katz and Sofia Coppola, Producers

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) A 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures and Miramax Films Production; Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., Peter Weir, and Duncan Henderson, Producers

• Mystic River (Warner Bros.) A Warner Bros. Pictures Production; Robert Lorenz, Judie G. Hoyt, and Clint Eastwood, Producers

• Seabiscuit (Universal/DreamWorks/Spyglass) A Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Pictures Production; Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Gary Ross, Producers

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Buena Vista)

• Ben Kingsley in House of Sand and Fog (DreamWorks in association with Cobalt Media Group)

• Jude Law in Cold Mountain (Miramax)

• Bill Murray in Lost in Translation (Focus Features)

• Sean Penn in Mystic River (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Alec Baldwin in The Cooler (Lions Gate)

• Benicio Del Toro in 21 Grams (Focus Features)

• Djimon Hounsou in In America (Fox Searchlight/20th Century Fox)

• Tim Robbins in Mystic River (Warner Bros.)

• Ken Watanabe in The Last Samurai (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider (Newmarket Films)

• Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give (Sony Pictures Releasing)

• Samantha Morton in In America (Fox Searchlight/20th Century Fox)

• Charlize Theron in Monster (Newmarket Films)

• Naomi Watts in 21 Grams (Focus Features)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Shohreh Aghdashloo in House of Sand and Fog (DreamWorks in association with Cobalt Media Group)

• Patricia Clarkson in Pieces of April (United Artists through MGM)

• Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River (Warner Bros.)

• Holly Hunter in Thirteen (Fox Searchlight/20th Century Fox)

• Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain (Miramax)

Best animated feature film of the year

• Brother Bear (Buena Vista) Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker

• Finding Nemo (Buena Vista) Andrew Stanton

• The Triplets of Belleville (Sony Pictures Classics) Sylvain Chomet

Achievement in art direction

• Girl with a Pearl Earring (Lions Gate) Art Direction: Ben Van Os; Set Decoration: Cecile Heideman

• The Last Samurai (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Lilly Kilvert; Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Art Direction: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Alan Lee

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: William Sandell; Set Decoration: Robert Gould

• Seabiscuit (Universal/DreamWorks/Spyglass) Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall; Set Decoration: Leslie Pope

Achievement in cinematography

• City of God (Miramax) Cesar Charlone

• Cold Mountain (Miramax) John Seale

• Girl with a Pearl Earring (Lions Gate) Eduardo Serra

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Russell Boyd

• Seabiscuit (Universal/DreamWorks/Spyglass) John Schwartzman

Achievement in costume design

• Girl with a Pearl Earring (Lions Gate) Dien van Straalen

• The Last Samurai (Warner Bros.) Ngila Dickson

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Wendy Stites

• Seabiscuit (Universal/DreamWorks/Spyglass) Judianna Makovsky

Achievement in directing

• City of God (Miramax) Fernando Meirelles

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Peter Jackson

• Lost in Translation (Focus Features) Sofia Coppola

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Peter Weir

• Mystic River (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood

Best documentary feature

• Balseros (Seventh Art Releasing) A Bausan Films S.L. Production; Carlos Bosch and Marcos Loris Omedes

• Capturing the Friedmans (Magnolia Pictures) A Hit the Ground Running Production; Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling

• The Fog of War (Sony Pictures Classics) A Globe Department Store Production; Errol Morris and Michael Williams

• My Architect (New Yorker) A Louis Kahn Project, Inc. Production; Nathaniel Kahn and Susan R. Behr

• The Weather Underground (Shadow Distribution) A Free History Project Production; Sam Green and Bill Siegel

Best documentary short subject

• Asylum A Constant Communication & Make-do Production; Sandy McLeod and Gini Reticker

• Chernobyl Heart A Downtown TV Documentaries Production; Maryann DeLeo

• Ferry Tales A Penelope Pictures Production; Katja Esson

Achievement in film editing

• City of God (Miramax) Daniel Rezende

• Cold Mountain (Miramax) Walter Murch

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Jamie Selkirk

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Lee Smith

• Seabiscuit (Universal/DreamWorks/Spyglass) William Goldenberg

Best foreign language film of the year

• The Barbarian Invasions A Cinemaginaire Inc. Production; Canada

• Evil A Moviola Film & Television Production; Sweden

• The Twilight Samurai A Shochiku/Nippon Television Network/Sumitomo/Hakuhodo/Nippon Shuppan Hanbai/Eisei Gekijo Production; Japan

• Twin Sisters An IdtV Film Production; The Netherlands

• Zelary A Total HelpArt T.H.A./Barrandov Studio Production; Czech Republic

Achievement in makeup

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Richard Taylor and Peter King

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Edouard Henriques III and Yolanda Toussieng

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Buena Vista) Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• Big Fish (Sony Pictures Releasing) Danny Elfman

• Cold Mountain (Miramax) Gabriel Yared

• Finding Nemo (Buena Vista) Thomas Newman

• House of Sand and Fog (DreamWorks in association with Cobalt Media Group) James Horner

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Howard Shore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Into the West” from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Music and Lyric by Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, and Annie Lennox

• “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” from A Mighty Wind (Warner Bros.) Music and Lyric by Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole

• “Scarlet Tide” from Cold Mountain (Miramax) Music and Lyric by T Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello

• “The Triplets of Belleville” from The Triplets of Belleville (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Benoit Charest; Lyric by Sylvain Chomet

• “You Will Be My Ain True Love” from Cold Mountain (Miramax) Music and Lyric by Sting

Best animated short film

• Boundin’ A Pixar Animation Studios Production; Bud Luckey

• Destino (Buena Vista) A Walt Disney Pictures Production; Dominique Monfery and Roy Edward Disney

• Gone Nutty (20th Century Fox) A Blue Sky Studios Production; Carlos Saldanha and John C. Donkin

• Harvie Krumpet A Melodrama Pictures Production; Adam Elliot

• Nibbles An Acme Filmworks Production; Chris Hinton

Best live action short film

• Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket) A Hamburger Filmwerkstatt Production; Florian Baxmeyer

• Most (The Bridge) An Eastwind Films Production; Bobby Garabedian and William Zabka

• Squash A Tetramedia Production; Lionel Bailliu

• (A) Torzija ([A] Torsion) A Studio Arkadena Production; Stefan Arsenijevif

• Two Soldiers A Shoe Clerk Picture Company Production; Aaron Schneider and Andrew J. Sacks

Achievement in sound editing

• Finding Nemo (Buena Vista) Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Richard King

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Buena Vista) Christopher Boyes and George Watters II

Achievement in sound mixing

• The Last Samurai (Warner Bros.) Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, and Jeff Wexler

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, and Hammond Peek

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill, and Arthur Rochester

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Buena Vista) Christopher Boyes, David Parker, David Campbell, and Lee Orloff

• Seabiscuit (Universal/DreamWorks/Spyglass) Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, and Tod A. Maitland

Achievement in visual effects

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke

• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (20th Century Fox) Dan Sudick, Stefen Fangmeier, Nathan McGuinness, and Robert Stromberg

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Buena Vista) John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson, and Terry Frazee

Adapted screenplay

• American Splendor (HBO Films in association with Fine Line Features) Written by Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman

• City of God (Miramax) Screenplay by Braulio Mantovani

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line) Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson

• Mystic River (Warner Bros.) Screenplay by Brian Helgeland

• Seabiscuit (Universal/DreamWorks/Spyglass) Written for the Screen by Gary Ross

Original screenplay

• The Barbarian Invasions (Miramax) Written by Denys Arcand

• Dirty Pretty Things (Miramax and BBC Films) Written by Steven Knight

• Finding Nemo (Buena Vista) Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds; Original Story by Andrew Stanton

• In America (Fox Searchlight/20th Century Fox) Written by Jim, Naomi, & Kirsten Sheridan

• Lost in Translation (Focus Features) Written by Sofia Coppola

What do you think of the nominees?  Do you think something was snubbed?  What do you think will win?  What do you think should win?  Please go to the Home Page and post your opinion on the Entertain Your Brain Message Board!

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