In a slight departure from my normal posts about Photoshop and photography, the nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards have been announced. I’ve done an initial look through the list but will write more later once I get home from work.

UPDATE:
After having a chance to review the nominees for the 79th Oscars, and having not yet seen a number of the films that received nods this year, I will only make my picks based on the performances I have seen. So for what it’s worth…

Best Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
*Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland (he’ll probably win, though)

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
*Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress:
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
(I really liked her performance but I don’t think she’ll get it.)

Best Animated Feature:
*Cars
(Once again, Pixar hits one out of the park.)

Art Direction:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Cinematography:
Children of Man
The Illusionist

Editing:
*Blood Diamond
Children of Men

Original Song:
*”Our Town” - Cars

Best Picture:
*Little Miss Sunshine
(I loved this film but I think it’s certainly the underdog.)

Sound Editing/Sound Mixing:
Blood Diamond
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Visual Effects:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
*Superman Returns
(I didn’t like it but the effects were pretty good.)

Adapted Screenplay:
Children of Men

Original Screenplay:
*Little Miss Sunshine
(Again, its an underdog. If it doesn’t win Best Picture, it should definitely grab Original Screenplay.)

Well, here it is, our final review in the Oscar Review series of Best Pictures leading up to tomorrow night’s 78th Academy Awards ceremonies (8pm EST on ABC). There were a few moments in there when I didn’t think I’d make it through the 37 reviews I had set for myself. I’ve tried to be fair with those I didn’t particularly like but because you’re dealing with stories that convey such emotional depth, it’s hard to not be subjective. I hope you enjoyed following along as much as I have enjoyed taking this stroll through movie history.

And now, for last year’s winner…

Winner of 4 of its 7 nominations - including Best Picture, Director (Clint Eastwood), Actress (Hilary Swank with her second award from as many nominations), and Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman, his first) - Million Dollar Baby is a moving tale of courage, hard work, and finding family.

Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) and his friend Scrap (Freeman) run a gym for up and coming boxers. One day, all-heart but few skills Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) walks in looking for a trainer. Frankie doesn’t train girls but because of her persistence and drive, he gives Maggie a shot.

Quickly making her way up the rankings, Maggie and Frankie develop a strong bond that goes beyond the sweaty gym. When Maggie’s family shows nothing but selfishness and greed, and Frankie runs out of hope for reclaiming ties with his own family, the pair reach out to each other for the support they need.

When tragedy strikes while in the ring, Frankie is faced with an overwhelming decision that strikes him to the core. If he chooses one option he’ll be going against his faith and his own desire. If he chooses the other he will be leaving his “Mo Chuisle” to live a life she doesn’t want.
*****
Up against formidable opponents in the nominations for Best Picture - Ray, Finding Neverland, and Sideways (that I’ve seen) - Million Dollar Baby came out on top to snag the statuette. Each of its fellow nominees are excellent films, each one touching on a different part of the human experience in powerful ways making it a formidable challenge to select one that rises above the rest.

Though it has nothing to do with reviewing the film, I remember the first time I saw Million Dollar Baby. It was last spring after it had already won. I was on vacation in London and during my last day there, having seen everything I wanted to see, I ventured into one of the cinemas on Leicester Square where I bought my ticket, went up to my assigned seat - which I wasn’t used to when seeing a movie - and waited for the lights in the small, cramped theater to dim. It was physically uncomfortable given the accommodations, but it left me with no reservations that this is a great film.

We will soon know which films will join this, and others, in the long list of Oscar winners. Not having yet seen all the nominees I couldn’t venture a guess as to who will be awarded the little gold men. All I can say is, if these past 37 films - and the others that won other categories, if not the top honors - are any indication, the winners tomorrow night will represent excellence in filmmaking, will be examples of storytelling at its best, and will touch on the many facets of the human condition that are found in each one of us.

While not receiving the most nominations ever - even falling 2 shy of the film that captured the first part of the story - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is tied with Ben-Hur and Titanic with the most wins (11), taking home an Oscar for every category in which it was nominated; it is a feat only accomplished 4 other times with the films Gigi (9), The Last Emperor (9), It Happened One Night (5), and The Matrix (4).

It is the culmination of Tolkien’s adventure trilogy about a fellowship of hobbits, dwarves, men, and elves and their quest to reach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.

Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are making their way to Mordor along with their guide Gollum/Smeagol (Andy Serkis) trying to keep under the radar of Sauron’s all-seeing eye. Meanwhile the rest of the fellowship are actively engaged in the battle for Middle Earth as the army of Orcs marches on.

Aided by Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), and Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) comes to terms with who he is destined to be as he fights on for the freedom of all. Overcoming tremendous odds, using their passion for what is good and right, and struggling for something greater than themselves, the fellowship stays strong in the midst of such and overwhelming situation.

Despite Gollum’s efforts, Sam and Frodo continue on, ever deeper into dangerous territory yet ever closer to their goal, testing their will, and their friendship, at every turn.
*****
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a big undertaking that would have seemed impossible at any other point in film history given the need for the huge amounts of CGI, the large cast of extras, and just the scope of the film.

Though not nominated for any acting awards - due to the amazing performances in other films that year - it is no wonder that The Return of the King walked away with so many Oscars.

• Best Picture
• Best Director (Peter Jackson)
• Art Direction
• Costume Design
• Makeup
• Original Music (Howard Shore)
• Original Song - “Into the West”
• Sound Mixing
• Visual Effects
  and
• Adapted Screenplay

For such an ambitious film, with so many details and such high expectations from not only the audience but the filmmakers themselves, The Return of the King was certainly worthy of its honors. Though many great films were nominated in 2003 - Lost in Translation, Mystic River, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Seabiscuit - I think because it capped off such an innovative, epic trilogy of great movies, there is no doubt that this installment deserved to be named the Best Picture of the year.

Winner of 4 Academy Awards - including Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Director (Ron Howard, his first), and Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman) - and nominated for 4 others, A Beautiful Mind is a master work of cinema.

The story follows the life of brilliant mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe) from his time as a student at Princeton and the exciting and trying years to follow. As a young man, John competes with his fellow students, and himself, to come up with one truly original idea. As he goes, his free-spirited roommate Charles (Paul Bettany) helps him to feel normal amidst the rat race of academia.

After graduating, John goes to work at MIT while doing cryptography for the military. While teaching a class, which he feels is a waste of time, a young, independent woman, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly), captures his heart as she breaks through the elaborate walls of his personality.

When he is tapped by a mysterious government agent (Ed Harris) to do some top secret code breaking, John withdraws from his friends, his work, and his beloved Alicia and begins down a turbulent road of self-destruction.

Finally getting the help he needs, John is able to focus on his real work, renew his commitment to his family and go on to winning a Nobel Prize in economics.
*****
Supported by notable performances by Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, and Anthony Rapp, this is the role that deserved to earn Russell Crowe his Best Actor statuette.

Director Ron Howard has been a giant in the entertainment industry since his young days on TV and just about everything his puts his mark on has become a classic. A Beautiful Mind is no different. Its depth of character and the psychological struggles of such a brilliant man coupled with tremendous writing make this one of the finest films of 2001.

It is one of those movies that I can watch over and over again and always find small details that I’ve never caught before. It’s just a great film.

Winning 5 of its 12 nominations - including Best Picture, Actor (Russell Crowe), Costume Design, Sound, and Visual Effects - Gladiator was the biggest film in a year of big films that took audiences to the depths of the human spirit and the far corners of the world.

General Maximus (Crowe) is the head of Marcus Aurelius’ (Richard Harris) Roman army that is sweeping across Europe. On the completion of yet another triumphant campaign, the emperor calls upon Maximus to be the one to return Rome to the people once again and names him the heir apparent to the throne.

When the emperor’s power hungry son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) hears that he is not going to be Caesar, he murders his father and sends Maximus to be killed to ensure his ascendancy. But the evil doesn’t end there. After thinking the powerful general dead, Commodus orders the killing Maximus’ wife and son as well.

Returning home to find his family dead, Maximus is taken as a slave where he is forced to train to fight as a gladiator and to die for entertainment. Proving to be a formidable, albeit reluctant fighter, Maximus quickly rises to prominence on the gladiatorial circuit all the way to the Coliseum in Rome.

When Commodus’ sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) learns that Maximus is still alive, she knows that he is the only one strong enough to take back the empire for the people and bring down the corruption that flourishes under her brother’s rule.
*****
Despite the countless historical inaccuracies of this film, Gladiator certainly entertains. It is visually interesting, has a decent balance between story and action and lives up to its epic nature.

Though I believe Tom Hanks deserved the Best Actor Oscar for Cast Away - his performance had much more depth and proved to be more compelling overall - Russell Crowe was in his element in this role, earning him the #50 spot on AFI’s list of film heroes. (I still say that it wasn’t his best performance on screen by far.)

Gladiator has something for everyone from the fight scenes to the adventure and drama of the plot. I may not go so far as to describe it as a great film, but it definitely has all the right elements for a really good movie.