Oscar Watch 2005: If the Oscars Were Handed Out Today…

The seasons, they are a-changin’. Yes, technically, summer has ended and autumn has begun, but to us movie lovers, it’s all gearing up for the “Oscar season.”

While it may be true that the Academy tends to turn a blind eye on movies released up to this point, they have made great strides in recent years by acknowledging Gladiator in 2001, Seabiscuit in 2004 and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last year, each of which was released earlier in its respective year.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t stir things up a bit and accordingly dare to ponder: “What if the Oscars were handed out today…” We make some bold choices.

Best Picture: A History of Violence

Everything a movie should be. It has all the parts–acting, writing, directing–firmly in place, but the way it brings them all together is unprecedented, especially in the fact that it continues to smack you in the face days, even weeks after watching it. The story about a supposedly stalwart man, living an idyllic life in a small town but whose past catches up to him speedily weaves through your conscience, only to lodge itself squarely in the back of it. From the furtive mind of director David Cronenberg, Violence is a rare thing. All the weighty dramas out there–clocking in at well over two hours–should learn something from this boulder of a drama. Cronenberg trims any of its superfluous parts and creates a career-defining masterpiece.

Honorable Mention: Jim Jarmusch‘s quirky dramedy Broken Flowers.

Best Director: Tim Burton, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

The pressure was on for Tim Burton–from the studios who put up the dough, from the faithful of both the original novel and the original Willy Wonka film (leader of the pack was Gene Wilder) and from critics, who heard negative grumbling from the set of the production. Well, apparently Burton thrives on pressure. He turned Charlie into one of the biggest earners this summer and still managed to maintain his Gothic-fun trademark, with the help of his own Willy Wonka, Johnny Depp. The film itself was slow in places and was panned by a few critics, but it was exactly what we giddily expected when we saw the headlines, “Burton and Depp to Team Up on Wonka Project.”

Honorable Mention: Ok, so we didn’t pick him for the top spot but David Cronenberg certainly could have a shot with A History of Violence.

Best Actor: Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow

“Was there ever any doubt?!” You can almost imagine Hilary Swank (last year’s Best Actress winner) uttering that phrase as she calls Howard‘s name for Best Actor. Alas, it probably won’t happen and why? Because it was released too early. Plus, there’s the upcoming Philip Seymour Hoffman as the little guy with a lisp in the upcoming Capote to contend with. But to see the soft-spoken and well-mannered Howard‘s amazing transformation to become the legitimate rapper and a hardened pimp DJay in Hustle is astounding. There has been no scene or display of acting thus far more breathtaking than when DJay first unveils his rap song to his collaborators in the movie. Because it’s rare to see such a formindable character look so vulnerable at the same time.

Honorable Mention: Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man–he may throw telephones for real but he still throws one mean punch in the acting department.

Best Actress: Renee Zellweger, Cinderella Man

Not exactly a category overflowing with nominations here, so chances are the Academy won’t even feel remorse when they throw the women of pre-autumn/winter to the wayside come voting time. But Zellweger, whose already won one of those gold fellas for her turn in Cold Mountain, did give one heck of a performance in the grossly underrated and under-seen Cinderella Man. She seems an unlikely choice to play a Depression-era Yankee-wife to a pugilistic underdog, but she pulls it off and then some. Of course, it’s dangerous to doubt Renee as she’s made a career of playing against type. In fact, it’s fair to say that we don’t even know what her “type” is anymore.

Honorable Mention: Rachel Weisz‘s stunningly raw and honest portrayal of a human rights activist in The Constant Gardener.

Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man

If there is one person that might have a chance at piercing the seemingly impenetrable winter bubble of the Academy for this year’s awards, it’d have to be Giamatti. He is long overdue for some Oscar love. The Academy may feel badly about his snub last year for his tremendous performance in the wine-soaked Sideways. Giamatti lost his Best Actor slot, basically, to living legend Clint Eastwood for his turn in Million Dollar Baby. So, this is their perfect opportunity to make amends. Everybody loves Giamatti and everybody loved his portrayal of a rough-and-tumble boxing manager, tackling with his own demons–as well as a New England accent in Cinderella Man. Really a no-brainer in this category.
Honorable Mention: Matt Dillon‘s tortured, racist cop in Crash.

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, Junebug

So far, this category is thin on contenders, but Adams would be deserving even if it were overflowing. She already took home a Sundance award for her dazzling performance as Ashley, a pregnant, jealous wife in small-town North Carolina. The actress, best known for her small performance in Catch Me If You Can, has so far flown under the radar for most of her career. But things might just be looking up for Adams after her strong performance in this little-seen Southern drama.
Honorable Mention: Isla Fisher hilarious turn as a looney nymphomaniac in The Wedding Crashers.

And here are just some guesses at other categories: