[Borges]

The Oscars' predilection for 'Disease of the Week' acting is a long standing problem but his thesis that only actors playing positive characters are worthy of awards doesn't make much sense.

[RightWingAtheist]

I also think Swank (for her first award, at least), Berry and Theron all deserved their Oscars. Let's face it: leading actresses usually aren't given good roles which would permit them to stretch their ranges.

A lot of the time, Oscars are given as "compensations". Denzel Washington gave a good performance in the routine Training Day, and was rewarded seemingly in compensation for not getting it for his searing perfromances as Malcolm X and Hurricane Carter. Nicole Kidman had proved herself to be more than "Mrs. Tom Cruise" after giving superb performances in To Die For, and The Others, and an excellent one in Moulin Rouge, yet she got the award for The Hours, which was an ensemble film. I think Julianne Moore gave the best performance out of the three in that film.