Posted on 03/05/2006 3:24:29 AM PST by albyjimc2
HOLLYWOOD (AFP) - Tension reached fever pitch as Hollywood began the final countdown to Sunday's Oscars, with a posse of "serious" films, led by "Brokeback Mountain," set to overrun the big night.
As workers frantically put the finishing touches on preparations for the 78th annual Academy Awards, which start with the legendary red carpet celebrity fashion show, the anxious nominees are crossing their fingers.
In a year laden with small-budget movies packing weighty political or social messages, Taiwan director Ang Lee's film about gay cowboys is the frontrunner for the top awards, including best picture and best director.
"We're almost there and I think 'Brokeback' is still leading the race," said veteran Hollywood Reporter online columnist Marty Grove.
But the aching story of two macho farmhands who fall in love despite themselves and pursue an unfulfilled 20-year romance faces a last-minute challenge from a dark horse, Paul Haggis's racial drama "Crash."
"The buzz is that the threat to 'Brokeback' from 'Crash' is now very real," awards expert Tom O'Neil of the website theEnvelope.com said of the tiny independent movie that may crash Ang Lee's party.
"'Brokeback' has a passionate following, but you also have 'Capote' and 'Transamerica' this year and they may have created a gay fatigue," he told AFP.
But like other pundits, O'Neil is still betting that the offbeat Western which has swept Hollywood's awards season and led the Oscars race from the start will still rope in five statuettes Sunday.
It rides into the Oscars armed with a leading eight nominations, including best picture, director, best actor for Australia's Heath Ledger and best supporting role nods for Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams.
The movie faces off against the six-times nominated "Crash," about a group of ethnically diverse people whose lives collide in a Los Angeles car accident, and George Clooney's political drama Good Night, and Good Luck," which is also up for six awards.
Also competing for best picture are "Munich" -- Steven Spielberg's epic about the aftermath of the Palestinian massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics -- and "Capote," about US author Truman Capote, both of which are up for five Oscars.
"Capote" star Philip Seymour Hoffman is widely favoured to win the best actor Oscar for his staggering title role in Bennett Miller's biopic, facing off against the Australian star of "Brokeback," Heath Ledger, 26.
Also vying for the award is Joaquin Phoenix, who played country star Johnny Cash in the biopic "Walk the Line," nominated for five Oscars, David Strathairn, for his role as newsman Ed Murrow in "Good Night," and Terrence Howard for "Hustle and Flow."
"The Oscars upsets almost always happen in the supporting actor categories, so we may see the jaw-dropper of the evening be Jake or Michelle winning for 'Brokeback,'" O'Neil said.
Most pundits predict that Briton Rachel Weisz will win the women's award for her role as an activist fighting the pharmaceutical industry in Kenya in "The Constant Gardner," with Williams -- Heath Ledger's real-life fiancee -- trailing for her portrayal of his cuckolded wife in "Brokeback."
Also competing for best supporting actress are Frances McDormand for "North Country," Amy Adams for "Junebug" and Catherine Keener, who played writer Harper Lee in "Capote."
Heartthrob Clooney is tipped to beat out Gyllenhaal and win best supporting actor for his role as a CIA spy in the oil industry thriller "Syriana."
Clooney, who is up for three Oscars, also faces competition from Paul Giammati for "Cinderella Man," Matt Dillon for "Crash," and William Hurt for "A History of Violence."
Facing off against frontrunner Ang Lee for best director are "Capote's" Miller, Haggis for "Crash," Clooney as director of "Good Night," and Spielberg for "Munich," the only big-budget film in the major categories.
The politically outspoken Clooney is also nominated for his best original screenplay for "Good Night," the story of newsman Ed Murrow's crusade against the repression of the US and-Communist witch hunt of the 1950s.
The political current running through this year's Oscars is further stoked by the Palestinian best foreign language film contender "Paradise Now," about two friends who become suicide bombers, a nomination that infuriated many Israelis.
It competes against France's World War I story "Joyeux Noel," Italy's story of sex abuse, "Don't Tell," Germany's "Sophie Scholl -- The Final Days" and South Africa's crime drama "Tsotsi," by Gavin Hood.
"Oscar has gone very serious this year," Grove said of the nominees. "In the past, the Oscars were only about great filmmaking and entertainment, but now its about passing on an important message."
For awhile I've been thinking of going to Forest Lawn and paying my respects to James Stewart. Today might be the day to do it - classic Hollywood legends could well be spinning in their graves today!
Crash and Capote are worth seeing. Neither should offend FReepers.
I can relate.If there was something worth seeing,i'd go to the movies more often.Hollyweird simply cannot make an entertaining film w/o interjecting their particular bias/political philosophy.Even"The Day After Tomorrow"(the last movie i pd to see)used global warming as the premise of this disaster flick.To add insult to injury,i pd $4.00 for a box of stale popcorn and $2.50 for a cup of flat diet coke that was mostly ice.
I think Brokeback is in real trouble. I recently saw "Crash" and it was an awesome film. Brokeback is in backlash, and it is amusing to read about about Clooney will beat Jake G (Jake shouldn't even have been nominated). Jake has NO chance to win. Clooney has three nominations, I think his only chance is in BSA - but Matt Dillon or Paul Giamtti should win.
Hoffman is a lock, and he deserves it, ditto Rachel Weisz, and I think Witherspoon also.
I am hoping that Crash pulls it off and leaves Brokeback with only 1 major award, which will be director. I think Ang Lee has it in the bag, although I don't know why.
I still can't believe that "Walk the Line" or "Narnia" wasn't given a Best Picture nod.
Let's hope Brokeback ends up with pie on it's face. I saw it and it wasn't that good, trust me.
Capote as worthwhile. It was an amazing acting performance and Capote was a real dirt bag, which they don't sugar coat in this film. However they do try to drum up sympathy for Perry which made me a little sick.
Yes, I agree. Crash and Capote are the only two.
Thanks for the info.I'll catch the movie.Capote was an interesting character.
Close to orgasmic pitch.....
In this household, no such tension exists.......
Incredibly enough, even PBS admits the US guvmint was infiltrated with
a lot of Soviet spooks:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/venona/
I about had a heart attack when this PBS product admitted that McCarthy
was right about Communist infiltration, even if he wasn't always accurate
in identifying specific targets.
LOL, ride baby ride. What a title.
Where have you been?
The left depends on the fact that no one will read for themselves.
Communist Goals #26(1963)
Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35
January 10, 1963
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
Capote was more than interesting - he was really a horrible person. But this is a fascinating study, so get try it.
I would think it would be an interesting movie.Truman was very eccentric(to say the least).
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