The 2005 Oscar nominations were announced Saturday, starting a five-week boxing match between the leading contenders. At the top of the heap is the Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator” with a whopping 11 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Alda. Coming close behind are Clint Eastwood’s boxing epic “Million Dollar Baby” and the JM Barrie excursion “Finding Neverland” with seven nominations each.
It’s not much of a surprise to see “The Aviator” leading the pack. With a strong Golden Globe win under its belt, the epic looks to be the film to beat. Leonardo DiCaprio’s strong appearance, along with his first nomination since “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” has many in Hollywood taking notice and rethinking his career. His portrayal of the eccentric Hughes is some of his best work to date, really capturing the emotional groundings of a man often remembered as crazy. Alan Alda, of “M.A.S.H.” and “The West Wing” fame, does an admirable job as Senator Ralph Owen Brewster. His snide antagonist showcases previously untapped talent, making Alda’s performance quite worthy of his supporting actor nod.
Other nominations for “The Aviator” include Best Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Writing (Screenplay), Sound Mixing and Best Director for Martin Scorsese.
Scorsese has been nominated six times, but has never taken home an Oscar for his work. Many people speculate that “The Aviator” could be the film to finally help him in breaking his streak.
Boxing picture “Million Dollar Baby” is attempting to play David to “The Aviator’s” Goliath. With seven nominations, it just might change the shape of the battlefield. Also nominated for best picture are the wine-drinking gem “Sideways” and touching biopic of the late musician, “Ray.”
Director Clint Eastwood looks to be the only actor/director in history to win both Best Actor and Best Director awards. “Million Dollar Baby” is being heralded as a true masterpiece, telling the story of an aging boxer as he tries to train and instill his knowledge into his young female protégé. This is Eastwood’s 25th film as a director, and many are saying it’s his best.
Eastwood has stiff competition in Best Actor from Jamie Foxx, whose soulful and true-to-life portrayal of musician Ray Charles has propelled him to the front of the pack. After taking home a Golden Globe for his astounding work in “Ray,” Foxx looks poised to take home yet another award.
Foxx is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role opposite Tom Cruise in “Collateral,” making him the first man to be nominated in both categories since Al Pacino in 1993. His portrayal of the laid-back taxi driver-turned-hitman shows off his comedic abilities, his action potential and his dramatic flair. Foxx has proven time and time again he’s one of the most well-rounded actors of his day, with people finally taking notice.
Running against Foxx for Supporting Actor are Thomas Haden Church for “Sideways,” Morgan Freeman for “Million Dollar Baby” and Clive Owen for “Closer.”
A slew of talented women are nominated for Best Actress, with a few returning faces. Golden Globe winner Annette Benning faces off with Hilary Swank (“Million Dollar Baby”) in a rematch of 1999. Swank took home the Oscar for “Boys Don’t Cry” that year, but Benning hopes to triumph this time around. Kate Winslet has been nominated for her role in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and Imelda Staunton got the nod for “Vera Drake.” Although there are multiple very talented women, most argue the true battle will be between Benning and Swank.
Surprisingly absent from the nominations is “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Except for Winslet’s nomination and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, “Sunshine” has been shutout of every other category. With superb cinematography and editing, it looked like “Sunshine” would have seen more nominations. Some in the industry believe it to be an intentional snub.
Johnny Depp continues his streak of unique roles and tremendous performances as writer J.M. Barrie in “Finding Neverland.” He has been nominated for Best Actor previously, but the nomination of “Finding Neverland” for Best Picture should be seen as a testament to his ability to turn an otherwise mediocre film into a cinematic marvel.
Supposedly one of the better films of the year, “Hotel Rwanda” is surprisingly low-key in its Oscar nods. Don Cheadle is nominated for Best Actor and Sophie Okonedo is up for Best Supporting Actress. Along with its Best Writing nomination, “Hotel Rwanda” is eligible for a mere three Oscars.
While it received horrible reviews, even a film like “I, Robot” took home an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. Competing with “Spider-Man 2” and “Harry Potter” is no easy contest, but even a terrible movie can apparently still have a shot at getting an Oscar.
The past year has been filled with thrilling performances from tested actors, emotional portrayals of beloved icons and touching tales of humanity. Only time will tell whom the Academy deems worthy of being the best, but there certainly won’t be any easy choices.
— Ryan Gauthier and Charles Parsons contributed to this article
