Wow. As opposed to last year (which was one of the best academy awards in years), this years Oscar show was something of a let down. Unlike the last few years, there was a tangible lack of power among the films this year. There was no powerhouse like Lord of the Rings or any major sentimental favorites either.
First, I should make a comment on the hosting job done by Chris Rock. I was strongly against him hosting the show from the first day they announced it a few months back. However, it’s only fair to say that he did an “ok” job. The opening monologue was pretty good (but not great) and he didn’t really get in the way too much during the ceremony. Not nearly as good as Steve Martin did, but certainly better than Whoopi or David Letterman did. Give Rock a fairly respectable B- for his job.
The show was peppered with coordination and technical problems. I also found the whole “hand out the awards to people still sitting in their seats” thing rather insulting. If you can’t give a person an Oscar on stage, then why bother bringing them in the first place? Hand it out before the show.
A few things did work. Having the nominees on stage already when the winner is named was a great idea. I just wished they were consistent with it and did it for all the categories instead of just a few of them.
The strongest part of the show was the Best Actor Category. Jamie Foxx won, and even though I still believe Johnny Depp was the most deserving of the nominees… I think it’s fair to say that every one of the actors would have been a great choice (including Foxx).
So here are the results of the 2005 Oscars:
Best motion picture of the year
Million Dollar Baby
John’s Pick: Finding Neverland
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Jamie Foxx
John’s Pick: Johnny Depp
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Hilary Swank (also John’s Pick)
Achievement in directing
Clint Eastwood
John’s Pick: Martin Scorsese
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Morgan Freeman (also John’s Pick)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett (also John’s Pick)
Original screenplay
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
John’s Pick: The Incredibles
Adapted screenplay
Sideways
John’s Pick: Finding Neverland
For a full list of all the nominees and winners, you can check out CNN’s results page by going here.
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