Meditations on What Comes Next

Personal agitation on the next career step continues in the comments from yesterday's entry. See my latest thoughts here. *sigh*

More Oscar Speculation

There's so much Oscar speculation going on in the threads that I decided to bring the discussion to the top level. It still may be a little early, but I want everyone (especially you deeply knowledgeable people--and You Know Who You Are, Nick and Dave) to chime in.

Okay, here are my guesses. Some of this is based on the buzz level; some of it is my gut; some of it is admittedly wishful thinking. I'm reluctant to guess winners, so here are nominee guesses only:

Best Picture:

Master and Commander

Return of the King

The Last Samurai (though I don't think it deserves it, Oscar loves an epic)

Lost in Translation

Mystic River
Other thoughts: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Best Director:

Peter Jackson

Peter Weir

Clint Eastwood

Sophia Coppola

Tim Burton (who's never been nominated--wouldn't that be nice?)
Other ideas?

Best Actor:

Russell Crow

Bill Murray

Sean Penn (for Mystic River--the buss is overwhelming)

Ben Kingsley (for The House of Sand and Fog; he can't seem to avoid getting nominated for nearly every role)

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Carribean)
Other thoughts: Jack Nicholson, sentimental favorite for Something's Gotta Give. Michael Caine in The Statement. Sadly, I don't think this is Cruise's year for a nom; if he does get one, he won't win. None of the leaders in Return of the King will get nominated--neither square-jawed good looking hero types (with the exception of Cruise) nor tormented pretty boys (with the exception of Cruise) get nominated, ever.

Best Actress:

Julia Roberts (though I don't think she deserves it)

Scarlet Johannsen (either Lost in Translation or, more likely, Girl with a Pearl Earring. They won't nominate her for both--she's too young.)

Nicole Kidman (Cold Mountain)

Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider--she knocked my socks off--she's too young to win, but wouldn't this be nice?)

Unsure about the last one--doesn't it suck that there aren't more killer women's roles?
Other ideas?

Best Supporting Actor

Ed Harris (The Human Stain)

Gary Sinise (The Human Stain--he probably won't get a nom because his performance is so understated compared to Harris', but I think he rocked)

Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai)

Albert Finney (Big Fish--sentimental favorite)

Not sure who else here, though Ian McKellan for Return of the King would be nice.

Best Supporting Actress:

Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain, based on buzz)

Tilda Swinton (The Statement, based on buzz)

Maggie Gyllenhaal (Mona Lisa Smile--even though Kirsten Dunst is the one who gets the attention-getting screaming fit toward the end of the film, Gyllenhaal's just better)

Kirsten Dunst (because that screaming fit did really work well. It was a role obviously written for Oscar attention. We Shall See.)

Marcia Gay Harden (Mona Lisa Smile--one of the two most understated performances in the film, but of all of them, probably the best)
Other ideas: Amanda Peet--Something's Gotta Give

So, folks, what say you? Or is it too early to play this game?

Cold Mountain

Caught a preview of Cold Mountain tonight at Seattle's classic Egyptian Theater, and I'm here to tell you that not only should you see it because it's excellent, but be prepared to see the best performance Renee Zellweger has ever given. I'm not a huge fan of hers, but she steals this film from Nicole Kidman, big time. This is also the first time I've ever found Jude Law attractive; though I've always been impressed by him as an actor (and he delivers here), he was always too pretty for me. (Apologies go out to herself for taking so long to come to that particular party, but he's finally filled out and gotten a little rough around the edges; far more to my taste now.)

Briefly, the film is a Civil War love story. She's Ida, a city girl living in the country with her preacher father. He's Inman, the strong silent country boy she falls for. Away he goes to the war. The film follows their trials throughout the course of the conflict. Zellweger's character, Ruby, joins Ida to help her keep the farm going and out of the clutches of the property's first owner, a menacing character throughout the film. Ruby's got her own story, and she teaches Ida how to survive in her newly impoverished circumstances.

For Civil War bloodshed, this movie may outdo any other put on celluloid so far. It's graphic and merciless in its combat scenes. The period clothing and most of the details looked right. Most of the dialogue sounded right, though there were some exceptions made in the name of appropriate political correctness (i.e., some of the racism one might expect of the era was cleaned up--and rightly so for a 21st century audience). The cinematography is in many spots almost dreamlike, never lingering too long, and often almost painterly.

Some younger actors move into more adult roles here. Natalie Portman plays a desperate young mother who's lost her husband in the war. I didn't recognize her. Her performance is heart-wrenching. Jena Malone (Contact) plays a scarily sophisticated and jaded teenage ferrywoman.

You'll also see Donald Sutherland, Giovanni Ribisi, Kathy Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman (almost unrecognizable at first) and Brendan Gleeson all turn up in terrific supporting parts.

I definitely recommend the movie. And this is one to see on a big screen. Those combat scenes demand it, and the mountain vistas will be enhanced by it.