Best Actress 2004

1998 through 2007

Best Actress 2004

Annette Bening - Being Julia
8
11%
Catalina Sandino Moreno - Maria Full of Grace
8
11%
Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake
13
18%
Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby
11
15%
Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
34
46%
 
Total votes: 74

Sabin
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Sabin »

Reza wrote
What he says in his review above about the adult-child relationship in the film.
So, you mean in terms of his rhetoric, not his overall mindset when reviewing films. Got it.

I just don't think it was his kind of film. He hates art films.
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Reza
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Reza »

Sabin wrote:
Reza wrote
I vaguely recall reviewers and bloggers even then going the route of Owen Gleiberman who in his indireview said,

"When Kidman slithers into a bathtub with her young ''husband,'' the scene, in its soft-pedaled way, is the definition of exploitation: It appears to have been cooked up for no other purpose than to conjure creepy child-porn overtones".
What is "The route of Owen Gleiberman?" Asking for clarification.
What he says in his review above about the adult-child relationship in the film.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Sabin »

Reza wrote
I vaguely recall reviewers and bloggers even then going the route of Owen Gleiberman who in his review said,

"When Kidman slithers into a bathtub with her young ''husband,'' the scene, in its soft-pedaled way, is the definition of exploitation: It appears to have been cooked up for no other purpose than to conjure creepy child-porn overtones".
What is "The route of Owen Gleiberman?" Asking for clarification.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Reza »

Sabin wrote:
Reza wrote
Kidman is really very good in Birth and is my favourite female performance of the year - she is also very good in Dogville. But Birth never had a chance because of the subject matter. In fact a film with such a subject today would never be made with the kind of "climate" that exists in the United States.
I prefer Kidman in Dogville but she's excellent in Birth as well. Birth deserved nominations for Best Original Score and Cinematography as well.

I don't think I understand your point though. A movie about a woman who becomes convinced that her deceased husband has been reincarnated as a 10-year-old boy? Sure, that could get made today. It might not be made in the same way or for $20 million, but yeah. Or at least as some kind of a miniseries for television or something.
I vaguely recall reviewers and bloggers even then going the route of Owen Gleiberman who in his review said,

"When Kidman slithers into a bathtub with her young ''husband,'' the scene, in its soft-pedaled way, is the definition of exploitation: It appears to have been cooked up for no other purpose than to conjure creepy child-porn overtones".
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Okri »

Precious Doll wrote:
Okri wrote:
Mister Tee wrote:Wasn't Crash already a year behind (i.e., it had played Toronto in 2004, and was already being delayed)? It's hard to imagine them holding it yet another year.
Now, let's pretend that Crash is released in 2004 and Million Dollar Baby in 2005!
Of how about Crash being rushed into after its 2004 Toronto Film Festive premier and then crashing and burning at the box-office and having no impact on the Oscars leading the war forward for a Brokeback Mountain Best Picture victory.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Precious Doll »

Okri wrote:
Mister Tee wrote:Wasn't Crash already a year behind (i.e., it had played Toronto in 2004, and was already being delayed)? It's hard to imagine them holding it yet another year.
Now, let's pretend that Crash is released in 2004 and Million Dollar Baby in 2005!
Of how about Crash being rushed into after its 2004 Toronto Film Festive premier and then crashing and burning at the box-office and having no impact on the Oscars leading the war forward for a Brokeback Mountain Best Picture victory.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Okri »

Mister Tee wrote:Wasn't Crash already a year behind (i.e., it had played Toronto in 2004, and was already being delayed)? It's hard to imagine them holding it yet another year.
Now, let's pretend that Crash is released in 2004 and Million Dollar Baby in 2005!
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Sabin »

Mister Tee wrote
Wasn't Crash already a year behind (i.e., it had played Toronto in 2004, and was already being delayed)? It's hard to imagine them holding it yet another year.
So... both Crash and Million Dollar Baby get nominated for Best Picture. Munich probably gets left off the list.

Does Clint get nominated for Best Actor? I don't know if 2004 was more stacked than 2005 but I bet Eastwood has an easier time getting nominated over Terrence Howard and Russell Crowe than Paul Giamatti... Does somebody remember to submit Clint's score in time? I'd say probably. And it's a weaker year for Best Original Score overall. So Million Dollar Baby picks up eight nominations. Munich probably misses out for Picture, Haggis or Miller miss out for Director, Howard misses out for Actor, Knightley misses out for Actress, Hurt misses out on Supporting Actor, A History of Violence misses out for Adapted, Pride & Prejudice misses out for Score, Walk the Line misses out on Film Editing.

So, Crash probably hangs onto its five or six nominations.

So, how does Crash's presence help or hurt Million Dollar Baby? I think it would still win the SAG Ensemble Award but would probably have been treated like Gosford Park. Either way, Paul Haggis becomes the writer of the year and is treated as such.

I just don't think you can find these conversations at GoldDerby.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Mister Tee »

Sabin wrote:
mlrg wrote
If Million Dollar Baby was released in 2005 would it prevail above Crash and Brokeback Mountain?
I think it definitely would have. Million Dollar Baby didn't win in 2004 because it arrived late; it won because it was the most broadly popular of the three main contenders. In 2005, it would have been competing with two films that had significant backlashes -- Brokeback for its subject matter, Crash for its sledgehammer obviousness. It would have seemed the perfect middle-ground choice.
I don't think I remember Clint Eastwood saying anything about his 2004 competition.
It was after the fact, but, on Oscar night, when someone asked Eastwood about beating Scorsese, he said nice things about Marty, and also made sure no one forgot Alexander Payne, of whom he said he'd been a fan since Citizen Ruth.
In the end, if Crash can beat Brokeback Mountain, Million Dollar Baby probably can as well. Maybe Crash gets pushed back to 2006?
Wasn't Crash already a year behind (i.e., it had played Toronto in 2004, and was already being delayed)? It's hard to imagine them holding it yet another year.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Sabin »

mlrg wrote
If Million Dollar Baby was released in 2005 would it prevail above Crash and Brokeback Mountain?
I think it could've. Who knows? Swank and Freeman probably would have.

The big question is how does having two films nominated for Best Picture in the same year change Paul Haggis' career. The fact that he wrote back to back Oscar winners is largely unknown. 2005 becomes a fascinating Oscar race. And Million Dollar actually fits into the 2005 race pretty nicely because that race was all about social issues (homosexuality, racism, the death penalty, McCarthyism). Euthanasia dovetails pretty nicely.

NOTE:
Wow, we're getting into some interesting revisionist history... There's something about a gay cowboy movie vs. a euthanasia boxing movie that's too perfect.

Here's a thought: what does Clint Eastwood think of "the gay cowboy movie?" Million Dollar Baby opened up a small dialogue about Clint Eastwood's libertarian politics (what does Clint believe?) and he mostly got away with it by telling people to shut up and stop making everything so political. I'm not sure he can get away with that in 2005 where the movies are explicitly political. I don't think I remember Clint Eastwood saying anything about his 2004 competition. In 2005, Maybe he tactfully avoids the subject, makes a joke, and moves on. But considering that Roger Ebert got death threats for suggesting that Crash should and would beat Brokeback Mountain, I think it could get ugly.

In the end, if Crash can beat Brokeback Mountain, Million Dollar Baby probably can as well. Maybe Crash gets pushed back to 2006?
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Big Magilla »

mlrg wrote:If Million Dollar Baby was released in 2005 would it prevail above Crash and Brokeback Mountain?
I don't think so. It had the element of surprise on its side in a year when there was no strong favorite for Best Picture. Had it been released early in 2005, as I believe was originally intended, it would not have had that element on its side.

On the other hand, both Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman could have prevailed in their respective acting categories. Swank's performance was a lot stronger than Reese Witherspoon's in Walk the Line and Freeman's performance was not only stronger than George Clooney's in Syriana, he was and is a more respected actor overall who was considered overdue at the time.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Sabin »

mlrg wrote
Interesting take on supporting actor. Was Thomas Hayden Church really the runner up? I think it was Clive Owen, who won the Golden Globe and BAFTA.
Maybe, but Owen wasn’t nominated for a SAG. I’m guessing that puts Church ahead in that race, which means he’s probably the favorite for the Oscar.
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by mlrg »

If Million Dollar Baby was released in 2005 would it prevail above Crash and Brokeback Mountain?
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by Okri »

I agree with Tee. Without Eastwood, Scorsese wins on accumulated points but Sideways romps home with best picture. While it was a massive critical darling, it was also a solid box office success (70+ million). The Aviator sweeps the techs but the only major it wins is Blanchett (who was in such an odd space in her career). I'll echo Sabin (geez, what happened to my original thoughts) that Haden Church ends up the winner, Giamatti and editing end up nominated

I think Closer was always gonna be more successful with Globes/BAFTA anyway (sorta like how the play was more successful in the UK than in New York). That said, I'd be intrigued if Julia Roberts sneaks into Swanks-now-vacated spot (she probably doesn't).
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Re: Best Actress 2004

Post by mlrg »

I think Sideways was more of a critics darling than a true oscar contender. Paul Giamatti would have been nominated instead of Eastwood and clearly Scorsese would have won for The Aviator merely because of the overdue factor. The Aviator was more admired than loved, but so was The Departed two years later.

Interesting take on supporting actor. Was Thomas Hayden Church really the runner up? I think it was Clive Owen, who won the Golden Globe and BAFTA.
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