And it’s back…bringing you daily questions for you to weigh in on. Some will refer directly back to an Academy Award/Oscar Race and some will be simply about film and actors in general.
It’s generally believed that Paul Giamatti was snubbed in a big way for Alexander Payne’s Sideways (2004). The five actors that made the lineup were Don Cheadle for Hotel Rwanda (2004), Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland (2004), Leonardo DiCaprio for The Aviator (2004), Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby (2004), and Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004). If you were going to insert Giamatti into the lineup, which actor would you remove?
The easy answer I think is Johnny Depp but there has always been something about Jamie Foxx’s work in Ray that really urks the hell out of me. I find it to be one of the most overrated works of Oscar’s awarded history in Best Actor. Definitely prefer his work in Collateral, a true LEAD performance, that was campaigned in the wrong category. That’s my two-sense.
Have at it. Comment and discuss!
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Tags: Alexander Payne, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Cinema of the United States, Clint Eastwood, Don Cheadle, Entertainment, Film, Finding Neverland, Hotel Rwanda, jamie foxx, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Million Dollar Baby, Oscar Question of the day, Oscar race, Paul Giamatti, Screen Actors Guild Award
25 Comments
Clint Eastwood
John Rivera(Quote) (Reply)
I would say Clint Eastwood. Because he was going to win two that night anyways..
Dennis Oppong Arthur (@DennisRthr)(Quote) (Reply)
I agree, take out Jamie Foxx. Wasn’t at all impressed with his performance. And since we’re on the topic of him, I dont think he was great in Collaterol either. He was good, but Cruise was ten times better and more worthy of a nomination in my opinion.
Kevin(Quote) (Reply)
Jamie Foxx, though to be honest I would have nominated Jim Carrey over everyone.
koook160 (Robert MacFarlane)(Quote) (Reply)
I would remove Eastwood.
Douglas Durham(Quote) (Reply)
Leo. Sorry. he just didn’t do it for me in that film.
Chad(Quote) (Reply)
Either Johnny Depp or Jamie Foxx…
Joey Magidson(Quote) (Reply)
Eastwood out, Carrey in for ‘Eternal Sunshine’. As much as I love Giamatti, I think sideways is a ridiculously overrated film.
Joe Gouveia(Quote) (Reply)
Definitely Eastwood. Yet another over-rated performance unworthy of the nomination. Jim Carrey also should have been nominated, most likely in Depp’s place but that’s a tougher call.
Anthony Chester(Quote) (Reply)
Clint out, Giamatti in, DiCaprio wins.
UBourgeois(Quote) (Reply)
I’ll echo the sentiments of keeping Clint out. I really liked “Million Dollar Baby”, and while it’s probably the best performance he’s given, I’m still not a fan of his acting. I’d also disagree about Foxx. I really liked him in that film and still remain a fan of that performance.
Josh P.(Quote) (Reply)
Eastwood and Johnny Depp out, with Jim Carrey and Paul Giamatti in.
Paul Giamatti was at the top of his game in Sideways, and Jim Carrey was the most subtle and real he’s been since… ever (although The Truman Show was a great performance as well).
Eastwood… I just don’t get the love for him as an actor. I love his films, but… Million Dollar Baby was Swank’s show.
Still a fan of Foxx in Ray.
McGregor(Quote) (Reply)
I think Depp is the easy choice here, for me at least. Clint might have given the best perfomance of his long career, so I’d leave him be. Depp and the film itself were both good, yet over time become a bit forgettable.
Mark Johnson(Quote) (Reply)
Actually, I agree about Eastwood here. He gave a genuinely emotional and sensitive performance that was uncharacteristic for him. Depp, I disagree with. I thought his restraint was more than welcome, considering afterwords we saw nothing BUT hamming it up genre films from him. Foxx was all mannerisms and immitation. A gimicky performance if I’ve ever seen one.
koook160 (Robert MacFarlane)(Quote) (Reply)
Totally agree that Depp is forgettable in Finding Neverland. Is he a great actor? Of course. But does anyone really recall him in this movie? Did he register at all? Say what you want about Eastwood or Foxx, but they were truly memorable in their work. Depp fans have to stop being fanboys and see his perf in FN as fine and not truly Oscar-worthy.
RLK(Quote) (Reply)
How am I a Depp fanboy? I just said he’s been hamming it up in genre films. Y’know, instead of trying.
koook160 (Robert MacFarlane)(Quote) (Reply)
Wow, it looks like a four way split so far. It’s hard for me, because if I were picking for the Oscars, the line up for best actor in 2004 would have been entirely different. I guess I’ll go with jamie Foxx for reasons similar to koook160: heavy on the imitation, light on the interpretation.
If I had picked that year, the line-up would have looked something like this:
Jim Carry “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
Paul Giamatti “Sideways”
Kevin Bacon “The Woodsman”
Leonardo Dicaprio “The Aviator”
Jim Caviezel “The Passion of the Christ”
Runner-up Don Cheadle “Hotel Rwanda”
Steve Glansberg(Quote) (Reply)
I’d take out Johnny Depp and not only do I think Giamatti should have been nominated but I think he should have won. Also, I agree with others on here that Jim Carrey should have been nominated as well.
Jeremy DC(Quote) (Reply)
paul giamatti should been nominated for sideways instead of clint eastwood nominated for million dollar baby.but that’s ancient history, let’s talk about who’ll be nominated best actor in 2013.
randall g gerber(Quote) (Reply)
I don’t know why Johnny Depp is the easy choice, he did far more in Finding Neverland than Eastwood did in Million Dollar Baby so get rid of Eastwood.
Anna Belickis(Quote) (Reply)
I would have to say Johnny Depp. Even though I liked his performance, it was not on par with the other five including Giamatti who should not only have been nominate but should also been the winner.
jmlatinsir(Quote) (Reply)
Clint Eastwood. It was rather unimpressive, and he eventually deserved his own win with directing.
Henry Z.(Quote) (Reply)
It was really a strage decision by Academy member to select Clint and Depp for such mediocore roles… I think that the one real winner was Leo. He created impressive and outstanding performance of that year and one of the best in his carrier. I suppose he was snubbed in 2011 for “Shutter Island”, in 2012 for “J. Edgar”, and 2003 – for “Catch me if You can”.
Genadijus(Quote) (Reply)
My picks would have been:
* Javier Bardem – The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro)
* Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
* Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda
* Jamie Foxx – Ray
* Bruno Ganz – Downfall (Der Untergang)
Ralph(Quote) (Reply)
Good call on Bruno Ganz, I forgot Downfall came out in 2004. I dunno, I might even have chosen Ganz as the winner, even over Carry and Giamatti. I’ve seen quite a few Hitler impersonations, and Ganz’s was the one that actually felt like a real person, as opposed to some mad scientist from a Universal Horror film.
Steve Glansberg(Quote) (Reply)