Picking Oscar winners tougher this year; Critics duke it out over 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'The Aviator' as best bet

From: Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque) | Date: February 27, 2005| Author: DAVID GERMAIN and CHRISTY LEMIRE | Copyright information

Unlike last year, when it was obvious that the hobbits and elves would rule Oscar night (and they did), this Academy Awards race looks tougher to call. Associated Press movie writers David Germain and Christy Lemire duke it out - and disagree - over several of the main categories:

Best picture

Nominees: "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland," "Million Dollar Baby," "Ray," "Sideways."

Germain: After seesawing from "The Aviator" to "Million Dollar Baby," I'm back on board with M...

Read all of this article with a FREE trial to HighBeam Research

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research

Picking Oscar winners tougher this year; Critics duke it out over 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'The Aviator' as best bet
Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque) ; Unlike last year, when it was obvious that the hobbits and elves would rule Oscar night (and they did), this Academy Awards race looks tougher to call. Associated Press movie writers David Germain and Christy Lemire duke it out - and disagree - over several of the main categories: Best picture
OSCARS 2005; THE WINNERS; Make his night; Dirty Harry cleans up at the Oscars with "Million Dollar Baby.'.(VARIETY)
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) ; Byline: Jeff Strickler; Staff Writer Million Dollar Baby knocked out the competition at the Academy Awards Sunday night. Although The Aviator won more total awards - five to four - Clint Eastwood's boxing drama captured more of the ones that people will remember. A story about a young woman who
'Aviator,' Ready for Takeoff; 'Million Dollar Baby' Has Its Fists Raised, But Hollywood's Buzz Is Fixed on the Skies
The Washington Post ; The screenwriter William Goldman once said that "nobody knows anything," his epigram to Hollywood. It is a most favorite chestnut. Studio heads and their marketing staffs like it so much they repeat it often upon the release of gobblers like "Alexander" or "Catwoman" or "The Alamo." It seems to
'The Aviator' gets 11 Oscar nominations: 'Million Dollar Baby,' 'Finding Neverland' followed with 7 nods
Charleston Daily Mail ; BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The Howard Hughes epic "The Aviator" led Academy Awards contenders with 11 nominations today, including best picture, plus acting honors for Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and Alan Alda and a directing slot for Martin Scorsese. The boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby" and
BOXING MOVIES TAKE A PUNCH BY DUCKING EXPECTATIONS AND MIXING IT UP, 'MILLION DOLLAR BABY' BRINGS NEW POWER TO ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S OLDEST GENRES
The Boston Globe ; There comes a moment in "Million Dollar Baby," the new boxing movie directed by Clint Eastwood, when a calamity befalls Maggie Fitzgerald, the appealing waitress-turned-pugilist played by Hilary Swank. The two old fight guys who care for her Frankie Dunn, the tenderhearted crustacean of a trainer
Million Dollar Baby Kayos The Aviator, Eastwood, Freeman, Swank, Foxx and Blanchett Take Top Honors
Tennessee TRIBUNE, The ; On a night when big losers seemed to upstage big winners, Million Dollar Baby pulled off a few upsets in taking home five Academy Awards, including those for Best Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hilary Swank) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). Million's 5 Oscars
'Million Dollar Baby' KO's 'The Aviator'; Eastwood, Freeman, Swank, Foxx, and Blanchett take top honors
Baltimore Afro-American ; Williams, Kam Baltimore Afro-American 03-11-2005 On a night when big losers seemed to upstage big winners, Million Dollar Baby pulled off a few upsets in taking home five Academy Awards, including those for best picture, best director (Clint Eastwood), best actress (Hilary Swank) and best
'Million Dollar Baby' knocks out rivals; Boxing saga wins best picture, best director and 2 acting Oscars; 'The Aviator' lands 5 trophies
Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque) ; LOS ANGELES (AP) - The boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby" was the Academy Awards heavyweight Sunday, claiming best picture and three other trophies, including honors for director Clint Eastwood, lead- actress Hilary Swank and supporting-actor Morgan Freeman. Winners at the 77th annual Academy Awards
`Aviator,' `Million Dollar Baby' lead Oscar nominations.
Zap2It.com ; Byline: Mike Szymanski LOS ANGELES _ Martin Scorsese's film about Howard Hughes, The Aviator, earned 11 Oscar nominations Tuesday, while Clint Eastwood's dramatic story about a female boxer, Million Dollar Baby, got seven nominations, including both director and actor nods for Eastwood. Other
'Million Dollar Baby': A One-Two Punch To the Emotions
The Washington Post ; It might only be a coincidence that the character played by Clint Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby" bears more than a passing resemblance to Eastwood the director. Frankie Dunn, the irascible old cuss who reluctantly takes on a young female boxer named Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), is a man of