I need 30 more minutes for my ballot. I am struggling with the Foreign Film category a bit.

No problem! There is still technically 2 hours until the deadline, and it's not like I'm not going to accept the ballot if it's say a few hours late. I mean, I'm going to need a few days to count anyways.

PEACE, Mike.

I'm putting the final touches on it.

Those who have sent in ballots so far:

Alex Young
Chris
insein-darko
MikeQ.
trixster
Amos
Stillnasatic
Dkmuto
Shack
yoshue
android
xiayun
publicenemy#1
matatonio
Raffiki
Skyblade
Cotton
Andrew
Zingaling
neo wolf
Sad Man
Rod
Levy
RogueONE
Christian
laneyboy
ChipMunky
baumer72
Groucho
lennier
Dr. Lecter

TOTAL: 31

I hope to reach 35 ballots at least, so hopefully 4 more entries will spring up in my PM box! Either way, still great! Once again, a huge, gigantic THANK YOU to every person who took the time and effort to make and send in a ballot! Muchos appreciated. It is you guys who will make this a success.

PEACE, Mike.

I'm not completely finished yet.

Best Picture
1. City of God
2. The Barbarian Invasions
3. Dancer in the Dark
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. In the Mood for Love
6. The Fog of War
7. Kill Bill, Vol. 2
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
9. Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
10. Moulin Rouge!

Director:
1. Pedro Almodovar – Talk to Her
2. Danny Boyle – 28 Days Later
3. Sofia Coppola – Lost in Translation
4. Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
5. Jean-Pierre Jeunet – Amelie
6. Baz Lurhman – Moulin Rouge!
7. Fernando Meirelles – City of God
8. Quentin Tarantino – Kill Bill, Vol. 1
9. Lars Von Trier – Dancer in the Dark
10. Wong Kar Wai – In the Mood for Love

Best Lead Actor Performance
1. Javier Bardem – Before Night Falls
2. Jamie Foxx – Ray
3. Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Paul Giamatti – American Splendor
5. Ed Harris – Pollock
6. Tony Leung – In the Mood for Love
7. Bill Murray – Lost in Translation
8. Guy Pearce – Memento
9. Markku Peltola – The Man Without a Past
10. Bruce Willis - Unbreakable

Best Supporting Actor Performance
1. Sean Astin – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2. Paul Bettany – Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
3. Jim Broadbent – Moulin Rouge!
4. Thomas Haden Church – Sideways
5. Alfred Molina – Frida
6. Rawiri Paratene – Whale Rider
7. Joaquin Phoenix – Gladiator
8. Andy Serkis – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
9. Rodrigo De la Serna – The Motorcycle Diaries
10. John Turturro – O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Best Lead Actress Performance
1. Bjork – Dancer in the Dark
2. Keisha Castle-Hughes – Whale Rider
3. Maggie Cheung – In the Mood for Love
4. Nicole Kidman - Dogville
5. Catalina Sandino Moreno – Maria Full of Grace
6. Hillary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
7. Audrey Tautou – Amelie
8. Uma Thurman – Kill Bill, Vol. 2
9. Naomi Watts – Mullholland Dr.
10. Kate Winslett – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Best Supporting Actress Performance
1. Shohreh Aghdashloo – House of Sand and Fog
2. Monica Bellucci – Irreversible
3. Hope Davis – American Splendor
4. Ellen Degeneres – Finding Nemo
5. Kate Hudson – Almost Famous
6. Scarlett Johansson – Lost in Translation
7. Virginia Madsen – Sideways
8. Natalie Portman – Closer
9. Meryl Streep - Adaptation
10. Zhang Ziyi – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Maybe here, but you have to admit it serves a purpose in the Academy Awards, where the average Academy voter would never ever in a million years vote for an animated film for Best Picture. Despite Pixar's films constanly being the best reviewed films of the years, for instance, they are never nominated for Best Picture.

Perhaps it does, and it does ensure animated films are recognized. But then the Academy should be making separate categories for all genres. I don't believe for a second that if we erase the category, animated films will not be recognized. If an animated film is a great enough film, it will be nominated. Beauty and the Beast, a film I love, was nominated in THE Best Picture category before the Animated Film category came along. Clearly a large enough majority supported this film to get it into the biggie. So, yes, an animated film can sure make it. You can argue that animated films are sort of handicapped just like comedy films are, but there's no comedy film category, just like there shouldn't be an animated film category, in my opinion. Now that there actually is an Animated Film category, voters have absolutely NO incentive whatsoever to vote any great animated film into the Best Picture category, because to them, why do it if they already have the animated category to themselves.

In my opinion, it is more respectful to vote in the great animated films into the Best Picture category, than shuffle them into their own category. There is a reason why the nominees for Best Animated Film are often so predictable.

PEACE, Mike.

I agree with Mike.

Good or not, in the entire film history I could just name two animated flicks that I would consider as Best Picture, not because I dismiss animation as such, but because the films are just not all THAT great.

Here's the rest... I'm assuming Oldboy and Downfall are considered 2005

Best Score/Music
1. A Beautiful Mind
2. Catch Me If You Can
3. Far From Heaven
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
5. The Hours
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
7. Moulin Rouge!
8. Kill Bill, Vol. 1
9. Requiem for a Dream
10. The Village

Best Foreign Film
1. Amelie
2. The Barbarian Invasions
3. The Chorus
4. City of God
5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
6. Good Bye, Lenin!
7. In the Mood for Love
8. Infernal Affairs
9. Talk to Her
10. The Triplettes of Belleville

Best Visual Effects:
1. AI: Artificial Intelligence
2. Gladiator
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring
5. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
6. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
7. Matrix Reloaded
8. Minority Report
9. Pearl Harbor
10. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Best Overall Director
1. Clint Eastwood
2. Peter Jackson
3. Michael Mann
4. Stephen Soderbergh
5. Stephen Spielberg

Best Overall Actor
1. Johnny Depp
2. Tom Hanks
3. Tony Leung
4. Ewan McGreggor
5. Sean Penn

Best Overall Actress
1. Nicole Kidman
2. Julianne Moore
3. Naomi Watts
4. Kate Winslett
5. Zhang Ziyi

Wow. Actually ended up with a good amount of ballots.

Cool.

Thanks andaroo!! You're the best.

That makes 32 Total Ballots.

I'll accept anymore through the night/morning time. Hopefully I'll have a couple more when I wake up. Tomorrow I will use my sunday to start counting, even though I should be working on an essay. Hehe.

PEACE, Mike.

BJs list

Best Picture
1. Whale Rider
2. Snatch
3. Spiderman 2
4. The Incredibles
5. Finding Nemo
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
7. Donnie Darko
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
10. Spiderman

Best Director:
1. Alexander Payne – Sideways
2. Martin Scorcese – Gangs of New York
3. Sofia Coppola – Lost in Translation
4. Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
5. Ridley Scott – Gladiator
6. Quentin Tarantino – Kill Bill, Vol. 1
7. Peter Wier – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
8. Andrew Stanton – Finding Nemo
9. Brad Bird – The Incredibles
10. Niki Caro – Whale Rider

Best Lead Actor Performance
1. Johnny Depp – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2. Leonardo DiCaprio – The Aviator
3. Leonardo DiCaprio – Gangs of New York
4. Russell Crowe – Gladiator
5. Bill Murray – Lost in Translation
6. Denzel Washington – Training Day
7. Paul Giamatti – Sideways
8. Danie Day-Lewis – Gangs of New York
9. Tom Hanks – Road to Perdition
10. Sean Penn - I Am Sam

Best Supporting Actor Performance
1. Ian Kckellen – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2. Jamie Fox – Collateral
3. Jason Issacs – The Patriot
4. Rawiri Paratene – Whale Rider
5. Djimon Hounsou – In America
6. Clive Owen – Closer
7. Joaquin Phoenix – Gladiator
8. Andy Serkis – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
9. Thomas Haden Church – Sideways
10. Geoffrey Rush – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Best Lead Actress Performance
1. Keisha Castle-Hughes – Whale Rider
2. Uma Thurman – Kill Bill, Vol. 1
3. Uma Thurman – Kill Bill, Vol. 2
4. Kate Winslett - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Natalie Portman – Garden State
6. Scarlett Johansson – Lost in Translation
7. Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
8. Renee Zellweger – Chicago
9. Julia Roberts – Erin Brockovich
10. Bryce Dallas Howard – The Village

Best Supporting Actress Performance
1. Ellen Degeneres - Finding Nemo
2. Natalie Portman - Closer
3. Zhang Ziyi – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4. Catherine Zetta-Jones – Chicago
5. Kate Winslett – Finding Neverland
6. Cate Blanchett – The Aviator
7. Renee Zellweger – Cold Mountain
8. Virginia Madsen – Sideways
9. Sandra Oh - Sideways
10. Keira Knightley – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Best Score/Music
1. Kill Bill, Vol. 1
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
3. Love Actually
4. Lost in Translation
5. Finding Nemo
6. Gladiator
7. Garden State
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl
9. Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events
10. Whale Rider

Best Foreign Film
1. Whale Rider
2. Spirited Away
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?
9. ?
10. ?

Best Visual Effects:
1. Spiderman II
2. X2: X-Men United
3. Finding Nemo
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
5. Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events
6. The Day After Tomorrow
7. Minority Report
8. The Lord of the Rings (all three)
9. Terminator III: Rise of the Machines
10. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Best Overall Director
1. Alexander Payne
2. Martin Scorcese
3. Peter Jackson
4. Ridley Scott
5. Stephen Spielberg

Best Overall Actor
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
2. Johnny Depp
3. Russell Crowe
4. Tom Hanks
5. Paul Giamatti

Best Overall Actress
1. Kate Winslett
2. Nicole Kidman
3. Natalie Portman
4. Julianne Moore
5. Zhang Ziyi

Awesome BJ! Thanks! That makes 33 total ballots. Great number. Thanks everyone!

PEACE, Mike.

In a perfect world, I will agree with you. However, that is the only animated film in 75 years or so ever to be so nominated, and after a HUGE push by Disney.

Using your argument, there should be no foreign film category either, or documentary category even. What, can't these films compete against other films?

Just wondering what are your 2?

Right now, I think

Beauty and the Beast
The Incredibles
Toy Story 2

plus probably some of the Disney Classics.

I already made my argument for the foreign film category. I don't think there is any comparison. Also look to Lecter's remarks. You bring up the fact that only one animated film in 75 years was nominated and argue it like it's a bad thing. I have only 2 animated films on my top 100 list! Those are the only two animated films I have seen that I would ever say deserve to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. There are few incredibly smart comedies that I would say are worthy of Best Picture too. So I think it was just fine the way it was. Like I said, most animated films pose as fillers, in my opinion. And once again, both the voters and the studios for that matter have no incentive whatsoever from now on to push their animated films for the Best Picture category, because of the Animated Film category, so what do you expect? And Beauty and the Beast proves a great animated film can make it.

I rarely see documentaries, so I can't really comment on that category.

PEACE, Mike.

Toy Story 2 and The Lion King.

The Lion King, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

I'd say one missing category is Best Screenplay, a category where we can honor Memento and such since that's one thing the film excels at. Anyway, Mike, you're doing a great job.

Yeah, Screenplay was the one I missed the most too, for films like Eternal Sunshine, Sideways, Kill Bill and Closer.

Nice turnout after all.

I can't wait for results. This was extremely difficult! Heh, I don't want to post my ballot - someone might notice that I've missed some classic film....

I seriously tried my best to consider everything. Quite a task. One thing I wish I would have given more attention to already (I gave it one mention) is Amelie.

Yeah, you're right about Best Screenplay.

Well, I've added up the Best Picture category. An interesting top 10, I must say. Not very mainstream, but I suppose that is because of the group of voters.

PEACE, Mike.

SOUNDS GOOD

I just discovered a 34th ballot. Riggs ballot was buried in this thread, didn't realize he made one. This is why I wanted people to send ballots to me via PM! Heh. Anyways, 34 ballots total now.

I've added up the Best Picture and Director categories, and have 11 nominees for each, since there are ties that can't be broken at 10 noms. The more, the better I guess! Moving on to the acting categories now.

I was wondering, what do people think we should do with the nominess afterwards? I was thinking for all of the categories with 10 nominees, we should vote for 3 winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and the voting will be in order. So one's first choice will receive 3 points, second choice 2 points, and so on. And then the categories with 5 nominees (the "overall" categories) will just have one winner.

Does that sound good?

PEACE, Mike.