Since they look similar, with Sideways continue winning all the awards, I figure we don't need two separate threads.

Southeastern Film Critics

Top 10 List
1. "Sideways"
2. "Million Dollar Baby"
3. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
4. "Kinsey"
5. "The Incredibles"
6. "Finding Neverland"
7. "Ray"
8. "The Aviator"
9. "Hotel Rwanda"
10. "Before Sunset"

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner -- "Maria Full of Grace"
Runner-up -- "A Very Long Engagement"

Best Director
Winner -- Alexander Payne, "Sideways"
Runner-up -- Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby"

Best Actor
Winner -- Jamie Foxx, "Ray"
Runner-up -- Paul Giamatti, "Sideways"

Best Actress
Winner -- Annette Bening, "Being Julia"
Runner-up -- Imelda Staunton, "Vera Drake"

Best Supporting Actor
Winner -- Thomas Haden Church, "Sideways"
Runner-up -- Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby"

Best Supporting Actress
Winner -- Virginia Madsen, "Sideways"
Runner-up -- Laura Linney, "Kinsey"

Best Original Screenplay
Winner -- "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" by Charlie Kaufman Runner-up -- "Kinsey" by Bill Condon

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner -- "Sideways" by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Runner-up -- "Finding Neverland" by David Magee

Best Documentary
Winner -- "Fahrenheit 9/11"
Runner-up -- "Super Size Me"


Chicago Film Critics

Best Picture
Sideways

Best Foreign Language Film
A Very Long Engagement (France)

Best Director
Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby

Best Actor
Paul Giamatti for Sideways

Best Actress
Imelda Staunton for Vera Drake

Best Supporting Actor
Thomas Hayden Church for Sideways

Best Supporting Actress
Virginia Madsen for Sideways

Best Screenplay
Sideways

Best Cinematography (Tie)
Christopher Doyle for Hero
Robert Richardson for The Aviator

Best Original Score
Howard Shore for The Aviator

Best Documentary
Fahrenheit 9/11

Most Promising Newcomer
Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria Full of Grace

Most Promising Filmmaker
Zach Braff for Garden State

Zzzzzz.... :Sleep:

Exactly. This is as unimaginative a year as I've seen from critics. Come on, although I haven't seen the film, from what I can tell, Sideways is just a very well-made little film. This is no Schindler's List or Pulp Fiction, and I doubt it will be remembered in 10 years. There is no LOTR film this year, so even general viewers don't have a consensus, why should all the critics only have one film in mind. Give some love to Hotel Rwander, Eternal Sunshine, Maria Full of Grace, The Sea Inside, HOFD, or even Million Dollar Baby or The Aviator even though they're already assured of Oscar glory. I want to see a glimpse of variety.

:Respect:

Just wanted to use that...

Anyways. Although I'd like to see some love for my two favs, I don't mind it. Sideways has next to no chance at the big one...

None of the movies this year are particularly memorable. There's a small chance that Million Dollar will join Rocky and Raging Bull, but otherwise, it's about as memorable as A Beautiful Mind in 2001...

Which is why Eternal Sunshine should win

Million Dollar Baby probably won't join Rocky or Raging Bull. Critics seem to like it but they find that "masterpiece" every year and we always seem to forget about it.

2004 is an embarassing year. In a year which produced Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kill Bill, Maria Full of Grace, Collateral, Fahrenheit 9/11, The Passion of the Christ, Super Size-Me, Dogville, Touching the Void, Vera Drake, The Incredibles, Shrek 2, Mean Girls, The Notebook, The House of Flying Daggers, Hero, The Bourne Supremacy, Spider-Man 2, etc. etc. etc. what films does the NBR give Best Picture to?

Finding Neverland. One of the most generic bait films of the year? What's wrong with this picture?

The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, Finding Neverland, Ray, Closer, Hotel Rwanda... I'm sure they are all fantastic (I haven't seen all of them) but does the public, the movie going audience, even care? Do these films really represent 2004?

Because I'll tell ya, 2003's nominees at least represented the tastes of not only critics but the public, and every year since The English Patient won, there were films that could be appreciated on many levels.

I hope every night that something extremely interesting gets nominated in that fifth spot. Regardless, watch the ratings to continue to plummet this year for the academy, unless of course Chris Rock is onstage having a liaison with a desperate housewife.

Sideways is dominating almost everything.

Seriously this is getting boring and somewhat frustrating. Sideways is sweeping awards left and right and yet we all know that it won't win Best Picture....

Yet another generic critic's best list. Yawn.

I love how all of you "yawn" at Sideways (which, imo, was a marvelous, beautiful film) winning everything. Maybe it's doing that because it...deserves to? *sigh*

I wasent yawning,i think its good that a little film wins awards.

The Florida Film Critics

Best Film: Sideways
Director: Alexander Payne, Sideways
Actor: Jamie Fox, Ray
Actress: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
S. Actor: Thomas Haden Church, Sideways
S. Actress: Laura Linney, Kinsey
Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Sideways
Doc: Fahrenheit 9/11

amen...

Well I was thinking the exact same thing about Return of the King last year (with the academy)...


:mrgreen:

WOW!

I really need to see Sideways.

Yes. Right away.

BINGO!



...

No?

I'm happy for Sideways (I haven't seen it yet, but I reaaally want to), but I don't think it will win Best Picture at the Oscars. I'm not even sure it'll be nominated. I think it will more likely take the path of films like Adaptation and American Splendor in previous years. It does have an edge though in that this film is a monster; it's killing everything at almost all of the critics awards.

Still crossing my fingers that Eternal Sunshine will break through and get a nomination at the Oscars. It is getting some respect at some critics organizations. (I'm at this point positive that Eternal Sunshine will win at least one Oscar, and that will be for Screenplay).

Sorry if I got kinda off topic.

PEACE, Mike

Mike, you don't need to worry about Sideways getting nominated. We haven't seen this kind of critical dominance for a long time. If this doesn't get called come nomination day, no critical darling will ever be safe. It's No. 3 in the lock status, ahead of Finding Neverland. There simply aren't many big contenders this year to cause some surprises. That's why I really hoped critics could've given Eternal Sunshine a bigger push. It could've won NY if not for some souls who were adamant against it. If critics had pushed Eternal Sunshine close to what they gave Sideways, it would have a much better chance for that No. 5 spot. Just to think about the following lineup:

The Aviator
Million Dollar Baby
Sideways
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Hotel Rwanda

All 5 would probably end up in the list of 10 most critically-acclaimed films, and it could've been one of the best lineups ever in term of quality for that year.

Yeah, I really hope you're right.

That would be an awesome lineup for Best Picture.

PEACE, Mike