The Snubby Awards: 2005 Oscars

It's that time again: The Snubby Awards!  For those of you who don't know, the Snubby Awards take a look at all of the Best Picture nominees from a given year and determine if the best film won or if one was snubbed.  If that's the case, they win the coveted Snubby Award!



This time we'll be taking a look at the 2005 Oscars, which was a really solid field of movies.  The nominees were: The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Ray, and Sideways with the winner being Million Dollar Baby.  Did Million Dollar Baby deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Let's find out!


#5. Finding Neverland





Finding Neverland is a biographical film about J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan.  This movie focuses on the relationship Barrie had with the family that inspired him to create Peter Pan.  This is a fun and very whimsical movie.  It makes you want to be a kid again and both Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet do a fantastic job.  I really enjoyed the film, but after doing some reading about the real story and the aftermath of the events depicted in the film, I like it a lot less.  Movies don't need to be 100% accurate.  The story needs to come first typically.  However, this movie is inaccurate to the point of negligence and very disrespectful to the real-life Peter.  Knowing how all of this impacted his life makes this a much tougher film to like.  That said, the movie is very good and tells an interesting story.

 8/10: Really Good 


#4. Ray



Ray is a pretty straightforward musical/biopic.  What elevates this one above others is Jamie Foxx's performance as Ray Charles.  He loses himself in the role.  I frequently forgot I was watching Foxx and not Ray himself.  It's an incredible performance and I'm very happy he won Best Actor for this role.  Plus I like Ray Charles' music, so that makes this a good watch, even if it certainly puts a damper on the image of Ray that lived in my head.

 9/10: Great 


#3. Sideways



Sideways is about two friends who go on a trip to wine country to celebrate Jack's (Thomas Haden Church) upcoming wedding.  This was a very funny movie with incredible performances from both Church and Paul Giamatti.  What's interesting to me is that both of the lead characters are pretty scummy people, and yet they are very likable.  The movie makes you go back and forth on whether you are rooting for them or not.  It's an expertly written film about mid-life crisis and the human condition.  Plus, it's the perfect movie to watch while drinking a bottle of wine.

 9/10: Great 


And now for the final two films in no particular order.


The Aviator



The Aviator is another biopic about the life of Howard Hughes.  It focuses on his work in aviation, his filmmaking, and his romantic relationships.  I didn't know a ton about Howard Hughes going into this movie, but this man lived a fascinating life.  He's quite the character in general, but Leonardo DiCaprio just adds on to it.  This movie is actually insane with some astounding flying sequences.  This was a movie where I genuinely didn't know what was going to happen next or how Hughes survived for as long as he did.  The climax of the film is epic with the showdown between Hughes and a U.S. Senator.  As unlikable as Hughes is at times, you can't help but cheer for him as he goes up against Alan Alda.

 10/10: Amazing 


Million Dollar Baby

Arguably the most depressing movie I've ever seen, Million Dollar Baby starts off as a pretty straight-forward boxing movie...until it's not.  Hillary Swank and Clint Eastwood are both incredible, especially since Eastwood was directing and acting at the same time and was nominated for both.  It doesn't fire on all cylinders the entire time, but if you want to be emotionally devastated, look no further.

 9/10: Great 


And the Snubby Award goes to...!


The Aviator!  It was such an enjoyable and surprising film that kept me engaged and guessing the entire time.  A complex protagonist, an easy to hate villain, and sequences that simply blew me away.  I loved this move and believe it was snubbed, even if I did really like Million Dollar Baby.




Next time we'll be looking at the 2022 Oscars.  Did CODA deserve to win or did another movie get snubbed?  Stay tuned!
 

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