Sideways was fantastic, and Paul Giamatti in particular deserves some serious Oscar consideration.
Fahrenheit 911 was pulled from the running for Best Documentary by Moore, and I seriously doubt it’ll be nominated for Best Picture (I liked the film, but there’s no way it’ll be nominated for that).
My favorites of the year so far have been Eternal Sunshine, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Spiderman 2, Hero, Dawn of the Dead and Shawn of the Dead, and of those the only one that I really think has a chance is Eternal Sunshine.
I’m looking forward to seeing Finding Neverland, Kinsey, Alexander and Beyond the Sea. (hmm, weird, all biographies). Hopefully something good will come from one or more of those.
Man, I thought you were being all kinds of snarky for a sec there! 
What about Braveheart? Wasn’t that re-released later for Oscar consideration?
Was it re-released? According to the release info, the “Braveheart” LA premiere was May 19, 1995 but says nothing about a re-release. Either way, that movie was also released pretty early for a multiple-Oscar winner.
Really? Thank God, now maybe Supersize Me can get the oscar win.
I remembered someone saying it would do better the second time out because the studio mismarketed it. They suggest a love story ad campaign instead of an action flick.
I could only find this site:
Yes. I can remember going to see it during the re-release.
I predict a sweep for Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.
A friend and I immediately followed our watching of Stage Beauty with our Oscar nomination count: all four acting awards, all the art awards and possibly a Best Picture nod. Don’t know if it’s considered an Independent or not, but it had Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, and Rupert Everett in it, so it wasn’t all that far out of the mainstream.
I just saw Kinse and Motorcycle Diaries this weekend. I enjoyed MD better, alhtough both were very good. I like lIamNeeson’s performance in Kinsey but I don’t think I would say it is Oscar-worthy.
Just saw The Motorcycle Diaries last night, and I thought it was a quiet masterpiece. Won’t be able to compete with the big American movies, such a shame. And I agree with whoever said the girl from Maria Full of Grace should get a nomination, but sadly I doubt that it will happen.
I’m looking forward to Closer, supposed to be full of great performances and a fine job of directing by Mike Nichols.
I suppose Step Into Liquid, a movie about surfing, is out of the running at Oscar time??? It was awesome (or should I say gnarly?), anyway.
A very good early review for The Aviator, Martin Scorcese’s upcoming Howard Hughs biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
From NORM’s Column in the Las Vegas Review Journal:
"Jamie Foxx, for his portrayal of Ray Charles, and “The Aviator” are the early Oscar favorites, according to Bally’s Las Vegas sports and race book.
Bally’s oddsmaker John Avello, who establishes the odds for entertainment purposes, not wagering, also sees Imelda Staunton as the best actress front-runner for her role in “Vera Drake.”
The odds were released Friday.
Foxx is a 3-1 favorite over Javier Bardem of “The Sea Inside.” Liam Neeson, cast as sexual behaviorist Alfred Kinsey in “Kinsey,” is a 5-1 choice.
“The Aviator,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a young Howard Hughes, is a 4-1 favorite for best picture, with “Ray” next at 5-1. At 7-1 is “The Motorcycle Diaries,” starring Latin star Gael García Bernal. The film is based on the journals of Che Guevara, leader of the Cuban revolution.
Staunton is the widest favorite at 5-2 for her role as a British abortionist. Annette Bening, at 3-1, is the second choice for “Being Julia,” the story of a 1930s London diva. Kate Winslet, who plays opposite Jim Carrey in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” is a 4-1 pick.
Oscar nominations come out Jan. 25. The 77th annual Academy Awards will be presented on ABC Feb. 27 from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Chris Rock will host."
A Very Long Engagement will not get a foreign film nod, as the French have stated that it isn’t French enough - even though the director, most of the cast, the locations and the topic/story are all French - the MONEY for the film came from America (Warner Independent), therefore it’s not French.