Local film buffs pick their favorites for the Academy Awards

The buzz has been going on for weeks, dominating the entertainment world, and this weekend the world will finally know who the champions of film are, the winners of the 77th Annual Academy Awards.

In the Super Bowl of the film world, all movie fans have favorites in the battle for the golden statue. And like in that grand spectacle of American sport, only one team can prevail (in each category, at least), while the rest lie battered and bruised on the field of battle.

This year's race is a tight one, dominated by three biographic films about an author, a musician and an eccentric billionaire; the story of a female boxing prodigy; a tale of men in mid-life crisis; and a saga of heroism in a time of genocide.

Which one will win is anyone's guess, unlike last year when the "Lord of the Rings" juggernaut easily rolled its way through many of the important categories. Predictions, and fan favorites, are all over the map.

One thing that can be gleamed from the buzz: Longtime Oscar-nominee and famed artistic director Martin Scorsese should finally get something, shouldn't he?

Dr. Dale Haskell, a professor of English at Southeast Missouri State University who teaches a class on film, thinks so. He sees Scorsese as the man for best director for his biopic on the eccentric Howard Hughes.

"They often give that out as sort of a lifetime achievement award," said Haskell. He thinks Scorsese should have gotten that statue last year for "Gangs of New York," but sees "The Aviator" as the director's meal ticket.

But with an awards race as contentious as this one, other local film buffs have their own favorites.

General manager of Cape West 14 Cine Kevin Dillon doesn't agree with the lifetime-achievement style of awarding best director to Scorsese, calling Taylor Hackford a better choice for his directing in "Ray."

"It was a well put-together movie," Hackford said. "He was able to pull a lot of the performances out of the actors and actresses in the movie and give it an authentic feel."

The all-important category at the Oscars is best picture, which reads a lot like the nominations for best director, and shares much of the same uncertainty.

Once again, Haskell picks "The Aviator" to triumph. Southeast Missourian movie reviewer Susan Noce agrees.

"I like the whole thing," said Noce. "I like the fact that it was based on a real person."

Noce said "Sideways" probably won't live up to all the hype it's gotten, and likes "The Aviator" for best director, as well.

But Matt Morris, another reviewer, said he's pulling for the film Noce says is over-hyped.

He likes "Sideways" for best picture because it's "not quite as heavy" as the usual Oscar fare. "It's just an upbeat, comedic look at mid-life," said Morris. "It was something different, a breath of fresh air."

Morris isn't the only one rooting for an underdog. In the best actor category, Noce is pulling for one of the little guys, hoping to see Don Cheadle win for his role as a philanthropist hotel manager in "Hotel Rwanda."

The fact that two black men, Cheadle and Jamie Foxx for "Ray," are nominated for best actor is an unusual phenomenon, Haskell said, but he doesn't give Cheadle much of a chance.

Though "Hotel Rwanda" probably has a chance for best original screenplay, since Academy voters might appeal to political sensibilities and award the film for its subject matter, he said.

For Haskell, it's still "The Aviator" all the way, though, for best actor.

"Leonardo DiCaprio did practically every frame for a big film," said Haskell, "so I would figure he'd get best actor and the film would get best picture and best director.

"Hollywood people like movies about movie-making, and that's what this one's about."

He bucks the buzz that Jamie Foxx will take home the Oscar for his performance in "Ray," but acknowledges the possibility it could happen.

"I haven't seen 'Ray' yet," he said, "but it's a biopic, and certainly the admiration for the musician will sort of spill over into admiration for that role, I think. It could well be Jamie Foxx, but if not him, DiCaprio."

Dillon is once again solidly in the "Ray" camp. "It was almost like you were watching Ray Charles," he said. "I think the acting merits alone would give that to him."

Morris also thinks "Ray" will come out well.

"I think 'Ray' will get a lot of nods simply for Ray Charles' death," he said. "I think Jamie Foxx is a shoe-in for best actor, even if you think he might not deserve it."

He's also closely watching an often-overlooked category this year, best supporting actor, picking Clive Owen for his performance in "Closer."

"He did an amazing job," said Morris. "It's such a despicable character, but you're compelled to watch him just to find out the next horrible thing he's going to do. He's a guy you love to hate."

The one category where consensus was reached was best actress, where anyone who put forward a guess decided it would have to be Hilary Swank for her role as a boxer in the Clint Eastwood film "Million Dollar Baby."

"Hilary Swank won once already, and I wouldn't be surprised if she won for 'Million Dollar Baby,'" said Haskell. "Clint Eastwood as a director has had real good luck with actors in his films getting a lot of attention, if you think of 'Mystic River,' so I wouldn't be surprised if Hilary Swank won again because she is a brand name and getting lots of attention."

Dillon hopes Swank's acting in "Million Dollar Baby" will help it take home the best film award, but isn't sure about it's chances being up against such epic pieces as "The Aviator" and "Ray."

But these people are not the Hollywood insiders who vote for he awards.

Regardless of what he or anyone else outside the world of Hollywood thinks, said Haskell, it's still anyone's guess how the insiders in the Academy will vote, especially with such tough choices.

The voters are people who have worked in the film industry, he said, and many of them are more than 40 years old, so popular opinion can be a poor predictor of the outcome.

The Academy Awards air on ABC at 7 p.m. Sunday.

msanders@semissourian.com

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