FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: While there are still several movies I ought to see before the Oscars to be an educated viewer (in particular, "Vera Drake," "Maria Full of Grace," "Kinsey," and "Being Julia"), I finished viewing the five films nominated for Best Picture this evening with "Million Dollar Baby," and can unambgiously say that "MDB" would get my Best Picture vote, at least among the nominees. "Ray" is a decent biopic carried by Foxx's performance in spite of a clunky framing device and overlong script, "The Aviator" is overly ambitious and fails almost as much as it succeeds, "Finding Neverland" is a formulaic (if effective) tearjerker, and "Sideways," good as it is, doesn't match up. "MDB" is full of body blows, not just in the boxing ring, but with a well-hidden plot turn (which I'd appreciate if people didn't spoil in the comments) that makes the movie far more than you may have expected. The three lead performances are great, and the script doesn't condescend or make a moral judgment on what happens--it tells a story and does it beautifully. There may well have been better films released in 2004, but of the final five, I think "MDB" would be my clear choice for Best Picture, though I'd split other votes ("Sideways" would get my screenplay vote, and Martin Scorsese would get my director vote).
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