Oscar time
I've seen a decent amount of the movies that garnered Oscar nominations, so let's go over what might win and what I'd like to see win.

Best Picture: I've only seen Chicago and LOTR: The Two Towers. Those were the only two I wanted to see. I enjoy the Lord of the Rings films as epics in movie making, but I think the trilogy will be rewarded next year. I did like Chicago more anyway -- very perky and a lot of fun.

Best Actor: From the early sounds of things, Daniel Day-Lewis will take home another Oscar, although we'll see if the Jack Nicholson bandwagon kicks up again. I really enjoyed Nicholas Cage's double role in Adaptation. I enjoyed the first part of the movie when it focused on his double characters. When he had to interact with Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep, it wasn't as good.

Best Actress: It's one of the more loaded fields in a long time with regards to star power. I don't think I'd have a problem with any one of the five winning. However, I'll lean toward Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven. She was the reason the movie clicked. Plus, it definitely seems like she's due for an Oscar.

Best Supporting Actor: I'm thrilled to see John C. Reilly, one of my favorite actors, get a nod, although it probably was at the expense of Dennis Quaid in Far From Heaven. I think Paul Newman gets the award based on past reputation.

Best Supporting Actress: I'm also happy to see Queen Latifah get a nod after being overlooked at the Golden Globes. She turned in a surprisingly great performance. With that said, Catherine Zeta-Jones probably gets the award here. I can't figure out why she was nominated as a lead actress at the Globes in the first place. She shined when she got the opportunity to do so. She also was a better dancer/performer than Renee Zellweger.

Best Director: Might as well do the double dip and go with Rob Marshall. Putting together a stage musical like Chicago into a film took plenty of good work.

Other notes: My Big Fat Greek Wedding got the token screenplay nod given to movies that made a major impact artistically and financially/exposure but didn't really deserve to be nominated in anything else. I'm also happy for the adapted screenplay nomination for About a Boy, even if it has zero chance of winning against Chicago. (Hmm, LOTR:TTT wasn't nominated in that category.) Thankfully Madonna wasn't nominated for Best Original Song for Die Another Day -- a horrible, horrible tune. However, it should be interesting to see if U2 and Eminem will perform at the Oscars. I'd like to see Eminem win, but I know that's also a long shot -- especially with Paul Simon and an original Chicago tune in the running, although where's Randy Newman (I thought he's just perennially nominated.)?