Oscar picks by A View From Mars:

It's a rare occasion where I actually get to see all the movies that are up for best picture given that most of the time, my taste in films is the exact opposite of what the Academy chooses. So with this being said, here's how I see 'em:

(5) The Aviator -- Scorsese lost points with me based on his last feature Gangs of New York, and he didn't do much to recapture them with this movie. I'm just not sure how interested I was in Howard Hughes and DiCaprio's portrayal, although a bit young for the sell to completely be there, was Oscar worthy. The same can be said about Cate Blanchette's role as Katherine Hepburn, but other than this, I wasn't the biggest fan of this movie nor of it being nominated as one of the 5 best pictures. Clearly, I saw about half a dozen others that could have taken its place.

(4) Ray -- Jamie Foxx was tremendous and he will no doubt walk away with the Oscar gold and the movie was good, possibly really good, just not great. I think I was overwhelmed with Foxx's performance as Ray Charles that it took me out of the movie just a bit. Is it possible that an excellent performance by an actor can actually have a hand in detracting from the greatness of a movie?

(3) Finding Neverland -- Loved both Depp and Winslet and the concept to make a movie about Peter Pan without focusing on Peter Pan but rather the creator of Peter Pan (phewww). This is my sentimental favorite and although it may not win best picture, I'm hopeful that it will take something home.

(2) Sideways -- I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the buddy road trip movie, but this was about as perfect as it could get for my enjoyment in this genre. Clever writing and good performances all around although it was a shame that Giamatti was snubbed. Maybe I'm so fond of this movie because Giamatti nailed the role of That Guy Named David so well. When David and I were in college, I could have sworn I heard quite a bit of profanities aimed at the Merlot coming from his room.

(1) Million Dollar Baby -- I could just go on and on about how darn tooting great this movie was, but it wouldn't do it any justice. Clint Eastwood really hit this one out of the park (I'm tired of the knocked out, boxing euphemisms). I was also mightily impressed with Hillary Swank and couldn't help but think that this picture might just stand the test of time . . . and this was just 30 minutes into it. It had the true feel of one of the classics. This is my Best Picture winner by unanimous decision (couldn't help it).