WILL Win: Renee Zellweger, “Cold Mountain” SHOULD Win: Shohreh Aghdashloo, “House of Sand and Fog” Sure, you can’t pronounce her name and no one has heard of her, but who cares when she can upstage Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly ““ both Academy Award-winners, mind you ““ in the same movie? Read more...

So it seems this year’s Oscar race is primed to become the Academy’s personal tribute to “The Lord of the Rings” ““ and deservedly so. Considering neither of the trilogy’s first two installments won Oscars for Best Picture or Best Director, “The Return of the King” should take both. Read more...

WILL Win: “Seabiscuit” SHOULD Win: “City of God” “Seabiscuit” and “City of God” are films riffing off of already existing templates ““ Gary Ross’ audience-favorite was a film of considerable sentimentality and traditional American-spirit pathos, while “City of God” was a cool, disturbing homage to the many gangster flicks of years past. Read more...

WILL Win: “Cold Mountain” SHOULD Win: “Girl with a Pearl Earring” Even though the first “The Lord of the Rings” film won in this category in 2001, the third installment failed to garner even a nomination this year, leaving the cinematography race a little more open. Read more...

New York City weather drops below freezing in the winter. This became painfully obvious to anti-war protesters Dan Droller and Franz Hartl, who took to the streets Feb. Read more...

WILL Win: “Lost in Translation” SHOULD Win: “Lost in Translation” While “Lost in Translation” is nominated for a total of four Oscars, it will probably lose Best Picture and Best Director to more glaring blockbusters like “Lord of the Rings.” To prevent Sofia Coppola and the film’s fans from feeling completely shafted, the Academy will most likely honor the subtly poignant film with Best Original Screenplay. Read more...

In the overgrown jungle of L.A. garage rock and testosterone-based performance, a new bird is quietly piping, but she doesn’t need to yell to be heard. Read more...