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Will this finally be Scorsese’s year?
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Oh, right. The other nominees
If anyone has a chance to come between Scorsese and Eastwood’s battle over the statuette and yell “Yoink!,” it’s Alexander Payne, whose “good movies”/“movies made” ratio is now 4/4. Applause just for that. But “Sideways” probably has too many Academy negatives: small; character-driven; intelligent. Payne is a true craftsman. An early shot still makes me smile. From above we watch Giamatti’s Miles Raymond trudge up his mother’s narrow carpeted stairs in his stockinged feet. It’s a throwaway shot, but it perfectly captures the soft claustrophobia of visiting your parents’ home as an adult. 
Taylor Hackford? Honored more for his decades-long effort in getting “Ray” made than for the film. But Mike Leigh — what a pleasant surprise! Most analysts anticipated Zhang Yimou for his breathtaking work in “House of Flying Daggers,” but Academy directors — who nominate the
directors — must not like bright colors much. They also ignored Leigh in 1999 for his vibrant, colorful “Topsy Turvy,” yet nominated him for another drab working class picture, “Secrets & Lies,” in 1996. “Vera Drake” is so non-colorful it feels like it’s filmed in black-and-white. In tone, it’s similar to “Million Dollar Baby,” and that’s good news for Scorsese. Leigh won’t steal any of Marty’s votes; Zhang Yimou might have. 
Sum up
So here are the nominees again in easy-to-read format:
Martin Scorsese for “The Aviator”
Strengths: The greatest filmmaker of his generation who has yet to win an Academy Award for directing. The film, a long, sweeping historical biopic, is the kind the Academy usually honors. 
Weaknesses: No heartstring-playing.
Clint Eastwood for “Million Dollar Baby”
Strengths: Both powerfully emotional and morally ambiguous. Golden Globe winner. Rush Limbaugh’s rants don’t hurt either.
Weaknesses: Eastwood’s already got a statuette. And did Maggie’s family have to be that reprehensible?
Alexander Payne for “Sideways”
Strengths: A quality film honored coast-to-coast.
Weaknesses: No stars. No heroes. Intelligent.
Taylor Hackford for “Ray” 
Strengths: Jamie Foxx and good box office.
Weaknesses: Almost everything else.
Mike Leigh for “Vera Drake”
Strengths: Both powerfully emotional and morally ambiguous.
Weaknesses: “Million Dollar Baby’s” got those, too, and it’s up for best picture.
Since the age of four Martin Scorsese has been in love with film, and as an adult he’s become one of film’s greatest ambassadors — not only for the classics he’s made but for his work in preserving the movies that came before. No matter what happens February 27th, none of this will change. And if he doesn’t win? He’ll join five-time non-winners Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Altman. Being in such rarefied company is probably more of an honor than the Oscar; but I’d rather he got the Oscar.
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