Issue Date: February 27, 2005

Online bonus: More from nominees
Also:
Interview with the "Sideways" novelist

What's in your DVD player?
Oscar contenders don't just make movies -- they watch 'em. Here are the discs that Sunday's red-carpet set told us they were playing when we tracked them down.

By Rebecca Louie

SOPHIE OKONEDO, up for best supporting actress ("Hotel Rwanda"): "I'm always interested in films that have something to say about the underdog. So I'm watching 'City of God.' It is an extraordinary story with great facts you would otherwise never see."

PAUL HAGGIS, up for adapted screenplay ("Million Dollar Baby"): "I'm watching a British TV series, 'Second Sight,' that stars Clive Owen as a homicide detective hiding the fact that he's going blind. I caught a couple episodes a few years ago and wanted to see more. The British embrace truly flawed protagonists, and Clive's interpretation of the character is top-rate, as is Paula Milne's insightful writing."

JO ALLEN, up for best makeup ("The Sea Inside"): "I just saw '25th Hour.' I love Ed Norton -- full stop! Another one I bought recently is Sean Penn's 'The Pledge.' They are two of my favorite actors. I think it's the way they find their characters. I read Penn's biography recently, and I think he is the twin of Javier Bardem in how they find their characters; they get so into it. I like heavy, serious movies. I am not a comedy person."

JOHN DYKSTRA, up for achievement in visual effects ("Spider-Man 2"): "'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.' It's an ambitious attempt at creating a film from scratch in the CG world. Did they pull it off? Yes and no. But it was an exemplary job of putting together something from whole cloth."

LAUREN LAZIN, director up for best documentary feature ("Tupac: Resurrection"): "I'm working on a Holocaust documentary, so I've been watching 'Shoah' for research. It's thought-provoking. It's [over nine] hours and really gives the time and depth needed to tackle such a topic. I've been watching an hour a day, but I try not to do it before going to sleep."

DANTE FERRETTI, up for achievement in art direction ("The Aviator"): "'Blade Runner.' I love the story and seeing Los Angeles under that rain. I love the look of the movie, which, in that period, it wasn't easy [to achieve]. With CGI and all the technology, it is sometimes too easy. I like working the more traditional way."

STUART BENJAMIN, producer up for best picture ("Ray"): "'Darling.' Though it was made in the '60s, there is a timeliness to it now. The Julie Christie character was a very dynamic woman on a career and social path who went through a lot of men in the process. Today, men and women both move through relationships in a similar way. Christie gave a performance that was really eye-opening. It was every bit as good as I remember it being when I first saw it."