Posted by Kevin at spider-tq053.proxy.aol.com on February 12, 2002 at 13:38:22:
Tee-hee...
For what it's worth, my thoughts on the Oscar stuff I'm even mildly
interested in.
: Performance by an actor in a leading role
Denzel Washington in "Training Day" (Warner Bros.)
This made me very happy. I dug "Training Day" a lot. Glad to see I wasn't
alone.
: Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Ethan Hawke in "Training Day" (Warner Bros.)
I'm no big Hawke fan, but this was deserved. Glad to see he wasn't
overlooked. Maybe there's hope for the Academy after all.
: Performance by an actress in a leading role
Renée Zellweger in "Bridget Jones's Diary" (Miramax/Universal/StudioCanal)
Holy shit on toast! Another good call that wasn't really expected. I hope
like hell that she wins. Members of the voting body of the actor's branch,
I salute you.
: Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Marisa Tomei in "In the Bedroom" (Miramax)
Let's just hope Jack Palance isn't presenting this year - maybe then
Tomei's win won't have this dark cloud hanging over it. 'Cuz, me? I
thought she was brilliant in "My Cousin Vinnie." I really did.
However, it seems like a lock for Jennifer Connelly, as it's her year
apparently - which is nice for those of us who thought it was her year with
"The Rocketeer" or "Labyrinth", or even "Some Girls" or "Seven Minutes in
Heaven." Lest there be a legion of "What about 'Career Opportunities',
man!!! She was so hot in that!!!" posts following this, I'd just like to
say, for the record, that I never saw "Career Opportunities", so I can't
comment on her perf in that flick. And since I didn't see "A Beautiful
Mind", I can't comment on her perf in that flick either, so let's move
on...
:Best animated feature film of the year
"Monsters, Inc." (Buena Vista) Nominee to be determined
I'm all for "Monsters, Inc." It's the only Oscar screener I've got that
I've watched more than twice (second place goes to the "Ocean's 11" oscar
screener; fuck, that movie just gets better and better everytime I watch
it; yes, Clooney, Pitt, and Damon are gods, but Bernie Mac is the unsung
hero of that picture for me; his scenes with the car salesman and Matt and
Andy Garcia are genius).
However, where the fuck is "Waking Life" on that list?! I haven't watched
it yet, but all you have to see is five seconds of the new-fangled style of
animation that flick boasts to know it deserves at least an Oscar nod -
particularly in a world where they've just added an Animated Oscar
category! To paraphrase the immortal Paul Abdul, the Academy takes two
steps forward with the Denzen, Hawke, and Zellwegger nods, and then takes
two giant steps back with this insane oversight.
: Achievement in cinematography
"Amélie" (Miramax Zoë) Bruno Delbonnel
"Black Hawk Down" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Slawomir Idziak
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Andrew Lesnie
(New Line)
"The Man Who Wasn't There" (USA Films) Roger Deakins
"Moulin Rouge" (20th Century Fox) Donald M. McAlpine
Out of this entire list, I've only seen the first two flicks (though I've
got screeners for all of them). And out of the two I've seen, I'd give
them both cinematography Oscars. They were both visually stunning flicks.
: Achievement in directing
"A Beautiful Mind" (Universal and DreamWorks) Ron Howard
"Black Hawk Down" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ridley Scott
"Gosford Park" (USA Films) Robert Altman
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Peter Jackson
(New Line)
"Mulholland Drive" (Universal and StudioCanal) David Lynch
I've only seen "Black Hawk Down" so far, so I can't really say who on this
list is most deserving. But the cats who I feel deserve the Directing
Award this year are as follows...
- The lady who directed "Bridget Jones's Diary"
- The guys who directed "Monsters, Inc." (fuck, that film holds up on
repeated viewings; and I've got a kid, so I know what I'm talking about)
- The guy who directed "Training Day", Antoine Fuqua (I think that's his
name)
- Stephen Soderbergh, for "Ocean's 11"
: Best foreign language film of the year
"Amélie"
This is a given. "Amelie" is a fun, fun watch. Go Miramax!
: Achievement in music in connection with motion pictures
(Original score)
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Howard Shore
(New Line)
Howard! Howard! Howard!
:Best motion picture of the year
You know my pics - and none of them are on the list.
:Screenplay based on material previously produced or published
"Ghost World" (United Artists through MGM) Written by Daniel Clowes & Terry
Zwigoff
I was delighted to see this on the list. It's the long-shot of the bunch,
but it deserves to be on there.
And has a comic book movie ever been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay
before? This may be a first.
: Screenplay written directly for the screen
"Amélie" (Miramax Zoë) Screenplay by Guillaume Laurant and Jean-Pierre
Jeunet
This is who I'd give it to.
Well, really, if I had the power, I'd give it to "Chasing Amy". But, hey -
that's me.
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