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BY LARRY CARROLL |
The nominations were announced this morning
for the 75th Academy Awards, and CountingDown.com was there. It was 5:30
in the ayem Los Angeles time, and hundreds of sleepy-eyed reporters, publicists
and VIPs filled the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters
in Beverly Hills with anticipation. As an omnipresent voice built the tension ("5
minutes!"), news sources from all over the world rushed through
their live stand-ups reports, grabbed their notebooks, and prepared to
bear witness to the nominations for the granddaddy of all awards shows.
When Oscar winner Marisa Tomei and AMPAS President Frank Pierson took to
the podium, there wasn't a single voice to be heard.
That was, until the names actually started being read. There were a
good number of surprises this year, most belonging to the show stopping
musical Chicago, which led all films with thirteen nominations.
Sure, everyone was expecting a nom for Best Picture and Best Actress
(Renee Zellweger), and maybe some were thinking a Best Supporting Actress
for Catherine Zeta-Jones was in the cards, but who would have put money
down on Zeta-Jones' competition being fellow star Queen Latifah? Or that
John C. Reilly, a great actor who no one seems to ever notice, would
finally get his props thanks to his appropriate rendition of "Mr.
Cellophane?" There were audible gasps from the congregation when
the Salma Hayek received her first career nomination for Frida (a
justified nomination, but certainly a surprise). There were also some
eyebrows raised when the exiled Roman Polanski was named as a Best Director
nominee and then was followed up by Spain's Pedro Almodovar. And that
was nothing compared to the chins that dropped onto the floor when Disney
dud Treasure Planet received an animation nod. But overall, the
nominations were quite justifiable and, in a year when so many noteworthy
films were released, it was hard to not pick a movie worth seeing.
What follows is a list of the nominations, those who were left holding
the bag, and my kneejerk-reaction to who should win:
Best Motion Picture of the Year - You can reserve a seat in the
front row for Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein, who has a hand in four
of the five Best Picture nominations. As long as Oscar voters don't feel
like giving the big award to a Holocaust film, Harvey should be able
to break out that Oscar speech. Other than that, no major surprises here.
Nominees:
- Chicago
- The Hours
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- The Pianist
- Gangs of New York
Snubbed:
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- About Schmidt
- Antwone Fisher
- Far From Heaven
- Talk to Her
- Adaptation
- Road to Perdition
Who Should Win: I still say Far From Heaven is the best
film of the year (the film's Oscar campaign just seemed to lose steam
after December), but in its absence I would vote for Chicago,
as I think the Oscars will.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - The big shocker
here is that Richard Gere was left standing in the shadows after his
Golden Globe win. However, all five of these nominees were definitely
the front-runners. This category should be a real slugfest because you
have four Oscar veterans and one newcomer. Will the big names leave each
other so bloody that the new kid can sneak away with the trophy?
Nominees:
- Nicolas Cage, Adaptation - A past winner, will Oscar voters
reward him a second time so that his two Adaptation personas
won't have to fight over that old Leaving Las Vegas statue?
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York - This past winner for My
Left Foot gave what might be the best performance of his career
after a five-year sabbatical.
- Adrien Brody, The Pianist - An overlooked actor who has been
in some twenty films finally gets his due. Brody had to carry every
single scene in his movie, a difficult task that should help him.
- Michael Caine, The Quiet American - This two-time Best Supporting
Actor winner has had a legendary career, yet never won this prize.
Miramax yanked the film after a brief qualification run, which leaves
you wondering how many Oscar voters even got a chance to see it.
- Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt - The first man ever to score
a 12th Oscar nomination, the golden man doesn't love anyone quite so
much as he loves Jack. The three time winner is a major contender to
be sure, but the poor showing of About Schmidt in the other
categories might be a hint that Oscar voters have their minds elsewhere.
Dissed:
- Hugh Grant, About a Boy
- Richard Gere, Chicago
- Kieran Culkin, Igby Goes Down
- Campbell Scott, Roger Dodger
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Catch Me If You Can
- Robin Williams, One Hour Photo
- Tom Hanks, Road to Perdition
- Derek Luke, Antwone Fisher
- Sam Rockwell, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Who Should Win: All five are fine performances, but if Jack ever
deserved an Oscar, it is for his portrayal of a combed-over actuary driving
around in his Winnebago.
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nicole Kidman may
have gotten all the press this year for donning a prosthetic nose, but
it was Salma Hayek's glued-on unibrow that allowed her to elbow heavyweight
Meryl Streep out of this race. Don't feel bad for Meryl, though - the
Oscar Queen will still get to walk the red carpet as a Supporting Actress.
- Salma Hayek, Frida - A brave, powerful performance that has
now been justly rewarded.
- Nicole Kidman, The Hours - There are people who have seen
this film and still don't realize that she was in it. That's how remarkable
her transformation is.
- Diane Lane, Unfaithful - Lane's been making films ever since National
Lampoon Goes to the Movies in 1981, but it took her gutsy, sexy
performance in Adrian Lyne's unconventional film to get the attention
of the Academy. It would be a terrific story if she won, but the
fact that this movie came out last May isn't going to help her chances.
- Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven - Her 3rd nomination, she
has never won.
- Renee Zellweger, Chicago - Her second consecutive nomination
(after she played Bridget Jones last year), the actress with the funny
last name has gotten so A List that everybody knows how to pronounce
it now.
Left Hanging:
- Meryl Streep - The Hours
- Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, Secretary
- Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- Catherine Keener, Lovely & Amazing
- Jennifer Aniston, The Good Girl
- Alison Lohman, White Oleander
Who Should Win: The fact that Julianne Moore has never won as
Oscar is nothing short of absurd. In a year of strong female performances,
her part in Far From Heaven still stands above the rest.
Performance by an Actor is a Supporting Role - You would think
there aren't too many firsts left for Paul Newman, but he achieved one
today. The acting legend now has a Best Supporting nomination to his
resume, which should help get his name out to that last man living in
a closet somewhere who might never have heard of him. The other nominees
all gave excellent performances, but I would've liked to have seen someone
more worthy (Quaid, Arkin, Liotta) than Christopher Walken get a nomination.
- Paul Newman, Road to Perdition - Now has nine Oscar nominations
in his remarkable career.
- Ed Harris, The Hours - The women got all the attention for The
Hours, but make no mistake about it - Ed Harris is the soul of
this film. The 3 time nominee (Pollock, Apollo 13 and The
Truman Show) is long overdue for a little gold man on his mantel.
- John C. Reilly, Chicago - He was in not one, not two, but
four of the best films of 2002 (Chicago, The Hours, Gangs
of New York and The Good Girl). The James Brown of acting
(without the arrests), Reilly's nomination was one of the best surprises
of the day.
- Chris Cooper, Adaptation - Cooper's been wracking up critics
awards all season, and won the Golden Globe for his stellar work in
the crazy Kaufman story. He's another fine actor whose career should
finally be thrust into the spotlight after today's announcement.
- Christopher Walken, Catch Me If You Can - Walken won this
category in 1978 (The Deer Hunter), but has little chance this
time around. He's a tremendous actor, but his film is too lighthearted
for Oscar voters to pick him over the rest.
Always a Bridesmaid:
- Dennis Quaid, Far From Heaven
- Alan Arkin, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
- Viggo Mortensen, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Willem Dafoe, Auto Focus
- Ray Liotta, Narc
- Alfred Molina, Frida
- Andy Serkis, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Who Should Win: My vote is for Chris Cooper, and I think everyone
else's will be as well.
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - In a battle
of commercial spokeswomen, makeup pusher Queen Latifah will square off
against hair coloring advocate Julianne Moore and cell-phone pitch lady
Catherine Zeta-Jones (maybe if she loses she'll freeze time and scribble
her name onto the envelope). If Meryl Streep decides to follow in the
ways of her fellow nominees, a career selling toenail polish would seem
an easy fit. As for Kathy Bates - how about letting her do some bathing
suit commercials, just so she can have one?
- Kathy Bates, About Schmidt - Every scene she appears in, she
walks away with. And that ain't easy when you're staring at Jack's
crazy eyebrows and exaggerated facial expressions.
- Meryl Streep, Adaptation - Sony remembered to put her name
on the ballot this time, and the result is that she now leaves Katharine
Hepburn in the dust with her record 13th nomination.
- Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago - Aside from some decent work
in Traffic, few people ever considered her to be more than a
pretty face until she took the stage as murderess Velma Kelly. Many
theater loyalists complained that Bebe Neuwirth wasn't given the role;
now, few can think of anybody but Zeta-Jones belting out "All
That Jazz".
- Julianne Moore, The Hours - Her second nomination of the day,
playing Fifties housewives has been very, very good to the actress.
- Queen Latifah, Chicago - Her career is really shaping up to
be a fascinating story. To go from Burger King employee to obscure
rapper to failed daytime talk show host to Oscar nominated actress
is just amazing.
Ordering in some Chinese food and catching the show on the tube:
- Patricia Clarkson, Far From Heaven
- Edie Falco, Sunshine State
- Michelle Pfeiffer, White Oleander
- Susan Sarandon, Moonlight Mile and Igby Goes Down
- Lainie Kazan, My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- Cameron Diaz, Gangs of New York
- Toni Collette, About a Boy
- Bebe Neuwirth, Tadpole
- Tovah Feldshuh, Kissing Jessica Stein
Who Should Win: My vote is for Kathy Bates, but I suspect the
Academy will go for Meryl Streep come Oscar night.
Best Director: Peter Jackson got the shaft this year, plain and
simple. Two Towers was a much more complicated film to direct
than Fellowship, yet Oscar decided he wasn't worthy this time
around.
Nominees:
- Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York - Everyone says he's one
of the greatest directors ever, so how could he not have an Oscar?
The man has been nominated three times, but always seems to lose to
actors when they decide to direct. I'm sure Scorsese breathed a deep
sigh when he saw that Denzel Washington had been passed over.
- Rob Marshall, Chicago - His directorial debut has razzle dazzled
him a spot with the big boys.
- Stephen Daldry, The Hours - Earned a nomination for his debut
film, Billy Elliot. Now he's 2 for 2, thanks to his masterful
manipulation of the three storylines in his film.
- Roman Polanski, The Pianist - Whether he shows up on Oscar
night or not, it is still amazing that the Academy would even give
him this much. The man's sordid history, one would think, would be
too controversial for many Oscar voters to seriously consider him.
Then again, his heartfelt film was nothing short of a masterpiece.
Kudos to the voters for remembering that.
- Pedro Almodovar, Talk to Her - Academy members who were angry
that his film wasn't submitted as Spain's official foreign-language
film entry voiced their opinions with this nomination. But don't count
on that sentiment to win Almodovar the big prize.
Who Should Win: Martin Scorsese will win this category based
solely on his back catalog. As wrong as this may be, I can't say he doesn't
deserve it.
Getting Back to Pre-Production on The Next One:
- Alexander Payne, About Schmidt
- Spike Jonze, Adaptation
- Sam Mendes, Road to Perdition
- Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
- Denzel Washington, Antwone Fisher
- Steven Spielberg, Minority Report
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:
- Ice Age - An out-of-left-field commercial and critical hit,
no animated film of 2002 has a character as lovable as Scrat.
- Lilo & Stitch - An adorable, strange little Disney film
that obviously won over the hearts of Academy members. The vote would
seem to come down to this and Ice Age.
- Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - Certainly a worthy film,
but it isn't beloved enough to be considered a serious contender.
- Spirited Away - A brilliantly imaginative film, it has two
things working against it: its slow pacing and the fact that so few
people in America have seen it.
- Treasure Planet - Perhaps the biggest shocker of the morning.
It's a good film, but I doubt very many voters would consider it the
best of the year.
Back to the Drawing Board:
- Stuart Little 2
- Hey Arnold! The Movie
- The Wild Thornberrys
Who Should Win:
I would vote for Ice Age just barely over Spirited Away.
I wouldn't be surprised, however, if Oscar goes for Lilo & Stitch instead
just because its Disney and this is animation we're talking about.
Best Original Screenplay - Several happy surprises here, namely
the nominations of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Talk to Her and
(especially) Y Tu Mama Tambien. The others are well-deserved,
but the fact that these three snuck in could be indicative that Oscar
could be writing himself a Cinderella story.
Nominees:
- Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes - His film owes so much to Douglas
Sirk's Fifties melodramas, but Haynes composed a story that Sirk never
could have told.
- Gangs of New York, Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, Kenneth Lonergan,
- How "original" Gangs really is could be argued - the script
is credited to 3 writers and "inspired by" Herbert Asbury's
1928 history - but few would dispute that he finished script should
be recognized.
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Nia Vardalos - Since Vardalos wrote
the script before her stage show, it is considered an original work,
not an adaptation. If she won, it would certainly make one of the best
possible Oscar night stories.
- Talk to Her, Pedro Almodovar - Left out of "best foreign
film" race, many consider this to be the best film of the year,
in any language. Almodovar can at least take solace in his nominations
here and as Director.
- Y Tu Mama Tambien, Alfonso and Carlos Cuaron - A great little
film, hopefully this nomination will get some people to track it down.
Sorry, Charlie:
- Paul Thomas Anderson, Punch-Drunk Love
- Burr Steers, Igby Goes Down
- Dylan Kidd, Roger Dodger
- John Sayles, Sunshine State
- Mike White, The Good Girl
- Nicole Holofcener, Lovely & Amazing
- Jill and Karen Sprecher, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
- Antwone Fisher, Antwone Fisher
Who Should Win:
My vote is for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the funniest movie of
the year. If I were a betting man, however, I'd put my money on Pedro
Almodovar just because the Academy will feel bad for his misfortune in
this year's Oscar process.
Best Adapted Screenplay - This race seems to be even more competitive
than Best Original. There are a lot of experienced nominees (and one
who doesn't even exist) in here who will be giving each other a difficult
time.
Nominees:
- Adaptation, Charlie and Donald Kaufman - Can Charlie Kaufman
clone himself in time for the ceremony March 23rd? Will they just leave
an empty seat next to him and see who shows up? Somebody has to pick
up that other trophy.
- Chicago, Bill Condon - He won in 1998 for Gods and Monsters,
and hopes to get another one this time around, for symmetry.
- The Hours, David Hare - The lone rookie in the race.
- About A Boy, Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz
- The Pianist, Ronald Harwood - The seventy year-old writer
has been making movies since the early Sixties, but has only been nominated
once (for 1983's The Dresser), until now.
There's a Tear in My Beer:
- Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, About Schmidt
- Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan, The Quiet American
- Douglas McGrath, Nicholas Nickleby
- Jeff Nathanson, Catch Me if You Can
- David Self, Road to Perdition
- David Benioff, 25th Hour
- Rebecca Miller, Personal Velocity
Who Should Win: My vote is for Lord of the Rings, but
I suspect the Oscar might go to The Hours, simply because it is
the most literate of all the nominated movies.
And the rest...
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