75th Annual Academy Awards
‘Chicago’ leads the pack with 13 nominations
By David Reese
Features editor
Art work by Nathan Sharp

The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences is a strange group. The Oscar is the biggest honor bestowed on those involved with film. The actual award ceremony can be quite disturbing; it usually runs more than three hours, sometimes even four. It should be an interesting evening, no one is a sure-bet. The film “Chicago” has the most nominations with 13 and most likely is favored to win the best picture race. At the moment, it does not look like there will be a film to dominate the awards like in years past. But if one film can do it, “Chicago” will. Expect some surprise wins, one of the acting trophies always goes to a surprise winner such as Marcia Gay Harden, Jim Broadbent, Marisa Tomei and Anna Paquin in the past. The show will air on ABC (Channel 8) at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The ceremony will feature host Steve Martin and other presenters such as Halle Berry, Michael Douglas and Richard Gere.

Best Picture Nominees
“Chicago”
“Gangs of New York”
“The Hours”
“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”
“The Pianist”

Should win: “The Hours”
Will win: “Chicago”

“Chicago” has definitely been the front-runner since the nominations have been announced. It has earned more than a $100 million at the box office and has some of the most glamorous actors in the world. In other years, “The Hours” would have dominated but the three complicated, intertwined stories in the film may have confused some voters, which will cost the film the top honor.

Best Director Nominees
Pedro Almodovar “Talk to Her”
Stephen Daldry “The Hours”
Rob Marshall “Chicago”
Roman Polanski “The Pianist”
Martin Scorsese “Gangs of New York”

Should win: Rob Marshall “Chicago”
Will win: Martin Scorsese “Gangs of New York”

All of these men deserve their nominations, all of the films were beautifully directed. Almodovar, Daldry and Polanski should relish in their nominations because this horserace will come down to Marshall and Scorsese. If voters are on a “Chicago” rampage, then Marshall will get it. If sentimentality is on voters’ minds then Scorsese will win it, although he is winning it from his past work in “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “GoodFellas,” not “Gangs of New York.”

Best Actor Nominees
Adrien Brody “The Pianist”
Nicolas Cage “Adaptation”
Michael Caine “The Quiet American”
Daniel Day-Lewis “Gangs of New York”
Jack Nicholson “About Schmidt”

Should win: Jack Nicholson “About Schmidt”
Will win: Daniel Day-Lewis “Gangs of New York”

If Nicholson wins, he will tie Katharine Hepburn’s record of four Academy Awards. He is the likely favorite in the category and he is incredible. But my presumption is that the Academy will not give it to him, they’ll give it to Day-Lewis for his comeback performance.

Best Actress Nominees
Salma Hayek “Frida”
Nicole Kidman “The Hours”
Diane Lane “Unfaithful”
Julianne Moore “Far From Heaven”
Renee Zellweger “Chicago”

Should win: Julianne Moore “Far From Heaven”
Will win: Nicole Kidman “The Hours”

A nose will say it all. Kidman’s portrayal of Virginia Woolf in “The Hours,” is superb but I question many aspects of her nomination. First, she has less time in the picture then both of her film contemporaries, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, yet Kidman is the lead actress nominee. Plus, there has been a tremendous amount of press about her prosthetic nose. If it is the nose that is so intriguing then maybe the Oscar for best makeup should go to “The Hours,” not the best actress award. Moore’s performance in “Far From Heaven,” is the best in this category and maybe in 10 years, but she does not have the glamour or appeal that Kidman has.

Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Chris Cooper “Adaptation”
Ed Harris “The Hours”
Paul Newman “Road to Perdition”
John C. Reilly “Chicago”
Christopher Walken “Catch Me If You Can”

Should win: Ed Harris “The Hours”
Will win: Chris Cooper “Adaptation”

None of the men in this category are very appealing. All of them are quite boring. Cooper has the early buzz with previous wins from the Golden Globes and other major national review groups. If any of the actors win, it will be fine. Harris has been nominated four previous times and he is the sentimental favorite. He is only in two scenes in “The Hours,” which may hurt his chances.

Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Kathy Bates “About Schmidt”
Queen Latifah “Chicago”
Julianne Moore “The Hours”
Meryl Streep “Adaptation”
Catherine Zeta-Jones “Chicago”

Should win: Kathy Bates “About Schmidt”
Will win: Catherine Zeta-Jones “Chicago”

Bates has given the funniest female supporting performance in a long time. She makes the film a lot more upbeat and friendly. Unfortunately, there is an ageism in Hollywood and Bates is over 50. The supporting actress category tends to go to younger women. Streep has a decent chance since she hasn’t won in more than 20 years but I think Zeta-Jones has to be the front-runner. She is a Hollywood darling and she has a large role.

Best Foreign Language Film Nominees
“El Crimen del Padre Amaro” (Mexico)
“Hero” (China)
“The Man Without a Past” (Finland)
“Nowhere in Africa” (Germany)
“Zus & Zo” (The Netherlands)

Should win: “El Crimen del Padre Amaro” (Mexico)
Will win: “Nowhere in Africa” (Germany)

The films that should have won the best foreign language film Oscar are two films that were not even nominated. Both “Talk to Her” from Spain and “Y Tu Mama Tambien” from Mexico were critically-acclaimed yet their home countries did not submit the two films as their official selection for the award. Instead, Mexico submitted “El Crimen del Padre Amaro,” which in my book is the best picture in the group but expect Germany’s “Nowhere in Africa” to take home the award.

David Reese