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Bringing
home Oscar
Predicting the Academy
Awards this year brings major chal
By Ryan Eloe
Skiff Staff
Predicting
the Academy Awards this year brings major challenges. Figuring out
the Best Picture winner usually simply means choosing the movie
with the most nominations, but this year, it’s harder than
that.
Early
buzz went in favor of “The Lord of the Rings,” but recently
everyone seems to be suggesting that “A Beautiful Mind”
will win. But then again, Roger Ebert thinks “Moulin Rouge!!”
is going to win Best Picture.
I had
to go with my gut feelings and opted for “The Lord of the Rings”
to be the overall Oscar victor. “A Beautiful Mind” and
“The Lord of the Rings” do not just go head to head for
Best Picture, but also Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and
other important awards.
Before
Best Picture is announced there should be a general sense of what’s
going on and Best Picture should not necessarily surprise anyone.
No
one seems particularly fond of the overall motion picture scene
in Hollywood this year. Yet, movie patrons still showed up in record
numbers, and this year welcomed a new arrival of successful fantasy
films, everything from “Shrek” to “Harry Potter”
to “The Lord of the Rings.”
Yet,
the Academy also chose to decorate smaller budget less fantastical
films with a number of nominations. For example, the small independent
film “In the Bedroom,” directed by Todd Fields, received
five nominations, including best adapted screenplay, as well as
three acting nominations and a Best Picture nod.
The
strongest categories this year are ones often overlooked: Cinematography
and Editing. In these categories, every nominee is a viable choice
who contributed amazing innovation to the construction of the film.
This
year also welcomes a new category during the award show. The category
honors the Best Feature Length Animated Movie of the Year. Respect
for the artistic nature of animated films appears to be increasing
as the two primary contenders “Shrek” and “Monsters,
Inc.” are up for other awards often uncommon for animated films.
“Shrek”
landed itself a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, while “Monsters,
Inc.” received nominations for Best Sound Editing, as well
as nominations for best score and original song.
Every
category seems to bring with it a two-way controversy. Will it be
Denzel Washington playing a bad cop, or Russell Crowe playing a
complicated genius? Will critical winner Sissy Spacek be over to
triumph again over Screen Actors Guild winner Halle Berry?
Or
in the area of director will the winner line up with the Best Picture
winner? Will the Academy opt to honor a more elderly legendary director?
This year’s award show invokes plenty of questions in a year
when predicting the winners just seems downright challenging.
Best
motion picture of the year
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (New Line)
2. A Beautiful Mind (Universal and DreamWorks)
3. Gosford Park (USA Films)
4. Moulin Rouge! (20th Century Fox)
5. In the Bedroom (Miramax)
Performance by an actor in a leading role
1. Russell Crowe in “A Beautiful Mind” (Universal and
DreamWorks)
2. Denzel Washington in “Training Day” (Warner Bros.)
3. Tom Wilkinson in “In the Bedroom” (Miramax)
4. Sean Penn in “I Am Sam” (New Line)
5. Will Smith in “Ali” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Performance
by an actress in a leading role
1. Sissy Spacek in “In the Bedroom” (Miramax)
2. Halle Berry in “Monster’s Ball” (Lions Gate)
3. Nicole Kidman in “Moulin Rouge!” (20th Century Fox)
4. Judi Dench in “Iris” (Miramax)
5. Renée Zellweger in “Bridget Jones’s Diary”
(Miramax/Universal/StudioCanal)
Performance
by an actor in a supporting role
1. Ian McKellen in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of
the Ring” (New Line)
2. Ben Kingsley in “Sexy Beast” (Fox Searchlight)
3. Jim Broadbent in “Iris” (Miramax)
4. Ethan Hawke in “Training Day” (Warner Bros.)
5. Jon Voight in “Ali” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Performance
by an actress in a supporting role
1. Jennifer Connelly in “A Beautiful Mind” (Universal
and DreamWorks)
2. Helen Mirren in “Gosford Park” (USA Films)
3. Maggie Smith in “Gosford Park” (USA Films)
4. Kate Winslet in “Iris” (Miramax)
5. Marisa Tomei in “In the Bedroom” (Miramax)
Achievement
in directing
1. “Gosford Park” (USA Films) directed by Robert Altman
2. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line) directed by Peter Jackson
3. “A Beautiful Mind” (Universal and DreamWorks) directed
by Ron Howard
4. “Black Hawk Down” (Sony Pictures Releasing) directed
by Ridley Scott
5. “Mulholland Dr.” (Universal and StudioCanal) directed
by David Lynch
Best
animated feature film of the year
1. “Shrek” (DreamWorks)
2. “Monsters, Inc.” (Buena Vista)
3. “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” (Paramount and Nickelodeon
Movies)
Screenplay
written directly for the screen
1. “Memento” (Newmarket Films) screenplay by Christopher
Nolan story by Jonathan Nolan
2. “Gosford Park” (USA Films) written by Julian Fellowes
3. “Monster’s Ball” (Lions Gate) written by Milo
Addica & Will Rokos
4. “The Royal Tenenbaums” (Buena Vista) written by Wes
Anderson & Owen Wilson
5. “Amélie” (Miramax Zoë) screenplay by Guillaume
Laurant and Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Screenplay
based on material previously produced or published
1. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line) screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
2. “A Beautiful Mind” (Universal and DreamWorks) written
by Akiva Goldsman
3. “In the Bedroom” (Miramax) screeLagaannplay by Rob
Festinger and Todd Field
4. “Shrek” (DreamWorks) written by Ted Elliott & Terry
Rossio and Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman
5. “Ghost World” (United Artists through MGM) written
by Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff
Best
foreign language film of the year
1. “Amélie” (France)
2. “No Man’s Land” (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
3. “Lagaan” (India)
4. “Son of the Bride” (Argentina)
5. “Elling” (Norway)
Achievement
in cinematography
1. “The Man Who Wasn’t There” (USA Films)
2. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line)
3. “Black Hawk Down” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
4. “Moulin Rouge!” (20th Century Fox)
5. “Amélie” (Miramax Zoë)
Achievement
in film editing
1. “Black Hawk Down” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
2. “Moulin Rouge!” (20th Century Fox)
3. “Memento” (Newmarket Films)
4. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line)
5. “A Beautiful Mind” (Universal and DreamWorks)
Achievement
in music in connection with motion pictures (Original score)
1. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line) by Howard Shore
2. “A Beautiful Mind” (Universal and DreamWorks) by James
Horner
3. “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (Warner Bros.) by John
Williams
4. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (Warner
Bros.) by John Williams
5. “Monsters, Inc.” (Buena Vista) by Randy Newman
Achievement
in music in connection with motion pictures (Original song)
1. “May It Be” from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring” (New Line) Music and Lyric by Enya, Nicky Ryan
and Roma Ryan
2. “Vanilla Sky” from "”Vanilla Sky” (Paramount)
Music and Lyric by Paul McCartney
3. “There You'll Be” from “Pearl Harbor” (Buena
Vista) Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
4. “Until” from “Kate & Leopold” (Miramax)
Music and Lyric by Sting
5. “If I Didn't Have You" from "Monsters, Inc.”
(Buena Vista) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
Achievement
in art direction
1. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line)
2. “Moulin Rouge!” (20th Century Fox)
3. “Gosford Park” (USA Films)
4. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (Warner
Bros.)
5. “Amélie” (Miramax Zoë)
Achievement
in costume design
1. “Moulin Rouge!” (20th Century Fox)
2. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line)
3. “Gosford Park” (USA Films)
4. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (Warner
Bros.)
5. “The Affair of the Necklace” (Warner Bros.)
Achievement
in makeup
1. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings”
(New Line)
2. “Moulin Rouge!” (20th Century Fox)
3. “A Beautiful Mind” (Universal and DreamWorks)
Achievement
in sound
1. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line)
2. “Moulin Rouge!” (20th Century Fox)
3. “Black Hawk Down” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
4. “Pearl Harbor” (Buena Vista)
5. “Amélie” (Miramax Zoë)
Achievement
in sound editing
1. “Monsters, Inc.” (Buena Vista)
2. “Pearl Harbor” (Buena Vista)
Achievement
in visual effects
1. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(New Line)
2. “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (Warner Bros.)
3. “Pearl Harbor” (Buena Vista)
Best
documentary feature
1. “Promises”
2. “Children Underground”
3. “Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton”
4. “War Photographer”
5. “Murderer on a Sunday Morning”
Best
documentary short subject
1. “Sing!”
2. “Artist and Orphans: A True Drama”
3. “Thoth”
Best
animated short film
1. “For the Birds”
2. “Strange Invaders”
3. “Fifty Percent Grey”
4. “Give Up Yer Aul Sins”
5. “Stubble Trouble”
Best
live action short film
1. “Copy Shop”
2. “A Man Thing” (Meska Sprawa)
3. “Speed for Thespians”
4. “Gregor’s Greatest Invention”
5. “The Accountant”
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