Friday, March 22, 2002

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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