In my world, few things are as exciting as the Oscars. I suppose it all started when I was little. For some unknown reason, I've always had a thing for award shows. I watched them all. Back then, I actually think that I preferred the Golden Globes to everything else. I liked that they managed to incorporate both TV and film awards into one shiny package. But I didn't let film and TV awards limit me. I was just as big a fan of music awards, although even I never watched the Country Music Awards. It just wasn't my scene.
Still, I must admit that I was not without the occasional slip in taste. As much as it pains me to admit it, I would sink so low as to watch telecasts as vulgar as the People's Choice Awards and the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. One thing that became clear to me early on is that normal people should never be counted on to give awards. In general, I've found, normal people have excruciatingly poor taste. For example, did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger was nominated for a 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Award for his turn as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin? Did you all see Batman & Robin? It is the only movie I've ever seen that prompted me to consider walking out of the theater. My love of movies and my innate frugality usually trump those feelings, but the cinematic horror that was Batman & Robin is the only flick that pushed me to the limit.
Over the years, it would be the Oscars that would become my number-one love on the awards show circuit. I look forward to nomination day like kids look forward to Christmas or Canadians look forward to Boxing Day. The last two years have been slightly difficult because the awards have fallen during our Spring Break. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but I have a tendency to pursue unusual Spring Break opportunities. In fact, my involvement in Volunteer Vacations has almost cost me the show both of the last two years. I watched the 72nd telecast on a colonial farm near Washington, DC by rigging up an old television with a makeshift tin foil antenna. Last year, thankfully, I was a leader of a wonderful group of volunteers to Virginia's Eastern Shore, so I was able to recommend that we leave Saturday night so that I could be back in plenty of time for the show on Sunday. This year, I will be hard pressed to make my way back from Kentucky in time for the ceremony on Sunday, March 25. You can bet that I will have at least three people taping it and a moratorium on the radio in case we're not back in time.
In the meantime, Christmas, for me, came yesterday. At 5:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 73rd Annual Academy Awards. There were some minor surprises but, for the most part, things were as I expected. Gladiator led the pack with an astounding 12 nominations, but was followed close behind by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's ten nods. Traffic, Erin Brockovich, and, Chocolat rounded out the top five (and the best picture contenders) with five nominations apiece.
I now present my thoughts on the nominations as well as some early predictions in the six major categories. I'm putting them on the record now so as not to be influenced by the many outside sources that will weigh in by week's end. Please excuse the fact that I haven't seen all the movies involved yet. I like to consider myself relatively well-read on the matter, and I have seen many of them, so my guesses won't be blind. I do reserve the right to amend my judgments after seeing the films I've missed (something I become obsessive about doing before the telecast).
In the supporting categories, many old faces mix in with the new. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor are Jeff Bridges (The Contender), Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire), Benicio Del Toro (Traffic), Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich), and Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator). Representing the ladies are Dame Judi Dench (Chocolat), Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Frances McDormand (Almost Famous), and Julie Walters (Billy Elliot). I need to point out that the Supporting Actress category is the only category where I feel someone was genuinely slighted: Catherine Zeta-Jones should have had one of these slots for her incredible performance in Traffic. She was at least as good as co-star Del Toro.
In the men's race, my favorite performance would have to be Phoenix's turn as Commodus in Gladiator. I reviewed the film for the Daily back in May, and what I said then still holds. Phoenix's performance was mesmerizing. Nevertheless, Del Toro will probably carry the category with a strong performance in a strong film.
I have to admit that the supporting actress category is the one in which I have seen the least of the films nominated. Julie Walters lit up all her scenes in Billy Elliot and deserves recognition. Since the Almost Famous duo could cancel each other out, Walters has a chance. It's important to note that Supporting Actress has always been the oddball category because the favorite hardly ever wins. Past surprise winners include Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost), Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny), Anna Paquin (The Piano), and Juliette Binoche's (The English Patient) trouncing of shoo-in Lauren Bacall (The Mirror Has Two Faces).
For the lead performance categories, many past nominees came out of the woodwork for second, third, fifth, and even sixth career nominations. In fact, in each category, only one of the five nominees has never been nominated for a previous performance. Nominated for Best Actress are three-time nominee Joan Allen (The Contender), two-time nominee Juliette Binoche (Chocolat), six-time nominee Ellen Burstyn (Requiem For A Dream), newcomer Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me), and three-time nominee Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich).
In the Best Actor category are newcomer Javier Bardem (BeforeNightFalls), two-time nominee Russell Crowe (Gladiator), five-time nominee Tom Hanks (CastAway), three-time nominee Ed Harris (Pollock), and two-time nominee Geoffrey Rush (Quills).
While Joan Allen is one of my favorite actresses ever, I cannot help but put the money on Julia here. She delivered an uncharacteristically ballsy performance and deserves to be recognized. Besides, she's just so damn cute. The men's race is probably the most difficult to predict of the whole affair. All five have strong performances, with Crowe's probably being the weakest. Right now I'm thinking it will be a repeat winner with either Hanks (previously awarded for Philadelphia and the horrible Forrest Gump) or Rush (previously awarded for Shine) to walk away with the trophy. I'm leaning towards Hanks since Cast Away was a high-profile picture that was all but ignored in many of the other categories. This could be a catchall category for the film.
Following tradition, one of the nominees for the Best Director category was not nominated for Best Picture. It's general knowledge that the one discrepancy between the two categories does not win either prize. I commend the Academy for nominating Billy Elliot's Stephen Daldry. Jamie Bell's stellar (though unrecognized by the Academy) performance as Billy owes a whole lot to him. But, like I said, Daldry doesn't stand a chance. Of the others, Steven Soderbergh holds two nominations for Erin Brockovich and Traffic. Although he deserves to win for the latter, he will doubtlessly siphon votes away from himself, leaving this race down to the final two nominees. In the end, Ridley Scott, director of the epic Gladiator, will lose to Ang Lee, director of the even more epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The one film nominated for Best Picture but not Best Director was Chocolat. Unless Miramax can launch a campaign akin to that of Shakespeare In Love, their movie won't stand a chance against the competition. Gladiator, Traffic, Erin Brockovich, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are all better equipped to win this category. Even though Gladiator won the Golden Globe (and if you didn't watch, PLEASE do yourself a favor and find a clip of Elizabeth Taylor presenting the award), I think that Traffic will resonate most with the votes. It's a truly brilliant movie with an insanely talented ensemble cast. The other movies, all quite good, just don't have the scope of Traffic.
Just writing about all this has me salivating. Now I only need to figure out a way to guarantee myself a working television on the evening of March 25. I may have to force my volunteer group to take a pit stop at my house in Jersey to catch the awards before making our way back up to school. After a week of building houses in rural Kentucky with me, I doubt that they'll mind my squealing and incessant jumping up and down during the awards. As long as I keep the frothing at the mouth to a minimum, I'm sure everything will be fine.
Nah, I'll just have them wait in the van.
