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2003-02-11
year again when Hollywood hands out the Oscars for
their take on the best achievement in film of the year. 2002 was a rather slow starter
for good quality movies, though by December, a handful of great films sought their
way into multiplexes. Among the titles tossed around for the 75th Annual Academy
Awards (airing March 23) are Chicago, with 13 nominations, The Hours,
Adaptation, The Pianist, and Gangs of New York. But if it's
any consolation, what with a slack in awarding the films and people who actually
deserve the award, Oscar has been pretty routine the last several years and this
year looks to be no exception. Heck, I'm shocked My Big Fat Greek Wedding
didn't sweep the nominations!
Since 1998, I've been observing the Oscar race closely and have noticed that TV ratings
seem to matter more than quality. In other words, the Oscars have become nothing
more than a way of honoring who is young, pretty, and popular. That's not to say
someone as pretty as Nicole Kidman doesn't deserve the award. It's just that Halle
Berry's win over both Sissy Spacek and Judy Dench last year had me
scratchin' my noggin'. There's an answer to everything: Halle Berry is more popular
then Judy Dench and her win will bring in ratings. The same can be said for Gwyneth
Paltrow's win over both Cate Blanchett and Fernanda Montenegro and the whole
Titanic thing. If Titanic hadn't made a trillion dollars, do you think
it would been nominated?
For 2002, the nom's are pretty decent and I see Lord of the Rings: The Two
Towers was thrown in for some recognition to the average American. Yet,
Oscar is still snubbing here and overrating there. So without further ado, here's
my take on the '03 Oscars.
Best Picture
Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers, and The Pianist. Predictions: Chicago
will win easily. It's the most popular film out there at the moment and the musical
hasn't been honored since 1968's Oliver!. My pick: The Hours.
Snubbed: Far From Heaven.
Best Actress
Selma Hayek, Frida; Nicole Kidman, The Hours; Diane Lane,
Unfaithful; Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven; and Renee
Zellweger, Chicago. Predictions: I'm split between Zellweger and
Kidman, though I'm putting money on Kidman. It may be her time. My pick:
Julianne Moore. Snubbed: Meryl Streep, The Hours.
Best Actor
Adrien Brody, The Pianist; Nicholas Cage, Adaptation; Michael
Caine, The Quiet American; Danial Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York;
and Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt. Predictions: It's between
Brody or Day-Lewis, and I'm predicting the latter. My pick: Tie between Jack
Nicholson and Adrien Brody. Snubbed: Dennis Quaid.
Best Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates, About Schmidt; Queen Latifah, Chicago;
Julianne Moore, The Hours; Meryl Streep, Adaptation; and
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago. Predictions: Bates and Streep are
the front-runners, but with modern Oscar looming about, look for Latifah or
Jones to snatch it up...Maybe. My pick: Meryl Streep. Snubbed:
Patricia Clarkson, Far From Heaven.
Best Supporting Actor
Chris Cooper, Adaptation; Ed Harris, The Hours; Paul Newman,
Road to Perdition; John C. Reilly, Chicago; and Christopher
Walken, Catch Me If You Can. Predictions: Hollywood loves to honor
their older and wiser mega-stars (Newman), though Cooper has a resume any actor
would kill for. My pick: Ed Harris.
Best Director
Pedro Almavodor, Talk to Her; Stephen Daldry, The Hours;
Rob Marshal, Chicago; Roman Polanski, The Pianist; and
Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York. Predictions: Marshal will win.
The year Almavodor is awarded by the Oscars is the year I turn straight.
My pick: Martin Scorsese. Snubbed: Todd Haynes, Far From Heaven.
So all in all, look for Chicago to dominate the ceremony. It's a tiresome
and vastly overrated fluff-fest, though an enjoyable one, nonetheless. It will
bring in the viewers for sure.
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2003-02-11
ruary 11th, 2002) nominations for the 75th Annual Academy Awards were announced by Academy President Frank Pierson and Marisa Tomei. Chicago lead all nominees with 13 nominations. Gangs of New York and The Hours nearly tied for second with 10 and 9 nominations respectively.
Best Picture:
Chicago
Gangs of New York
The Hours
The Pianist
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Best Director
Pedro Almodóvar for Talk to Her
Stephen Daldry for The Hours
Rob Marshall for Chicago
Roman Polanksi for The Pianist
Martin Scorsese for Gangs of New York
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Selma Hayek as “Frida Kahlo” in Frida
Nicole Kidman as “Virginia Woolf” in The Hours
Diane Lane as "Connie Summer" in Unfaithful
Julianne Moore as "Cathy Whitaker" in Far From Heaven
Renée Zellweger as "Roxie Hart" in Chicago
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody as "Wladyslaw Szpilman" in The Pianist
Nicolas Cage as "Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman" in Adaptation
Michael Caine as “Thomas Fowler” in The Quiet American
Daniel Day-Lewis as "Bill the Butcher" in Gangs of New York
Jack Nicholson as "Warren Schmidt" in About Schmidt
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Chris Cooper as "John Laroche" in Adaptation
Ed Harris as "Richard Brown" in The Hours
Paul Newman as "John Rooney" in Road to Perdition
John C. Reilly as “Amos Hart” in Chicago
Christopher Walken as "Frank Abagnale Sr." in Catch Me If You Can
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Kathy Bates as "Roberta Hertzel" in About Schmidt
Queen Latifah as "Mama Morton" in Chicago
Julianne Moore as "Laura Brown" in The Hours
Meryl Streep as "Susan Orlean" in Adaptation
Catherine Zeta-Jones as "Velma Kelly" in Chicago
Best Animated Feature Film
Ice Age
Lilo & Stitch
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Spirited Away
Treasure Planet
Foreign Language Film
The Crime of Father Amaro (Mexico)
Hero (China)
Hotel Paraiso (Netherlands)
The Man Without a Past(Finland)
Nowhere in Africa (Germany)
Documentary - Feature
Bowling for Columbine
Daughter From Danang
Prisoner of Paradise
Spellbound
The Travelling Birds
Documentary - Short Subject
The Collector of Bedford Street
Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks
Twin Towers
Why Can't We Be a Family Again?
Short Film - Animated
The Chubbchubbs
Das Rad
Katedra
Mike's New Car
Mt. Head
Short Film - Live Action
Gridlock
J'attendrai le suivant...
Inja
Johnny Flynton
This Charming Man
Art Direction
John Myhre and Gordon Sim for Chicago
Felipe Fernández del Paso and Hannia Robledo for Frida
Dante Ferretti and Francesca LoSchiavo for Gangs of New York
Grant Major, Dan Hennah and Alan Lee for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Dennis Gassner and Nancy Haigh for Road to Perdition
Cinematography
Dion Beebe for Chicago
Edward Lachman for Far from Heaven
Michael Ballhaus for Gangs of New York
Pawel Edelman for The Pianist
Conrad L. Hall for Road to Perdition
Costume Design
Colleen Atwood for Chicago
Julie Weiss for Frida
Sandy Powell for Gangs of New York
Ann Roth for The Hours
Anna B. Sheppard for The Pianist
Film Editing
Martin Walsh for Chicago
Thelma Schoonmaker for Gangs of New York
Peter Boyle for The Hours
D. Michael Horton for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Hervé de Luze for The Pianist
Makeup
Beatrice De Alba and John E. Jackson for Frida
John M. Elliott Jr. and Barbara Lorenz for The Time Machine
Music - Original Score
Elmer Bernstein for Far from Heaven
Philip Glass for The Hours
Elliot Goldenthal for Frida
Thomas Newman for Road to Perdition
John Williams for Catch Me If You Can
Music - Original Song
"Burn It Blue" from Frida
· Music by Elliot Goldenthal
· Lyric by Julie Taymor
"Father and Daughter" from The Wild Thornberrys Movie
· Music and Lyric by Paul Simon
"The Hands That Built America" from Gangs of New York
· Music and Lyric by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
"I Move On" from Chicago
· Music by John Kander
· Lyric by Fred Ebb
"Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile
· Music by Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto
· Lyric by Eminem
Sound
David Lee, Michael Minkler and Dominic Tavella for Chicago
Ivan Sharrock, Tom Fleischman and Eugene Gearty for Gangs of New York
Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, and Hammond Peek for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Bob Beemer, Scott Millan and John Pritchett for for Road to Perdition
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Ed Novick for Spider-Man
Sound Editing
Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom for Minority Report
Scott Hecker for Road to Perdition
Visual Effects
Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
John Frazier, John Dykstra, Anthony LaMolinara and Scott Stokdyk for Spider-Man
Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Screenplay - Adaptation
Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz for About a Boy
Charlie Kaufman &Donald Kaufman for Adaptation
Bill Condon for Chicago
David Hare for The Hours
Ronald Harwood for The Pianist
Screenplay - Original
Pedro Almodóvar for Talk to Her
Todd Haynes for Far From Heaven
Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan for Gangs of New York
Nia Vardalos for My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Cuarón for And Your Mother Too
Submitted by: C.
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2003-01-28
Award nominations were announced today (Tuesday January 28th) at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Chicago lead the way with 5 nominations and Julianne Moore received two nominations, a feat matched by Sean Hayes in the Television categories.
Theatrical Categories:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
· Adaptation
· Chicago
· The Hours
· The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
· My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
· Salma Hayek, Frida
· Nicole Kidman, The Hours
· Diane Lane, Unfaithful
· Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven
· Renee Zellweger, Chicago
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
· Adrien Brody, The Pianist
· Nicolas Cage, Adaptation
· Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York
· Richard Gere, Chicago
· Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
· Kathy Bates, About Schmidt
· Julianne Moore, The Hours
· Michelle Pfeiffer, White Oleander
· Queen Latifah, Chicago
· Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
· Chris Cooper, Adaptation
· Ed Harris, The Hours
· Alfred Molina, Frida
· Dennis Quaid, Far From Heaven
· Christopher Walken, Catch Me If You Can
At the award ceremony, which will take place on March 9 at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center,
Clint Eastwood will be awarded the Life Achievement Award.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-01-20
eek or so, I've been writing about the best-films-of-the-year lists,
written by various critics and organizations, including Roger Ebert and the New York
Film Critics Circle. While doing this, I've become engaged to do my own little
year-round-up, what I would like to present as the films I feel had an important
impact on cinema, visually, emotionally, or both.
Here are my choices for the Ten Best Films of 2002, served with a batch of honorable
mentions:
1) The Pianist: Roman Polanski's harrowing telling of the true account of
Polish-Jew Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) through the terrors of WWII. Polanski's
talents are at full-throttle with every breathtaking, and heartbreaking,
scene, again securing a place in cinematic history as one of the best filmmakers
out there. Brody is simply astounding in his performance as Szpilman, his every move
and facial expression flawless, the traits of a truly gifted actor in a
remarkably difficult role. The Pianist is beautiful movie-making during
an age when most films don't have half a brain to think with, or image to show.
It's Polanski's best film since Chinatown.
2) About Schmidt: Alexander Payne's heartbreakingly funny and poignant
tale of a man in his early '60s (Jack Nicholson) who comes to realize during retirement
that he has lived a life of pain and regret. Kathy Bates is fabulous as Schmidt's future
mother-in-law, though Nicholson gives the performance of the year, a reminder of
why he's one of the greatest artists of our time.
3) Minority Report: Steven Spielberg's visual masterpiece is nothing short of
hypnotizing and one of the best sci-fi films ever.
Tom Cruise is the future pre-criminal
cop who's framed for murder and pursued by Colin Farrell.
The cast is good but it
is Spielberg who's the star, with Report catching you in the gut the first frame
and not letting go until the end. It's his best adventure since Raiders of the Lost
Ark and a monumental achievement in visually stunning filmmaking. A modern
Metropolis.
4) Far From Heaven: Julianne Moore is wonderful in this homage to 1950's
filmmaking, with director Todd Haynes blossoming into a magnificent auteur after
a career in independent/underground cinema (Velvet Goldmine). In her role
as the wife of a sexually confused Dennis Quad, Moore radiates with an elegance
rarely found within actresses today and delivers a performance of stunning beauty.
5) The Hours: An engaging drama starring three of the best actresses
alive today:
Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and
Nicole Kidman. Based on the novel,
The Hours spellbinds us with is superior cast and forces us to watch the
downward spiral of emotions that drown these characters in despair. The whole
film beams with brilliance.
6) The Quiet American: A lovely adaptation of Graham Greene's novel
about the pitfalls that surround an Englishman (Michael Caine) and American
(Brendan Fraser) and their shared Vietnamese lover during the Vietnamese War in
Saigon, 1952. Director Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger) steeps
the viewer in textured atmosphere and some powerful acting - Caine hasn't been
this good in a while; Fraser ignites with a sexy, solidly characterized nuance.
7) All or Nothing: Another Mike Leigh gem. All or Nothing doesn't
contain the mastery of Secrets and Lies, or Topsy-Turvy, though
what it does have is a marvelous cast (including Leigh regular Timothy Spall as a
down-and-out cab driver) and that rare way of getting into your skin. A film that
puts the mega-budgeted Hollywood gloss to shame.
8) Adaptation: More sheer inventiveness from the makers of Being John
Malkovich, this time with a little more fun.
Nicolas Cage is daftly funny as twin
brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman, the earlier having major problems in adapting
The Orchid Thief into a glitz and glossy Hollywood affair.
Meryl Streep is
superb as the author as is
Chris Cooper as the novel's scruffy orchid lover.
9) Solaris: The most vastly underrated film of the year. Steven Soderbergh's
dizzying array of mind-bending story-telling and marvelous direction is this reworking
of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 masterwork with George Clooney trapped in a world
where the past can haunt you literally. Where Minority Report is the best
science fiction film of the year, Solaris is a definite runner-up and probably
the most thought-provoking movie of 2002.
10) One Hour Photo: Robin Williams gives the performance of his career in this
nifty little number that is one of the creepiest and most satisfying thrillers since the days
of Hitchcock. One Hour Photo delivers its goods in strong direction (from
Mark Romanek) and intense situations realized through verbal exchanges and not
mindless action.
I was also fond of Gangs of New York, Punch-Drunk Love,
The Ring, Read My Lips, Signs, Insomnia,
Red Dragon, and Femme Fatale.
Matthew Dalton
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
