Greetings all,
Time slips away, oh how it slips away. You want to rant about the Oscar nominations, then you procrastinate, then your wife throws you a surprise birthday party and you go to Vegas for a week, then, next thing you know, you're in a hotel room in Cleveland while in town for a friend's wedding, and it's SNOWING, and you're watching the Oscars over submarine sandwiches and Dr. Pepper.
So...this is late.
But, it will include all the news, current, past or otherwise, that is fit to print concerning this year's Oscar hulabaloo. Let's not fool around, let's get to it:
(In a humble admission, I have not seen "Pollack", "Before Night Falls", "Vatel", "Malena", "Hollow Man", "The Cell", "102 Dalmatians", "Wonder Boys" or "Dancer in the Dark")
ACTOR -- LEADING
Javier Bardem - BEFORE NIGHT FALLS
Russell Crowe - GLADIATOR
Tom Hanks - CAST AWAY
Ed Harris - POLLOCK
Geoffrey Rush - QUILLS
Normally, the Supporting categories are full of the best performances of the year, but this year's crop of Actor and Actress categories are STACKED! All these performances are good. Here's the problem I have - I've said before that "Gladiator" is basically "Braveheart" in Rome (one man's personal revenge story becomes a story of his overthrow of a government), so how can Crowe win, and Mel Gibson couldn't even get a nomination back in 1995? Gibson's William Wallace was far more driven than Crowe's Maximus. Some people say that he's also winning for "The Insider", and, to me, neither performance matches the work he did in "L.A. Confidential", for which he didn't even get a nomination!! See the cruel circle? Maybe I'm still upset that Jack Lemmon didn't get a nomination for "Glengarry Glen Ross" in '92, I'm always upset that they omit somebody. Damn the omissions!
WHO SHOULD'VE WON: Tough to say, not having seen Harris or Bardem's work. I really liked Hanks, for all the reasons to like a screen performance - physical feats, drama, eloquently delivered monologues, humor, vulnerability, and the ability to keep my interest when doing scenes with sporting goods. However, when it came to voting for the SAG awards (which I did for the first time this year!), I threw the nod to "Billy Elliot"'s Jamie Bell. That kid was dynamite, damn his omission!
ACTOR -- SUPPORTING
Jeff Bridges - THE CONTENDER
Willem Dafoe - SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE
Benicio Del Toro - TRAFFIC
Albert Finney - ERIN BROCKOVICH
Joaquin Phoenix - GLADIATOR
My choice (and he won the SAG award!) would've been Finney. The idea of this guy juggling a thousand different feelings during the course of his pursuit of PG&E sucked me right in. I sensed his frustration at trying to maintain a sense of power with this ridiculous woman talking trash at him. Plus, he ended up being vulnerable, and ultimately, likeable, and that was a transformation from who you thought you were meeting at the beginning of the film. However, you can't slight them for honoring Del Toro's low-key effort. His subtle nuances enhance every scene he's in. Usually this is the strongest category, where it could go to anybody, but I thought this year that Actress held that distinction - where only Binoche was the weak link (due to the writing).
BIGGEST OMISSION: Gary Lewis, Billy's dad in "Billy Elliot". This was a strong ensemble, and Billy's brother and dad were both excellent, but Gary Lewis' scenes at the strike lines and doing anything to see his son succeed were very moving, and provided a wonderful character arc. He was great. There's a strong case for Gary Oldman in "The Contender", too. Oldman was great, he's ALWAYS great. I had the pleasure of seeing him when I sat in the audience at Dennis Miller Live last month. Dennis didn't even know he was English! That's how damn good he is!
ACTRESS -- LEADING
Joan Allen - THE CONTENDER
Juliette Binoche - CHOCOLAT
Ellen Burstyn - REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
Laura Linney - YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
Julia Roberts - ERIN BROCKOVICH
As I just said, this is a very strong category. Linney's work was as great as anything Streep's ever done, Roberts' work was her career's best, Joan Allen WILL have her Oscar one day, but I go with Burstyn on this one. Again, if you're an actor, you gotta marvel at her diving abilities. Diving into some dark places to drudge up the despair, loneliness and heartbreak to NAIL some of the key scenes, diving into fat suits and fat-neck makeup to be as un-pretty as possible (and not caring the whole time - let's see Liz Taylor do that), diving into each moment of the film to draw out the right amount of sympathy, empathy and horror. She's gonna be on television!
ABOUT THE WINNER: About Roberts, she just got the Gwyneth Paltrow award. Paltrow was in about 130 piece of junk movies, OR she had a tiny role in a good one. Yet, she appeared on the cover of every magazine in the world and was considered this wonderful thing. So, at least when she won her Oscar, she finally deserved it (I thought it should've gone to Cate Blanchett, but Gwyneth didn't SUCK, is what I'm saying (see The Talented Mr. Ripley)). Roberts has been in a load of junk, and at least she won for a performance of charisma, power and polish (and NOT for Pretty Woman). And I can sleep knowing Burstyn already has an Oscar.
ACTRESS -- SUPPORTING
Judi Dench - CHOCOLAT
Marcia Gay Harden - POLLOCK
Kate Hudson - ALMOST FAMOUS
Frances McDormand - ALMOST FAMOUS
Julie Walters - BILLY ELLIOT
No doubt the biggest surprise of the night. Everyone thought Kate Hudson had the Mark-Tucci-penned "Best Supporting Woman We in the Academy Would Like to Sleep With" award locked up. We want to sleep with Marisa Tomei, we want to sleep with Mira Sorvino, we want to sleep with Angelina Jolie, we want to sleep with Kate Hudson. But in an upset, we want to sleep with Juliette Binoche, we want to sleep with Kim Basinger, we want to sleep with Marcia Gay Harden - they skewed a bit older. You'll have to make up your own theories about wanting to sleep with Anna Paquin and Judi Dench. I'll tell you this much, it makes me want to see "Pollack". Harden's always been pretty solid, from her great performance in the Coen's "Miller's Crossing" to today.
BIGGEST OMISSION: How, how, how, how, how, how can you not nominate Zhang Ziyi from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"? HOW?!??! She was magnificent! Breathtaking! Sparkling! Electric! Sexy! Feisty! And she could kick your ass! It's a travesty, a travesty, I say.
ART DIRECTION
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
GLADIATOR
QUILLS
VATEL
It's no wonder that "Gladiator" won Best Visual Effects - the majority of it's setting is re-recreated, from 90% of The Coliseum to all the statues, columns and winding roads. This doesn't leave much to be created by the Art Directors. So, right the Academy was to look past their glitz and award "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". I again compare the film to the best work of David Lean - it takes a good eye to make a film look 'epic'. The locations and sets of "Tiger" were majestic AND lived-in. Well done, Academy.
BAD NOMINATION: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" I enjoyed this film somewhat, and that's ONLY for Carrey's performance. He pulled out all the stops and was hilarious. What didn't work at all for me was the film's translation of the look and feel of Seuss' Whos. The Whos were a little too bizzaro for me, and they just got it wrong on all counts, from the script, to art direction, makeup and acting.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
GLADIATOR
MALÈNA
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
THE PATRIOT
I have compared "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to a dream many times. And the cinematography contributes greatly to that, in cooperation with the art direction. This was another solid win. But...
BIG-TIME OMISSION: "Requiem for a Dream". This film is the companion piece to the dream film - the nightmare. Whereas cinematography and art direction helped "Tiger", "Dream"'s cinematography works brilliantly with the editing to make one of the year's most exciting, visually charged films.
PS: I had problems with "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", I wish it was an original script as opposed to the Homer's rambling "Odyssey". BUT, the cinematography is GORGEOUS - that's a good nomination.
COSTUME DESIGN
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
GLADIATOR
102 DALMATIANS
QUILLS
Well, you know how I feel about "The Grinch". So, to me, it came down to "Tiger" and "Gladiator" (nothing symbolic there, eh?). So, giving it to "Gladiator" was fine with me. You've got to admire a film that re-creates the heyday of the Roman Empire and sparks a modern trend - it seems that women are wearing the armbands that Connie Nielsen sported in the film.
DIRECTING
BILLY ELLIOT
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
ERIN BROCKOVICH
GLADIATOR
TRAFFIC
I can't say I was upset with this outcome, although I was rooting for Ang Lee. When I first heard that a HIGH quality filmmaker was going to make a kung fu movie, I shit myself. Then when I saw it and realized it's on par with Lawrence of Arabia (with more romance!), I was doubly impressed. Most directors can't do one thing right (fight scenes, romance, drama, epic scenery, comedy, myth, revenge), Lee balances ALL of it perfectly. They made a big mistake not nominating Darren Aronofsky for "Requiem for a Dream", he's going to get an Oscar in the next ten years, just like Soderbergh.
ON THE WINNER: If this was the only film Soderbergh directed, then grainy, you-are-there realism would be his signature. But with his filmography, we can see he adapts to the material, and he did an EXCELLENT job with Traffic.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT
LEGACY
LONG NIGHT'S JOURNEY INTO DAY
SCOTTSBORO: AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY
SOUND AND FURY
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
BIG MAMA
CURTAIN CALL
DOLPHINS
THE MAN ON LINCOLN'S NOSE
ON TIPTOE: GENTLE STEPS TO FREEDOM
I saw none of the above two category's films. I may be lame to some, but after "Hoop Dreams" & "Roger & Me" got snubbed, and the Academy showed a complete lack of admiration for Errol Morris, screw these categories!
FILM EDITING
ALMOST FAMOUS
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
GLADIATOR
TRAFFIC
WONDER BOYS
Talk about another highway robbery!!! The editing in "Requiem for a Dream" is flawless! Flawless! And a real challenge (by the way, the best editing of 2001 so far has GOT to go to "Memento" - I don't know if I'd kill to work on a project that challenging, or if I'd kill myself trying to do it right. They did it right, more on that film later...). "Requiem"'s editing was 75% responsible for its breakneck pace.
ON THE WINNER: For what was nominated, I probably would've picked "Traffic", too. It jumped around between over a hundred different characters and never let us lose our grasp as viewers. This is usually a category that has a few mainstream (so don't include "Tiger") action films involved - "The Matrix" won last year, and "Terminator 2", "Speed" and "Robocop" have all been nominated in the past. This year, the closest we get is "Gladiator", but I contend that there was no GREAT action movie last year.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
AMORES PERROS
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
DIVIDED WE FALL
EVERYBODY FAMOUS!
THE TASTE OF OTHERS
NO CONTEST - "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" should've and did.
MAKEUP
THE CELL
DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE
This should've gone to "Shadow of the Vampire" for a job well done, and all the reasons I mentioned before about how they got the Whos all wrong. But Hollywood loves Rick Baker.
ON THE CELL: Haven't seen it...
MUSIC (SCORE)
CHOCOLAT
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
GLADIATOR
MALÈNA
THE PATRIOT
This was a good category made only better by Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma in a class performance at the Oscar ceremony. But Williams' "Patriot" score and Zimmer's "Gladiator" score seem like versions of previous work. Ennio Morricone's "Malena" score was little heard, but as gorgeous as anything he's ever done. I hope his career doesn't end Oscar-less. He didn't even win for "The Mission"!! And "Chocolat" - well, this is the only nomination I probably would've given this film. It's catchy and we'll probably have the soundtrack in a few weeks (Karen wants it for her birthday)
MY CHOICE: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" The only other score I remember was Cast Away's, because Zemeckis was wise enough to not have it PRESENT for 75% of the film! But the action scenes in Tiger were accompanied by the coolest music that often was in contrast to the wild movements on screen, yet always traditional, lending itself to the grandeur and mythology of the story.
MUSIC (SONG)
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
DANCER IN THE DARK
THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE
MEET THE PARENTS
WONDER BOYS
I never saw Wonder Boys (currently serving jail time because of it), but from what I know of it, Dylan's song captures it right on the money. That pains me to say, 'cause Dylan does nothing for me. Newman should've won last year for "When She Loved Me". He really, really, really, really, really should have. He may not write a song that beautiful again.
MINI-RANT: Is that Bjork piece of worm-shit even a song? What the hell was that freak show at the Oscars? You took up valuable time ABC could've spent on advertising. You wasted money and time and YOU, yes YOU, Bdork, are the reason I didn't see "Dancer in the Dark". If your music didn't suck, it looked like an interesting concept, but I'd rather listen to cats screw than your music...
...speaking of music, a while ago I commented on how the Grammy nominations BLEW, and they BLOW every year. Last year, they managed to pick through their bad nominees to hand Grammys out to deserving folk. They did it again! U2's rock song had all the joy and rich sound that a Grammy-winning single should have, and the Dan, the DAN, man! Steely Dan's album was my second favorite of the year, but they didn't nominate Barenaked Ladies "Maroon" (#1), so good for Fagen and Becker - "Two Against Nature" is a tight, jazzy piece of rock craftsmanship. And for the record, Eminem is a poser, just like Brittany Spears. I look forward to your comments.
BEST PICTURE
CHOCOLAT
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
ERIN BROCKOVICH
GLADIATOR
TRAFFIC
Well, if you've noticed a theme yet, you've got to know that I believe that the best film of the year wasn't nominated: "Requiem for a Dream". My five nominees would've looked like this (direct from my Top 10 of the Year 2000):
BILLY ELLIOT
CAST AWAY
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
TRAFFIC
So, from the matching nominees, I would've chosen "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" as Best Picture. It's between that and Traffic, with what's nominated, both having stellar casts, interwoven storylines, magnificent cinematography, all the elements came together. But, hey, "Tiger"'s got kung fu, man!!! Plus, it's groundbreaking in it's nomination. Has a film that featured martial arts and weaponry so prominently ever been so heralded? The Academy had a chance to reward it and balked in favor of content that's been tread on a thousand times. Can we be happy enough that it took home Best Foreign Film honors? I guess, but it's just BETTER than "Gladiator", period.
ABOUT OSCAR NIGHT: By the time they gave out Best Picture, "Traffic", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Gladiator" had all won four awards. The final prize was up for grabs! And "Traffic" had won for it's script and direction, so I thought FOR SURE it was going to be the winner. "Gladiator" actually ended up winning as an underdog, winning up till then for Crowe, but other than that, only technical categories. But Oscar night was a night to celebrate the ITs of the moment. The indie feel that movies like "The Piano", "Pulp Fiction" and "Fargo" brought to the proceedings left with "Titanic"'s win, and the Hollywood monster is still in control, throwing out Oscars to all the top three Golden ITs - Roberts, Gladiator and Crowe.
SHORT -- ANIMATED
FATHER AND DAUGHTER
THE PERIWIG-MAKER
REJECTED
SHORT -- LIVE ACTION
BY COURIER
ONE DAY CROSSING
QUIERO SER (I WANT TO BE...)
SERAGLIO
A SOCCER STORY (UMA HISTORIA DE FUTEBOL)
I haven't seen any of the films in the above category, and I agree with Siskel and Ebert, who once upon a time suggested that instead of the lame-oid entrances of the stars, where we find out they have nothing interesting to say, we could spend that time airing the shorts on TV so people get a sense of what they're all about.
SOUND
CAST AWAY
GLADIATOR
THE PATRIOT
THE PERFECT STORM
U-571
I thought they got this one right with "Gladiator". I say this because I saw "Gladiator" when I was still working on the cruise ship and I saw it in the Bahamas mid-week, midday. Nobody there to interrupt or make noise but me and my friend Greg. The sound in this theatre CRANKED and it knocked me out and put me in the middle of it all. So, due to my experience at the viewing, I go with "Gladiator".
ODD NOMINATION: "The Perfect Storm" was nominated for sound, but not sound effects editing. That's odd, 'cause alot of the waves were CGI created and needed quality storm effects to add reality to the look.
SOUND EDITING
SPACE COWBOYS
U-571
Were there really only two films worthy? Unfortunately for "Space Cowboys", we'd heard alot of their effects when "Apollo 13" came out. "U-571" was a decent movie, and deserving.
JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU: once again that the sparsity of this category is due to the lack of great action movies last year (which usually populate this area).
VISUAL EFFECTS
GLADIATOR
HOLLOW MAN
THE PERFECT STORM
I wish I felt more danger from the fake-ish waves in "The Perfect Storm". I was just continually reminded by their look that they were fake. "Hollow Man"'s invisible shtick has been done a thousand times. It was good here, but nothing new. "Gladiator" was all that was left for me. The re-creation of place alone put this over the top in my voting. The massive columns, the statues, the ornate Coliseum, it all worked for me. Critics are getting down on it for it's bad effects, but I just didn't see it that way. Unfortunately, there's no hands-down "Matrix" to win this year, so it goes to the best of three lessers. In a brief sidenote, how great is it that "The Matrix" beat "Star Wars Episode 1" in every category last year. Those rubbery-looking bad, overacting CGI characters had it coming. There may have been room for "X-Men" here.
WRITING (ADAPTED)
CHOCOLAT
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
TRAFFIC
WONDER BOYS
When I heard that "Traffic" was based on a 5 hour British mini-series, I was impressed that it could be condensed into the 2 hour-plus film I saw. This film seamlessly brought together over a hundred characters, and could've been made into three or four good films. There's been some talk about the faults in some of the narrative choices, but I didn't see them. They're similar to comments I heard about "U-571" that were valid, but I don't know enough about submarines to have that affect my viewing. I give it to "Traffic".
BAD NOMINATION: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" This script is filled with great Coen Brothers dialogue, but all the Coen Bros. movies are filled with great Coen Brothers dialogue! What "Fargo" has that "Brother" doesn't is a great story to go with it. I'll say again that if "Brother" were an original script, it would've been a better movie. "The Odyssey" and "Brother" both go nowhere, accomplish nothing, and I didn't care. I was amused now and then, but it's not Oscar-worthy.
WRITING (ORIGINAL)
ALMOST FAMOUS
BILLY ELLIOT
ERIN BROCKOVICH
GLADIATOR
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
This category is STACKED! All (but "Gladiator", which is a re-telling of "The Patriot", which is a re-telling of "Braveheart", which is a kickass movie) nominees being of high, high quality. But this is usually where they award the film that was slighted by not being nominated ("Thelma & Louise", "Almost Famous") or when it won, you knew it was the consolation prize for not winning the upcoming Best Picture ("Pulp Fiction","Fargo", "Good Will Hunting")
WHO SHOULD'VE WON: I don't think "Almost Famous" is better than "Say Anything". Crowe's always good, but the story arc was a bit rambling and never sucked me in, despite good performances. Good performances only enhanced an already marvelous script in "You Can Count On Me", a smart film that everyone can relate to. It's not TV drama, it's higher than that, plus it has humor and crackling dialogue. Lonergan, like Mamet, has captured the way people really talk, and he doesn't use film gimmicks to let his characters escape the moments they're involved in (ie - flashbacks, fancy editing). This movie's characters really breathe.
So, there you have it! As far as the Oscar telecast itself goes, I was thrilled. I LOVE Steve Martin to begin with, and he was rock solid. My favorite moments (paraphrased):
opening:
"I don't understand the ratings these days, I took a nine year old to see 'Gladiator', and he cried through the whole thing.......maybe it's because he didn't know who I was, but..."
"I love supporting the young talent today, because it reminds me of my own death"
"There are millions of people watching us from all around the world, and they're all thinking the same thing - that we're all gay."
"It's not easy to keep a marriage going in Hollywood because, well, we sleep with so many different people."
intros:
"You loved him in 'There's Something About Mary', you loved him in 'Meet the Parents', and you were fine with him in 'Mystery Men' - Ben Stiller!"
"They call him an actor's actor. I call him an opthomalogist. Kevin Spacey!"
"Here's a man who for years I've called my best friend. Until a judges order made me stop. Tom Hanks!"
He was witty, droll and right on all night, including bringing Danny DeVito some dip for the veggies he was caught eating. His jokes had some bite, but never offended to the point where they were uncomfortable (except for Russell Crowe - can't you see the good time Tom Hanks was having, take a lesson), and they were often at his own expense. He is the man.
Everything else moved along nicely, from the pace (the show was about 30 min. shorter than last year), to the special segments (nothing extraneous, no tributes that didn't have awards attached to them). The songs for the most part blew, so they couldn't do much to enhance them. I enjoyed the fights that were part of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" song, but does anyone remember that song? I think it played during the "Let's all go to the lobby" part of the night, 'cause it wasn't in the movie I saw.
That's all for now, and that's plenty!
I hope to get comments from some of y'all.
My hands hurt,
Paul