Amph Hindsight is 20-20: Oscar Ceremonies of the Past (Disc. 1977)

Ceremony Year: 1996

BEST PICTURE

Apollo 13
Babe
Braveheart ? WINNER
Il Postino
Sense and Sensibility

Okay, there?s a lot to do here. Let?s be merciless; first, let?s kick out Apollo 13, solid, but not great, and plug in David Fincher?s Se7en, as great a film as was released that year. Babe has to stay; it?s also worthy. Braveheart ? out, despite its brilliance, to be replaced by Michael Mann?s epic Heat. Il Postino ? out to make way for Ian McKellen?s astonishing update of Richard III. Sense and Sensibility can stay. If I had a sixth slot . . . I?d throw in While You Were Sleeping, as great a romcom as we?ve had since the glory days of Cary Grant.

Discard "Apollo 13" and "Braveheart", which is cliched action picture with anachronistic nationalism sauce. I've seen "Heat" and thought it was okay, but not more. Put in "Trainspotting".

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Nicolas Cage ? Leaving Las Vegas ? WINNER
Richard Dreyfuss ? Mr. Holland?s Opus
Anthony Hopkins ? Nixon
Sean Penn ? Dead Man Walking
Massimo Troisi ? Il Postino

Haven?t seen many of these. Hopkins was brilliant in Nixon, I will say. However, I have to once again note the absence of Se7en, for which both Pitt and Freeman rated a nom, and Heat, for which, at the very least, Pacino deserved a nom. Also, if Ian McKellan?s turn as Richard III doesn?t get nominated, nothing should. Plus, James Cromwell ain?t no supporting player in Babe; he needs a lead nomination and even with all that competition, he might just win it. In the fantasy category, was Leslie Nielsen or was Leslie Nielsen not just brilliant in Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Mel Brooks? last great film? My slate would be Freeman, Pitt, Pacino, Hopkins, Cromwell, with Cromwell or Pacino to win it.

Cage is very good, as is Hopkins. I dislike Penn, as both actor and director. What about Ewan McGregor in "Trainspotting", Travolta in "Get Shorty" or Vincent D'Onofrio in "The Whole Wide World"?

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Susan Sarandon ? Dead Man Walking ? WINNER
Elisabeth Shue ? Leaving Las Vegas
Sharon Stone ? Casino
Meryl Streep ? The Bridges of Madison County
Emma Thompson ? Sense and Sensibility

I have no problem with Thompson for Sense and Sensibility, so she stays. Stone was solid in Casino, if not exactly revelatory, but Streep was not great in Bridges. I?d slip in Sandra Bullock for While You Were Sleeping (and I?m not even that big of a fan) for giving the definitive screwball performance of the nineties. Also, Alicia Silverstone for Clueless for another great comedic performance. In the realm of thrillers, Holly Hunter?s lead turn in Copycat is a distinct possibility; others will probably prefer Sigourney Weaver from the same movie, but I say Hunter gave the performance.

Sarandon's is an Oscar bait role. Shue is good enough, but the role's a walking cliche. Stone is as good as a not-good actress can be. It's an unlikeable and ultimately inexplicable role. I agree that Silverstone could have had a nom, also Zellweger in "The Whole Wide World" and Brenda Blethyn in "Secrets and Lies"

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

James Cromwell ? Babe
Ed Harris ? Apollo 13
Brad Pitt ? Twelve Monkeys
Tim Roth ? Rob Roy
Kevin Spacey ? The Usual Suspects ? WINNER

Pitt?s performance in Twelve Monkeys was a great one and can stay. Spacey should have been nominated for his turn in Se7en, which was the better performance. From The Usual Suspects, the supporting performance that deserved a nom was Benicio Del Toro?s. I would also mention as possibilities Val Kilmer for Heat, a remarkably restrained and interior performance from a generally scenery chewing actor. Also, Chris Tucker became his own kind of icon with his supporting turn in Friday and he probably deserved a nomination. Also, Peter Boyle was brilliant in While You Were Sleeping, but then so was Peter Gallagher. And if I can be completely off the beam here, two other far out possibilities for nominations are Paul Rudd for Clueless and Christopher Lambert for his winking, cackling, absurdist performance in Mortal Kombat. Of th

 

Trainspotting is a 1996 film, Zaz. As is Secrets and Lies, for which Blethyn did indeed get a nomination.

 

Gonna have to check that list at the end more carefully there, Rogue.

 

I know it.

I should mention a few that I didn't get in the first post: Michael Douglas as a possible lead and Martin Sheen as a possible supporting for The American President, both warm likable comedic performances; Alan Rickman for Sense and Sensibility; and, you're right, Four Dot, about Nixon's supporting cast - James Woods certainly deserved a nomination and maybe J.T. Walsh as well . . . Sorvino was a bit hammy.

Also, you're right about Stone for director; I'm assuming you've seen the director's cut? Astounding. Also, Toy Story probably did deserve a BP nom, but no way would I kick Babe out for it; my love for Babe is . . . strange, I guess, but it is strong and I find it an absolutely perfect movie that never fails to move me completely.

Also, while we're bashing Braveheart, can I throw it one bone? How about a supporting nom for Angus MacFadyen as Robert Bruce, who was the real soul of the film, I thought?

Also, I've not seen Dead Man Walking, but it had a lot of great songs in it. Were any of them written specifically for the film?

 

True. But when has that ever stopped AMPAS?

[image=http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2003_Cold_Mountain/2003_cold_mountain_011.jpg]

Yeah, I've only seen the director's cut of Nixon. At times it's almost as good as JFK. As for Toy Story vs. Babe... I think it's more that I've been compelled to return time and time again to Toy Story, but not so for Babe. I suppose it's not very patriotic of me. Perhaps I should give Babe another go.

If I were to recognise anyone from Braveheart it'd be Patrick McGoohan, without shadow of a doubt. MacFadyen was admittedly good, but the supporting actor lineup is already fairly strong.

Apart from "Dead Man Walkin" itself, that I do not know. But I'd highly recommend the film itself.

 

"JFK" sucketh mightily.

 

Rubbish.

Any film that can sustain Kevin Costner talking non-stop for a good half hour or so is cinematic genius.

 

Jim Garrison was the biggest ******* in the world. I despise that movie. No fan of Stone, either.

 

I thought Nixon was better than JFK, though I did like JFK more than Zaz did. But Nixon was such an interior film and just a character portrait. It was gripping, even at the four hour length of the director's cut. And what compassion; I never expected compassion and empathy from a Stone movie about Nixon, but that's what I got.

 

You don't have to agree with the politics (of director or subject) to appreciate how brilliantly made JFK is. I think the whole thing is complete hooey, and Garrison's unsubstantiated theories have been debunked at least to my satisfaction, but the film is genius-level in terms of its cinematography, mise-en-scene and editing. I could watch it again right now and point out each amazing use of cinematic artfulness.

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1936

BEST PICTURE

A Midsummer Night?s Dream
Alice Adams
Broadway Melody of 1936
Captain Blood
Les Miserables
Mutiny on the Bounty ? WINNER
Naughty Marietta
Ruggles of Red Gap
The Informer
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience & Observations of David Copperfield the Younger
Top Hat

Mutiny on the Bounty is a good movie, if less than a great one, mainly because it loses all energy once Bligh ceases to be the focus. This version of Les Miserables isn?t perfect, but Laughton is excellent as Javert. The Oscar hate for horror, suspense and comedy starts early; three of the best films from this year are The Bride of Frankenstein, The 39 Steps and A Night at the Opera, but none of them are nominated.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Clark Gable ? Mutiny on the Bounty
Charles Laughton ? Mutiny on the Bounty
Victor McLaglen ? The Informer ? WINNER
Paul Muni ? Black Fury
Franchot Tone ? Mutiny on the Bounty

Laughton is more supporting than lead in Mutiny on the Bounty, but I don?t care, since he is the best thing in it. Though he probably deserved the nomination even more for his turn as Javert in Les Mis. What about a nom for Groucho Marx for Night at the Opera? And where?s Peter Lorre for his genre defining work in Mad Love, as an insane surgeon who replaces the hands of the pianist he?s burns with passion for with the hands of a knife throwing murderer? I mean, just from that synopsis, you can tell he needs a nomination, right? Also, while he?s not as well known (or as good) as Alastair Sim in the role, Seymour Hicks deserves a nomination for his titular performance as Scrooge; he?s particularly brilliant in his final scene with Bob Cratchit. Also, Donat for The 39 Steps.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Elisabeth Bergner ? Escape Me Never
Claudette Colbert ? Private Worlds
Bette Davis ? Dangerous ? WINNER
Katharine Hepburn ? Alice Adams
Miriam Hopkins ? Becky Sharp
Merle Oberon ? The Dark Angel

I haven?t seen a single one of these.

BEST DIRECTOR

Michael Curtiz ? Captain Blood
John Ford ? The Informer ? WINNER
Henry Hathaway ? The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Frank Lloyd ? Mutiny on the Bounty

Hitchcock for The 39 Steps.

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG

Cheek to Cheek ? Top Hat
Lovely to Look At ? Roberta
Lullaby of Broadway ? Gold Diggers of 1935 ? WINNER

Obviously, the winner should have been Cheek to Cheek, hilarious double entendre or no.

BEST MUSIC, SCORE

Captain Blood ? Leo F. Forbstein
Mutiny on the Bounty ? Nat W. Finston
Peter Ibbetson ? Irvin Talbot
The Informer ? Max Steiner ? WINNER

Captain Blood is the best of these.

NO AWARDS FOR SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE WERE GIVEN IN 1936

OTHER FILMS OF NOTE

A Colour Box
A Night at the Opera
A Tale of Two Cities
Accent on Youth
Ah, Wilderness!
Alibi Ike
Anna Karenina
Annie Oakley
Barbary Coast
Big Broadcast of 1936
Bordertown
Ceiling Zero
China Seas
Clive of India
Crime and Punishment
Curly Top
Diamond Jim
Dinky
Doubting Thomas
G-Men
Hands Across the Table
Hop-Along Cassidy
It Happened in Paris
Keystone Hotel
Le Crime de Monsieur Lange
Life Begins at Forty
Mad Love
Magnificent Obsession
Mark of the Vampire
Mary Burns, Fugitive
Mazurka
O?Shaughnessy?s Boy
Reckless
Remember Last Night?
Sanders of the River
Scrooge
She
She Married Her Boss
Splendor
Steamboat Round the Bend
The 39 Steps
The Bride of Frankenstein
The Call of the Wild
The Clairvoyant
The Country Chairman
The Crusades
The Devil is a Woman
The Ghost Goes West
The Good Fairy
The Last Days of Pompeii
The Little Colonel
The Littlest Rebel
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
The Phantom Empire
The Raven
The Sign of the Cross
The Story of Louis Pasteur
The Wedding Night
The Whole Town?s Talking
The Woman in Red
Triumph of the Will
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Werewolf of London
Zero for Conduct

 

This actually films made during 1935.

CEREMONY YEAR: 1936

BEST PICTURE

A Midsummer Night?s Dream
Alice Adams
Broadway Melody of 1936
Captain Blood
Les Miserables
Mutiny on the Bounty ? WINNER
Naughty Marietta
Ruggles of Red Gap
The Informer
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience & Observations of David Copperfield the Younger
Top Hat

Mutiny on the Bounty is a good movie, if less than a great one, mainly because it loses all energy once Bligh ceases to be the focus. This version of Les Miserables isn?t perfect, but Laughton is excellent as Javert. The Oscar hate for horror, suspense and comedy starts early; three of the best films from this year are The Bride of Frankenstein, The 39 Steps and A Night at the Opera, but none of them are nominated.

I've seen "Alice Adams" (excellent), "Captain Blood" (very good), "Ruggles of Red Gap" (enjoyable), "David Copperfield" (not bad), and "Top Hat" (great). "The 39 Steps" should have been nom'd, also "Opera")

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Clark Gable ? Mutiny on the Bounty
Charles Laughton ? Mutiny on the Bounty
Victor McLaglen ? The Informer ? WINNER
Paul Muni ? Black Fury
Franchot Tone ? Mutiny on the Bounty

Laughton is more supporting than lead in Mutiny on the Bounty, but I don?t care, since he is the best thing in it. Though he probably deserved the nomination even more for his turn as Javert in Les Mis. What about a nom for Groucho Marx for Night at the Opera? And where?s Peter Lorre for his genre defining work in Mad Love, as an insane surgeon who replaces the hands of the pianist he?s burns with passion for with the hands of a knife throwing murderer? I mean, just from that synopsis, you can tell he needs a nomination, right? Also, while he?s not as well known (or as good) as Alastair Sim in the role, Seymour Hicks deserves a nomination for his titular performance as Scrooge; he?s particularly brilliant in his final scene with Bob Cratchit. Also, Donat for The 39 Steps.

Donat; Robinson in "The Whole Town's Talking"

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Elisabeth Bergner ? Escape Me Never
Claudette Colbert ? Private Worlds
Bette Davis ? Dangerous ? WINNER
Katharine Hepburn ? Alice Adams
Miriam Hopkins ? Becky Sharp
Merle Oberon ? The Dark Angel

I haven?t seen a single one of these.

Davis' win was a sop for not winning the year before for "Of Human Bondage". Hepburn *should* have won; it's her best early performance by miles. Stanwyck was also good in "Annie Oakley" and Jean Arthur in "The Whole Town's Talking"

BEST DIRECTOR

Michael Curtiz ? Captain Blood
John Ford ? The Informer ? WINNER
Henry Hathaway ? The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Frank Lloyd ? Mutiny on the Bounty

Hitchcock for The 39 Steps.

Of those nom'd, Curtiz. The Ford film has dated a lot; and I prefer "The Whole Town's Talking", which he also directed this year. Hitchcock, yes; also George Stevens for "Alice Adams"

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG

Cheek to Cheek ? Top Hat
Lovely to Look At ? Roberta
Lullaby of Broadway ? Gold Diggers of 1935 ? WINNER

Obviously, the winner should have been Cheek to Cheek, hilarious double entendre or no.

I agree. About both.

BEST MUSIC, SCORE

Captain Blood ? Leo F. Forbstein
Mutiny on the Bounty ? Nat W. Finston
Peter Ibbetson ? Irvin Talbot
The Informer ? Max Steiner ? WINNER

Captain Blood is the best of these.

I suppose.

NO AWARDS FOR SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE WERE GIVEN IN 1936

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1935

BEST PICTURE

The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Cleopatra
Flirtation Walk
The Gay Divorcee
Here Comes the Navy
The House of Rothschild
Imitation of Life
It Happened One Night ? WINNER
One Night of Love
The Thin Man
Viva Villa!
The White Parade

I won?t quibble with the winner. It?s a massively great film. The Thin Man also belongs here, warm and witty comfort. But we?re missing three epics: Twentieth Century, starring Barrymore and Lombard, in a slapstick comedy of errors; L?Atalante, visionary French director Jean Vigo?s final film before his untimely death; The Man Who Knew Too Much, the original, which, YES ZAZ, is better than the remake.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Clark Gable ? It Happened One Night ? WINNER
Frank Morgan ? The Affairs of Cellini
William Powell ? The Thin Man

Gable probably deserved this. Powell was very good in The Thin Man. Also, John Barrymore certainly deserved a nomination for his inspired, neurotic antics in Twentieth Century.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Claudette Colbert ? It Happened One Night ? WINNER
Bette Davis ? Of Human Bondage
Grace Moore ? One Night of Love
Norma Shearer ? The Barretts of Wimpole Street

I confess to finding Davis pretty hammy in Of Human Bondage, but then she?s in good company, since Leslie Howard is even worse. Good book, though. Carole Lombard deserved a nom for Twentieth Century. And Dita Parlo probably should have won for her performance as the sexually frustrated boatwife in L?Atalante, a sexy, vivacious, charming, brilliant performance.

BEST DIRECTOR

Frank Capra ? It Happened One Night ? WINNER
Victor Schertzinger ? One Night of Love
The Thin Man ? W.S. Van Dyke

Surely even Zaz will give Capra a nomination for this one; it?s early and Gable is anything but infantile. But Vigo should have won this one; his direction on L?Atalante is incredibly forward looking. For the swimming underwater sequence alone, he should have won; this is light years ahead of what Hollywood was capable of. And then there?s that scene of the husband and wife, separated by miles, but united via the magic of editing, tossing and turning in a steamy morass of sexual frustration and angst; it?s the sexiest scene ever to feature lovers in different towns.

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG

Carioca ? Flying Down to Rio
The Continental ? The Gay Divorcee ? WINNER
Love in Bloom ? She Loves Me Not

As a dedicated Jack Benny fan, I can only cast my vote for Love in Bloom, butchered on the violin by Benny for decades on end.

BEST MUSIC, SCORE

The Gay Divorcee ? Max Steiner
The Lost Patrol ? Max Steiner
One Night of Love ? Louis Silvers ? WINNER

Don?t know.

No supporting awards. Too bad. Peter Lorre could have got a nomination for his turn as a smirking, witty and not at all over the top villain in The Man Who Knew Too Much. And Michel Simon too for L?Atalante, the eccentric, cat loving cook, a character who launched a thousand stereotypes and yet had, in its original incarnation, a deep and abiding humanity.

OTHER FILMS OF NOTE

Babes in Toyland
Baby, Take a Bow
Belle of the Nineties
Brigham Young ? Frontiersman
British Agent
Broadway Bill
Carolina
Catherine the Great
Chained
Dames
David Harum
Death Takes a Holiday
Forsaking All Others
Hips Hips Hooray
It?s a Gift
Judge Priest
L?Atalante
Little Man, What Now?
Little Miss Marker
Man of Aran
Manhattan Melodrama
Murder at the Vanities
Nana
Our Daily Bread
Palooka
Peck?s Bad Boy
Punch Drunks
Rip Tide
Sadie McKee
Scandals
She Loves Me Not
Sixteen Fathoms Deep
Stand Up and Cheer
Tarzan and His Mate
The Black Cat
The Case of the Howling Dog
The Cat and the Fiddle
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Dragon Murder Case
The Gay Desperado
The Girl From Missouri
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Merry Widow
The Painted Veil
The Perils of Pauline
The Private Life of Don Juan
The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round
Treasure Island

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1935

BEST PICTURE

The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Cleopatra
Flirtation Walk
The Gay Divorcee
Here Comes the Navy
The House of Rothschild
Imitation of Life
It Happened One Night ? WINNER
One Night of Love
The Thin Man
Viva Villa!
The White Parade

I won?t quibble with the winner. It?s a massively great film. The Thin Man also belongs here, warm and witty comfort. But we?re missing three epics: Twentieth Century, starring Barrymore and Lombard, in a slapstick comedy of errors; L?Atalante, visionary French director Jean Vigo?s final film before his untimely death; The Man Who Knew Too Much, the original, which, YES ZAZ, is better than the remake.

No, it isn't. But I agree with your choices, mainly because other than "The Gay Divorcee" (which didn't mean then what it does now) is the only other one I've seen

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Clark Gable ? It Happened One Night ? WINNER
Frank Morgan ? The Affairs of Cellini
William Powell ? The Thin Man


Gable probably deserved this. Powell was very good in The Thin Man. Also, John Barrymore certainly deserved a nomination for his inspired, neurotic antics in Twentieth Century.

Gable's good, but Powell is as well. I wonder why there were only three nominees?

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Claudette Colbert ? It Happened One Night ? WINNER
Bette Davis ? Of Human Bondage
Grace Moore ? One Night of Love
Norma Shearer ? The Barretts of Wimpole Street

I confess to finding Davis pretty hammy in Of Human Bondage, but then she?s in good company, since Leslie Howard is even worse. Good book, though. Carole Lombard deserved a nom for Twentieth Century. And Dita Parlo probably should have won for her performance as the sexually frustrated boatwife in L?Atalante, a sexy, vivacious, charming, brilliant performance.

Colbert is probably the right winner, though this wasn't the contemporary opinion, which favored Davis, and voted her the award the next year in a very inferior movie "Dangerous" as a consequence. Too bad, because Katherine Hepburn should have won that year for "Alice Adams" as even Davis acknowledged.

BEST DIRECTOR

Frank Capra ? It Happened One Night ? WINNER
Victor Schertzinger ? One Night of Love
The Thin Man ? W.S. Van Dyke

Surely even Zaz will give Capra a nomination for this one; it?s early and Gable is anything but infantile. But Vigo should have won this one; his direction on L?Atalante is incredibly forward looking. For the swimming underwater sequence alone, he should have won; this is light years ahead of what Hollywood was capable of. And then there?s that scene of the husband and wife, separated by miles, but united via the magic of editing, tossing and turning in a steamy morass of sexual frustration and angst; it?s the sexiest scene ever to feature lovers in different towns. tongue

Yes, I like this movie, and he deserved it this year, the last one ever.

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG

Carioca ? Flying Down to Rio
The Continental ? The Gay Divorcee ? WINNER
Love in Bloom ? She Loves Me Not

As a dedicated Jack Benny fan, I can only cast my vote for Love in Bloom, butchered on the violin by Benny for decades on end.

I guess so.

BEST MUSIC, SCORE

The Gay Divorcee ? Max Steiner
The Lost Patrol ? Max Steiner
One Night of Love ? Louis Silvers ? WINNER

Don?t know.

Me, either.

No supporting awards. Too bad. Peter Lorre could have got a nomination for his turn as a smirking, witty and not at all over the top villain in The Man Who Knew Too Much. And Michel Simon too for L?Atalante, the eccentric, cat loving cook, a character who launched a thousand stereotypes and yet had, in its original incarnation, a deep and abiding humanity.

The early talkie years were a bit of a wasteland.

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1958

BEST PICTURE

12 Angry Men
The Bridge on the River Kwai ? WINNER
Peyton Place
Sayonara
Witness for the Prosecution

12 Angry Men is a solid film and Witness for the Prosecution a massively entertaining one. Of these, Kwai is certainly the giant. But we?re missing several absolute masterpieces. Kurosawa?s feudal Japan take on Macbeth, Throne of Blood should certainly be nominated. And Ingmar Bergman managed to somehow release two masterworks in just the one year with both The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. I should think we could kick out Peyton Place and Sayonara with no trouble. Also, to make room for those three, I can dispense with 12 Angry Men. Kwai most likely still should win, though Wild Strawberries is about a dead heat. Also a word for What?s Opera, Doc? which was not even nominated for best animated short. What?s THAT about?

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Marlon Brando ? Sayonara
Anthony Franciosa ? A Hatful of Rain
Alec Guinness ? The Bridge on the River Kwai ? WINNER
Charles Laughton ? Witness for the Prosecution
Anthony Quinn ? Wild Is the Wind

Guinness and Laughton are both wonderful and of these, Guinness obviously deserved the win. But, oh what a year for horrible snubs! Where?s Kurosawa?s great collaborator Toshiro Mifune for his rampaging and scenery chewing lead performance in Throne of Blood? Max Von Sydow deserved a nomination, if not a win, for The Seventh Seal. And Tony Curtis deserved a nod for his turn as a small time hanger on in Sweet Smell of Success; it?s probably his best performance. But the one who really should have won this year was Victor Sjostrom for anchoring Wild Strawberries absolutely with the absolute humanity of his beautiful and understated lead performance.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Deborah Kerr ? Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Anna Magnani ? Wild Is the Wind
Elizabeth Taylor ? Raintree County
Lana Turner ? Peyton Place
Joanne Woodward ? The Three Faces of Eve ? WINNER

Couldn?t really say about any of these.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Red Buttons ? Sayonara ? WINNER
Vittorio De Sica ? A Farewell to Arms
Sessue Hayakawa ? The Bridge on the River Kwai
Arthur Kennedy ? Peyton Place
Russ Tamblyn ? Peyton Place

Red Buttons beating Hayakawa is surely about the worst atrocity in Oscar?s history. Hayakawa was brilliant in Kwai. I have to say though that the best supporting performance of the year was actually Burt Lancaster as the incestuous, venal, brutal villain of Sweet Smell of Success. He should have won.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Carolyn Jones ? The Bachelor Party
Elsa Lanchester ? Witness for the Prosecution
Hope Lange ? Peyton Place
Miyoshi Umeki ? Sayonara ? WINNER
Diane Varsi ? Peyton Place

Lanchester is a hoot in WftP. But I?ve seen a lot of Macbeths and I have never seen a scarier Lady Macbeth than Isuzu Yamada?s ghostly turn in Throne of Blood. She should have won. Absolutely rivetingly evil performance.

BEST DIRECTOR

David Lean ? The Bridge on the River Kwai ? WINNER
Joshua Logan ? Sayonara
Sidney Lumet ? 12 Angry Men
Mark Robson ? Peyton Place
Billy Wilder ? Witness for the Prosecution

Mackendrick deserved a nom for Sweet Smell of Success; Lumet, Lean and Wilder all do great jobs. But Kurosawa needs a nom for Throne of Blood and Bergman should probably have won for Wild Strawberries.

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG

An Affair to Remember ? An Affair to Remember
All the Way ? The Joker Is Wild ? WINNER
April Love ? April Love
Tammy ? Tammy and the Bachelor
Wild Is the Wind ? Wild Is the Wind

Of these, by far the obvious choice was made. But what about Jailhouse Rock?

BEST MUSIC, SCORING

An Affair to Remember ? Hugo Friedhofer
Boy on a Dolphin ? Hugo Friedhofer
The Bridge on the River Kwai ? Malcolm Arnold ? WINNER
Perri ? Paul J. Smith
Raintree County ? Johnny Green

My favorite score from this year is by far Bernstein?s jazzed up Sweet Smell of Success.[/b

 

Best Picture is right I think. Kwai is Lean's masterpiece to me. But I also love the Seventh Seal. Same with Best Actor. Guiness it the right choice, but I love von Sydow as well. And again, same with Best Director. Lean for the win, with Bergman for Seventh Seal in dead heat. On any given day, my choices could be the opposite, but this is a Kwai day. Elsa Lancaster for best Supporting Actress, with Gunner Bjorstrand for Best Supporting Actor.

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1958

BEST PICTURE

12 Angry Men
The Bridge on the River Kwai ? WINNER
Peyton Place
Sayonara
Witness for the Prosecution

12 Angry Men is a solid film and Witness for the Prosecution a massively entertaining one. Of these, Kwai is certainly the giant. But we?re missing several absolute masterpieces. Kurosawa?s feudal Japan take on Macbeth, Throne of Blood should certainly be nominated. And Ingmar Bergman managed to somehow release two masterworks in just the one year with both The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. I should think we could kick out Peyton Place and Sayonara with no trouble. Also, to make room for those three, I can dispense with 12 Angry Men. Kwai most likely still should win, though Wild Strawberries is about a dead heat. Also a word for What?s Opera, Doc? which was not even nominated for best animated short. What?s THAT about?

"Kwai" is the best of the nominees; with "Prosecution" in second place and "Men" in third. The other two are poor. "Abandon Ship!" has stuck with me for years, but I wouldn't be able to recommend it without seeing it again.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Marlon Brando ? Sayonara
Anthony Franciosa ? A Hatful of Rain
Alec Guinness ? The Bridge on the River Kwai ? WINNER
Charles Laughton ? Witness for the Prosecution
Anthony Quinn ? Wild Is the Wind

Guinness and Laughton are both wonderful and of these, Guinness obviously deserved the win. But, oh what a year for horrible snubs! Where?s Kurosawa?s great collaborator Toshiro Mifune for his rampaging and scenery chewing lead performance in Throne of Blood? Max Von Sydow deserved a nomination, if not a win, for The Seventh Seal. And Tony Curtis deserved a nod for his turn as a small time hanger on in Sweet Smell of Success; it?s probably his best performance. But the one who really should have won this year was Victor Sjostrom for anchoring Wild Strawberries absolutely with the absolute humanity of his beautiful and understated lead performance.

Yes to Guinness; Laughton is fine, too, but the film is a lesser effort (when in doubt go with the best movie). Sjostrom was great, too.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Deborah Kerr ? Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Anna Magnani ? Wild Is the Wind
Elizabeth Taylor ? Raintree County
Lana Turner ? Peyton Place
Joanne Woodward ? The Three Faces of Eve ? WINNER

Couldn?t really say about any of these.

Deborah Kerr, though I hate nun movies. Audrey Hepburn is good in "Funny Face" but it isn't heavy lifting. Masina in "The Nights of Carbiria"


BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Red Buttons ? Sayonara ? WINNER
Vittorio De Sica ? A Farewell to Arms
Sessue Hayakawa ? The Bridge on the River Kwai
Arthur Kennedy ? Peyton Place
Russ Tamblyn ? Peyton Place

Red Buttons beating Hayakawa is surely about the worst atrocity in Oscar?s history. Hayakawa was brilliant in Kwai. I have to say though that the best supporting performance of the year was actually Burt Lancaster as the incestuous, venal, brutal villain of Sweet Smell of Success. He should have won.

Hayakawa, of the nominees. Glen Ford could have copped a nom in the original "3:10"; Burt Lancaster over all; one scary performance, and there wasn't an ounce of blood.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Carolyn Jones ? The Bachelor Party
Elsa Lanchester ? Witness for the Prosecution
Hope Lange ? Peyton Place
Miyoshi Umeki ? Sayonara ? WINNER
Diane Varsi ? Peyton Place

Lanchester is a hoot in WftP. But I?ve seen a lot of Macbeths and I have never seen a scarier Lady Macbeth than Isuzu Yamada?s ghostly turn in Throne of Blood. She should have won. Absolutely rivetingly evil performance.

I haven't seen "Throne of Blood", alas. Lanchester of the nominees. Lee Remick is a possibility in "A Face in the Crowd". Kay Kendall is charming in "Les Girls"

BEST DIRECTOR

David Lean ? The Bridge on the River Kwai ? WINNER
Joshua Logan ? Sayonara
Sidney Lumet ? 12 Angry Men
Mark Robson ? Peyton Place
Billy Wilder ? Witness for the Prosecution

Mackendrick deserved a nom for Sweet Smell of Success; Lumet, Lean and W

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1954

BEST PICTURE

From Here to Eternity ? WINNER
Julius Caesar
The Robe
Roman Holiday
Shane

The Robe and Shane are both sub-par, I think, The Robe particularly so. From Here to Eternity is pretty great, but not by comparison with the epic novel, which is probably my favorite American novel. Roman Holiday is a joy. A word for two great animated shorts from this year, Daffy Duck?s frenetic, iconic Duck Amuck and the nightmarish, impressionistic James Mason narrated Tell-Tale Heart. I?d put either of those here in place of the Robe, to be honest.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Marlon Brando ? Julius Caesar
Richard Burton ? The Robe
Montgomery Clift ? From Here to Eternity
William Holden ? Stalag 17 ? WINNER
Burt Lancaster ? From Here to Eternity

Even Burton admits that he was actually terrible in The Robe. Clift and Lancaster are both great in From Here to Eternity. Lancaster probably deserved this one. And a worthy performance in The Bigamist by Edmond O?Brien.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Leslie Caron ? Lili
Ava Gardner ? Mogambo
Audrey Hepburn ? Roman Holiday ? WINNER
Deborah Kerr ? From Here to Eternity
Maggie McNarmara ? The Moon Is Blue

I loved Roman Holiday with a passion and Hepburn is great. But Deborah Kerr gave the performance this year, connecting absolutely with the deep, abiding neuroticism at the heart of what could have been a fairly standard adulterous character.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Eddie Albert ? Roman Holiday
Brandon De Wilde ? Shane
Jack Palance ? Shane
Frank Sinatra ? From Here to Eternity ? WINNER
Robert Strauss ? Stalag 17

Really jazzed to see Eddie Albert get a nom; he was a riot in Roman Holiday. Brandon De Wilde rather throws me for a loop in Shane, but Palance certainly deserved his nomination. Sinatra is good in FHtE. Also, what about William Talman for his twitchy villainous turn in The Hitch-Hiker? And I?d love to see Santa Claus himself, Edmund Gwenn, nominated for his small, but pivotal role in The Bigamist, a surprisingly complex characterization.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Grace Kelly ? Mogambo
Geraldine Page ? Hondo
Marjorie Rambeau ? Torch Song
Donna Reed ? From Here to Eternity ? WINNER
Thelma Ritter ? Pickup on South Street

Even without having seen Pickup on South Street, I can tell you Thelma Ritter deserved this one.

BEST DIRECTOR

George Stevens ? Shane
Charles Walters ? Lili
Billy Wilder ? Stalag 17
William Wyler ? Roman Holiday
Fred Zinneman ? From Here to Eternity ? WINNER

Stevens? direction is about the best thing in Shane, I think, but, of these, the right one won. But what about a nom for Ida Lupino for The Hitch-Hiker?

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG

The Moon Is Blue ? The Moon Is Blue
My Flaming Heart ? Small Town Girl
Sadie Thompson?s Song ? Miss Sadie Thompson
Secret Love ? Calamity Jane ? WINNER
That?s Amore ? The Caddy

That?s Amore should never be nominated for anything.

BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A MUSICAL PICTURE

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. ? Friedrich Hollaender, Morris Stoloff
The Band Wagon ? Adolph Deutsch
Calamity Jane ? Ray Heindorf
Call Me Madam ? Alfred Newman ? WINNER
Kiss Me Kate ? Andre Previn, Saul Chaplin

I was already getting ready to say I didn?t really know about this one when I spotted The Band Wagon. How does that not win? It?s only the best musical ever.

BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A DRAMATIC OR COMEDY PICTURE

Above and Beyond ? Hugo Friedhofer
From Here to Eternity ? Morris Stoloff, Geoge Duning
Julius Caesar ? Miklos Rozsa
Lili ? Bronislau Kaper ? WINNER
This Is Cinerama ? Louis Forbes

Weak year.

OTHER FILMS OF NOTE

A Lion in the Streets
Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
All I Desire
All My Babies
Battle Circus
Beat the Devil
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Bread, Love and Dreams
Bright Road
Dangerous When Wet
Duck Amuck
Easy to Love
Eaux d?Artifice
El
Escape From Fort Bravo
Fear and Desire
Genevieve
Gen

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1954

BEST PICTURE

From Here to Eternity ? WINNER
Julius Caesar
The Robe
Roman Holiday
Shane

The Robe and Shane are both sub-par, I think, The Robe particularly so. From Here to Eternity is pretty great, but not by comparison with the epic novel, which is probably my favorite American novel. Roman Holiday is a joy. A word for two great animated shorts from this year, Daffy Duck?s frenetic, iconic Duck Amuck and the nightmarish, impressionistic James Mason narrated Tell-Tale Heart. I?d put either of those here in place of the Robe, to be honest. tongue

Now, c'mon, Rogue, Duck Amuck and the Tell-Tale Heart are both brilliant, but they are cartoon shorts, not features. What about "The Wages of Fear", "The Big Heat", "The Earrings of Madame de...", "The Band Wagon", "Calamity Jane", "Kiss Me Kate"

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Marlon Brando ? Julius Caesar
Richard Burton ? The Robe
Montgomery Clift ? From Here to Eternity
William Holden ? Stalag 17 ? WINNER
Burt Lancaster ? From Here to Eternity

Even Burton admits that he was actually terrible in The Robe. Clift and Lancaster are both great in From Here to Eternity. Lancaster probably deserved this one. And a worthy performance in The Bigamist by Edmond O?Brien.

Clift should have won it, of those nominated, though Holden was pretty good in his role. Yves Montand should have had a nom for "The Wages of Fear", Glenn Ford for "The Big Heat" and Alec Guinness for "The Horse's Mouth"

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Leslie Caron ? Lili
Ava Gardner ? Mogambo
Audrey Hepburn ? Roman Holiday ? WINNER
Deborah Kerr ? From Here to Eternity
Maggie McNarmara ? The Moon Is Blue

I loved Roman Holiday with a passion and Hepburn is great. But Deborah Kerr gave the performance this year, connecting absolutely with the deep, abiding neuroticism at the heart of what could have been a fairly standard adulterous character.

I kind of agree with this.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Eddie Albert ? Roman Holiday
Brandon De Wilde ? Shane
Jack Palance ? Shane
Frank Sinatra ? From Here to Eternity ? WINNER
Robert Strauss ? Stalag 17

Really jazzed to see Eddie Albert get a nom; he was a riot in Roman Holiday. Brandon De Wilde rather throws me for a loop in Shane, but Palance certainly deserved his nomination. Sinatra is good in FHtE. Also, what about William Talman for his twitchy villainous turn in The Hitch-Hiker? And I?d love to see Santa Claus himself, Edmund Gwenn, nominated for his small, but pivotal role in The Bigamist, a surprisingly complex characterization.

Sinatra wasn't bad. Robert Ryan should have been nom'd for "The Naked Spur"


BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Grace Kelly ? Mogambo
Geraldine Page ? Hondo
Marjorie Rambeau ? Torch Song
Donna Reed ? From Here to Eternity ? WINNER
Thelma Ritter ? Pickup on South Street

Even without having seen Pickup on South Street, I can tell you Thelma Ritter deserved this one.

She always did..."All About Eve", "Rear Window"...etc. etc. However, Jennifer Jones was very funny in "Beat the Devil" as was Kay Kendall in "Genevieve" and Jane Russell "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". Another actress that should have been nom'd was Gloria Grahame in "The Big Heat"

BEST DIRECTOR

George Stevens ? Shane
Charles Walters ? Lili
Billy Wilder ? Stalag 17
William Wyler ? Roman Holiday
Fred Zinneman ? From Here to Eternity ? WINNER

Stevens? direction is about the best thing in Shane, I think, but, of these, the right one won. But what about a nom for Ida Lupino for The Hitch-Hiker?

I like Wyler, but Zinneman wasn't undeserving.

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG

The Moon Is Blue ? The Moon Is Blue
My Flaming Heart ? Small Town Girl
Sadie Thompson?s Song ? Miss Sadie Thompson
Secret Love ? Calamity Jane ? WINNER
That?s Amore ? The Caddy

That?s Amore should never be nominated for anything.

I've heard the last two only.

BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A MUSICAL PICTURE

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. ? Friedrich Hollaender, Morris Stoloff
The Band Wagon ? Adolph Deutsch
Calamity Jane ? Ray Heindorf
Call Me Mad

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 2001

BEST PICTURE

Chocolat
Erin Brockovich
Gladiator ? WINNER
Traffic
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Erin Brockovich obviously shouldn?t be here. Gladiator was entertaining but seriously overrated. Traffic and Crouching Tiger probably both deserve nominations. Memento should have won the year. Also, O Brother, Where Art Thou deserved a nomination at the very least. Also, Spike Lee?s Bamboozled is hardly a perfect film, but it is a great one. And, skeptical as you might be, Pitch Black is actually the best sci-fi film I?ve seen in decades.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem ? Before Night Falls
Russell Crowe ? Gladiator ? WINNER
Tom Hanks ? Cast Away
Ed Harris ? Pollock
Geoffrey Rush ? Quills

Crowe only one this because he hadn?t won the year before for his astonishing performance in The Insider. Of these, Hanks was great. But I?d nominate Damon Wayans for his finely tuned performance in Bamboozled and Brendan Fraser for giving a comedic performance (or actually five or six of them) for the ages in the absolutely riotiously funny Bedazzled, one of the most consistently funny comedies of the decade. Also, Guy Pearce deserved a nomination for Memento and Clooney deserved one for O Brother, Where Art Thou? Also, while everyone raved about De Niro, as if he?d done anything besides put his same ol? schtick into a new genre, I thought Meet the Parents actually boasted an appealing performance by Stiller; all the awkwardness actually feels earned here and he never hams it up for the camera as he is often prone to do.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Joan Allen ? The Contender
Juliette Binoche ? Chocolat
Ellen Burstyn ? Requiem for a Dream
Laura Linney ? You Can Count On Me
Julia Roberts ? Erin Brockovich ? WINNER

Don?t make me laugh. I?ve only seen about ten minutes of Requiem for a Dream and it?s still completely obvious that Burstyn deserved this one. I?d like to have seen Renee Zellwegger nominated for Nurse Betty. Also, I can?t think of a single reason that doesn?t involve racial politics that Michelle Yeoh wasn?t nominated for her brilliant turn in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Also, and please don?t crucify me, Sandra Bullock was just hysterically funny in Miss Congeniality, a movie that was actually much better than it had any right to be.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jeff Bridges ? The Contender
Willem Dafoe ? Shadow of the Vampire
Benicio Del Toro ? Traffic ? WINNER
Albert Finney ? Eric Brockovich
Joaquin Phoenix ? Gladiator

Del Toro was a revelation, a luminous, startling, heart-felt performance that was the absolute center of Traffic. Dafoe was a riot in Shadow of the Vampire. Phoenix was hammy in Gladiator, perhaps purposely so.

Some overlooked favorites of mine: Michael Rapaport as a hyper-active, obnoxious television executive in Bamboozled; Greg Kinnear as a vapid soap star in Nurse Betty, Tim Blake Nelson as the dimmest of the three dim bulbs in O Brother, Where Art Thou; Samuel L. Jackson as the obsessed Mr. Glass in Unbreakable; Vin Diesel as the sociopathic prisoner in Pitch Black; Joe Pantoliano as the one not to be trusted in Memento; Dougray Scott, who found a beating heart of sheer pain in the middle of John Woo?s absurd Mission Impossible II; Benjamin Bratt as the supposedly cock-sure FBI agent in Miss Congeniality & William Shatner as . . . himself essentially in the same movie; Jason Isaacs as the aristocratic British villain of The Patriot. Great year for supporting male performances.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Judi Dench ? Chocolat
Marcia Gay Harden ? Pollock ? WINNER
Kate Hudson ? Almost Famous
Frances McDormand ? Almost Famous
Julie Walters ? Billy Elliot

Radha Mitchell deserved a nomination for her wonderful work in Pitch Black.

BEST DIRECTOR

Stephen Daldry ? Billy Elliot
Ang Lee ? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ridley Scott ? Gladiator
Steven Soderbergh ? Erin Brockovich
Steven Soderbergh ? Traffic ? WINNER

O Brother Where

 

BEST PICTURE

Chocolat
Erin Brockovich
Gladiator ? WINNER
Traffic
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

From this lineup, I'd go with Erin Brockovich - tremendous storytelling, effective characters, and ultimately one of the best reworkings of the Capra formula I've seen. However, there are much better films floating about outside that lineup. Cast Away Before Night Falls, High Fidelity, Chicken Run, but more importantly Almost Famous, which makes crap like Chocolat look like an utter joke. But the biggest snub, and the film that should have won everything that year was Unbreakable. I suppose it got a tepid reception at the time though. Memento wasn't in contention until the next year, though.

Gladiator is just puerile junk, though.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem ? Before Night Falls
Russell Crowe ? Gladiator ? WINNER
Tom Hanks ? Cast Away
Ed Harris ? Pollock
Geoffrey Rush ? Quills

Of this lineup, Bardem or Hanks, but I'd look to Bruce Willis for Unbreakable, personally. As for Wayans in Bamboozled... no way. Razzie maybe. Atrocious performance. It's a "see what I'm doing here? Geddit? Geddit?" performance that is just so woeful that it drags Bamboozled right down. Not that it's an ingenious film to begin with - an interesting one, to be sure, but Lee's trying so hard to be Paddy Chayefsky that he forgot the part where Chayefsky was actually funny and clever at the same time. The only thing Lee ever hits is poignancy, which is all well and good, but it's not enough.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Joan Allen ? The Contender
Juliette Binoche ? Chocolat
Ellen Burstyn ? Requiem for a Dream
Laura Linney ? You Can Count On Me
Julia Roberts ? Erin Brockovich ? WINNER

I don't think the Burtsyn > Roberts thing is such an obvious choice. I think Roberts delivered career-best work that was really in the upper echelon of acting work that year. Allen is also very good in a somewhat poorly-directed film. Binoche shouldn't be there - that's just Miramaxian tomfoolery. Haven't seen Linney's work though.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jeff Bridges ? The Contender
Willem Dafoe ? Shadow of the Vampire
Benicio Del Toro ? Traffic ? WINNER
Albert Finney ? Eric Brockovich
Joaquin Phoenix ? Gladiator

ISAACS. And instead of Bridges from The Contender, Oldman. But Sam Jackson for the win, thanks. From that lineup... eh... I'd probably go with Finney, perhaps. Also, a nomination for Wilson would have been nice.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Judi Dench ? Chocolat
Marcia Gay Harden ? Pollock ? WINNER
Kate Hudson ? Almost Famous
Frances McDormand ? Almost Famous
Julie Walters ? Billy Elliot

Walters should have snagged this. If not her, Hudson. I say this without having seen Harden though. Throw in Robin Wright Penn for Unbreakable. And arguably Jada Pinkett-Smith for Unbreakable - the only performance in the film that really worked, I thought.

BEST DIRECTOR

Stephen Daldry ? Billy Elliot
Ang Lee ? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ridley Scott ? Gladiator
Steven Soderbergh ? Erin Brockovich
Steven Soderbergh ? Traffic ? WINNER

Shyamalan for this. Cameron Crowe should have replaced Scott. Zemeckis could have arguably squeezed in there, as could Schnabel.

BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SCORE

Chocolat ? Rachel Portman
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ? Tan Dun ? WINNER
Gladiator ? Hans Zimmer
Malena ? Ennio Morricone
The Patriot ? John Williams

Zimmer should have bagged this - the score is the only worthwhile part of the damn film. Instead of Chocolat, James Newton Howard for Unbreakable, surely.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe - WINNER
Billy Elliot - Lee Hall
Erin Brockovich - Susannah Grant
Gladiator - David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
You Can Count on Me - Kenneth Lonergan

Fair enough. Throw in Shyamalan instead of the Gladiator scribes, though.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Traffic - Stephen Gaghan - WINNER
Ch

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 2001

BEST PICTURE

Chocolat
Erin Brockovich
Gladiator ? WINNER
Traffic
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Erin Brockovich obviously shouldn?t be here. Gladiator was entertaining but seriously overrated. Traffic and Crouching Tiger probably both deserve nominations. Memento should have won the year. Also, O Brother, Where Art Thou deserved a nomination at the very least. Also, Spike Lee?s Bamboozled is hardly a perfect film, but it is a great one. And, skeptical as you might be, Pitch Black is actually the best sci-fi film I?ve seen in decades.

"Gladiator" is worse than "Erin Brockovich"--just.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem ? Before Night Falls
Russell Crowe ? Gladiator ? WINNER
Tom Hanks ? Cast Away
Ed Harris ? Pollock
Geoffrey Rush ? Quills

Crowe only one this because he hadn?t won the year before for his astonishing performance in The Insider. Of these, Hanks was great. But I?d nominate Damon Wayans for his finely tuned performance in Bamboozled and Brendan Fraser for giving a comedic performance (or actually five or six of them) for the ages in the absolutely riotiously funny Bedazzled, one of the most consistently funny comedies of the decade. Also, Guy Pearce deserved a nomination for Memento and Clooney deserved one for O Brother, Where Art Thou? Also, while everyone raved about De Niro, as if he?d done anything besides put his same ol? schtick into a new genre, I thought Meet the Parents actually boasted an appealing performance by Stiller; all the awkwardness actually feels earned here and he never hams it up for the camera as he is often prone to do.

Pearce and Clooney.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Joan Allen ? The Contender
Juliette Binoche ? Chocolat
Ellen Burstyn ? Requiem for a Dream
Laura Linney ? You Can Count On Me
Julia Roberts ? Erin Brockovich ? WINNER

Don?t make me laugh. I?ve only seen about ten minutes of Requiem for a Dream and it?s still completely obvious that Burstyn deserved this one. I?d like to have seen Renee Zellwegger nominated for Nurse Betty. Also, I can?t think of a single reason that doesn?t involve racial politics that Michelle Yeoh wasn?t nominated for her brilliant turn in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Also, and please don?t crucify me, Sandra Bullock was just hysterically funny in Miss Congeniality, a movie that was actually much better than it had any right to be.

Yeoh, Linney.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jeff Bridges ? The Contender
Willem Dafoe ? Shadow of the Vampire
Benicio Del Toro ? Traffic ? WINNER
Albert Finney ? Eric Brockovich
Joaquin Phoenix ? Gladiator

Del Toro was a revelation, a luminous, startling, heart-felt performance that was the absolute center of Traffic. Dafoe was a riot in Shadow of the Vampire. Phoenix was hammy in Gladiator, perhaps purposely so.

Some overlooked favorites of mine: Michael Rapaport as a hyper-active, obnoxious television executive in Bamboozled; Greg Kinnear as a vapid soap star in Nurse Betty, Tim Blake Nelson as the dimmest of the three dim bulbs in O Brother, Where Art Thou; Samuel L. Jackson as the obsessed Mr. Glass in Unbreakable; Vin Diesel as the sociopathic prisoner in Pitch Black; Joe Pantoliano as the one not to be trusted in Memento; Dougray Scott, who found a beating heart of sheer pain in the middle of John Woo?s absurd Mission Impossible II; Benjamin Bratt as the supposedly cock-sure FBI agent in Miss Congeniality & William Shatner as . . . himself essentially in the same movie; Jason Isaacs as the aristocratic British villain of The Patriot. Great year for supporting male performances.

del Toro

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Judi Dench ? Chocolat
Marcia Gay Harden ? Pollock ? WINNER
Kate Hudson ? Almost Famous
Frances McDormand ? Almost Famous
Julie Walters ? Billy Elliot

Radha Mitchell deserved a nomination for her wonderful work in Pitch Black.

Ziyi Zhang.

BEST DIRECTOR

Stephen Daldry ? Billy Elliot
Ang Lee ? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ridley Scott ? Gladiator
Steven Soderbergh ? Erin Brockovich
Steven Soderbergh ? Traffic ? WIN

 

Crouching Tiger should have won Best Picture. Just a truly great film all around.

 

CEREMONY YEAR: 1994

BEST PICTURE

The Fugitive
In the Name of the Father
The Piano
The Remains of the Day
Schindler?s List ? WINNER

Okay, really BIG year. Let?s get started. First off, I?ve only seen The Fugitive and Schindler?s List of this roster. If had ten slots:

Carlito?s Way (a return to form for De Palma; a climax of absolute tragedy meeting absolute suspense)
Farewell, My Concubine (astounding Chinese drama; forty years of history seen through the lens of two dysfunctional opera stars; a gripping, fascinating epic)
The Fugitive (ripping good thriller)
Gettysburg (historical war film, done as they should be done)
Groundhog Day (still Murray?s funniest film? I think so)
Jurassic Park (I can?t fathom them not nominating this; I mean, God!)
Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh does one of Shakespeare?s comedies and, surprisingly, proves just as good at that as he is at the drama; energetic, vibrant, sparkling, above all, hilariously funny)
Naked (descent into the abyss; mentally ill sexual predator roams London over a long weekend ? a more disturbing, hilarious, apocalyptic film you will perhaps never see) - WINNER
Schindler?s List (gripping, horrifying drama that is only slightly overrated, quite an achievement)
Shadowlands (more or less true story about C.S. Lewis, one of the great authors of all time, and his middle aged discovery of both love and loss; amazingly effecting film)

It has cut me to the quick to leave out Tombstone, an iconic breath of fresh, fairly non-ironic, air to the Western; Mrs. Doubtfire, one of the most consistently hilarious movies of the past twenty years; In the Line of Fire, a almost entirely perfect pulp thriller; and The Age of Innocence, Scorsese?s brilliant adaptation of Wharton?s equally brilliant novel.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Daniel Day-Lewis ? In the Name of the Father
Laurence Fishburne ? What?s Love Got To Do With It
Tom Hanks ? Philadelphia ? WINNER
Anthony Hopkins ? The Remains of the Day
Liam Neeson ? Schindler?s List

Hanks is very good in Philadelphia and Neeson is the same in Schindler?s List. I think Hopkins performance of the year was in Shadowlands as C.S. Lewis, a personal hero of mine, wrestling with middle aged stirrings of love and then of devastation. Also, Al Pacino deserved a nomination for giving one of his rare late performances with no ham in it in Carlito?s Way; this is how he should have done The Godfather, Part III. Then there?s Leslie Cheung and Fengyi Zhang as the two leads in Farewell, My Concubine; I?m honestly unsure which of them has the harder part or which of them is more frigging transcendent. They both deserved nominations. And, if we can be lowbrow for a second, Robin Williams for Mrs. Doubtfire? If you won?t tumble for that, may I float Johnny Depp for Benny & Joon, not so much a performance as a feature length ballet; wrongheaded as the movie was, Depp was a delight.

But the winner this year for me is unapologetically and unquestionably David Thewlis for his harrowing, violent, twitchy performance in Naked. This is not just the best performance of its year, but one of the best film performances of all time. If you only know him from Harry Potter, do yourself a favor and check out Naked, in which he is a revelation.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Angela Bassett ? What?s Love Got To Do With It
Stockard Channing ? Six Degrees of Seperation
Holly Hunter ? The Piano ? WINNER
Emma Thompson ? The Remains of the Day
Debra Winger ? Shadowlands

Can a throw a little love at Emma Thompson for another movie, namely Much Ado About Nothing in which she gets to fully showcase her capacity for dry wit and be perhaps as sexy as she?s ever been in any role as the sharp tongued, very ineligible Beatrice? And Karen Cartlidge and Lesley Sharp were both absolutely astounding in Naked, the former as a sexually needy masochist who ends the film in absolute brokenness and the latter as the one person who can actually connect on a human level with Thewlis? repugnant main cha

 

My blanket answer for that ceremony is "The Remains of the Day." Without shadow of a doubt.