2001 Oscars Revisited

What a great year for movies. This has been the most difficult year that I’ve done yet. I could have expanded the nominations to 10 in just about every category.

BEST PICTURE
MINE	THEIRS
Black Hawk Down	A Beautiful Mind
In the Bedroom	Gosford Park
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship	In the Bedroom
of the Ring	Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
The Royal Tenenbaums	of the Ring
Y Tu Mama Tambien	Moulin Rouge!

I could have expanded this category well beyond 10. Here are some great ones not listed above: Amelie, The Deep End, Ghost World, Gosford Park, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Heist, Iris, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Memento, Monsters Inc., Mulholland Dr., Sexy Beast, and Waking Life. Then there’s Ocean’s Eleven which has a high rewatchability factor. Despite not loving Donnie Darko, Moulin Rouge, The Others, Training Day, or Vanilla Sky, they have all stuck with me for different reasons. There are also two horribly reviewed movies that still make me laugh: Pootie Tang and Wet Hot American Summer. Of course this is also the year of Pearl Harbor which is like a black hole that could undermine the entire year.

I’m a big fan of movies that say a lot with silence and long lingering shots. It’s probably a reaction to the over abundance of MTV-style editing and action sequences in movies today. In the Bedroom is a perfect example of this personal affection of mine.

If you look at the 5 movies nominated for Academy Awards you’ll notice I didn’t mention A Beautiful Mind, the actual winner of Best Picture. The movie is not a bad one. I just don’t care for it. I’m not one that thinks a movie about a real person needs to be 100% factual. That’s what documentaries are for. However, I do believe that even if you whitewash someone’s life for the screen you should still capture the essence of it. I won’t go into all the stuff about John Nash that is not in the movie, but here are the only impressions I got about Nash from watching the movie. 1. Wow, that guy is shy. 2. Wow, that guy is smart. 3. Wow, that guy has a hot wife. 4. Wow that guy is crazy.

BEST DIRECTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Todd Field, In the Bedroom	Robert Altman, Gosford Park
Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings	Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind
David Lynch, Mulholland Dr.	Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings
Christopher Nolan, Memento	David Lynch, Mulholland Dr.
Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down	Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down

Again, this could go to anyone of these guys. I’m going with Todd Field though.

BEST ACTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Gene Hackman, The Royal	Russel Crowe, A Beautiful Mind
Tenenbaums
John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig	Sean Penn, I Am Sam
and the Angry Inch
Billy Bob Thornton, The Man Who	Will Smith, Ali
Wasn't There
Denzel Washington, Training Day	Denzel Washington, Training Day
Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom	Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom

Great performances all around but I'll agree and go with Denzel because he is Training Day. It’s a mediocre movie without him.

BEST ACTRESS
MINE	THEIRS
Halle Berry, Monster's Ball	Halle Berry, Monster's Ball
Thora Birch, Ghost World	Judi Dench, Iris
Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom	Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge!
Tilda Swinton, The Deep End	Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom
Audrey Tautou, Amelie	Renee Zellweger, Bridget Jones's Diary

I hope I’m not holding that tearful acceptance speech against Halle Berry. It would have been half-way tolerable until she thanked her lawyer. That’s not it though. The Deep End is great. Tilda Swinton gives a performance that has made me keep up with everything she’s done since.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Michael Badalucco, The Man Who	Jim Broadbent, Iris
Wasn't There	Ethan Hawke, Training Day
Jim Broadbent, Iris	Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast
Steve Buscemi, Ghost World	Ian McKellen, The Lord of the Rings
Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast	The Fellowship of the Ring
Ian McKellen, The Lord of the Rings	Jon Voight, Ali

Oh, man. Ben Kingsley can blink his eyes in this movie and scare the shit out of you. He was Gandhi. Who knew?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MINE	THEIRS
Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind	Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind
Anjelica Houston, The Royal	Helen Mirren, Gosford Park
Tenenbaums
Scarlett Johansson, Ghost World	Maggie Smith, Gosford Park
Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento	Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom
Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom	Kate Winslet, Iris

First off, notice how many great performances are in Ghost World. Secondly, they should have given this one to Marisa Tomei and then immediately asked her to give her 1992 award for My Cousin Vinny to Judy Davis.