2002 Oscars Revisited

I’m starting back with the Oscars Redux. Today is the movies of 2002. Not an outstanding year for movies but the great ones were really, really great.

BEST PICTURE
MINE	THEIRS
25th Hour	Chicago
Adaptation	Gangs of New York
Chicago	The Hours
City of God	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Spirited Away	The Pianist

Way back in March I mentioned that I was putting City of God in with the 2002 movies because that’s how I have it listed. That’s true but it’s also really convenient. This way I get to say City of God and Lost in Translation were both best of their respective years. If you’ve never seen City of God you really need to. It’s an experience that will get you excited about movies and what they can accomplish.

BEST DIRECTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Spike Jonze, Adaptation	Pedro Almodovar, Talk to Her
Spike Lee, 25th Hour	Stephen Daldry, The Hours
Rob Marshall, Chicago	Rob Marshall, Chicago
Fernando Meirelles, City of God	Roman Polanski, The Pianist
Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away	Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York

City of God is the complete package. It was shot with hand-held cameras on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Its visual style matches the violent and chaotic lives of the children in the story. Seriously, see it now.

BEST ACTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Adrien Brody, The Pianist	Adrien Brody, The Pianist
Nicolas Cage, Adaptation	Nicolas Cage, Adaptation
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Love Liza	Michael Caine, The Quiet American
Ed Norton, 25th Hour	Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York
Sam Rockwell, Confessions of a	Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt
Dangerous Mind

I was very impressed with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Just going on the strength of this movie and Sam Rockwell’s performance as Chuck Barris, you’ll hope they make more movies about game show hosts. My vote for the next host is Wink Martindale.

BEST ACTRESS
MINE	THEIRS
Jennifer Aniston, Good Girl	Salma Hayek, Frida
Angela Bassett, Sunshine State	Nicole Kidman, The Hours
Maggie Gyllenhall, Secretary	Diane Lane, Unfaithful
Salma Hayek, Frida	Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven
Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven	Renee Zellweger, Chicago

Maggie Gyllenhall plays the role of James Spader’s subservient assistant with a perfect mixture of comedy, authenticity, and restrained sadness.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
MINE	THEIRS
Chris Cooper, Adaptation	Chris Cooper, Adaptation
Willem Dafoe, Auto Focus	Ed Harris, The Hours
Vincnet D'Onofrio, The Salton Sea	Paul Newman, Road to Perdition
Alfred Molina, Frida	John C. Reilly, Chicago
James Spader, Secretary	Christopher Walken, Catch Me If
	You Can

Sure it’s a bit over the top but Vincent D’Onofrio’s Pooh Bear is a frantic and demented mess that is a perfect companion performance to Val Kilmer’s sedated narrator/lead character.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MINE	THEIRS
Viola Davis, Solaris	Kathy Bates, About Schmidt
Edie Falco, Sunshine State	Queen Latifah, Chicago
Samantha Morton, Minority Report	Julianne Moore, The Hours
Meryl Streep, Adaptation	Meryl Streep, Adaptation
Emily Watson, Punch-Drunk Love	Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago

A few words on Chicago: I loved the movie. I thought it was great in every way but there’s something about musicals that don’t make me immediately think of them as great movies. When done right, like Chicago, they are incredibly entertaining and more fun than a typical summer popcorn movie. But they still have that empty calorie effect and I haven’t seen Chicago since it was in the theatres. I have it on DVD but I don’t think the initial experience will be topped and don’t want to ruin it with another viewing…maybe in a few years. Bygones. Hey, Emily Watson was good in Punch-Drunk Love.