Oscars 2001:
Nominee Predictions
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BEST PICTURE BEST DIRECTOR BEST ACTOR BEST ACTRESS BEST SUPPORTING
ACTOR BEST SUPPORTING
ACTRESS BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY BEST ART DIRECTION-SET
DECORATION BEST COSTUME DESIGN BEST SOUND BEST FILM EDITING BEST EFFECTS, SOUND
EFFECTS EDITING BEST EFFECTS, VISUAL
EFFECTS BEST MAKEUP BEST ORIGINAL SONG BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
(COMEDY/MUSICAL) BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
(DRAMA) BEST DOCUMENTARY,
FEATURE BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE
FILM Top Conteners/Projected
Totals:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: 11 Gladiator: 10-13 Traffic: 9 Quills: 8-10 Almost Famous: 6-8 Dancer In The Dark: 6 Cast Away: 4-7 Wonder Boys: 4-6 Erin Brockovich: 3-5 O Brother, Where Art Thou?: 3-5 Requiem For A Dream: 2-7 The Cell: 1-8 Billy Elliot: 1-7 Thirteen Days: 1-5 Nurse Betty: 0-4 |
Written by DAVID KEYES February 12, 2001 If members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences enjoy a challenge, they need not to look any further than their first big task of the year: nominating for this year's already-anticipated Academy Awards ceremony. The reason? Never before had the movie industry seen such a diverse supply of endeavors at its disposal, especially in the last few months of 2000, when every other decent release in theaters was either highly nostalgic or incredibly original. Who could have ever foreseen, for example, a movie like "Cast Away" being released just within weeks of something like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?" But most intriguingly, 2000 was the definitive year for a variety of film actors; both familiar favorites and fresh faces enjoyed some of the healthiest exposure on film during these twelve months than we had ever seen. The list of this year's top actresses alone serves as proof of that notion: in a list that contains Hollywood royalty like Ellen Burstyn and Julia Roberts, we also saw successful performances from newcomers like Bj�rk and Laura Linney (not to mention return performers like Renee Zellweger and Kate Winslet). With the duty falling on Academy voters to sift through all of this variety and pick their favorites of the year, those of us on the outside anxiously await the results, all of which are scheduled to be announced in the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 13th. In the meantime, however, avid movie fans are likely to be contemplating their own list of nominees, so that when the results are announced, they can compare both lists to see how closely they predicted the Academy's final votes. The list below is hardly a carved-in-stone result, but it does offer some logical insight into the direction Academy voters will likely be leaning towards. FINAL WORD Even though "Traffic" looks like the obvious Picture winner even as this is written, it is unlikely that the film will sweep away with the most nominations. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Gladiator" are likely to be the victors in that department, with both Soderbergh's film and "Quills" coming in close, and "Almost Famous" bringing up the rear. And if "Billy Elliot," "Cast Away" and "Requiem For A Dream" are not overlooked in their potential categories, they could prove to be serious competition, especially because of their growing fan bases in and around Hollywood. Technical categories will be more difficult to correctly predict, but money is on "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to persevere here since it is unlikely to pull through with major nominations. Meanwhile, "The Cell," last year's prime visual extravaganza, can either be graciously rewarded or completely forgotten here, depending on the Academy's memory span. The dark horse everyone will be watching for is "Dancer In The Dark," which can take up to six nods if Academy members play their cards right. But don't be too surprised if Bj�rk, the film's main star, doesn't get the Best Actress nomination she so rightfully deserves. � David Keyes, CINEMA 2000. To keep the content of these pages at near-perfect quality, please e-mail the author here if the above review contains any spelling or grammar mistakes. |