Well folks, It's time for the 3rd Annual Snubbie awards. For those of you who still don't know what the Snubbie Awards are, here's a review. I bestow Snubbie awards on the movie or individual that SHOULD HAVE won the Academy Award (along with an explanation of why they deserve it over the winner). After that I give out some Honorary Snubbies to the unfortunate souls who didn't even get nominated. So here we go with this years "winners."
The 2001 Snubbies:
Best Original Screenplay:
"Memento" - Yes I realize these are much more interesting when I criticize the Best Picture and acting winners, but overall I was quite pleasantly surprised by the winners this year. Memento was the most creative and strange movie of the year, especially that twist at the end...or was it the beginning?
Best Adapted Screenplay:
"Ghost World" - The only reason "A Beautiful Mind" picked up this award is because it was going to win Best Picture, it got caught up in the sweep that never happened. Ghost Worlds writers did the impossible, they created a wonderful, memorable, well written, interesting movie out of a comic book. That's more than I'll be able to say about the writers of the upcoming "Spiderman." Note: I now apologize for this comment...Spiderman was really cool!
Best Foreign Film:
"Amelie" (France) - Granted I haven't seen all the movies, but I know people who have. Amelie was an amusing emotional and unique picture well deserving of an Academy Award. Also, who ever heard of a foreign film getting so many noms and not winning this category. (Although maybe I'm biased because if this had won, I would have won the pool!)
Best Cinematography:
"Moulin Rouge" - Okay, so the camera work made my friend's mom nauseous, but I loved it. This movie may not have had a shot at Best Picture, but it deserved recognition for it's innovative camera work and
Documentary Short Subject:
"Artists And Orphans" - Who cares about "Thoth"?
Honorary Snubbies:
Since technically I can only give Snubbies to movies that were nominated, it seems necessary to also honor the ones who were cheated out of even a nomination.
Best Picture: Ghost World was absolutely one of my favorite movies this year, whereas I hated Gosford Park. While 90% of the time I couldn't even understand what the servants were saying in "Park", the dialogue and plot of Ghost World were very easy to follow and yet interesting. Who knew you could adapt a comic book so well!
Best Director: Baz Luhrman. Whoopi Goldberg quipped, "Not bad for a movie with no director," a reference to Luhrman's snub for Best Picture nominee "Moulin Rouge." Movies don't direct themselves and he had a lot of courage to direct a large scale musical in this day and age. He did a stunning job and his reward was a snub by the Academy.
Best Actor: Billy Bob Thornton. I was stunned by his performance in "Monster's Ball," mainly because I'd never been too impressed by him before. He brought an emotion to the character on so many levels. He showed hate in the beginning, love at the end and everything else in between.
Best Actress: Thora Birch. Could you tell I like the movie "Ghost World"? Passed over by the Academy two years ago for her role in "American Beauty," this snub is almost as atrocious. Her character Enid's dry humor and mannerisms are shattered in the end by Thora's emotional portrayal of this teenage social outcast.
Best Supporting Actor: Steve Buschemi. He came alive this year in "Ghost World." Buschemi put on the performance of his career in this important but subdued role. He had the character's neurotic-ness mastered down to a tee.