Not sure how to classify 2001. A weak year, assuredly, but not a terrible one. A Beautiful Mind wins Best Picture which is just lame. It's not an awful movie but it's not a great movie, barely even a good movie. This year you have the first Lord Of The Rings movie, Memento, Moulin Rouge!, Mulholland Drive, a lot of great movies. It's the start of a new millennium and you have some movies that reflect that and the win goes to A Beautiful Mind, a movie that could have been made in 1957. I like to compare this year to 1977 where Star Wars was up against Annie Hall. Annie Hall is a great film and no matter who much of a Star Wars fan you are, you gotta admit that the win was justified. Lord Of The Rings didn't lose out to Annie Hall, it lost to A Beautiful Mind, that kinda sucks.
You can see my GABBY winners and nominees HERE
BEST PICTURE
4. A Beautiful Mind - John Nash is a brilliant mathematician. We meet him college where he uses his math skills to help him and his friends get laid. He becomes a professor, marries a beautiful woman and starts doing secret missions for the government. Then it turns out that he's schizophrenic and none of that government stuff really happened. So you're watching an hour of this movie and thinking, wow this guy led an interesting life, then you find out that it was all a lie and then you watch the last hour of the movie thinking, this movie just lied to me for an hour and I'm still supposed to care? I wouldn't have a problem with the switcheroo, except that this is a biopic. What if Malcolm X had a hot air ballooning subplot that you found out was completely made up.
3. In The Bedroom - A young man is murdered by his older girlfriend's ex-husband. This sends the boy's family into a life of grief and revenge. The thing that sets this independent family drama apart from others is the stellar performances from Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Maria Tomei and the mood set by director Todd Field. The entire cast is fantastic and it's a very moving film that puts you into the shoes of the characters. What would you do if the man who murdered your son was walking around town?
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring - This is the start to Peter Jackson's epic fantasy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels. This is my favorite of the 3 films. I usually don't go in for movies like these but I can respect the artistry that went into this. There's a ring that holds great power and a hobbit and his band of brothers set off across middle Earth to destroy it. It's big and epic and beautiful to look at, but also so so long. I like my movies to be tight and this movie is nothing of the sorts. It was a game changer in the film industry, after this, studios started giving their tent pole movies to people who loved the material. Someone like Steven Spielberg could have directed the trilogy but it wouldn't have been crafted with the same love.
1. Moulin Rouge! - The marketing made this movie seem like an MTV musical set in the 1900s. It is that but it is also so much more. A young writer falls in love with a doomed courtesan and their secret affair earns the scorn of an evil count who wants the girl for his own. This movie benefited from low expectations but I truly fell in love with it. It's a love story with incredible visuals and a wonderful soundtrack. It brought the musical back as a Hollywood genre and is just a really fun film to watch.
I don't feel that any of these movies deserved to be crowned "Best Picture". Moulin Rouge! is a bit too much style over substance, not to mention that a lot of people really hate it, Lord Of The Rings is the first of a trilogy so might as well wait and see, Gosford Park is too Altman-y and dull, In The Bedroom is good but too indy, A Beautiful Mind just seems like a very lame choice. When all the movies have something going against them, might as well pick the least offensive choice. A Beautiful Mind is the Michael Dukakis of films.
At first I was thinking. You can't give it to Lord Of The Rings this year because you're going to give the third film every Oscar imaginable. On second look, if you give LOTR the win this year, Mystic River can win in 2003 then Million Dollar Baby doesn't win in 2004. The Aviator can win that year and Scorsese can get his Oscar a couple years early. That doesn't answer the question of what wins in 2006 though. I'll vote with my heart and my heart is saying Moulin Rouge!. Both films are technical achievements but I like Moulin's story more and Peter Jackson's Oscar day is going to come in 2 years.
Oscar Winner: A Beautiful Mind
My Vote: Moulin Rouge!
GABBY Winner: Memento
BEST ACTOR
4. Will Smith - Ali - Will Smith does a serviceable job as Muhammad Ali but that's about it. He's nowhere near as charismatic or larger than life than the man himself. The movie itself is partly to blame for that as Smith just basically imitates Ali's most famous moments rather than create a fleshed out character. It's a nice "Welcome to the show" type nomination where this guy has been the biggest box office draw for years and they award him for branching out dramatically, kind of like Harrison Ford in Witness.
3. Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind - Crowe plays John Nash, a brilliant mathematician with schizophrenia. This is a lived in performance. His accent, stammer, facial tics all seem natural even though you know he's acting. There's really no reason why this performance didn't win. Oh wait, yeah there is, the Academy messed up big time and gave Crowe an Oscar for wearing sandals and fighting CGI tigers the year before this.
2. Denzel Washington - Training Day - Denzel plays a corrupt cop taking a rookie on a ride along. He's over the top as all hell but it works because he's Denzel Washington and can do pretty much anything he wants to and be terrific. Training Day is not a great film but it is watchable, the only reason why I judge it harsher than others is because it won. But it didn't win Best Picture or screenplay it won a 2nd Oscar for a great actor.
1. Tom Wilkinson - In The Bedroom - Wilkinson plays a father and husband who is dealing with the murder of his son. His life is unraveling, his wife has become emotionless, his job is meaningless and to top it off the guy who murdered his son made bail. He goes a bit "Death Wish-y" and takes matters into his own hands. This is not a performance that I would usually vote for as it's very low key. Wilkinson isn't flashy at all he doesn't have any huge emotional scenes where he flips out, it's just an honest performance, even in his scenes of violence. Seeing as how Crowe and Washington had one already and Wilkinson is really good, this was an easy decision.
You can luck into a first Oscar but you have to really earn a 2nd. I use Jennifer Hudson as an example a lot, but if Jennifer Hudson gave a really good performance in a film she would have to blow every fellow nominee out of the water or be in an extremely weak category to win a 2nd Oscar. Hands down, you look at this category and think, how did Russell Crowe not win? He's the star of the Best Picture winner, he plays a guy with a mental disorder, this is his 3rd consecutive nomination, he checks every box in the Oscar rule book. Problem is, he lucked into an Oscar last year and even though he earned an Oscar with his performance this year he's up against 2 other good options. My vote is Wilkinson but Washington is the bigger star so his win is acceptable. It had been 12 years since his first win and in that time he has been passed over twice for deserving performances in Malcolm X and The Hurricane and become one of the biggest box office draws in the country. The only problem with this win is you really really really have to earn a 3rd Oscar so every nomination for Denzel from here on end will come with the question, is this good enough for Oscar number 3? Seriously, if only the Oscars could have held off one more year to honor Crowe.
Oscar Winner: Denzel Washington
My Vote: Tom Wilkinson
GABBY Winner: Gene Hackman for The Royal Tenenbaums
BEST ACTRESS
4. Renee Zellweger - Bridget Jones's Diary - So rarely do comedic performances get nominated that when one does it is a breath of fresh air. Having just watched Monster's Ball, Iris and In The Bedroom and feeling like a sad bastard, watching Bridget Jones's Diary was a wonderful palette cleanser. It takes talent to star in a British best seller as an American actress, put on a British accent and have the British people on your side. There was controversy surrounding her casting as she's not British and not a plump woman as the book suggests. She packed on some pounds, looked very sexy in doing so and nailed the part. She's very funny in the role and in a weaker year could have won this.
3. Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge! - Not only was Kidman in Moulin Rouge! this year but she also starred in the horror thriller The Others for which she received good reviews. She plays a doomed ill French courtesan and is incredibly charming. I could make a case for her winning but I see this film as a two-hander and if Ewan McGregor doesn't even get nominated I can't condone giving the win to Kidman as much of her performance is benefited from their chemistry.
2. Sissy Spacek - In The Bedroom - I absolutely loved this performance. Spacek plays the mother of a recently murdered son. After his death she becomes kind of emotionless but has brilliant moments of outbursts as she sees her son's killer and girlfriend walking around town. The best moment in the film involves Marisa Tomei coming up to her and asking if there is anything she can do and Spacek just looks at her and slaps her in the face without saying a word.
1. Halle Berry - Monster's Ball - Monster's Ball is one of those movies that is designed to make you as sad as possible. A man is executed, a son commits suicide, another son is hit by a car, an old man is sent away and at the center of it all is Halle Berry. She is a recently widowed mother who, through a seemingly random string of events, ends up in a romantic relationship with the corrections officer that executed her husband. She is emotionally brutal in this film. She is sad the entire movie and even when there are moments of hope for her character she is pulled back into misery. She also has one of the most authentic sex scenes ever filmed.
I liked all of these performances and I could make a case for my top 4 winning in this category, which is a rarity in this category. Based on performance alone the vote is between Berry and Spacek. Spacek won already so that's a point in Berry's favor but this is also the first time, and really only time, we saw Berry act. Up to this point she played mostly the sexy girlfriend role and now we see her mostly in thrillers and superhero movies so that's a point in Spacek's favor. Then again, Berry was freaking fantastic in Monster's Ball and she was the first black actress to win in this category so it's also a matter of it's about damn time. I gave the GABBY to Spacek because I hadn't given her a win yet despite over 20 years of great performances but my vote here is for Halle Berry.
Oscar Winner: Halle Berry
My Vote: Halle Berry
GABBY Winner: Sissy Spacek
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
4. Ethan Hawke - Training Day - This is an interesting nomination. Hawke is a co-lead in the film, he is having the titular training day, but he is over shadowed in almost every scene by Denzel Washington. That's not his fault though, Denzel has the flashier part. Hawke mostly just reacts to things during the film which is what a good actor should do. Given the choice between him and Steve Buscemi though, gotta pick Buscemi.
3. Ben Kingsley - Sexy Beast - Now we're into the meat of the category. Based on performance alone, Ben Kingsley is my favorite in any of these categories. The only reason he ranks 3rd here is because he had an Oscar while McKellen and Broadbent didn't. Kingsley plays a violent and vulgar criminal who is set on getting a retired con to pull one last bank heist. Almost every other word out of his mouth is an obscenity and if you only knew Kingsley from his Oscar winning role as Gandhi then this would cement him in your mind as a man of range. This character is the complete opposite of Gandhi and he is so deliciously evil that you can't help but love him.
2. Ian McKellen - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring - McKellen plays Gandalf a wizard who sends Frodo on his quest to destroy the one true ring. McKellen is one of those actors who can lend gravitas to any role. He's just good and compelling to watch. He did the same the year before this in X-Men as Magneto, that could have been played with pure cheese but McKellen makes him a complicated character. I'm sure if he played a Teletubby it would be the greatest performance of a teletubby ever. Here he does the same thing. He's wise and powerful and provides both comic relief and heroic moments at the same time. It's a really nice performance that in lesser hands would have just been an Obi-Wan Kenobi knock off.
1. Jim Broadbent - Iris - You gotta love Jim Broadbent. Not only was he terrific this year playing the older version of John Bayley in Iris but he also provided tremendous comic relief in Moulin Rouge! and Bridget Jones's Diary. You could definitely make a case for him as supporting actor of the year. In Iris he plays an elderly man who is caring for his wife who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We see flashbacks to their courtship and find that when they first met, she was the outgoing one and he was a very mild and meek man. She also cheated on him a lot and now the stress of her disease is getting to him and he lashes out occasionally. Broadbent is incredibly sweet in the film and you really feel for him as the movie progresses. Not to be outdone, Hugh Bonneville plays the younger version of the character and is equally terrific.
Just like with Denzel, if you're up for your 2nd Oscar it has to be a no questions decision. Ben Kingsley gave the best performance in the category but he already won one for Gandhi, for which he beat out Peter O'Toole, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon and Paul Newman. If he won here he would be taking a win away from Jim Broadbent and Ian McKellen. It stinks that he gave one of my favorite supporting performances of all time and I can't even consider him. Broadbent beating McKellen is like Jason Robards beating Alec Guinness in 1977, but I condone it. Broadbent is so damn charming, heartwarming and just downright adorable in Iris. I gave the GABBY to Kingsley but I had not given him a win yet.
Oscar Winner: Jim Broadbent
My Vote: Jim Broadbent
GABBY Winner: Ben Kingsley
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
5. Kate Winslet - Iris - Winslet plays young Judi Dench in the flashback scenes. She's good in the role but is out shined by Hugh Bonneville, who is amazing as young Jim Broadbent. Having her nominated instead of him makes me dislike this nomination.
You can see my GABBY winners and nominees HERE
BEST PICTURE
5. Gosford Park - Much like Robert Altman's MASH, this is the movie that inspired a TV show. Gosford Park was the film that inspired Downton Abbey, which I have never seen, but I assume is boring and this movie follows suit with my assumptions. It's about a shooting party at an upper crust British manor and there's like 50 characters you meet, some of them rich high society types, some of them the poor servants. All the characters interact for an hour and then there's a murder then they keep talking for another hour. I kept waiting for something to happen or something that would turn the genre upside down but nothing really does. I'm not sure why this got such high acclaim.
4. A Beautiful Mind - John Nash is a brilliant mathematician. We meet him college where he uses his math skills to help him and his friends get laid. He becomes a professor, marries a beautiful woman and starts doing secret missions for the government. Then it turns out that he's schizophrenic and none of that government stuff really happened. So you're watching an hour of this movie and thinking, wow this guy led an interesting life, then you find out that it was all a lie and then you watch the last hour of the movie thinking, this movie just lied to me for an hour and I'm still supposed to care? I wouldn't have a problem with the switcheroo, except that this is a biopic. What if Malcolm X had a hot air ballooning subplot that you found out was completely made up.
3. In The Bedroom - A young man is murdered by his older girlfriend's ex-husband. This sends the boy's family into a life of grief and revenge. The thing that sets this independent family drama apart from others is the stellar performances from Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Maria Tomei and the mood set by director Todd Field. The entire cast is fantastic and it's a very moving film that puts you into the shoes of the characters. What would you do if the man who murdered your son was walking around town?
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring - This is the start to Peter Jackson's epic fantasy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels. This is my favorite of the 3 films. I usually don't go in for movies like these but I can respect the artistry that went into this. There's a ring that holds great power and a hobbit and his band of brothers set off across middle Earth to destroy it. It's big and epic and beautiful to look at, but also so so long. I like my movies to be tight and this movie is nothing of the sorts. It was a game changer in the film industry, after this, studios started giving their tent pole movies to people who loved the material. Someone like Steven Spielberg could have directed the trilogy but it wouldn't have been crafted with the same love.
1. Moulin Rouge! - The marketing made this movie seem like an MTV musical set in the 1900s. It is that but it is also so much more. A young writer falls in love with a doomed courtesan and their secret affair earns the scorn of an evil count who wants the girl for his own. This movie benefited from low expectations but I truly fell in love with it. It's a love story with incredible visuals and a wonderful soundtrack. It brought the musical back as a Hollywood genre and is just a really fun film to watch.
I don't feel that any of these movies deserved to be crowned "Best Picture". Moulin Rouge! is a bit too much style over substance, not to mention that a lot of people really hate it, Lord Of The Rings is the first of a trilogy so might as well wait and see, Gosford Park is too Altman-y and dull, In The Bedroom is good but too indy, A Beautiful Mind just seems like a very lame choice. When all the movies have something going against them, might as well pick the least offensive choice. A Beautiful Mind is the Michael Dukakis of films.
At first I was thinking. You can't give it to Lord Of The Rings this year because you're going to give the third film every Oscar imaginable. On second look, if you give LOTR the win this year, Mystic River can win in 2003 then Million Dollar Baby doesn't win in 2004. The Aviator can win that year and Scorsese can get his Oscar a couple years early. That doesn't answer the question of what wins in 2006 though. I'll vote with my heart and my heart is saying Moulin Rouge!. Both films are technical achievements but I like Moulin's story more and Peter Jackson's Oscar day is going to come in 2 years.
Oscar Winner: A Beautiful Mind
My Vote: Moulin Rouge!
GABBY Winner: Memento
5. Sean Penn - I Am Sam - No. Just, No. I can't condone this nomination or performance at all. To me, this type of thing is similar to blackface. Sean Penn plays a mentally handicapped man who had sex with a homeless lady and they had a baby. He is a loving father but he has the IQ of a 7 year old and his daughter is turning 7. There's a court case over whether he should be allowed custody and blah, blah, blah, he loses but eventually wins. The thing that makes this horrendous is that his friends in the film are all played by mentally challenged actors. They aren't peeing their pants during takes but there's Sean Penn in the middle "out-retarding" all of them. What could have been going on on-set when Sean Penn is hamming it up and then stopping when the director yells cut and these poor guys are thinking, "Do we sound that dumb?". Also, the movie is sappy saccharine shit too.
4. Will Smith - Ali - Will Smith does a serviceable job as Muhammad Ali but that's about it. He's nowhere near as charismatic or larger than life than the man himself. The movie itself is partly to blame for that as Smith just basically imitates Ali's most famous moments rather than create a fleshed out character. It's a nice "Welcome to the show" type nomination where this guy has been the biggest box office draw for years and they award him for branching out dramatically, kind of like Harrison Ford in Witness.
3. Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind - Crowe plays John Nash, a brilliant mathematician with schizophrenia. This is a lived in performance. His accent, stammer, facial tics all seem natural even though you know he's acting. There's really no reason why this performance didn't win. Oh wait, yeah there is, the Academy messed up big time and gave Crowe an Oscar for wearing sandals and fighting CGI tigers the year before this.
2. Denzel Washington - Training Day - Denzel plays a corrupt cop taking a rookie on a ride along. He's over the top as all hell but it works because he's Denzel Washington and can do pretty much anything he wants to and be terrific. Training Day is not a great film but it is watchable, the only reason why I judge it harsher than others is because it won. But it didn't win Best Picture or screenplay it won a 2nd Oscar for a great actor.
1. Tom Wilkinson - In The Bedroom - Wilkinson plays a father and husband who is dealing with the murder of his son. His life is unraveling, his wife has become emotionless, his job is meaningless and to top it off the guy who murdered his son made bail. He goes a bit "Death Wish-y" and takes matters into his own hands. This is not a performance that I would usually vote for as it's very low key. Wilkinson isn't flashy at all he doesn't have any huge emotional scenes where he flips out, it's just an honest performance, even in his scenes of violence. Seeing as how Crowe and Washington had one already and Wilkinson is really good, this was an easy decision.
You can luck into a first Oscar but you have to really earn a 2nd. I use Jennifer Hudson as an example a lot, but if Jennifer Hudson gave a really good performance in a film she would have to blow every fellow nominee out of the water or be in an extremely weak category to win a 2nd Oscar. Hands down, you look at this category and think, how did Russell Crowe not win? He's the star of the Best Picture winner, he plays a guy with a mental disorder, this is his 3rd consecutive nomination, he checks every box in the Oscar rule book. Problem is, he lucked into an Oscar last year and even though he earned an Oscar with his performance this year he's up against 2 other good options. My vote is Wilkinson but Washington is the bigger star so his win is acceptable. It had been 12 years since his first win and in that time he has been passed over twice for deserving performances in Malcolm X and The Hurricane and become one of the biggest box office draws in the country. The only problem with this win is you really really really have to earn a 3rd Oscar so every nomination for Denzel from here on end will come with the question, is this good enough for Oscar number 3? Seriously, if only the Oscars could have held off one more year to honor Crowe.
Oscar Winner: Denzel Washington
My Vote: Tom Wilkinson
GABBY Winner: Gene Hackman for The Royal Tenenbaums
5. Judi Dench - Iris - Normally category fraud goes the other way and lead roles sneak into the supporting category. Judi Dench plays the main character, a writer going through Alzheimer's, in Iris but the movie is more about how her husband deals and copes. Judi doesn't do much in the film other than be old and confused and while she's decent there's no way she gets a 2nd Oscar for this.
4. Renee Zellweger - Bridget Jones's Diary - So rarely do comedic performances get nominated that when one does it is a breath of fresh air. Having just watched Monster's Ball, Iris and In The Bedroom and feeling like a sad bastard, watching Bridget Jones's Diary was a wonderful palette cleanser. It takes talent to star in a British best seller as an American actress, put on a British accent and have the British people on your side. There was controversy surrounding her casting as she's not British and not a plump woman as the book suggests. She packed on some pounds, looked very sexy in doing so and nailed the part. She's very funny in the role and in a weaker year could have won this.
3. Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge! - Not only was Kidman in Moulin Rouge! this year but she also starred in the horror thriller The Others for which she received good reviews. She plays a doomed ill French courtesan and is incredibly charming. I could make a case for her winning but I see this film as a two-hander and if Ewan McGregor doesn't even get nominated I can't condone giving the win to Kidman as much of her performance is benefited from their chemistry.
2. Sissy Spacek - In The Bedroom - I absolutely loved this performance. Spacek plays the mother of a recently murdered son. After his death she becomes kind of emotionless but has brilliant moments of outbursts as she sees her son's killer and girlfriend walking around town. The best moment in the film involves Marisa Tomei coming up to her and asking if there is anything she can do and Spacek just looks at her and slaps her in the face without saying a word.
1. Halle Berry - Monster's Ball - Monster's Ball is one of those movies that is designed to make you as sad as possible. A man is executed, a son commits suicide, another son is hit by a car, an old man is sent away and at the center of it all is Halle Berry. She is a recently widowed mother who, through a seemingly random string of events, ends up in a romantic relationship with the corrections officer that executed her husband. She is emotionally brutal in this film. She is sad the entire movie and even when there are moments of hope for her character she is pulled back into misery. She also has one of the most authentic sex scenes ever filmed.
I liked all of these performances and I could make a case for my top 4 winning in this category, which is a rarity in this category. Based on performance alone the vote is between Berry and Spacek. Spacek won already so that's a point in Berry's favor but this is also the first time, and really only time, we saw Berry act. Up to this point she played mostly the sexy girlfriend role and now we see her mostly in thrillers and superhero movies so that's a point in Spacek's favor. Then again, Berry was freaking fantastic in Monster's Ball and she was the first black actress to win in this category so it's also a matter of it's about damn time. I gave the GABBY to Spacek because I hadn't given her a win yet despite over 20 years of great performances but my vote here is for Halle Berry.
My Vote: Halle Berry
GABBY Winner: Sissy Spacek
5. Jon Voight - Ali - Say what you want about Jon Voight's lackluster Howard Cossell impression, at least he's not in the movie that much. This is a very questionable nomination. He's not a substantial part in the film and he's not that good. What the hell is he doing here over Steve Buscmi in Ghost World? If they really wanted to nominate someone from Ali, why not Jamie Foxx?
4. Ethan Hawke - Training Day - This is an interesting nomination. Hawke is a co-lead in the film, he is having the titular training day, but he is over shadowed in almost every scene by Denzel Washington. That's not his fault though, Denzel has the flashier part. Hawke mostly just reacts to things during the film which is what a good actor should do. Given the choice between him and Steve Buscemi though, gotta pick Buscemi.
3. Ben Kingsley - Sexy Beast - Now we're into the meat of the category. Based on performance alone, Ben Kingsley is my favorite in any of these categories. The only reason he ranks 3rd here is because he had an Oscar while McKellen and Broadbent didn't. Kingsley plays a violent and vulgar criminal who is set on getting a retired con to pull one last bank heist. Almost every other word out of his mouth is an obscenity and if you only knew Kingsley from his Oscar winning role as Gandhi then this would cement him in your mind as a man of range. This character is the complete opposite of Gandhi and he is so deliciously evil that you can't help but love him.
1. Jim Broadbent - Iris - You gotta love Jim Broadbent. Not only was he terrific this year playing the older version of John Bayley in Iris but he also provided tremendous comic relief in Moulin Rouge! and Bridget Jones's Diary. You could definitely make a case for him as supporting actor of the year. In Iris he plays an elderly man who is caring for his wife who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We see flashbacks to their courtship and find that when they first met, she was the outgoing one and he was a very mild and meek man. She also cheated on him a lot and now the stress of her disease is getting to him and he lashes out occasionally. Broadbent is incredibly sweet in the film and you really feel for him as the movie progresses. Not to be outdone, Hugh Bonneville plays the younger version of the character and is equally terrific.
Just like with Denzel, if you're up for your 2nd Oscar it has to be a no questions decision. Ben Kingsley gave the best performance in the category but he already won one for Gandhi, for which he beat out Peter O'Toole, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon and Paul Newman. If he won here he would be taking a win away from Jim Broadbent and Ian McKellen. It stinks that he gave one of my favorite supporting performances of all time and I can't even consider him. Broadbent beating McKellen is like Jason Robards beating Alec Guinness in 1977, but I condone it. Broadbent is so damn charming, heartwarming and just downright adorable in Iris. I gave the GABBY to Kingsley but I had not given him a win yet.
Oscar Winner: Jim Broadbent
My Vote: Jim Broadbent
GABBY Winner: Ben Kingsley

5. Kate Winslet - Iris - Winslet plays young Judi Dench in the flashback scenes. She's good in the role but is out shined by Hugh Bonneville, who is amazing as young Jim Broadbent. Having her nominated instead of him makes me dislike this nomination.
4. Helen Mirren - Gosford Park - Mirren plays the head of the servants. She's crusty and worldly and it turns out that she committed the murder that is at the centerpiece of the film. Sorry for the spoiler but you shouldn't have to watch this movie. She's fine in the film but it is an ensemble film and it feels like a cheat to award one actor from it.
3. Maggie Smith - Gosford Park - Smith steals the show here. She's the old gossipy matron. She speaks her mind, calls people boring and then goes to her maid to see what the servants are talking about behind everyone's back. She's a scene stealer and if anyone from Gosford Park was going to win it should have been her. She's won twice already though so there's no way I would ever consider voting for her.
2. Marisa Tomei - In The Bedroom - Tomei plays the woman at the center of the conflict of the film. She is an older woman in a relationship with a younger man. Her violent ex-husband murders the young boy which sends the family in a tailspin. She's absolutely terrific in the film, as is the entire ensemble, and if she hadn't have won 9 years ago then she would be my vote. Her recollection of the murder causes the killer to go free and she's just an emotional mess through the whole movie.
1. Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind - She plays one of John Nash's students that eventually becomes his wife. She brings him out of his shell a bit. He goes on a bunch of government adventures and she's like, where have you been? and he says government work, and then she's like no you haven't, you cray cray, these letters you've been sending haven't been going anywhere. There is no government conspiracy and you need to take your medication. The movie starts to become about her dealing with her husband's schizophrenia and she becomes the only person in the film you really care about. Also, she is one of the most beautiful actresses ever. Her introduction into the movie is during one of Nash's classes and she just walks over and opens a window and turns to the camera and you feel like you're watching Lana Turner in her prime.
Connelly wins by default here. Tomei's already won, Smith has won twice, Winslet and Mirren will win for better performances so that leaves Jennifer Connelly. I didn't like the movie but I like Jennifer Connelly. I've had a crush on her since I saw Career Opportunities and thought she was overlooked for Requiem For A Dream so this year is as good as any to give her an award. I gave the GABBY to Tomei but I had neglected to honor her yet.
Oscar Winner: Jennifer Connelly
My Vote: Jennifer Connelly
GABBY Winner: Marisa Tomei
GABBY Winner: Marisa Tomei
Best Director
Ron Howard has directed some great films but he is the least hip choice in this category. David Lynch's awesome mind fuck Mulholland Dr. was nominated as well as Robert Altman, Peter Jackson and Ridley Scott. Also, Baz Luhrmann failed to get a nod for Moulin Rouge!. When I think of who should win Best Director I sometimes think of what the movie would have looked like with a different director. Lynch and Luhrmann and to a lesser extent Altman and Jackson put their signature stamp on their films. A lot of people could have been at the helm of A Beautiful Mind and it would have looked exactly the same.
Best Original Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay
I understand giving it to Gosford Park, it's the only Best Picture nominee in the lineup and you look intelligent if you really like it. I guess it does a decent job of handling all of its characters but so does The Royal Tenenbaums and if you were voting on "Most Original" screenplay I think you have to pick Memento, which should have gotten more Oscar love, or Amelie. A Beautiful Mind wins in the adapted category, which is the weakest choice over Ghost World, In The Bedroom, Lord Of The Rings and Shrek. I have issues with how the screenplay to A Beautiful Mind sets up an hour worth of characters and plot and then abandons it Ghost World is a very tight screenplay focused on its characters.
Best Animated Feature Film
First year for this category and Dreamworks goes up against Pixar and is victorious. Shrek beats Monsters, Inc. with Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius assuredly in a distant 3rd place. Pixar would go on to dominate this category in coming years but having to choose between the two films I would pick Monsters, Inc. as it had the most heart.
Best Foreign Language Film
This is odd, Amelie got 5 Oscar nominations but couldn't get a win in this category. Instead No Man's Land wins. I know you have to have seen all 5 nominees to vote in this category but it just seems weird that Amelie had wide support but couldn't win in the one category where it was almost assured to.
Best Original Score/Song
Randy Newman loses in the score category to The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring but wins in the song category for the fairly forgettable "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc.. This was his 16th nomination so it was about time and in the weak category he was in there's really no excuse. Paul McCartney's silly little ditty for Vanilla Sky, the terrible Pearl Harbor song, Enya's song from LOTR and Sting's ballad from Kate & Leopold wouldn't hold up as winners either.
Best Sound/Sound Editing
Black Hawk Down wins Best Sound, deservedly I'd say. Moulin Rouge! or LOTR would have been fine winners but Black Hawk Down is a fine choice. The Best Sound Editing category is weird as only Pearl Harbor and Monsters, Inc. were nominated. In that case I would say vote for the better film but they gave an Oscar to Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. Titanic worked so let's take another American tragedy and add a love story and include big budget special effects.
Best Art Direction
Moulin Rouge! wins which is the best choice in the category. The movie would have been nothing without the sets. The same can be said for Lord Of The Rings, but that movie was gonna win a lot of Oscars so let's spread the wealth a little.
Best Cinematography
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring wins. Not only does the movie feature big, lush, beautiful landscape shots of New Zealand but they used force perspective with moving cameras to make the hobbits appear smaller than the other actors was ingenious. Roger Deakins again goes home empty handed for his black and white work on The Man Who Wasn't There.
Best Makeup
No reason why The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring shouldn't win here especially when it up against the really horrible old age makeup in A Beautiful Mind which looks like it should be in a high school production of Inherit The Wind more than an Oscar winning Best Picture.
Best Costume Design
Moulin Rouge! wins, and why shouldn't it?
Best Film Editing
A lot of times the academy will just go for the Best Picture winner in this category but instead of throwing another bone to A Beautiful Mind they went with Black Hawk Down. It would have been nice to honor Memento, as the real star of that movie is the editing.
Best Visual Effects
No contest. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. Literally no contest, it was up against A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and Pearl Harbor. Visual effects in those movies were good but, come on, do you want either of those movies to win an Oscar?
Up Next
1977
Ron Howard has directed some great films but he is the least hip choice in this category. David Lynch's awesome mind fuck Mulholland Dr. was nominated as well as Robert Altman, Peter Jackson and Ridley Scott. Also, Baz Luhrmann failed to get a nod for Moulin Rouge!. When I think of who should win Best Director I sometimes think of what the movie would have looked like with a different director. Lynch and Luhrmann and to a lesser extent Altman and Jackson put their signature stamp on their films. A lot of people could have been at the helm of A Beautiful Mind and it would have looked exactly the same.
Best Original Screenplay/Adapted Screenplay
I understand giving it to Gosford Park, it's the only Best Picture nominee in the lineup and you look intelligent if you really like it. I guess it does a decent job of handling all of its characters but so does The Royal Tenenbaums and if you were voting on "Most Original" screenplay I think you have to pick Memento, which should have gotten more Oscar love, or Amelie. A Beautiful Mind wins in the adapted category, which is the weakest choice over Ghost World, In The Bedroom, Lord Of The Rings and Shrek. I have issues with how the screenplay to A Beautiful Mind sets up an hour worth of characters and plot and then abandons it Ghost World is a very tight screenplay focused on its characters.
Best Animated Feature Film
First year for this category and Dreamworks goes up against Pixar and is victorious. Shrek beats Monsters, Inc. with Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius assuredly in a distant 3rd place. Pixar would go on to dominate this category in coming years but having to choose between the two films I would pick Monsters, Inc. as it had the most heart.
Best Foreign Language Film
This is odd, Amelie got 5 Oscar nominations but couldn't get a win in this category. Instead No Man's Land wins. I know you have to have seen all 5 nominees to vote in this category but it just seems weird that Amelie had wide support but couldn't win in the one category where it was almost assured to.
Best Original Score/Song
Randy Newman loses in the score category to The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring but wins in the song category for the fairly forgettable "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc.. This was his 16th nomination so it was about time and in the weak category he was in there's really no excuse. Paul McCartney's silly little ditty for Vanilla Sky, the terrible Pearl Harbor song, Enya's song from LOTR and Sting's ballad from Kate & Leopold wouldn't hold up as winners either.
Best Sound/Sound Editing
Black Hawk Down wins Best Sound, deservedly I'd say. Moulin Rouge! or LOTR would have been fine winners but Black Hawk Down is a fine choice. The Best Sound Editing category is weird as only Pearl Harbor and Monsters, Inc. were nominated. In that case I would say vote for the better film but they gave an Oscar to Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor. Titanic worked so let's take another American tragedy and add a love story and include big budget special effects.
Best Art Direction
Moulin Rouge! wins which is the best choice in the category. The movie would have been nothing without the sets. The same can be said for Lord Of The Rings, but that movie was gonna win a lot of Oscars so let's spread the wealth a little.
Best Cinematography
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring wins. Not only does the movie feature big, lush, beautiful landscape shots of New Zealand but they used force perspective with moving cameras to make the hobbits appear smaller than the other actors was ingenious. Roger Deakins again goes home empty handed for his black and white work on The Man Who Wasn't There.
Best Makeup
No reason why The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring shouldn't win here especially when it up against the really horrible old age makeup in A Beautiful Mind which looks like it should be in a high school production of Inherit The Wind more than an Oscar winning Best Picture.
Best Costume Design
Moulin Rouge! wins, and why shouldn't it?
Best Film Editing
A lot of times the academy will just go for the Best Picture winner in this category but instead of throwing another bone to A Beautiful Mind they went with Black Hawk Down. It would have been nice to honor Memento, as the real star of that movie is the editing.
Best Visual Effects
No contest. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. Literally no contest, it was up against A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and Pearl Harbor. Visual effects in those movies were good but, come on, do you want either of those movies to win an Oscar?
Up Next
1977
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