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The Winners!

Leave it to Roger Ebert for picking exactly which film would win Best Picture. Leave it to me for second-guessing Ebert. Of course, in all humility (ah, screw humility), I did better than Ebert in the long run. The over four-hour long Oscar broadcast ended with a surprise... in my opinion, anyway. Over the years, the Best Film Editing and Best Director Oscars usually went to the same film that won Best Picture. I thought Saving Private Ryan was a shoo-in. Maybe I'll go shoot myself.

Out of the 20 categories which I felt qualified to vote for, I guessed 13 correctly, giving me an average of 65%. That's really pathetic, though better than some. The other 4 categories I had not seen any of the films available. Out of the top nine awards (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supp. Actor, Supp. Actress, Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay, Best Foreign Film), I got 6 of them correct. That's an average of 66.667%. I guess I didn't do much worse throughout the rest of the categories. Still, I'm rather disappointed with the Oscars this year. Then again, aren't I every year?

Winners are bolded and colorized.
Best Picture
  • Elizabeth
  • Life is Beautiful
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • Shakespeare in Love
  • The Thin Red Line

    I honestly would never have picked Shakespeare in Love. First and foremost, I thought Saving Private Ryan was a better film. I thought The Thin Red Line was an even better film than that. Of course, what do I know? I thought Dark City was the best film of the year. Well, this ruins the theory I had that Best Film Editing also received Best Picture. Anyone else think the Academy is making up for last year's xenophobic attitudes? This ended the telecast which has been one of the strangest and downright boring in a long time.

    Best Director
  • Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful
  • Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan
  • John Madden, Shakespeare in Love
  • Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line
  • Peter Weir, The Truman Show

    No big surprise here. I was actually pulling for Spielberg (although it would have been great to see Malick win). It was quite obvious he would win--he had the support of everyone. Madden didn't win, which I figured meant Shakespeare in Love wouldn't win. Oh well. Still, I'm rather pissed that Terrence Malick's war film was the only one nominated of all the Best Pictures to not receive at least one award. At least cinematography, people! At least!

    Best Actor
  • Robert Benigni, Life is Beautiful
  • Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan
  • Ian McKellen, Gods and Monsters
  • Nick Nolte, Affliction
  • Edward Norton, American History X

    Okay, is it just me, or did Benigni not deserve this award? I mean, I didn't think he deserved the nomination, let alone the win. His character was too similar to how he acts in real life. One can see that from his antics on stage. It's like giving the Oscar to John Wayne for True Grit. No real stretch, but sentiment wins over. My personal choice was for Norton, but he had no chance in hell of getting it. Then again, I thought the same thing of Benigni. Well, this is the first time a foreign actor has received this award since... well, since Sophia Loren (who incidentally presented the Best Foreign Film Oscar, for which Life is Beautiful also won). It's a real shame, I tell ya. By the way, Jim Carrey, who didn't receive the nomination he deserved, gave the night's funniest speech, lamenting about the fact that he wasn't nominated. Next year, maybe we can get him to host?

    Best Actress
  • Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth
  • Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station
  • Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love
  • Meryl Streep, One True Thing
  • Emily Watson, Hilary and Jackie

    Sure, Emily Watson deserved to win here, but did she ever have a chance? The two frontrunners were Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow, and while Blanchett won the Golden Globe, her popularity dropped prior to the voting for the Oscars. It all comes down to who gave the better performance. In my opinion, Blanchett was startling in her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth, giving a dynamic performance from start to finish. The final moments of the film, as Blanchett walks gracefully towards her throne, are haunting mostly due to Blanchett. Paltrow, while good, gave a performance that leaves the memory hours after watching. It's a shame Blanchett didn't win.

    Best Supporting Actor
  • James Coburn, Affliction
  • Robert Duvall, A Civil Action
  • Ed Harris, The Truman Show
  • Geoffrey Rush, Shakespeare in Love
  • Billy Bob Thornton, A Simple Plan

    I never even had the chance to see Affliction due to schooling conflicts and the lack of theaters showing the film, but I pegged Coburn to take the award mostly due to other people's predictions. However, Duvall, with his seemingly simple portrayal was actually a multi-layered one that left a huge impression, should have received it, if not just for the snubbing of his performance last year in The Apostle.

    Best Supporting Actress
  • Kathy Bates, Primary Colors
  • Brenda Blethyn, Little Voice
  • Judi Dench, Shakespeare in Love
  • Rachel Griffiths, Hilary and Jackie
  • Lynn Redgrave, Gods and Monsters

    Last year, Judi Dench was snubbed by the Academy when the less-talented Helen Hunt received the Oscar for As Good As It Gets. Dench deserved that award--and now she got it, only for a different role. I firmly believe that a best supporting performance award should go to someone who does more than show up for eight minutes and mimic her performance from her previous film. But the Dame got it, quite unfairly, I might add. Rachel Griffiths, who had about as much chance as Emily Watson did to get it, deserved the award with a performance that balanced the film's emotional center. It's a shame no one had seen it by the time the Academy voted.

    Best Original Screenplay
  • Bulworth, Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser
  • Life is Beautiful, Vincenzo Cerami and Roberto Benigni
  • Saving Private Ryan, Robert Rodat
  • Shakespeare in Love, Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
  • The Truman Show, Andrew Niccol

    Which is harder: produce a screenplay based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, told from another perspective; or produce a screenplay derived from the imagination--a completely original piece of filmmaking? I would have to go with the latter, but the Academy went with the former. Certainly, Dark City was the most intelligent and worthy script this year, but Andrew Niccol (after 1997's Gattaca) presented a smart and witty fairy tale about America's obsession with TV and one man's discovery of the world around him.

    Best Adapted Screenplay
  • Gods and Monsters, Bill Condon
  • Out of Sight, Scott Frank
  • Primary Colors, Elaine May
  • A Simple Plan, Scott B. Smith
  • The Thin Red Line, Terrence Malick

    I have yet to see Bill Condon's Gods and Monsters, but I can say that as a thorough fan of Malick's The Thin Red Line, I must go with him. The Academy thought differently, picking Condon's screenplay. Malick, however, deserved some recognition for his superior film, and this was the best category to give it to him. Too bad for him... better luck next time, I guess.

    Best Foreign Film
  • Central Station, Brazil
  • Children of Heaven, Iran
  • The Grandfather, Spain
  • Life is Beautiful, Italy
  • Tango, Argentina

    Duh. Big surprise.

    Best Cinematography
  • A Civil Action
  • Elizabeth
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • Shakespeare in Love
  • The Thin Red Line

    What the hell? I'm sorry... really... but after winning the American Society of Cinematographers award for Best Cinematography of the year, I figured the outstanding work of John Toll would take the Oscar as well. His camerawork on The Thin Red Line is by far the strongest of those nominated (Robert Richardson deserved to win for his beautiful work on The Horse Whisperer). Sure, Janusz Kaminski's work on Saving Private Ryan was astonishing, but aside from the opening twenty-five minutes, it was rather uneventful. Toll's work was consistent from start to finish--nearly three hours of beautiful cinematography. He deserved it, dammit!

    Best Film Editing
  • Life is Beautiful
  • Out of Sight
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • Shakespeare in Love
  • The Thin Red Line

    This was actually a shocker, since the film that wins this category usually goes to take the Best Picture Oscar. This year is the exception, as Saving Private Ryan took the award. Each film nominated here was superbly edited, and the voters selected the popular Saving Private Ryan to go with. I happened to prefer The Thin Red Line, but that had three different editors working on it. Maybe the voters didn't want to hand the Oscar to three different people? Yeah, right.

    Best Art Direction
  • Elizabeth
  • Pleasantville
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • Shakespeare in Love
  • What Dreams May Come

    Both Pleasantville and What Dreams May Come were the strongest in terms of art direction here. Dark City, the one film that should have been nominated here and wasn't, was by far superior to any of those nominated. And as good looking as Pleasantville was, it wasn't able to convince the Academy, as they went for a more simple look in Shakespeare in Love. Again, their own fault.

    Best Makeup
  • Elizabeth
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • Shakespeare in Love

    It's just not worth commenting anymore. I hate the Academy. The bloody gruesomeness of Saving Private Ryan should have won here, but it went to the vastly simpler work in Elizabeth. Thankfully, it did not go to Shakespeare in Love, the weakest of those nominated.

    Best Costume Design
  • Beloved
  • Elizabeth
  • Pleasantville
  • Shakespeare in Love
  • Velvet Goldmine

    Eh, screw you Academy. No... really. Well, at least they gave it to the right costume designer. Just for the wrong film. Velvet Goldmine, which I have only seen clips of, was imaginative and creative. It probably should have won here.

    Best Sound
  • Armageddon
  • The Mask of Zorro
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • Shakespeare in Love
  • The Thin Red Line

    Oh my gosh! One I can actually agree on?! Oh the humanity. At least they didn't give it to the bombastic Armageddon.

    Best Sound Effects Editing
  • Armageddon
  • The Mask of Zorro
  • Saving Private Ryan

    See my Best Sound comments.

    Best Visual Effects
  • Armageddon
  • Mighty Joe Young
  • What Dreams May Come

    Another one I can agree on? What is going on here? I thought they might have gone for the work done in Armageddon, but they went with the even better work done in What Dreams May Come, a visual triumph in every sense of the word. Good for you, Academy voters.

    Best Original Score (Dramatic)
  • Elizabeth, David Hirschfelder
  • Life is Beautiful, Nicola Piovani
  • Pleasantville, Randy Newman
  • Saving Private Ryan, John Williams
  • The Thin Red Line, Hans Zimmer

    Ahem. Hans Zimmer should have won. Just my opinion.

    Best Original Score (Musical or Comedy)
  • A Bug's Life, Randy Newman
  • Mulan, Matthew Wilder, David Zippel, and Jerry Goldsmith
  • Patch Adams, Marc Shaiman
  • The Prince of Egypt, Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer
  • Shakespeare in Love, Stephen Warbeck

    Again, Hans Zimmer should have won. But at least this time around it's an orchestral score that at least was good. If the Academy had gone with Shaiman's score, I would have shot myself. And I'm pretty sure Roger Ebert would have too. Maybe every single critic on the planet.

    Best Original Song
  • "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon
  • "The Prayer" from Quest for Camelot
  • "A Soft Place to Fall" from The Horse Whisperer
  • "That'll Do" from Babe: Pig in the City
  • "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt

    Hey, at least they didn't vote for The Prayer, right? While I preferred Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited", my second choice was for "When You Believe." And it won!

    Best Animated Short Film
  • "Bunny"
  • "The Canterbury Tales"
  • "Jolly Roger"
  • "More"
  • "When Life Departs"

    Okay... now where I can find a copy to see it?

    Best Live-Action Short Film
  • "Culture"
  • "Election Night (Valgaften)"
  • "Holiday Romance"
  • "La Carte Postale (The Postcard)"
  • "Victor"

    Uh... see my comments for the animated short film.

    Best Feature Documentary
  • Dancemaker
  • The Farm: Angola, U.S.A.
  • The Last Days
  • Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
  • Regret to Inform

    Spielberg does it again... again.

    Best Short-Subject Documentary
  • The Personals: Improvisations on Romance in the Golden Years
  • A Place in the Land
  • Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square

    Never saw any of them. Will it be on video now?