and the nominees are . . .
Jan. 27th, 2004 11:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jlhOkay, here's my take. What should win, what will likely win. I'll probably revisit this in a month, and consider that my official "ballot" and then you can see how I do.
I preface this by saying that I am a fan of small pictures with amazing dialogue and no explosions, so caveat lector. Please--contend with me! Argue! Convince me of your case!
I'm going to start with the small stuff and work my way up. Keeps you reading, doesn't it?
Documentary feature
Balseros (Cuban refugees in the US)
Capturing the Friedmans (family unravels in face of child rape accusations)
The Fog of War (Robert McNamara, US Sec'y of Defense during the Vietnam War)
My Architect (About Louis Kahn by his son)
The Weather Underground (60s radical group)
Documentary short subject
Asylum (Kurdish asylum seekers in a Church)
Chernobyl Heart (I assume it's about Chernobyl, but it isn't in imdb so I can't say)
Ferry Tales (A group of women commuters on the Staten Island Ferry)
The old saw is that the Holocaust film will win (this is usually true) but we don't have an easy vote here. On top of that, two of these films actually got some play in theaters and some mainstream press attention--The Fog of War and Capturing the Friedmans. I'm picking Fog of War for the feature (and rushing out to see it) and Asylum for the short subject. No "want to win" here since I haven't seen most of them.
Short film (animated)
Boundin' Pixar
Destino Disney
Gone Nutty
Harvie Krumpet
Nibbles
Usually anything from Pixar would be the smart pick here, but I have actually seen Destino (randomly,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ali_wildgoose, epicyclical and I saw it before Calendar Girls) and it is gorgeous. It was conceived by Walt Disney and Salvador Dali, and as I said when I saw it, it does look like Snow White dancing through The Persistence of Memory. So that is my pick, for want to win and will win.
Short film (live action)
Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket)
Most (The Bridge)
Squash
(A) Torzija [(A) Torsion]
Two Soldiers
I'll tell you the truth: I just close my eyes and pick randomly. But I will say, it's really too bad that you can only see short films at film festivals these days. Fewer trailers and more short films, I say.
Sound editing
Finding Nemo
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Sound mixing
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Seabiscuit
Visual effects
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Film editing
City of God
Cold Mountain
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Finding Nemo, LotR, LotR, LotR, unless Pirates pulls out visual effects for the curse thing, but I very much doubt it.
Art direction
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Costume design
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Makeup
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Will win: LotR, LotR, LotR.
Should win: Actually, Girl with a Pearl Earring should get the first two awards. It wasn't that interesting, but god, was it gorgeous to look at. Also, interesting to note Seabiscuit in there, as it wasn't set all that far in the past.
Cinematography
City of God
Cold Mountain
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Since LotR wasn't nominated here, and since Cold Mountain doesn't have any momentum whatsoever, I'm picking Girl with a Pearl Earring as should win and will win. It's risky to make a movie about a painter who was all about the light, but wow, did they ever pull it off visually.
Foreign language film
The Barbarian Invasions Canada
Evil Sweden
The Twilight Samurai Japan
Twin Sisters The Netherlands
Zelary Czech Republic
After several years of big foreign films, there isn't much here anyone has heard of. I did see a very good review for The Barbarian Invasions so I'll go with that one.
Animated feature film
Brother Bear
Finding Nemo
The Triplets of Belleville
While it's great to see a year with two truly amazing animated films, I feel rather badly that The Triplets of Belleville has to go up against Finding Nemo, which will win, and probably should win, though it's a close call for me, artistically.ali_wildgoose, what say you?
Music (original score)
Big Fish Danny Elfman
Cold Mountain Gabriel Yared
Finding Nemo Thomas Newman
House of Sand and Fog James Horner
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Howard Shore
LotR. But let me just say, thank GOD that hack Williams isn't nominated this year.
Music (original song)
"Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
"A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from A Mighty Wind
"Scarlet Tide" from Cold Mountain
"The Triplets of Belleville" from The Triplets of Belleville
"You Will Be My Ain True Love" from Cold Mountain
LotR. I'm looking forward to the performances (especially the song from A Mighty Wind), and maybe Sting will wear a shirt this time!
Adapted Screenplay
American Splendor
City of God
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
Original Screenplay
The Barbarian Invasions
Dirty Pretty Things
Finding Nemo
In America
Lost in Translation
As Ali mentioned, it's great that Finding Nemo was nominated for screenplay--it really was a fantastic story. But I think this will be Lost in Translation's one win, and very well deserved. As for Adapted, LotR is likely to scoop it up, and I think it deserves it, but my sentimental favourite is American Splendor. It was amazingly innovative, blending live action, animation, and documentary seamlessly, and is what I would vote for if I had a ballot.
Actor in a supporting role
Alec Baldwin in The Cooler
Benicio Del Toro in 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou in In America
Tim Robbins in Mystic River
Ken Watanabe in The Last Samurai
Benicio was amazing, but he's won before. Alec won't win either. The Last Samurai has no momentum, so Watanabe is out. It really is between Hounsou and Robbins, and while I would love for Hounsou to win, I think it will be Robbins, fresh from his Golden Globe win.
Actress in a supporting role
Shohreh Aghdashloo in House of Sand and Fog
Patricia Clarkson in Pieces of April
Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River
Holly Hunter in Thirteen
Renée Zellweger in Cold Mountain
Renée played the only interesting character in that goddamned forsaken movie. In fact, about 20 minutes in I found myself waiting for her to show up. And she grabbed that part by the teeth and shook it. Should win, will win--the only win for Cold Mountain
Actor in a leading role
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley in House of Fog and Sand
Jude Law in Cold Mountain
Bill Murray in Lost in Translation
Sean Penn in Mystic River
Oh, my sentimental favorites! How fabulous is it for two actors in more comic than dramatic roles to be nominated here? Bill! Johnny! Between them, my personal pick is Bill, but only because it was a quiet, subtle, affecting thing--the kind of performance no viewer of SNL in 1977 would have predicted.
(Yes, Jude was great, but he has other great roles ahead of him. Yes, Ben was great, but that was a fucking downer of a movie that hardly anyone saw.)
But Sean Penn will get it and should get it. This is arguably the best actor of his generation, at the very top of his game, in a role that is only about him sitting in front of a camera and living the words, and that, my friends, is what this award is all about.
Actress in a leading role
Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider
Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give
Samantha Morton in In America
Charlize Theron in Monster
Naomi Watts in 21 Grams
This was definitely the category with the most surprises. No Jennifer Connely for House of Fog and Sand? Odd! No Nicole Kidman? Thank God! Keisha Castle-Hughes? Fantastic! Naomi Watts? She was amazing. Diane Keaton? I expected the Golden Globe but not this. Samantha Morton has been doing consistently good work for years, and it is good to see her recognized. But the award belongs to Charlize. She won the Globe, so now everyone is going to go out and see the film, be shocked and amazed, and vote for her.
Directing
City of God
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Best picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
LotR cannot be denied. The only upset I can see is if they decide to give the Best Picture to PJ but the Best Director to Clint for Mystic River, but I don't think that's in the cards. Note that Sofia Coppola is the first American woman nominated as Best Director. How wrong is that?
I imagine that LotR will not win all of its 11 possible awards--Girl with a Pearl Earring has a real chance at some of them--but it is so clearly the film of the year. Though to be honest, I'm glad that it didn't sneak into the acting awards. It is too much of an ensemble to pick anyone out, and this was a year heavy with little arty films like House of Fog and Sand and 21 Grams and Mystic River. There was simply no room for the guy heading up, or adding color to, the blockbuster.
Let the debates begin.
I preface this by saying that I am a fan of small pictures with amazing dialogue and no explosions, so caveat lector. Please--contend with me! Argue! Convince me of your case!
I'm going to start with the small stuff and work my way up. Keeps you reading, doesn't it?
Documentary feature
Balseros (Cuban refugees in the US)
Capturing the Friedmans (family unravels in face of child rape accusations)
The Fog of War (Robert McNamara, US Sec'y of Defense during the Vietnam War)
My Architect (About Louis Kahn by his son)
The Weather Underground (60s radical group)
Documentary short subject
Asylum (Kurdish asylum seekers in a Church)
Chernobyl Heart (I assume it's about Chernobyl, but it isn't in imdb so I can't say)
Ferry Tales (A group of women commuters on the Staten Island Ferry)
The old saw is that the Holocaust film will win (this is usually true) but we don't have an easy vote here. On top of that, two of these films actually got some play in theaters and some mainstream press attention--The Fog of War and Capturing the Friedmans. I'm picking Fog of War for the feature (and rushing out to see it) and Asylum for the short subject. No "want to win" here since I haven't seen most of them.
Short film (animated)
Boundin' Pixar
Destino Disney
Gone Nutty
Harvie Krumpet
Nibbles
Usually anything from Pixar would be the smart pick here, but I have actually seen Destino (randomly,
ali_wildgoose, epicyclical and I saw it before Calendar Girls) and it is gorgeous. It was conceived by Walt Disney and Salvador Dali, and as I said when I saw it, it does look like Snow White dancing through The Persistence of Memory. So that is my pick, for want to win and will win.Short film (live action)
Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket)
Most (The Bridge)
Squash
(A) Torzija [(A) Torsion]
Two Soldiers
I'll tell you the truth: I just close my eyes and pick randomly. But I will say, it's really too bad that you can only see short films at film festivals these days. Fewer trailers and more short films, I say.
Sound editing
Finding Nemo
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Sound mixing
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Seabiscuit
Visual effects
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Film editing
City of God
Cold Mountain
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Finding Nemo, LotR, LotR, LotR, unless Pirates pulls out visual effects for the curse thing, but I very much doubt it.
Art direction
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Costume design
Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Makeup
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Will win: LotR, LotR, LotR.
Should win: Actually, Girl with a Pearl Earring should get the first two awards. It wasn't that interesting, but god, was it gorgeous to look at. Also, interesting to note Seabiscuit in there, as it wasn't set all that far in the past.
Cinematography
City of God
Cold Mountain
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit
Since LotR wasn't nominated here, and since Cold Mountain doesn't have any momentum whatsoever, I'm picking Girl with a Pearl Earring as should win and will win. It's risky to make a movie about a painter who was all about the light, but wow, did they ever pull it off visually.
Foreign language film
The Barbarian Invasions Canada
Evil Sweden
The Twilight Samurai Japan
Twin Sisters The Netherlands
Zelary Czech Republic
After several years of big foreign films, there isn't much here anyone has heard of. I did see a very good review for The Barbarian Invasions so I'll go with that one.
Animated feature film
Brother Bear
Finding Nemo
The Triplets of Belleville
While it's great to see a year with two truly amazing animated films, I feel rather badly that The Triplets of Belleville has to go up against Finding Nemo, which will win, and probably should win, though it's a close call for me, artistically.
ali_wildgoose, what say you?Music (original score)
Big Fish Danny Elfman
Cold Mountain Gabriel Yared
Finding Nemo Thomas Newman
House of Sand and Fog James Horner
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Howard Shore
LotR. But let me just say, thank GOD that hack Williams isn't nominated this year.
Music (original song)
"Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
"A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from A Mighty Wind
"Scarlet Tide" from Cold Mountain
"The Triplets of Belleville" from The Triplets of Belleville
"You Will Be My Ain True Love" from Cold Mountain
LotR. I'm looking forward to the performances (especially the song from A Mighty Wind), and maybe Sting will wear a shirt this time!
Adapted Screenplay
American Splendor
City of God
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
Original Screenplay
The Barbarian Invasions
Dirty Pretty Things
Finding Nemo
In America
Lost in Translation
As Ali mentioned, it's great that Finding Nemo was nominated for screenplay--it really was a fantastic story. But I think this will be Lost in Translation's one win, and very well deserved. As for Adapted, LotR is likely to scoop it up, and I think it deserves it, but my sentimental favourite is American Splendor. It was amazingly innovative, blending live action, animation, and documentary seamlessly, and is what I would vote for if I had a ballot.
Actor in a supporting role
Alec Baldwin in The Cooler
Benicio Del Toro in 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou in In America
Tim Robbins in Mystic River
Ken Watanabe in The Last Samurai
Benicio was amazing, but he's won before. Alec won't win either. The Last Samurai has no momentum, so Watanabe is out. It really is between Hounsou and Robbins, and while I would love for Hounsou to win, I think it will be Robbins, fresh from his Golden Globe win.
Actress in a supporting role
Shohreh Aghdashloo in House of Sand and Fog
Patricia Clarkson in Pieces of April
Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River
Holly Hunter in Thirteen
Renée Zellweger in Cold Mountain
Renée played the only interesting character in that goddamned forsaken movie. In fact, about 20 minutes in I found myself waiting for her to show up. And she grabbed that part by the teeth and shook it. Should win, will win--the only win for Cold Mountain
Actor in a leading role
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley in House of Fog and Sand
Jude Law in Cold Mountain
Bill Murray in Lost in Translation
Sean Penn in Mystic River
Oh, my sentimental favorites! How fabulous is it for two actors in more comic than dramatic roles to be nominated here? Bill! Johnny! Between them, my personal pick is Bill, but only because it was a quiet, subtle, affecting thing--the kind of performance no viewer of SNL in 1977 would have predicted.
(Yes, Jude was great, but he has other great roles ahead of him. Yes, Ben was great, but that was a fucking downer of a movie that hardly anyone saw.)
But Sean Penn will get it and should get it. This is arguably the best actor of his generation, at the very top of his game, in a role that is only about him sitting in front of a camera and living the words, and that, my friends, is what this award is all about.
Actress in a leading role
Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider
Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give
Samantha Morton in In America
Charlize Theron in Monster
Naomi Watts in 21 Grams
This was definitely the category with the most surprises. No Jennifer Connely for House of Fog and Sand? Odd! No Nicole Kidman? Thank God! Keisha Castle-Hughes? Fantastic! Naomi Watts? She was amazing. Diane Keaton? I expected the Golden Globe but not this. Samantha Morton has been doing consistently good work for years, and it is good to see her recognized. But the award belongs to Charlize. She won the Globe, so now everyone is going to go out and see the film, be shocked and amazed, and vote for her.
Directing
City of God
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Best picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
LotR cannot be denied. The only upset I can see is if they decide to give the Best Picture to PJ but the Best Director to Clint for Mystic River, but I don't think that's in the cards. Note that Sofia Coppola is the first American woman nominated as Best Director. How wrong is that?
I imagine that LotR will not win all of its 11 possible awards--Girl with a Pearl Earring has a real chance at some of them--but it is so clearly the film of the year. Though to be honest, I'm glad that it didn't sneak into the acting awards. It is too much of an ensemble to pick anyone out, and this was a year heavy with little arty films like House of Fog and Sand and 21 Grams and Mystic River. There was simply no room for the guy heading up, or adding color to, the blockbuster.
Let the debates begin.
