81st Oscar Countdown:

Main | Archive | Contact
Film Reviews | Reviews By Year | Best Pictures | Box Office
The Oscars | Oscars By Year | Statistics | The People | Precursors | Articles | Presidents | Prediction Success
Discussion | UAADB
The DVD Report | Archive
Previews | Previews By Year | Release Schedule
Tributes | Tributes By Year
Resources | Books | Posters | Other Sites
Staff | Wesley Lovell | Peter J. Patrick

The Oscars: The 72nd Academy Awards (1999): Commentary

Picture
 
American Beauty - Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
Being John Malkovich
The Insider - Pieter Jan Brugge, Michael Mann
Magnolia - Paul Thomas Anderson, Joanne Sellar
The Sixth Sense
American Beauty - Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
The Cider House Rules - Richard N. Gladstein
The Green Mile - David Valdes
The Insider - Pieter Jan Brugge, Michael Mann
The Sixth Sense
 
My take on the nominations:
Miramax strikes again. I had suspected it might get nominated awhile back, but foolishly changed my tune thinking it hadn't received enough box office...silly me. This isn't bad of a list and nothing that truly leaps out as surprising. Cider House and Green Mile both ended up in my 5 possible spoilers. The Producers Guild predicted Cider House, but missed Green Mile and Sixth Sense.
 
Actor
 
Jim Carrey - Man on the Moon
Russell Crowe - The Insider
Richard Farnsworth - The Straight Story
Kevin Spacey - American Beauty
Denzel Washington - The Hurricane
Russell Crowe - The Insider
Richard Farnsworth - The Straight Story
Sean Penn - Sweet and Lowdown
Kevin Spacey - American Beauty
Denzel Washington - The Hurricane
 
My take on the nominations:
Carrey's non-nomination makes the Academy look like a bunch of ad-influencable old fogeys. Penn isn't a surprise, considering the number of ads taken out on his and Samantha Morton's behalf. Still not a surprise. SAG really screwed up this year only predictin three of the nominees.
 
Actress
 
Annette Bening - American Beauty
Janet McTeer - Tumbleweeds
Julianne Moore - The End of the Affair
Hilary Swank - Boys Don't Cry
Sigourney Weaver - A Map of the World
Annette Bening - American Beauty
Janet McTeer - Tumbleweeds
Julianne Moore - The End of the Affair
Meryl Streep - Music of the Heart
Hilary Swank - Boys Don't Cry
 
My take on the nominations:
Two days before the nominations, I had considered changing Weaver out for Streep, but decided against it. Though, it was completely predictable, mirroring the SAG awards easily.
 
Supporting Actor
 
Michael Caine - The Cider House Rules
Tom Cruise - Magnolia
Michael Clarke Duncan - The Green Mile
Haley Joel Osment - The Sixth Sense
Christopher Plummer - The Insider
Michael Caine - The Cider House Rules
Tom Cruise - Magnolia
Michael Clarke Duncan - The Green Mile
Jude Law - The Talented Mr. Ripley
Haley Joel Osment - The Sixth Sense
 
My take on the nominations:
Law's nomination is a welcome treat, but Plummer seemed sure of a nomination after being ignored by other groups, but not critics. SAG came close, missing only Law.
 
Supporting Actress
 
Cameron Diaz - Being John Malkovich
Angelina Jolie - Girl, Interrupted
Catherine Keener - Being John Malkovich
Julianne Moore - Magnolia
Chloe Sevigny - Boys Don't Cry
Toni Collette - The Sixth Sense
Angelina Jolie - Girl, Interrupted
Catherine Keener - Being John Malkovich
Samantha Morton - Sweet and Lowdown
Chloe Sevigny - Boys Don't Cry
 
My take on the nominations:
Again, no surprises, though Moore's exclusion indicates the Academy DOESN'T want to honor her after screwing her over for Boogie Nights. SAG missed both Collette and Morton.
 
Director
 
Paul Thomas Anderson - Magnolia
Norman Jewison - The Hurricane
Michael Mann - The Insider
Sam Mendes - American Beauty
M. Night Shyamalan - The Sixth Sense
Lasse Hallstrom - The Cider House Rules
Spike Jonze - Being John Malkovich
Michael Mann - The Insider
Sam Mendes - American Beauty
M. Night Shyamalan - The Sixth Sense
 
My take on the nominations:
Hallstorm is not one of those directors you expect, but with Miramax behind him, how could he not get nominated. Jones' nomination feels pointless. The DGA merely switched Darabont for Green Mile for Hallstrom.
 
Original Screenplay
 
All About My Mother - Pedro Almodovar
American Beauty - Alan Ball
Being John Malkovich - Charlie Kaufman
Magnolia - Paul Thomas Anderson
The Sixth Sense - M. Night Shyamalan
American Beauty - Alan Ball
Being John Malkovich - Charlie Kaufman
Magnolia - Paul Thomas Anderson
The Sixth Sense - M. Night Shyamalan
Topsy-Turvy - Mike Leigh
 
 
My take on the nominations:
Topsy-Turvy did win the New York Film Critics Award, so its inclusion isn't surprising. Pedro Almodovar has a lot of experience left to gain according to the Academy and apparently Three Kings, the WGA nominee over Turvy, wasn't liked well enough to get this or any other nomination. The Academy does appare to like Mike Leigh.
 
Adapted Screenplay
 
The Cider House Rules - John Irving (Also Novel)
Election - Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor (Novel: Tom Perrotta)
Eyes Wide Shut - Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael (Novel: Arthur Schnitzler)
The Insider - Eric Roth, Michael Mann (Article: Marie Brenner)
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Anthony Minghella (Novel: Patricia Highsmith)
The Cider House Rules - John Irving (Also Novel)
Election - Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor (Novel: Tom Perrotta)
The Green Mile - Frank Darabont (Novel: Stephen King)
The Insider - Eric Roth, Michael Mann (Article: Marie Brenner)
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Anthony Minghella (Novel: Patricia Highsmith)
 
My take on the nominations:
Not a surprise, though not to acknowledge Kubrick for his last film makes the Academy look hollow and petty. It could also be contributed to Warner Brothers' lack of campaign push for the film. October Sky was the WGA nominee instead of The Green Mile. Darabont is apparently only liked as a writer and not a director.
 
Foreign Film
 
All About My Mother - Spain
The Cup - Bhutan
East-West - France
Rosetta - Belgium
Three Seasons - Vietnam
All About My Mother - Spain
Caravan - Nepal
East-West - France
Solomon and Gaenor - United Kingdom
Under the Sun - Sweden
 
My take on the nominations:
What can one say, the Foreign Film category isn't easy to predict, though All About My Mother and the French nominee were the only ones that had a real shot without any trouble. Nepal is surprising, but the UK and Sweden are not.
 
Original Song
 
"Beautiful Stranger" - Austin Powers 2
"Music of My Heart" - Music of the Heart
"Save Me" - Magnolia
"When She Loved Me" - Toy Story 2
"You'll Be In My Heart" - Tarzan
"Blame Canada" - South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
"Music of My Heart" - Music of the Heart
"Save Me" - Magnolia
"When She Loved Me" - Toy Story 2
"You'll Be In My Heart" - Tarzan
 
My take on the nominations:
Apparently the music branch, upset that South Park was not allowed to compete by its officials, the film HAD to have a song nominee and it came in the form of "Blame Canada" and not "Mountain Town" or "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" Apparently the Academy still doesn't like Madonna-written...just ones she sings without writing.
 
Original Score
 
American Beauty - Thomas Newman
Angela's Ashes - John Williams
The Red Violin - John Corigliano
Sleepy Hollow - Danny Elfman
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Gabriel Yared
American Beauty - Thomas Newman
Angela's Ashes - John Williams
The Cider House Rules - Rachel Portman
The Red Violin - John Corigliano
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Gabriel Yared
 
My take on the nominations:
While Cider House's nomination might seem surprising, when you look at the Miramax factor and the Rachel Portman, surprise winner for Emma, factor. She seems to be the most popular female composer in recent history.
 
Film Editing
 
American Beauty - Tariq Anwar, Chris Greenbury
The Insider - William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell
The Matrix
The Sixth Sense - Andrew Mondshein
The Talented Mr. Ripley

American Beauty - Tariq Anwar, Chris Greenbury
The Cider House Rules - Lisa Zeno Churgin
The Insider - William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell
The Matrix

The Sixth Sense - Andrew Mondshein
 
My take on the nominations:
Again, the Miramax factor...what can you do? Cider House was no where to be seen in the ACE nominations, neither Drama nor Comedy.
 
Cinematography
 
American Beauty - Conrad L. Hall
The Insider - Dante Spinotti
Sleepy Hollow - Emmanuel Lubezki
Snow Falling on Cedars - Robert Richardson
The Talented Mr. Ripley - John Seale
American Beauty - Conrad L. Hall
The End of the Affair - Roger Pratt
The Insider - Dante Spinotti
Sleepy Hollow - Emmanuel Lubezki
Snow Falling on Cedars - Robert Richardson
 
My take on the nominations:
Interesting...very interesting. Probably the most surprising of ALL of the nominations this year and it's not even THAT surprising. The ASC thought Sixth Sense had better cinematography than End of the Affair.
 
Art Direction/Set Decoration
 
American Beauty - ?; ?
Anna and the King - Luciana Arrighi, John Ralph; Ian Whittaker
Sleepy Hollow - Ken Court; Peter Young
Titus - Dante Ferretti; ?
Topsy-Turvy
Anna and the King - Luciana Arrighi, John Ralph; Ian Whittaker
The Cider House Rules - David Gropman; Beth A. Rubino
Sleepy Hollow - Ken Court; Peter Young
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Roy Walker; ?
Topsy-Turvy

 
My take on the nominations:
Miramax...Miramax...Miramax...Mr. Ripley? Who knows why they chose it, but they did. No Titus (majorly surprising) or American Beauty (not at all surprising). Perhaps American Beauty isn't as popular with voters as we thought, but this isn't much of a category to influence Picture. The Art Directors Guild had a horrible year predicting only Anna and the King and Sleepy Hollow, picking American Beauty, Matrix and Titus over Cider House, Mr. Ripley and Topsy-Turvy.
 
Costume Design
 
Anna and the King - Jenny Beavan
The Emperor and the Assassin - Qiuping Huang, Mo Xiaomin
Sleepy Hollow - Colleen Atwood
Star Wars: Episode I - Trisha Biggar
Topsy-Turvy
Anna and the King - Jenny Beavan
Sleepy Hollow - Colleen Atwood
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Ann Roth
Titus - Milena Canonero
Topsy-Turvy
 
My take on the nominations:
No Emperor, no big deal. No Star Wars, oh well. Mr. Ripley, why? Titus, ok. Costume Designers Guild winner Sleepy Hollow and Mr. Ripley are the ONLY choices made that reflect the above nominations.
 
Makeup
 
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Life
Topsy-Turvy
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Bicentennial Man
Life
Topsy-Turvy
 
My take on the nominations:
Surprising that they have four choices instead of the usual three and Blast From the Past is easily the one to leave out.
 
Sound
 
American Beauty
The Matrix
The Sixth Sense
Sleepy Hollow
Star Wars: Episode I
The Green Mile
The Insider
The Matrix
The Mummy
Star Wars: Episode I
 
My take on the nominations:
Originally The Mummy was a key figure on my list, but I removed it...it happens. Green Mile is not surprising, but Insider is to an extent. Usually a best picture nominee winds up here, but American Beauty would have been the odds-on favorite, since it is the nomination leader. The Cinema Audio Society matched these twice with Matrix and Star Wars, but not American Beauty, Any Given Sunday and The Sixth Sense.
 
Sound Effects Editing
 
Fight Club
The Matrix
Star Wars: Episode I
Fight Club
The Matrix
Star Wars: Episode I
 
My take on the nominations:
Wow...I got a category right? Why here? Ah well, no surprise whatsoever. All three are nominees for the Motion Picture Sound Editors award, along with a whole gaggle of others.
 
Visual Effects
 
The Matrix
The Mummy
Star Wars: Episode I
The Matrix
Star Wars: Episode I
Stuart Little
 
My take on the nominations:
Again, a case of, I should have known better, but didn't change it in the end. Stuart Little is definitely not surprising.
 
Documentary
 
American Movie
Buena Vista Social Club
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred Leuchter Jr.
Smoke & Mirrors: A History of Denial
Speaking in Strings
Buena Vista Social Club
Genghis Blues
On the Ropes
One Day in September
Speaking in Strings
 
My take on the nominations:
Being the first year I've been able to attemp predictions in this and the Short Film categories, I've done pretty well. I don't worry about surprises in these categories, because the Academy is notorious for overlooking the most popular choices. Buena Vista is hands-down the favorite...it is Wim Wenders, after all.
 
Animated Short Film
 
The Indescribable Nth
The Old Man and the Sea
The Phox, the Box and the Lox
Silence
Village of Idiots
Humdrum
My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts
The Old Man and the Sea
Three Misses
When the Day Breaks
 
My take on the nominations:
Enh...can't win them all. If I had known Humdrum was from Aardman, I probably would have included it...they are the ones behind Nick Park's 4 Oscar nominations and 3 wins.
 
Live-Action Short Films
 
Cirque du Soleil - Journey of Man
The Dance of Shiva
Killing Joe
Mutual Love Life
My Mother Dreams The Satan's Disciples in New York
Bror, Min Bror (Teis and Nico)
Killing Joe
Kleingold (Small Change)
Major and Minor Miracles
My Mother Dreams The Satan's Disciples in New York
 
My take on the nominations:
Sometimes you can pick the choice by the title, sometimes not. Satan's Disciples was one of those cases.
©1996-2008 - Written content and Logos are copyrighted by Wesley Lovell | Contact Us
© ® ™ Academy Award(s), Oscar(s) and the Oscar statuette are registered trademarks and service marks of A.M.P.A.S.
© Film images are copyrighted by the individual studios