Oscar Picks after 7 months

[CMJ]

Well we are officially 7 months into the year now. These would be my picks based on what I've seen so far...of course these will most likely change radically between now and the end of the year. Note: I have not designated winners yet either.... In some of the catgories I REALLY had to struggle to come up with 5 nominee's.

Best Picture
Memento
A.I.
Shrek
Blow
Planet of the Apes

I can see A.I and Memento being on my end of year Oscar hopefull list VERY easily. The rest not really at all. SHREK will probably fall into the animated film category(if they really have it this year). BLOW was a very good film...but not best Pic material. POTA was just the best Action film of the year.

Best Director
Steven Spielberg(A.I)
Christopher Nolan(Memento)
Ted Demme(Blow)
Baz Luhrman(Moulin Rouge)
Andrew Adamson & Victoria Jenson(Shrek)
Spielberg was at his peak in A.I. . Nolan amazed me with MEMENTO...especially since it's only his 2nd film. MR was a director's dream...with all of it's glitzy style. The others...well they just had terrific films.

Best Actor:
Heley Joel Osmont(A.I.)
Guy Pierce(Memento)
Anthony Hopkins(Hannibal)
Ewan McGregor(Moulin Rouge)
Johnny Depp(Blow)
Really a terrific group already. I can only imagine what the next 5 months will bring. Osmont was phenomenal. Pierce blew me away. Hopkins reprised his Lector role surprisingly well. Depp is a very underrated actor...and McGregor has a knock you on your ass voice.

Best Actress:
Renee Zellweger(Bridget Jones's Diary)
Nicole Kidman(Moulin Rouge)
Julianne Moore(Hannibal)
Kate Beckinsale(Pearl Harbor)
Julia Roberts(The Mexican)
Other than Zellweger and Kidman this category has been putrid so far this year. I sincerely hope there's better out there. This was an IMPOSSIBLE category to come up with 5 nominees.

Best Supporting Actor:
Jude Law(A.I)
Joe Pantaliano(Memento)
Tim Roth(Planet of the Apes)
Gary Oldman(Hannibal)
Eddie Murphy(Shrek)
Once again...a pretty strong category already. there were a few ommissions I felt bad about. Anyways...all standouts here.

Best Supporting Actress:
Catherine-Anne Moss(Memento)
Frances O'Conner(A.I)
Rachael Weiz(Enemy at the Gates)
Helena Bonham Carter(Planet of the Apes)
Cameron Diaz(Shrek)
Only Moss and O'Conner deserve to be here. It's been a poor year for women so far.

Best Original Screenplay:
Moulin Rouge
Memento
Evolution
Shrek
Ahhh I might post thoughts later....same goes for the rest of the categories....from here on out only the nominees.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
A.I.
Planet of the Apes
Hannibal
Bridget Jones's Diary
Blow

Best Cinematography:
Memento
A.I.
Enemy at the Gates
Moulin Rouge
Hannibal

Best Sound:
A.I.
Enemy at the Gates
The Mummy Returns
Jurassic Park III
Pearl Harbor

Sound Effects Editing:
Pearl Harbor
Enemy at the Gates
Jurassic park 3

Costume:
Pearl Harbor
Moulin Rouge
Enemy at the Gates
Planet of the Apes
A.I.

Best Art/Set Decoration:
Enemy at the gates
A.I.
Moulin Rouge
The Mummy Returns
Pearl Harbor

Best Score:
A.I.
Hannibal
Memento
Planet of the Apes
Enemy at the Gates

Best Make-Up:
Hannibal
Planet of the Apes
A.I.

Special Effects:
A.I.
Pearl Harbor
Jurassic Park 3

Best Song:
A.I.
Pearl Harbor
Moulin Rouge

[Jedi Master Kyle]

WHAT? No Josie and the Pussycats? Anywhere? :eek:

BOYCOTT!!!!!

just kidding. I'm anxious to see what the next 5 months will bring us as well.

[Darth23]

Planet of the Apes - Best picture?

Let me rephrase that:

Planet fo the Apes Academy nomination for Best Picture?

I don't think so. Shrek maybe, but I doubt it.

At least 3 of the nominated movies will probably be flicks that open in December and play on 1 screen on New York and 1 in LA., one of which will have the 'buzz' from the 'insiders' as the 'odds on favorite', even though only 6,219 people will have seen it at that point.


Sorry, was that too negative? :D

[foxdvd]

I have seen only two movies this year that I would give an A to..."Memento" and "Time and Tide".. of course, Time and Tide is a pure action movie with little brains, so it will not get any nominations..but Memento, while not perfect, is in the lead right now...I still have not seen AI though...grrrrr.

[CMJ]

I wouldn't say that I would WANT POTA to be nominated for best pic by years end(God if the rest of the year is that bad I'd be depressed)...just that from what I've seen SO FAR this year it would be among the 5 I would nominate. It barely skated in...I was having a VERY tough time coming up with 5 films in the Best Pic race....

[ReaperFett]

Memento cant, as it was released before the previous Oscars overseas (and it does matter, as it was why Croupier missed out at the last ones).

Only seen Tomb Raider. Jolie was great, but not a chance shed beat some boring role :)

[CMJ]

CROUPIER had another thing against it....but I don't remember what it was offhand. LIFE IS BEATIFUL came out the previous year overseas I'm pretty sure. Anyways, the only release date that matters is US release date for the Oscar. It has to play at least 1 week in NY or LA before the end of the year.... MEMENTO didn't play anywhere in the US in 2000...thus it counts as a 2001 film.

[JonathanLB]

That's absolutely right. Memento IS a 2001 film and is in contention this year.

Right now, I think it's the Oscar front-runner for Best Picture. It is the only movie I have seen this year that I think the Academy would nominate. AI deserves a best pic nomination but I very much doubt it will get it.

My favorite five movies are AI, Memento, Shrek, Planet of the Apes, then Pearl Harbor probably, but NO WAY would either of the last two be nominated. They're not best pic movies...

I don't think Shrek stands any chance at any serious nomination like Best Picture, because that just doesn't happen. It'll win Best Animated Film, though, I think.

"At least 3 of the nominated movies will probably be flicks that open in December and play on 1 screen on New York and 1 in LA., one of which will have the 'buzz' from the 'insiders' as the 'odds on favorite', even though only 6,219 people will have seen it at that point."

LOL!!! That is exactly right. Most of the time, they make a mockery of their own awards by nominating films that NOBODY on earth cares about or has seen, except some tiny, TINY group of people. If they truly were the best films, then I would say more power to the Academy for recognizing them, but because they usually are pretty mediocre, artsy-fartsy films not worth $2 to see, it just shows how elitist and retarded the Academy truly is.

[ReaperFett]

Croupiers fault was it had been on pay per view TV in France I believe. Momento I think was also. Basically, they will waiver one thing, for fairness. But, like CLive Owen said, there could have been trouble had they let one with two pass

[ReaperFett]

oh, while Im here, some far off nommos


FILM
Black Hawk Dawn (something like that, Early 2002 release)

DIRECTOR
Ridley Scott for the above

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ewan McGregor for the above

SCREENPLAY
Once Upon A Time In Mexico (Might JUST make the time cut)

[ReaperFett]

nominating films that NOBODY on earth cares about or has seen, except some tiny, TINY group of people

Way of the Gun. Boondock Saints. A Better Tommorow. The Killer. All films noone but a tiny group care about. All should have had nminations in some field. Its about the best film, not the most seen film

[CMJ]

"LOL!!! That is exactly right. Most of the time, they make a mockery of their own awards by nominating films that NOBODY on earth cares about or has seen, except some tiny, TINY group of people. If they truly were the best films, then I would say more power to the Academy for recognizing them, but because they usually are pretty mediocre, artsy-fartsy films not worth $2 to see, it just shows how elitist and retarded the Academy truly is."

Hmmm last year 4 of 5 Best Picture nominee's grossed over 100M. Hardly films "no one" saw......

[Jedi Master Carr]

I be surprised if Memento is nominated mostly because it was released in the spring and will be forgotten about by the end of the year. That is the way it is will spring releases it is very hard for a film that was released in the first quarter to get nominated unless it makes a lot of money (Gladiator, Erin Brockinvich, Silence of the Lambs) besides those they never nominate them. Does anybody know what else comes out between October and Decemeber. I only have read three major films LOTR, Monsters INC and Harry Potter. I guess there is an outside chance that LOTR will get nominated, if its an amazing film that the critics ador, I doubt it would win but it could get the nod much like ANH did in 78.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I looked up the fall releases here are some of the bigger films
In September comes another adaptation of the three Musketeers, this one is called The Musketeer. Now I love the novel and probably will see this movie mostly because I did my thesis on the novel but I doubt it has oscar potetital, a better possibility is The Count of Monte Cristo also by Dumas, but there has not been a major american adatpation of it in 80 years so at least its something new. The novel is Dumas best and if the film is done right it has the potetial of being a great film. It has some great actors in it too including James Caviezel as the count/Dantes and guy Pierce as the evil Fernand Mondego, and the great Richard Harris as well. I hope its a great film but its got two strikes against it: its made by Disney and its directed by Kevin Reynolds whose most famous credits are Waterworld and Robin Hood Prince of thieves. The latter is a great popcorn flick which might indicated what this film is going to be.

Another candiate is Hearts of Atlantis staring Anthony Hopkins, it is based on the great Stephen King novel of the same name. This could be this year's Green Mile then again it could be this years Deloris Cleborn(sp) Other films coming out include The Majestic staring Jim Carrey (its a drama but I have no clue what it is about), Spy Game starring Brad Pitt and Robert Redford(that one has some potetial), The Time Machine (if it lives up to the novel), and Windtalkers staring Nicholas Cage its a WWII film. There are probably others but this is just a quick look at the fall if anybody knows of any others add them.

[Darth23]

I dont' mind artst fartsy films, I just get pissed off when the movie insiders comeone tv and act like they know what's going to win, just because they live in NY or LA and have been able to see some movie.

I think the movies should have to play on at least a few hundeed screens before they are nominated.

[CMJ]

Scorcese has a new flick coming out at the end of the year too...GANGS OF NEW YORK. Alot of people think he has been snubbed in the past so this might be his year. As far as THE MAJESTIC...it's directed by Frank Darrabont(GREEN MILE, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) and is about a blacklisted writer during the McCarthy era...could be REAL good. THE SHIPPING YARD(I think it's the name) is another end of year film with some buzz, mostly because it's Miramax and they always get at least 1 best Pic nom. Then of course ALI has alot of momentum as well. It could be a very BIG end of the year.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I forgot about ALI, I think it could be really big it depends on a lot of things, especially if Will Smith can pull off the performance. Will Smith is good actor and has done some drama Legend of Bagger Vance most recently. If I am not mistaken did he not get a best supportant actor nod for one of his early films? It might have just been a golden globe but I remember how critics raved about his performance.

[Jedieb]

I think it will be real interesting to see whether or not Shrek garners a best pic nomination. I think the Animation category really hurts its chances. What was the last animated feature nominated for Best Pic? Beauty and the Beast right? If I'm right then that means the The Lion King was passed over. TLK had alot going for it, critical acceptance and a $300M plus B.O. and it still wasn't enough to get it a nomination. TLK also didn't have the handicap of a Animated category to hold it back.

So while I think many Academy members may place Shrek in their top 10 list, I doubt they'll give it a Best Pic nomination. That's a shame. :(

[JonathanLB]

Last year was an exception, CMJ, quite rare. Usually, low-grossing movies get the nominations. I agree with Darth23 about the several hundred theater thing.

By the way, Way of the Gun was NOT a good film, that's why it wasn't nominated for squat, because it was stupid. It was decent for the first part and had its moments, but dang it started sucking and it just turned out to be fairly decent, nothing special.

[CMJ]

Hmmmm in '99 3 of the 5 grossed over 100M(GREEN MILE, SIXTH SENSE, AMERICAN BEAUTY). I guess '98 was more of a year where they didn't gross much but still you had 2 100M grossers(SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SHAKEASPEARE IN LOVE) that won practically all the awards. Of course LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL grossed 57M(I think) which to that time was the all-time record for a foreign film, so it was a BO hit too. In '97 you had 3 of the 5 once again(TITANIC, GOOD WILL HUNTING, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) plus LA CONFIDENTIAL did solid though not spectacular numbers. '96 was probably the one year in the last 5 where they picked mostly small fare. The only "big" film nominated was JERRY MAGUIRE, though ENGLISH PATIENT grossed over 80M I believe.

[ReaperFett]

oh yeah, Ali. I generally think WIll Smith is an awful actor. But from what Ive heard, hes worked hard to improve. Hes put so much into Ali, I cant see him to fail

[CMJ]

I generally like Will Smith and I have pretty high hoped for ALI. Of course it stems more from the fact that Michael Mann is the Director than anything.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Mann is a great director so the film should be good. I'm wondering how they will portray Ali and also Don King. I hope they show him similar to the way the HBO a few years back did. The man is a SOB.

[Obi10kenobi]

Personally, I think that Pearl Harbor will be nominated for best picture even though I don't think it deserves it but we'll see.

Wil Smith is not all that bad an actor but I feel he should just stick to comedic roles but I haven't seen Legend of Bagger Vance yet tho. As far as black actors, one of my favorites is Cuba Gooding Jr. I enjoyed him in Jerry McGuire and Men of Honor.

[CMJ]

There is no way PEARL HARBOR will be nominated for best Picture. Let me repeat that...NO WAY in HELL will PH be nominated... I just thought I'd clear that up. :)

[JonathanLB]

hahahahahaha!!!

Of course Pearl Harbor won't be nominated. Dude you were joking right? I have some good bets going on various film categories, how much do you want to bed that PH won't be nominated for Best Picture?

Here is the bet. If it is nominated, I owe you $1,000. If it is not nominated, you owe me $100. Is that fair? I would take that bet in a second.