Once again, the Academy gets it wrong. Granted, I'm a fan of "Chicago" and of most of the actors nominated. However, the Oscar consistently goes to someone other than my personal choice.
So, here are MY nominees in the top 6 categories, followed by MY choice for the winner:
First, Best Picture of 2002. The nominees are:
About Schmidt
Chicago (Widescreen Edition)
Far from Heaven
Insomnia (Widescreen Edition)
The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers
And the winner is...The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers!
A spectacular achievement. While it is odd that I didn't give this award to its predecessor in 2001, this award is for the best film of 2002 and there was none better that year. The Helms Deep sequence and the wonder that is Gollum are enough to put it at the top of the heap for 2002.
For Best Director, the nominees are:
Stephen Daldry--The Hours
Todd Haynes--Far From Heaven
Peter Jackson--The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Rob Marshall--Chicago
Alexander Payne--About Schmidt
And the winner is...Peter Jackson for The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers!
Last year's winner makes it two in a row and it's so well-deserved. An astounding achievement. No one even came close in 2002.
For Best Actor, the nominees are:
Adrien Brody--The Pianist
Nicolas Cage--Adaptation (Superbit Collection)
Daniel Day-Lewis--Gangs of New York (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Jack Nicholson--About Schmidt
Al Pacino--Insomnia
And the winner is...Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs Of New York!
Gangs is a greatly flawed film, one that I don't think deserved the attention the Academy poured on it. However, Day-Lewis is amazing. You cannot take your eyes off him anytime he is onscreen. The performance of the year!
The nominees for Best Actress are:
Nicole Kidman--The Hours
Diane Lane--Unfaithful (Widescreen Edition)
Julianne Moore--Far From Heaven
Meryl Streep--The Hours
Renee Zellweger--Chicago
And the winner is...Julianne Moore for Far From Heaven!
This was, perhaps, the toughest category this year. Any one of the five were great choices, but Moore is just a notch above. Her quiet devastation as her marriage unravels and she realizes she can't have what she wants is a wonder to watch.
For Best Supporting Actor, the nominees are:
Chris Cooper--Adaptation
Ed Harris--The Hours
Paul Newman--Road to Perdition (Widescreen Edition)
Dennis Quaid--Far From Heaven
Christopher Walken--Catch Me If You Can (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Features)
And the winner is...Christopher Walken for Catch Me If You Can!
The veteran actor takes on a small role in Spielberg's lightweight, but very good, film and walks away with it. The scene in the restaurant where he refuses his son's gift is the single best scene by any actor in 2002.
The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are:
Kathy Bates--About Schmidt
Jena Malone--The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Julianne Moore--The Hours
Meryl Streep--Adaptation
Catherine Zeta-Jones--Chicago
And the winner is...Meryl Streep for Adaptation!
Streep is a scream as the writer who becomes a part of her own book in this bizarre and wonderful film. The movie does become top-heavy with it's message towards the end, but Streep is amazing throughout.
So, there you have it. As you can see, I didn't agree with a single choice made by the Academy in these categories, just as I didn't last year. Oh well, there's always next year...heh.
Here are a few other films that were on my year end Top 25 list:
Punch-Drunk Love (Two Disc Special Edition) (Superbit Collection)
Minority Report (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
About a Boy (Widescreen Edition)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Red Dragon - Director's Edition
Bowling for Columbine
One Hour Photo (Widescreen Edition)
The Good Girl
Spirited Away
Austin Powers in Goldmember (Widescreen Infinifilm Edition)
Margaret Cho - Notorious C.H.O.
8 Mile (Widescreen Edition)
Y Tu Mama Tambien
|
See all 348 customer reviews...
