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FILM FLAM FLUMMOX *EXTRA*
January 27, 2004
Two days after the historically wacky Hollywood Foreign Press Association stuck to the middle of the road in handing out the winners of their Golden Globe Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picked up the slack with their rather surprising list of nominees for the 76th Academy Awards--no doubt a result of the freshly sped-up nomination schedule.
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
Stopping the presses here is, of course, the glaring omission of COLD MOUNTAIN and the end of Miramax's 11-year streak of having a film nominated for the top prize. (The studio did have a hand in producing MASTER AND COMMANDER, but it's not a 'Max release.) In fact, if the film's fairly (bad pun intended) cold showing in the overall race--a middling seven nominations in total, with Jude Law and Renée Zellweger being the only major nominees--is any indication, it appears that Harvey Weinstein should have put the bulk of his campaign dollars behind CITY OF GOD, the morning's most surprising (quite pleasantly so) big contender. Given that that film's four nominations were split evenly between major categories and technical ones, it obviously had enough across-the-board support to quite feasibly eke out a nomination here--that is, if it were campaigned hard enough.
Of those that did make the final cut, the only film that somewhat qualifies as a surprise inclusion is SEABISCUIT, but given how Universal built some come-from-behind underdog momentum for the film in the final stages of the campaign season (not unlike the titular racehorse), it really isn't. The interesting quirk of this race is that no less than three of the films nominated--THE RETURN OF THE KING, MASTER AND COMMANDER, and SEABISCUIT--are not nominated in the acting categories. Films aside from COLD MOUNTAIN that didn't make the cut but at one point or another were considered to be in contention for the short list: BIG FISH, FINDING NEMO, HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, IN AMERICA and 21 GRAMS.
ACTOR
- Johnny Depp, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
- Ben Kingsley, HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
- Jude Law, COLD MOUNTAIN
- Bill Murray, LOST IN TRANSLATION
- Sean Penn, MYSTIC RIVER
Of the major categories, this is the only one devoid of any surprises though Depp's nod was perhaps the iffiest prospect, given the broadly comic nature of the role and the light, popcorn spirit of the film (after all, it is based on a theme park ride). The notable omissions here hail from the independent side: Paul Giamatti in AMERICAN SPLENDOR, Peter Dinklage in THE STATION AGENT, Paddy Considine in IN AMERICA and my personal underdog, Chiwetel Ejiofor in DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. Russell Crowe had been mentioned as a likely possibility for MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, which I never quite understood, given how uninspired his performance in that film was compared to his previously nominated turns; I, for one, am glad to see that the acting branch thought the same way.
ACTRESS
- Keisha Castle-Hughes, WHALE RIDER
- Diane Keaton, SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
- Samantha Morton, IN AMERICA
- Charlize Theron, MONSTER
- Naomi Watts, 21 GRAMS
Castle-Hughes's richly deserved nomination is not only surprising due to the comparatively low profile of the New Zealand arthouse hit but because it runs counter to her studio's campaign on her behalf. Operating on the assumption that the 13-year-old's chances were stronger in the supporting race--never mind that the role is clearly, unmistakably the lead--Newmarket Films accordingly pushed her in that category. Kudos to the acting branch for putting her in her rightful place without disastrously splitting the vote--which happened to another high-profile contender, Scarlett Johansson, in the supporting category (but more on that later).
Johansson's Golden Globe-nominated GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING performance heads up the list of notable also-rans, joined by COLD MOUNTAIN's Nicole Kidman (thus sparing us what would've been the certain media angle of being pitted against best friend Watts), HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG's Jennifer Connelly, THIRTEEN's Evan Rachel Wood, THE STATION AGENT's Patricia Clarkson and KILL BILL VOL. 1's Uma Thurman (okay, so maybe Thurman didn't have too strong of a shot--but I can dream). Conceivably, the spot that would've gone to any one of those women ended up going to Morton, whose chances at a nod appeared to be waning (along with anything associated with IN AMERICA) heading into the nominations.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Alec Baldwin, THE COOLER
- Benicio Del Toro, 21 GRAMS
- Djimon Hounsou, IN AMERICA
- Tim Robbins, MYSTIC RIVER
- Ken Watanabe, THE LAST SAMURAI
Again, the support for IN AMERICA was underestimated, as Hounsou's fine work, who looked like a strong possibility back in November but appeared to be fading in the home stretch, made it in. Surprisingly not making it in is Albert Finney in BIG FISH, a film whose support didn't extend beyond the technical end; I guess Tim Burton whimsy simply doesn't quite fly with the Academy whole. Peter Sarsgaard, a favorite from SHATTERED GLASS, also didn't make the cut though he had the benefit of DVD screeners aiding his campaign. Best Picture nominees THE RETURN OF THE KING and SEABISCUIT were thought to have their best shots at acting recognition here (for Sean Astin and Chris Cooper, respectively), but voters chose to spread the wealth.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Shohreh Aghdashloo, HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
- Patricia Clarkson, PIECES OF APRIL
- Marcia Gay Harden, MYSTIC RIVER
- Holly Hunter, THIRTEEN
- Renée Zellweger, COLD MOUNTAIN
Poor Scarlett Johansson. In the name of awards strategy, the folks at Focus Features thought her half of the lovely pas de deux that is LOST IN TRANSLATION would have a greater shot at a nomination in the more ingenue-friendly supporting category. The result? The year's most glaring acting oversight, undoubtedly pointing to a disastrous split vote scenario. Perhaps acting branch voters thought they could vault her into the rightful category, à la Keisha Castle-Hughes? I'm sure fingers are being pointed every which way over at Focus right now (though surely not as many as at Miramax). That said, the performances that did make the final five were all highly touted as strong nomination possibilities, with no real notable absentees aside from Johansson, Harden's co-star Laura Linney, AMERICAN SPLENDOR's Hope Davis and--given the stronger-than-expected support for IN AMERICA's actors--real life sisters Emma and Sarah Bolger. A personal dark horse that didn't get in: MATCHSTICK MEN's Alison Lohman.
DIRECTOR
- Sofia Coppola, LOST IN TRANSLATION
- Clint Eastwood, MYSTIC RIVER
- Peter Jackson, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
- Fernando Meirelles, CITY OF GOD
- Peter Weir, MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
As is tradition, this category did not perfectly sync up with the Best Picture nominees--though Meirelles's surprising nomination again shows that a CITY OF GOD Best Picture nomination was within the realm of possibility. The odd man out from the Best Picture race (bad pun intended) is SEABISCUIT's Gary Ross. Coppola makes history here as the first American woman to get a directing nomination (eat that, Babs). From industry joke to thrice-nominated auteur in 14 years flat--not shabby at all.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- AMERICAN SPLENDOR - Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman
- CITY OF GOD - Braulio Mantovani
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson
- MYSTIC RIVER - Brian Helgeland
- SEABISCUIT - Gary Ross
Here, the news again is CITY OF GOD. The foreign language nominating committee's failure to nominate the film last year turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Miramax since its 2003 calendar year release meant it was only eligible for the one award last year; in regular, general release contention this year, it got four nods. In fact, it's the very strategy that the studio was hoping to employ with Zhang Yimou's HERO, which contrary to the studio's grand plans, got a nomination in the Foreign Language Film category last year (despite zero campaigning), thus disqualifying it from further Oscar competition regardless of what year it is released (which has to be the only reason why the studio has been sitting on that breathtaking masterpiece of a film). COLD MOUNTAIN's cold shoulder continues here, as do the ones for BIG FISH and HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG; rightfully, MASTER AND COMMANDER was celebrated for its technical profiency and not its humdrum script.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS - Denys Arcand
- DIRTY PRETTY THINGS - Steven Knight
- FINDING NEMO - Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds
- IN AMERICA - Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan & Kristen Sheridan
- LOST IN TRANSLATION - Sofia Coppola
Another surprise nomination for a foreign language film, as LES INVASIONS BARBARES creeps beyond the Foreign Language Film ghetto. Between this nod, the one here for DIRTY PRETTY THINGS and the CITY OF GOD extravaganza, Anthony Minghella and the COLD MOUNTAIN crew must really feel the sting as more "secondary" Miramax releases stole what had been thought to be its preordained thunder. One of those "secondary" titles, THE STATION AGENT, is missing here (and from the entire nomination list) as well; other indie faves such as THIRTEEN and BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM also didn't make the cut. Higher-profile scripts such as Richard Curtis's LOVE ACTUALLY, Guillermo Arriaga's 21 GRAMS join the notable also-ran pile as well.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (Canada)
- EVIL (Sweden)
- THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI (Japan)
- TWIN SISTERS (Netherlands)
- ZELARY (Czech Republic)
Newly anointed Golden Globe winner OSAMA, from Afghanistan, is conspicuously absent here, as are the highly touted GOODBYE, LENIN! (Germany) and KITCHEN STORIES (Norway). Chalk two in the win column for Miramax, though, with the (expected) nods for LES INVASIONS BARBARES and TWIN SISTERS.
ANIMATED FEATURE
- BROTHER BEAR
- FINDING NEMO
- THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE
This is perhaps the most disappointing category for me, as I was hoping the wide-open third slot (NEMO and BELLEVILLE were iron-clad locks) would go to Satoshi Kon's haunting anime MILLENNIUM ACTRESS, which didn't get a fraction of the attention it deserved during its very limited fall theatrical release by Go Fish (the DreamWorks specialty label). If the Academy had to go with a big studio effort for the final slot, why not give a nod to the underappreciated LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION?
ART DIRECTION
- GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING - Art Direction: Ben Van Os; Set Decoration: Cecile Heideman
- THE LAST SAMURAI - Art Direction: Lilly Kilvert; Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Art Direction: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Alan Lee
- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - Art Direction: William Sandell; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
- SEABISCUIT - Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall; Set Decoration: Leslie Pope
While COLD MOUNTAIN will be named by many as the Renée Zellweger starrer that didn't set the Oscars on fire (and, indeed, this is another category in which it was expected to place, but didn't), to me the real injustice lies with Fox's non-campaign for DOWN WITH LOVE. Granted, the film was a box office disappointment and hence would not be deemed worthy enough to push in higher profile categories (though Zellweger's turn--doesn't anyone else remember the fabulous, climactic single-take monologue?--and the screenplay did merit serious consideration, in my opinion), but the spot-on recreation of the '50s-'60s screwball comedy aesthetic would've added welcome color to this list of expected contenders.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- CITY OF GOD - Cesar Charlone
- COLD MOUNTAIN - John Seale
- GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING - Eduardo Serra
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - Russell Boyd
- SEABISCUIT - John Schwartzman
Yes, the CITY OF GOD nomination here is a surprise, but perhaps even more surprising is the absence of THE RETURN OF THE KING; I guess the cinematography branch decided to spread the wealth. I would have loved to have seen Harris Savides's stunning work in GERRY or ELEPHANT (too avant garde), Tim Orr's picturesque work in either ALL THE REAL GIRLS or RAISING VICTOR VARGAS (too small), or Robert Richardson's KILL BILL VOL. 1 (too bloody) make the cut, but I suppose voters used up their surprise card with the CITY OF GOD nod.
COSTUME DESIGN
- GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING - Dien van Straalen
- THE LAST SAMURAI - Ngila Dickson
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - Wendy Stites
- SEABISCUIT - Judianna Makovsky
Fox's DOWN WITH LOVE slip-up is felt again here, as is the unsurprising bias against KILL BILL VOL. 1. Was there any costume more instantly iconic the past year than The Bride's yellow track suit? I think not.
FILM EDITING
- CITY OF GOD - Daniel Rezende
- COLD MOUNTAIN - Walter Murch
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Jamie Selkirk
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - Lee Smith
- SEABISCUIT - William Goldenberg
Thumbs up for CITY OF GOD's nod; thumbs down for no KILL BILL VOL. 1.
MAKEUP
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Richard Taylor and Peter King
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - Edouard Henriques III and Yolanda Toussieng
- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - Ve Neill and Martin Samuel
Of the other four previously announced semi-finalists that didn't make the final cut, the shocking omission is MONSTER--or did Charlize Theron's performance so impress that voters actually thought that was a different person? That's the only reason I can conjure up to explain MASTER AND COMMANDER making the top three. (COLD MOUNTAIN, THE LAST SAMURAI and PETER PAN were the other three semi-finalists.)
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
Notable absentees: THE FOG OF WAR, THE LAST SAMURAI, THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE and WHALE RIDER.
ORIGINAL SONG
- "Into the West," THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Music and Lyric by Fran Walsh and Howard Shore and Annie Lennox
- "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," A MIGHTY WIND - Music and Lyric by Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole
- "Scarlet Tide," COLD MOUNTAIN - Music and Lyric by T. Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello
- "The Triplets of Belleville," THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE - Music by Benoit Charest; Lyric by Sylvain Chomet
- "You Will Be My Ain True Love," COLD MOUNTAIN - Music and Lyric by Sting
Given that it is the one sequence even the film's detractors would concede works, not to mention the high visibility of performers Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor in current releases COLD MOUNTAIN and BIG FISH, respectively, one would think Fox would have pushed DOWN WITH LOVE's infectious "Here's to Love" for a nod. Alas, no. With Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara hopefully performing the surprise (and very deserving) nominee "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" on Oscar night, the Academy missed out on a chance for a truly star-studded performance roster by ignoring "Here's to Love" and ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO's seductive "Siente Mi Amor," performed by Salma Hayek. Alas, the music branch threw an extra bone to COLD MOUNTAIN, as "Scarlet Tide" snagged a surprise nod alongside the expected one for "You Will Be My Ain True Love." The scat ditty from THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE is a delightful inclusion. Surprising snubs: MONA LISA SMILE's "The Heart of Every Girl," IN AMERICA's "Time Enough for Tears," BIG FISH's "Man of the Hour" and the title song from THE SCHOOL OF ROCK.
SOUND MIXING
- THE LAST SAMURAI - Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Jeff Wexler
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill and Arthur Rochester
- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - Christopher Boyes, David Parker, David Campbell and Lee Orloff
- SEABISCUIT - Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Tod A. Maitland
SOUND EDITING
- FINDING NEMO - Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - Richard King
- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - Christopher Boyes and George Watters II
Semi-finalists that missed the final cut: KILL BILL VOL. 1, THE LAST SAMURAI, THE RETURN OF THE KING and SEABISCUIT.
VISUAL EFFECTS
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - Dan Sudick, Stefen Fangmeier, Nathan McGuinness and Robert Stromberg
- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Terry Frazee
The other four semi-finalists in this category: HULK, PETER PAN, TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES and X2.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- BALSEROS - Carlos Bosch and Marcos Loris Omedes
- CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS - Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling
- THE FOG OF WAR - Errol Morris and Michael Williams
- MY ARCHITECT - Nathaniel Kahn and Susan R. Behr
- THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND - Sam Green and Bill Siegel
LIVE ACTION SHORT
- DIE ROTE JACKE (The Red Jacket) - Florian Baxmeyer
- MOST (The Bridge) - Bobby Garabedian and William Zabka
- SQUASH - Lionel Bailliu
- (A) TORZIJA ([A] Torsion) - Stefan Arsenijevic
- TWO SOLDIERS - Aaron Schneider and Andrew J. Sacks
ANIMATED SHORT
- BOUNDIN' - Bud Luckey
- DESTINO - Dominique Monfery and Roy Edward Disney
- GONE NUTTY - Carlos Saldanha and John C. Donkin
- HARVIE CRUMPET - Adam Elliot
- NIBBLES - Chris Hinton
I'm pulling for a DESTINO win, if only to hear Roy Disney open yet another can of verbal whup-ass to Michael Eisner in his acceptance speech.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
- ASYLUM - Sandy McLeod and Gini Reticker
- CHERNOBYL HEART - Maryann DeLeo
- FERRY TALES - Katja Esson
MULTIPLE NOMINEES
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - 11
- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD - 10
- COLD MOUNTAIN - 7
- SEABISCUIT - 7
- MYSTIC RIVER - 6
- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL - 5
- CITY OF GOD - 4
- FINDING NEMO - 4
- THE LAST SAMURAI - 4
- LOST IN TRANSLATION - 4
- GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING - 3
- HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG - 3
- IN AMERICA - 3
- THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS - 2
- THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE - 2
- 21 GRAMS - 2
The Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 29 at 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific on ABC, beginning with the official Oscar pre-show.
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