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Oscar swims in the mainstream A few surprises surface as traditional films win most nominations Wednesday, February 16, 2000 By Ron Weiskind, Post-Gazette Movie Editor
Among the uncertainties leading up to yesterday's Academy Award nominations was the tendency by a surprising number of Hollywood movies to swim against the mainstream. A perusal of the eventual Best Picture nominees, however, serves as a reminder of one certainty about Oscar and its custodian -- the Academy IS the mainstream.
In a year marked by the surreal comedy of "Being John Malkovich," the anti-war unorthodoxy of "Three Kings" and the complex multiple story lines of "Magnolia," the Academy opted primarily for more traditional, conservative films as contenders for its top award.
The exception is "American Beauty," a black comedy about the ultimate suburban dysfunctional family, a subject that might have resonated with Academy voters living in Los Angeles, the megalopolis of fouled-up kinfolk. The movie led all comers with eight Oscar nominations.
The other Best Picture competitors, however, fit a more familiar mold. Two of them are big box-office hits. "The Green Mile," a redemptive prison drama based on a Stephen King novel, stars Oscar favorite Tom Hanks (who was, however, passed over in the Best Actor race). "The Sixth Sense" is a superbly crafted psychological thriller with a surprise ending that compelled audiences to see it again.
Rounding out the Best Picture field are "The Cider House Rules," a coming-of-age story set in an orphanage that was adapted by John Irving from his novel of the same name, and "The Insider," a gripping true-life tale about a tobacco-industry whistle-blower. Each received seven nominations overall.
In the case of "Cider House Rules," that qualifies as a surprise. The well-regarded film figured to land a Supporting Actor nomination for Michael Caine and an Adapted Screenplay nomination for Irving -- both of which transpired. But a Best Picture nomination and a Best Director nod for Lasse Hallstrom both seemed like a reach.
The odd films out may have been "The Hurricane," an early favorite for a Best Picture nomination that was undoubtedly harmed by controversy over the film's historical accuracy, and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," which seemed a likely Best Picture nominee.
Its star, Matt Damon, was passed over in the Best Actor race, although co-star Jude Law got a Supporting Actor nomination. Anthony Minghella won an Adapted Screenplay nomination but was not among the Best Director nominees.
The most noticeable Oscar snub, for the second year in a row, came at the expense of Jim Carrey. Despite a Golden Globe award for his uncanny performance as the late comic Andy Kaufman in "Man on the Moon," the rubber-faced Carrey was nowhere to be found among the Best Actor nominees.
They are Russell Crowe of "The Insider," Richard Farnsworth of "The Straight Story" (at 79, the oldest Best Actor nominee ever), Sean Penn of "Sweet and Lowdown," Kevin Spacey of "American Beauty" and Denzel Washington, considered the early favorite for "The Hurricane." Penn is the chief surprise here, although his performance as an almost comically self-centered musician is strong.
Last year, Carrey was bypassed by Oscar despite a Golden Globe win for "The Truman Show." So what gives?
"Man on the Moon" bombed at the box office. But so did "The Insider," which still got nominations for Best Picture, Director (Michael Mann) and Actor (Crowe), among others. Andy Kaufman was a largely unpopular performer by the time he died in 1984, which may have reflected upon Carrey. His work may have been considered more of a brilliant impersonation than a full-bodied performance.
Or it could just be that voters in the Academy's actors branch, which chooses the nominees in the acting categories, just don't like Carrey. He may be too irreverent for the Academy, which takes itself very seriously. He may have made one too many "Ace Ventura" movies or, worse, told one too many jokes at the Academy's expense during his Globe acceptance speeches.
The Best Actress nominees include some unorthodox choices. Golden Globe winner Hilary Swank was selected for her gender-bending role as a woman pretending to be a man in "Boys Don't Cry." Englishwoman Janet McTeer was chosen for her role as a Southern mom in "Tumbleweeds." Conversely, North Carolina native Julianne Moore, good in five movies this year, was nominated for playing an adulterous Englishwoman in "End of the Affair." Annette Bening makes the field as the hysterical wife in "American Beauty."
And then there's the Queen of Oscar, Meryl Streep, receiving her 12th acting nomination for playing a violin teacher in "Music of the Heart." That ties her with Katharine Hepburn for the most acting nominations.
In addition to Law and Caine, the Supporting Actor nominees are Tom Cruise for "Magnolia," Michael Clarke Duncan for "The Green Mile" and 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment for "The Sixth Sense."
The Supporting Actress race features Toni Collette, who played Osment's mom in "The Sixth Sense," Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie for "Girl, Interrupted," Catherine Keener for "Being John Malkovich," Samantha Morton, who plays Sean Penn's mute girlfriend in "Sweet and Lowdown," and Chloe Sevigny for "Boys Don't Cry."
Four of the five Best Director nominees match the Best Picture choices: Sam Mendes for "American Beauty," M. Night Shyamalan for "The Sixth Sense," Lasse Hallstrom for "The Cider House Rules" and Michael Mann for "The Insider." But "Green Mile" director Frank Darabont was snubbed in favor of Spike Jonze, the first-time director of "Being John Malkovich."
In case you're wondering, the most successful box-office movie of the year, "Star Wars -- Episode I: The Phantom Menace," got just three nominations, for Sound, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects.
Composer John Williams received his 38th nomination for the "Angela's Ashes" score, making him the living person with the most Oscar nominations.
But just to show that Oscar voters can be mischievous as well as straight-laced, the potty-mouthed animated feature "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" got a Best Original Song nomination for a ditty called "Blame Canada." Maybe they thought it referred to all the movie production that is fleeing Los Angeles for the more favorable currency exchange rate of the Great White North. Whatever, it will be intriguing to find out how they plan to present the tune on the Oscar telecast.
Also, "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" received a nomination for Best Makeup. Think it might have anything to do with transforming short, skinny star Mike Myers into the gross, grotesque character known as Fat Bastard?
Are there any sure things in the Oscar race? I can't imagine "The Matrix" not taking the award for Best Visual Effects. "All About My Mother" looks good in the Foreign Film race, although the category is notorious for overlooking what seems the obvious choice.
And Documentary nominee "The Buena Vista Social Club," about a group of aging Cuban musicians who find stardom anew, seems tailor-made to feed the fantasies of the predominantly veteran membership of the Academy.
We'll find out when Billy Crystal returns to host the Oscars on a live ABC telecast March 26.
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