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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2000)
By virtue of tdur-de-force acting, “American Beauty” should flatten its competition Hilary Swank in ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ is nominated for Best Actress. By Jack Clifford, Sara Jarrett and Yael Menahem Oregon Daily Emerald Go ahead and accuse the Pulse staff of jumping on the “American Beauty” bandwagon. What other movie, however, deserves so many accolades and —come March 26, the night of the 72nd annual Academy Awards—so many Oscars? “American Beauty” swept into theaters last October, grabbed middle-class America by the collective throat and spit into its face. No one—not even the targeted population —seemed to mind though because director Sam Mendes’ film attracted millions to watch lecherous Lester Burnham transform from Docile Dad into I Don’t Give a Damn Man. Lester was a modern day super hero everyone could ap preciate. The rest of the movie didn’t suck, either. So, yes, we have selected the film and its two stars, Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, to pocket the top three Oscars—Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress. Mock us if you must for our herd-like mentality, but before you do, go to the theater and watch “American Beauty” for a re peat performance (or a first time if you missed it last fall). You’ll come around. Best Picture Family dysfunction apparently sits well with the Pulse group because “American Beauty” is the clear favorite for this year’s top Oscar. “The Sixth Sense” and “The Insider” may have won the statue any other year, but neither posed a serious threat dur ing our decision-making process. When it came to assessing “The Cider House Rules,” we just couldn’t grasp the appeal of this drawn-out Hallmark commercial and its predictable plot—What? F uzzy dies?! In our opinion, “The Cider House Rules” took the rightful spot of either “Being John Malkovich,” or better yet, Pedro Almodovar’s “All About My Mother.” In fact, the latter movie, a lock for Best Foreign Fihn, would have snagged Best Picture had it been nominated in this category. Keep an eye out for “The Green Mile,” however. Even though we don’t think it deserves the nod, the Academy loves schmaltzy, make-us-cry flicks, and this Tom Hanks vehicle has those qualities. Best Director If Spike Jonze doesn’t win for “Being John Malkovich,” the Kelly Berggren Emerald r Best Picture OscarWatch pick: “American Beauty” Pulse favorite: “American Beauty” Don’t be surprised if: “The Green Mile” wins Best Director OscarWatch pick: Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”) Pulse favorite: Spike Jonze (“Being John Malkovich”) Don’t be surprised if: M. Night Shymalan (“The Sixth Sense”) wins Best Actor OscarWatch pick: Denzel Washington (“The Hurri cane”) Pulse favorite: Kevin Spacey (“American Beauty”) Don’t be surprised if: Russell Crowe (“The Insider") wins Best Actress OscarWatch pick: Hilary swanx^ boysuon icry ; Pulse favorite: Annette Ben ing (“American Beauty”) Don’t be surprised if: Meryl Streep (“Music of the Heart”) wins Best Supporting Actor OscarWatch pick: Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense”) Pulse favorite: Tom Cruise (“Magnolia”) Don’t be surprised if: Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”) wins Best Supporting Actress OscarWatch pick: Angelina Jolie (“Girl, Interrupted”) Pulse favorite: Samantha Morton (“Sweet and Low down”) Don’t be surprised if: Cather ine Keener (“Being John Malkovich”)wins Source for OscarWatch picks: www.osca rwatch .com Pulse staff as a whole vows to resign before spring term. Hell, even if he does win we’ll quit and go search for jobs on floor seven-and-a-half, a la John Cusack’s character in the film. Jonze dazzled audiences with such scenes as Elijah the chimp’s flashbacks and John Malkovich taking a trip through the portal into his own head. That trippy episode it self was worth the price of admission. Mendes shouldn’t win here because “American Beauty” wasn’t about camera shots; it was about simplicity and let ting the actors do their stuff. M. Night Shymalan almost got our vote for his chilling passages and haunting angles in “The Sixth Sense”; besides, we too sometimes see Dead peo ple, except that’s pretty common in Eugene. Michael Mann must still pay for letting “Miami Vice” turn to schlock and Lasse Hallstrom, well, he directed “The Cider House Rules,” so enough said. Best actor Kevin Spacey left his competition in a cloud of pot smoke. When, as Lester, Spacey daydreamed about rose petals floating from Mena Suvari’s cheerleading outfit, he pretty much clinched the Oscar. The stupefied look on his face was just one golden moment for Spacey, who is arguably to day’s top actor, dramatic or comedic. Kevin Spacey should win the Oscar for Best Actor. Denzel Washington did a fine job as boxer Ruben Carter in “The Hurricane” but couldn’t outpoint Spacey. Sean Penn as Emmett Ray in “Sweet and Lowdown” would be an accept able substitute to Spacey, but Russell Crowe is getting a lot of attention for his role as whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand in “The Insider” and might eke out a win. Richard Farnsworth rode a tractor during most of “The Straight Story.” Uh, yeah. Best actress Annette Bening can play a role for laughs as she did in “Mars Attacks.” She can get down and dirty as she showed in “The Grifters.” Then again, she’s just as comfortable all gussied up as in “The American President.” As Carolyn Burnham, however, she seemed to meld all of her on-screen personalities into one, and what emerged was brilliance. Yes, Hilary Swank also perfected her role as Bran don Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry.” Bening wins out, though. Julianne Moore and Janet McTeer will have to wait until next time to hear their names called, but don’t be shocked if Meryl Streep’s is announced for “Music of the Heart,” only because the Academy is prone to honoring the greats even when they’re not deserving. Best supporting actor Sure, Haley Joel Osment, that kid who saw real dead peo ple in “The Sixth Sense” was great, but Tom Cruise went over-the-top in his “Magnolia” role to gain our favor. Michael Caine sniffing ether in “The Cider House Rules” did nothing for us, and Jude Law was above average but not the best. Michael Clarke Duncan from “The Green Mile” could sneak in as winner here for his portrayal as John Coffey, one that successfully fills the tear-jerker requirement. Best supporting actress All nominees are deserving — Catherine Keener’s per formance in “Being John Malkovich” might garner enough attention from Academy voters who want to make at least one edgy choice — but Samantha Morton’s role as mute laundress Hattie in “Sweet and Lowdown” is the staffs fa vorite. Morton looked as if she were transported directly from a silent film and was simply fantastic. Which brings us full circle, because the first-ever Best Picture Oscar went to the 1927 movie “Wings,” the one and only silent film to win. Thankfully, in 1999, “American Beauty” had a lot to say and said it with perfection. Play the Academy Award guessing game at home with your own Oscar ballot Best picture □ “American Beauty” □ “The Cider House Rules” □ “The Sixth Sense” □ “The Insider” □ “The Green Mile” Best Director □ Sam Mendes — “American Beauty” □ Michael Mann — “The Insider” □ Lasse Hallstrom — “The Cider House Rules” □ M. Night Shymalan — “The Sixth Sense” □ Spike Jonze — “Being John Malkovich” Best actor □ Kevin Spacey — “American Beauty” □ Denzel Washington—“The Hurricane” □ Russell Crowe — “The Insider” □ Richard Farnsworth — “The Straight Story” □ Sean Penn — “Sweet and Lowdown” Best actress □ Annette Bening — “American Beauty” □ Hilary Swank — “Boys Don’t Cry” □ Janet McTeer — “Himbleweeds” □ Julianne Moore — “End of the Affair” □ Meryl Streep — “Music of the Heart” Best supporting actor □ Michael Caine — “The Cider House Rules” □ Tom Cruise — “Magnolia” □ Haley Joel Osment—“The Sixth Sense” □ Jude Law — “The Talented Mr. Ripley” □ Michael Clarke Duncan — “The Green Mile” Best supporting actress □ Angelina Jolie — “Girl, Interrupted” □ Catherine Keener — “Being John Malkovich” □ Toni Collette — “The Sixth Sense” □ Chloe Sevigny — “Boys Don’t Cry” □ Samantha Morton — “Sweet and Lowdown” Bijou's Oscar Party The Bijou, 492 E. 13th Ave., will hold its annual Oscar-watching party Sunday, March 26, beginning at 5 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for your Os car picking prowess, and other movie memorabilia will be auc tioned off at the gala. Tickets are $10 and go on sale at the theater Friday. All ticket and auction proceeds will benefit a lo cal non-profit organization.
