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.