Best Picture
Julie: A Beautiful Mind winning seven nominations will win the huge award Sunday night. This movie has an intelligent but handsome man, a beautiful girl, drama, intrigue, suspense, surprise and presents a social issue, what else could make the movie industry happier. A Beautiful Mind is a shoe in for Best Movie.
Matt: With tougher competition than many critics expected, expect Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to take the best picture award. History has proven that no fantasy movie has ever won best picture. On the flip side to that, with 13 nominations, the most nominated film almost always wins.
Best Actor
Julie:If Russell Crowe wins it will be a pity. Anyone who saw In The Bedroom will agree that Tom Wilkinson gave a startling performance. He made you feel uncomfortable just looking at the screen. This veteran actor deserves the recognition for holding his own against Sissy Spacek.
Matt:Playing a schizophrenic mathematical genius in the film A Beautiful Mind, expect to see Russell Crowe walk away with his second consecutive best actor award. Some say being nominated for best actor the past three years hurts his chances of winning. However, no other actor this year out preformed Crowe.
Best Actress
Julie:This is really hard because I feel Sissy Spacek and Halle Berry deserve the award. However since Spacek won for Coalminer’s Daughter a hundred years ago I will have to pick Berry. She was stunning in Monster’s Ball which allowed her to go places most actresses won’t even attempt to go.
Matt:In a long shot, I’m looking at Nicole Kidman to walk away with the best actress award for her role in Moulin Rouge. In the movie, she sang, she danced and still gave a brilliant performance. Kidman also did a terrific job in The Others though the movie wasn’t nominated for any awards. This was Kidman’s year.
Best Director
Julie:Ron Howard made an otherwise artsy movie mainstream and he deserves the Oscar. His scenes flow together so nicely and the actors could not have been better together if it were real life. He has put in his dues, he is well deserving of the Oscar.
Matt:Taking on one of literature’s most well-known novels, Peter Jackson did a magnificent job in recreating J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic series The Lord of the Rings and bringing it to the silver screen. Lavish looking sets and exotic locations should be enough for Jackson to win.
Best Supporting Actor
Julie:John Voight who has played hundreds of roles deserves the award after being nominated four times. Voight is an extremely believable Howard Cosell in Ali. In the long drawn out movie Voight keeps viewers attentive even as the third hour comes along.
Matt:Playing the wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, I expect Ian McKellen to snag the best supporting actor award. Many critics said he should have won for his performance in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters. This year looks like his best chance in winning.
Best Supporting Actress
Julie:Jennifer Connelly who gave her break out role in A Beautiful Mind deserves the Academy Award. She held her own against Russell Crowe which is astonishing. This is just the beginning of what we will see from this actress and an Oscar will get the ball rolling.
Matt:Much like her co-star Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly should win the Oscar for her role in A Beautiful Mind. Connelly delivers a great performance on screen and also won a Golden Globe and American Film Institute award for her performance.
Animated Feature Film
Julie:Personally I don’t think three nominees is enough to have in one category but then again I don’t work for the academy so I have no say. If I had to pick it would be Monsters, Inc., because it was released by Disney.
Matt:In a no-brainer, Shrek should claim the title as the best animated film of the year. Many critics said the movie should have been nominated for best picture but the academy tends not to nominate animated films (with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast being the exception).
Best Musical Score
Julie:This is one category that Moulin Rouge should have been nominated in. I guess I would have to pick A Beautiful Mind for this category because the music is lovely and perfect for the time and setting of the movie.
Matt:I was about to choose Moulin Rouge to win this year but most of the musical score is comprised of cover tunes. The academy will be looking to give the award for an original score. So this year, I expect The Lord of the Rings to win.
Best Screenplay
Julie:The Royal Tenenbaums by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson should win this and a couple of other awards but this it the only one they were nominated for. I think this duo will be back and a best picture award is in their future.
Matt:I have a feeling In the Bedroom will win this award. The movie is nominated for several acting categories and nominated for best picture and it only makes sense for it to win. Almost a guarentee win.
