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Early Outlook for Oscar 2000 Nominations

© Nicholas Moreau

Now it's time to start looking ahead to the next Academy Awards, in March of 2000, which will honor the films of 1999. And as we start to look ahead and look back at the 1999 films released so far, it looks like the major Oscar nominated and winning films will once again end up coming from the last four months of the year, as seems to be typical of the Oscars.

So far in 1999, there's only been one film that stands a chance to receive a major nomination or two in the six major categories. That one film was released in July, Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick stands a chance to get a posthumous Best Director nomination, and Nicole Kidman's Oscar chances look good, and she certainly deserves a nod. Not sure about Tom Cruise's chances for a nomination, but the film does have a serious shot to be nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

It certainly is one of the best films of 1999 so far, in a year where there haven't really been that many truly outstanding, Oscar-worthy films. Kubrick was one of our greatest film artists, and his final film was thought-provoking, and incredibly stylized and shot, and is definitely deserving of major Oscar nominations. In addition to some of those major nods, expect nominations for Art Direction, Cinematography, Music Original Score, and Film Editing.

Other than that, there may not be any other possible film to be included in the hallowed Best Picture list so far this year. Some are saying the indie success, The Blair Witch Project, may have enough buzz to score a Best Picture nod, and with the Academy's penchant of late to nominate a bizarre or offbeat choice, like The Full Monty or Four Weddings and a Funeral, it certainly would not be a surprise, and it would certainly be an unexpected and welcome honor for an independent film that managed to break through amongst the other summer blockbusters.

It would be nice to see Disney's Tarzan become the second animated film to be nominated for Best Picture ... it was definitely one of the best animated films so far in the top five of the year. But if not,  it's safe to say that two or three of the Phil Collins songs from the film will be nominated ... the bets are on "You'll Be In My Heart" and "Son of Man."