Well, this week was filled with a ton of news and precursor awards, so let's get right to it.
First off, the Academy did officially announce this past week who will be the host for the 73rd Annual Academy Award telecast. And it's ... Steve Martin. This should be an interesting choice ... Martin is certainly a gifted comedian, with a connection to film, and his past appearances on the telecast have always been irreverant ... I think it's a good choice. This will be Martin's first time hosting the Oscars, and he should make for a good host, full of wit, plenty of sarcasm, and I believe a love for the movies, same as Billy Crystal had.
Now to the precursors ... before we get to the actual precursor awards, some well known publications and critics announced their choices for the ten best films of the year. This isn't always the greatest precursor to who might get nominated for Oscars, but does put some films in the forefront.
Entertainment Weekly's Ten Best Films of 2000
OWEN GLEIBERMAN
1. Chuck & Buck
2. Requiem for a Dream
3. Traffic
4. Almost Famous
5. Before Night Falls
6. The Filth and the Fury
7. What Lies Beneath
8. Bamboozled
9. Croupier
10. Thirteen Days
LISA SCHWARZBAUM
1. Dancer in the Dark
2. The House of Mirth
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4. Yi Yi
5. Gladiator
6. Nurse Betty
7. You Can Count On Me
8. Wonder Boys
9. The Wind Will Carry Us
10. Chicken Run
EBERT & ROEPER'S TEN BEST FILMS OF 2000
ROGER EBERT
1. "Almost Famous"
2. "Wonder Boys"
3. "You Can Count on Me"
4. "Traffic"
5. "George Washington"
6. "The Cell"
7. "High Fidelity"
8. "Pollock"
9. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
10. "Requiem for a Dream"
RICHARD ROEPER
1. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
2. "Traffic"
3. "The Claim"
4. "The Contender"
5. "Wonder Boys"
6. "Finding Forrester"
7. "You Can Count on Me"
8. "Sunshine"
9. "Cast Away"
10. "Almost Famous"
I believe Ebert is the first critic I've seen who has selected Almost Famous as the year's best film. In his review where he discusses the films in depth, Ebert makes a good point about this disappointing year in film. This year, we didn't have real groundbreaking, exciting films, but more stories that were engaging.
Now to the precursor awards this past week, and there were plenty. First up, the Los Angeles Film Critics, who announced their choices last Saturday, and they clearly loved Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Picture: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Runner-Up: Wonder Boys
Actor: Michael Douglas - Wonder Boys
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Nicholas Moreau's Academy Awards topic, please visit the Discussions page.