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The Deep Divide of Film Awards Season 2001

© Nicholas Moreau

We already have a trend for this year's film awards season. It's quite clear that there is a deep divide between the independents and the big budget Hollywood Oscar contenders. The Los Angeles, New York, and Boston Film Critics have all come out with their choices since last time, and couple them with the National Board of Review, and we have smaller, independent films taking the lead in the Oscar sweepstakes.

We've hardly even heard a mention of the films we've been talking about for so long ... Ali, A Beautiful Mind, The Majestic, The Shipping News and others. Instead, smaller films like In The Bedroom, offbeat films like Mulholland Drive, and some surprise out-of-left-field choices (like Denzel Washington winning Best Actor for Training Day) have made this Oscar season one of the most interesting and unpredictable.

What makes it most interesting though is that all these smaller, offbeat choices, while all good films, will not be represented at the Academy Awards. Mulholland Drive doesn't have a prayer to be nominated for Picture or Director ... the only film getting such great buzz with some of the advance awards that may do well is In The Bedroom, which has been winning numerous major prizes, including many for the cast. Sissy Spacek looks to be our clear frontrunner for the Best Actress prize already, and with this much buzz, it could sneak in for a Best Picture nod. I think a lot may change on Thursday when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces their nominees for the Golden Globe Awards, which are usually a better predictor of major Oscar nominees.

Now let's look at what the latest precursor awards chose for their best achievements in film for 2001:

The New York Film Critics announced their choices late last week. They awarded Best Picture of the Year to David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, while giving Best Director to Robert Altman for Gosford Park. The two leads from In The Bedroom claimed the NY Critics' prizes for Best Actor and Best Actress -- Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek. Best Supporting Actor went to Steve Buscemi for Ghost World, a wonderful performance, glad to see it honored. Best Supporting Actress went to Helen Mirren for Gosford Park. Best Screenplay also went to Gosford Park. The foreign film In The Mood for Love won the Foreign Film honor, while also winning the critics' prize for Best Cinematography. Richard Linklater's incredible Waking Life won the Animated Film honor, and Todd Field's In The Bedroom won the honor for Best First Film.

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