Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Runner-Up:
No Man's Land (MGM)
Directed by Danis Tanovic
So this week it's still a mixed bag for the film awards season, and we'll see if the AFI Awards and the announcement of the National Society of Film Critics clear things up a bit, or cloud the picture even more. There's certainly some frontrunners ... Russell Crowe, Ben Kingsley, Halle Berry, Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Jennifer Connelly, and Marisa Tomei are all looking solid for acting nominations. I think Russell Crowe is the clear frontrunner to win a second consecutive Best Actor Oscar at this point. And it's tough running between Halle Berry and Sissy Spacek for who may win Best Actress. Halle Berry would certainly be the daring choice, Spacek the more conservative choice.
And we certainly have a group of films which can be considered frontrunners, but it's still hard to imagine the Academy nominating or honoring some of them. I think it's clear we'll see Best Picture nominations for Lord of the Rings and A Beautiful Mind, the only two films to really remain high on all critics lists, and neither film really has any detractors. Memento and Mulholland Drive may duke it out for an independent nod, but both still have an uphill climb ahead of them to achieve a Best Picture nomination. The Shipping News has failed to live up to expectations, Ali isn't looking as strong, Moulin Rouge may have too much against it, so it's really a tough call ... I can't even venture some solid predictions at this point.
A lot of people are boldly predicting a Best Picture win for Lord of the Rings. I've been criticized for saying this will not happen, and I still don't see it happening. If it wins the AFI Award and the Golden Globe, and if Peter Jackson wins the Directors Guild award, then perhaps it could happen, but at this stage of the game, I still don't see it. The Academy does not typically embrace fantasy films like that, and I just don't see it happening. A Beautiful Mind, however, still may be the Academy's film.
A lot will depend on which film wins the AFI Award and which film wins the Golden Globe Drama award. That may help determine a lot ... and just watch, with the film awards season going like it is, they're liable to each pick a different one! But who knows, in a couple of weeks, we may have an Oscar frontrunner, and it may surprisingly be The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. What a film awards season it has already been!
