My Predictions For The 75th Annual Academy Awards

Mar 19, 2003 - © Jason O'Brien

  • WILL WIN: Chicago
  • MY PERSONAL CHOICE: Gangs of New York, but I will be happy to see Chicago take it
  • DESERVED A NOMINATION, BUT DIDN'T GET IT: Oh, so many from such a great year, but mostly Adaptation, Far From Heaven, About Schmidt, and my own personal favorite, Punch-Drunk Love

    BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

    Well, now we get to the tough ones ... Best Actor is probably the toughest category to predict this year. All pre-awards season long, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson have been sharing honors, even tying for Best Actor honors, for their two wonderful portrayals. The race seemed to be clearly between the two of them, but in all their battles, it seems a young dark horse may be sneaking in to steal their thunder. This is quite a veteran's race for the most part, as four of the actors nominated are all past Oscar winners. Michael Caine's achievement is his nomination, the film hasn't been seen enough, and this is its only nomination, so don't expect Caine to take Oscar #3. Nicolas Cage was absolutely wonderful in portraying twin brothers, but the competition is too much for him to win another Oscar. So that brings us to Nicholson and Day-Lewis, Bill the Butcher vs. Warren Schmidt. The performances are so different from one another, but no more accomplished than the other. Jack Nicholson receives his 12th acting nomination for this film, and Nicholson just continues to prove why he is one of our greatest living actors. This time, he toned down the "Jack", and instead truly embodied this sad man who finds himself near the end of his life unhappy and unprepared. The final sequence alone would clearly earn Nicholson an Oscar in any other year. But how can you not give an Oscar to Daniel Day-Lewis for creating one of the most complex villains in film history in Martin Scorsese's powerful achievement, Gangs of New York? His William Cutting (aka Bill the Butcher), is not just one dimensional evil. Day-Lewis again proves how powerful a method actor he is, and why it's so good to see him back in films again. Day-Lewis certainly has the slight edge over Nicholson, but I sense a dark horse surprise may be waiting in the wings. And that's the only nominee in this category who hasn't won or even been nominated for an Oscar before. Adrien Brody could become one of the youngest

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