I have to take you to task. Your choices this year for Academy Award nominations have made me almost as scared of you as I am angry. The reason is simple: You did not do your job this year.
That's right - you failed us film fans. Your job as Academy members is to preserve the legacy of film; you're supposed to find the best, most innovative film work of each year and celebrate it at the annual Oscars. What you are not supposed to do is simply nominate the year's most successful films or the ones that campaigned the loudest.
But that's exactly what you did this year.
I won't beat around the bush. It's a given that "American Beauty" is going to win the best picture title. While Miramax has done wonders on you guys with their massive push of the underwhelming "The Cider House Rules," "American Beauty"'s success has been a foregone conclusion since its September premiere. However, I thought that in a year with such a great pool of films from which to choose, the other nominees at least would give it a run for its money.
So why is it you neglected such standouts as "Being John Malkovich," "Boys Don't Cry," "Magnolia" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley"? The inclusion of "The Green Mile" and "The Sixth Sense," two less than stellar blockbusters, suggests that money did the talking in this year's race. The fact that a movie as qualified as "The Insider" was lumped in with these lackluster films makes it seem almost out of place. Shame on you.
And you know what else? The Best Supporting Actress race is such a shoo-in you might as well eliminate the race altogether. Though you nominated Toni Collette ("The Sixth Sense"), Catherine Keener ("Being John Malkovich"), Samantha Morton ("Sweet and Lowdown") and Chloe Sevigny ("Boys Don't Cry"), you might as well already have engraved Angelina Jolie's name on the statuette for "Girl, Interrupted."
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As for the Best Supporting Actor nominees, you really goofed. Instead of Michael Clarke in "The Green Mile" and Haley Joel Osment in "The Sixth Sense," you should have sided with John Malkovich's caricature of himself in "Being John Malkovich" and Christopher Plummer's searing depiction of Mike Wallace in "The Insider."
However, I do agree you guys did right by selecting Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules"), Tom Cruise ("Magnolia") and Jude Law ("The Talented Mr. Ripley"). This is where the supporting actor race heats up. It looks like a dead heat between Cruise and Osment; guys, to me this is a no-brainer.
In nearly 20 years, Cruise has crossed over from major Hollywood star (he has the all-time highest grossing filmography) to legitimate actor. He has played some of the most memorable scenes on film. Remember watching his heart melt as he taught Dustin Hoffman to slow dance in "Rain Man"? Or his gut-wrenching confession to the family of a slain Vietnam vet in "Born on the Fourth of July"? Then there's "Jerry Maguire," in which we saw his character reevaluate his entire life and fall in love. Actors would kill to be able to play such scenes just once; Cruise has carved an entire career out of it.
His "Magnolia" work is no different. As a deconstructed macho man, Cruise demonstrates such mastery of craft that it would be a sin not to recognize it. Sure, Osment's was an outstanding child performance, but when you move past that novelty factor, you'll recognize the difference between the two nominees. What Osment did was good for him; what Cruise has done is great for us.
On the other hand, Caine also poses a threat as the dark horse candidate. If fellow Brit Judi Dench should announce his name, I'd have no argument with you. Caine is one of the all-time greats, an actor so hardworking that he's usually on location during award shows. It would be nice to take advantage of his attendance Sunday night.
Not so nice is my growing dread that in getting caught up in an "American Beauty" sweep, you checked off Annette Bening's name for dazzling in what is essentially a glorified supporting role. I hope you realize she and fellow nominees Janet McTeer ("Tumbleweeds"), Julianne Moore ("The End of the Affair") and Meryl Streep ("Music of the Heart") pale in comparison to Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry."
Why? Swank's work isn't just the year's best; it's the last fantastic performance of the decade. I once wished I'd been around when greats like Jessica Lange and Streep first hit it big, to have known what it was like to discover a major talent that was in it for the long haul. Watching Swank's work, an achingly honest performance that reached heights of lyrical sophistication, I now know.
In my book, you guys did good in the Best Actor race. Sean Penn was great ("Sweet and Lowdown"), Russell Crowe was outstanding ("The Insider"), and I'd be ecstatic if Richard Farnsworth ("The Straight Story"), the oldest best Actor nominee ever at 79, took the prize.
But you guys know as well as I do that this is a two-way race between Kevin Spacey ("American Beauty") and Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane"), both of whom claim previous wins in the supporting category.
Either way, you guys are crowning Hollywood royalty here. De Niro, Hackman and Lemmon are the only others to have won in both categories. With early buzz on Washington waning, I hope that means you selected Spacey, who made a potentially detestable character sympathetic.
I'm tempted to go to the movies instead of watching the ceremony Sunday night - know of any good movies I could see?
Never mind - I forgot who I was asking.
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