\"When you think about it, nothing makes sense in awards." -- David Lynch
It's funny to hear David Lynch, the king of confusing plot lines, say that something doesn't make sense. But then again, he's right. \nLike any numbered list, such as the NBA's Top 50 Players or American Film Institute's Top 100 Films, the Oscars leave many people bothered. My two favorite films this year, "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Ghost World," garnered just two nominations. Go figure. \nThe Academy is also infamous for forgetting films that stand the test of time. "Citizen Kane," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Apocalypse Now," "Raging Bull" and "Do the Right Thing" are widely considered all-time great films, but none of them won Best Picture. \nOn top of that, of Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese -- four of the most accomplished directors of the last 40 years -- none have never won Best Director. \nThe Oscars used to bother me because I forgot that it's just a popularity contest judged by people who don't have my opinion. I have no interest guessing who will win, and I don't care who wins. But I love watching and talking about movies, and for those two reasons, I love the Oscars.\nBest Picture\nLike last year, the Best Picture Oscar will most likely be a disappointment. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is far and away the best film of the year. As far as I'm concerned, this category is nothing more than "In the Bedroom" and four flubs. There's "Gosford Park," which is just an elaborate version of "Clue" with British accents. There's "Moulin Rouge," which was fun for about a half an hour until it turned into "Shakespeare in Love" on acid. There's "Lord of the Rings," a movie I might have liked had I taken the time to read the book. And there's "A Beautiful Mind," an OK movie anchored by a great performance, but a film that was not nearly as good as other deserving films.\nBest Actor\nIn 1999 Kevin Spacey and Denzel Washington were the frontrunners in this category, but neither were as deserving as Jim Carrey for his portrayal of Andy Kaufman in "Man On the Moon." This year's favorites are Washington for "Training Day" Crowe for "A Beautiful Mind," but the year's best performance was again left at home. Gene Hackman, who won the Golden Globe, was ignored for his hilarious and touching performance as Royal Tenenbaum. \nThat said, Best Actor is this year's strongest category, with Crowe, Washington, Tom Wilkinson for "In the Bedroom," Will Smith for "Ali" and Sean Penn for "I am Sam." All five roles presented considerable difficulties from physical handicaps to subdued rage to portraying a public figure, and all five performances were impressive and deserving of nomination. I liked Crowe the best, and if he wins, he will become the first back-to-back winner since Tom Hanks in 1993 and 1994. \nBest Actress\nNot much to say here. Sissy Spacek's performance in "In the Bedroom" was hands down the best of all. Like Wilkinson, the film's other lead, Spacek's anger and sadness are hidden beneath a cloak of silence and politeness. However, a disappointing snub was Thora Birch for "Ghost World," but she was not in Spacek's league. Neither was the nominated Nicole Kidman, another favorite, who was impressive but kind of annoying, as was the film she was nominated for. \nBest Director\nI've never really understood this category, and this year is no different. Just about the only thing I liked about "Moulin Rouge" was Baz Luhrmann's direction, but he was not nominated. So who knows. David Lynch did a great job with "Mulholland Drive," and Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" is visually stunning and beautiful. But the best direction came in "Black Hawk Down." Ridley Scott made the intense chaos and madness of war excruciatingly real. The sandy lens and shaky camera used annoyingly in "Gladiator" are brilliant in this film, which makes for the best example I have ever seen illustrating a realistic war movie at the heart of combat.
