Here are CurrentlyPlaying.com's Second Annual Oscar Picks & Predictions. We have the three main CurrentlyPlaying.com reviewers, Editor in Chief Camilo Arenivar, Co-Reviewers Vanessa Jayne and Tom McLaughlin. We will state who we think SHOULD win, and who WILL win, based on typical Academy voting habits!
ACTOR -- LEADINGThe only one I haven't seen here is Ed Harris.
Who SHOULD WIN: Geoffery Rush - Quills. Geoffery Rush brought the Marquis de Sade to life with such passion and fervor, a performance that far surpasses any other I have seen in 2000.
Who WILL Win: Russel Crowe. It's Oscar wisdom here, either he or Denzel Washington should have clearly won last year and now Oscar owes it to him. Hopefully this does not happen.
Who SHOULD WIN: Ed Harris - Pollock.
Who WILL Win: Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks.
ACTOR -- SUPPORTINGThe only performance I haven't seen here is Wilem Dafoe's. I think it is a shame that Gary Oldman's fantastic performance in The Contender and Haley Joel Osment's in Pay It Forward were ignored.
Who SHOULD WIN: Benicio Del Toro - Traffic.
Who WILL Win: Benicio Del Toro - Traffic. Del Toro not winning this would be shocking.
Who SHOULD WIN: Willem Dafoe - SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE.
Who WILL Win: Benicio Del Toro - Traffic.
Benicio Del Toro - Traffic.
ACTRESS -- LEADINGThe only one performance in this category I haven't seen is Ellen Burstyn's, and I hear it is quite good!
Who SHOULD WIN: Julia Roberts - ERIN BROCKOVICH. I feel this was a pivotal point in her career, Julia can deliver a true character role, I knew she had this Oscar the day I saw the movie. Of all the performances in this category I feel Burstyn's may have been better, but I did not see it so I will go with what I have seen.
Who WILL Win: Julia Roberts - ERIN BROCKOVICH. All the signs are there, Golden Globes, SAGS.She will walk away with this one.
Who SHOULD WIN: Laura Linney - YOU CAN COUNT ON ME.
Who WILL Win: Julia Roberts - ERIN BROCKOVICH.
Julia Roberts - ERIN BROCKOVICH.
ACTRESS -- SUPPORTINGI haven't seen Pollock or Billy Elliot, so I am naturaly biased against those performances.
Who SHOULD WIN: Frances McDormand - ALMOST FAMOUS. This was tough for me because Judi Dench is a great actress and she was excellent in this film as well. But the overall best supporting performance by an actress I believe was delivered by McDormand in this film.
Who WILL Win: Kate Hudson - ALMOST FAMOUS. I just have a feeling about this one although Hudson and McDormand could cancel each other out and Dench could walk away with it, which she did at the SAGs and I would not complain.
Who SHOULD WIN: Kate Hudson - ALMOST FAMOUS.
Who WILL Win: Kate Hudson - ALMOST FAMOUS.
N/A.
DIRECTINGThis is a real difficult one, primarily because of the great direction for both Traffic and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!
Who SHOULD WIN: TRAFFIC. The thing that is most brilliant is Steven Soderbergh's excellent direction.
Who WILL Win: CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Unless the Academy can solidify the support of which Soderbergh film they want to vote for, I feel he will split his vote and lose the Oscar. I dont think any of the other movies are serious contenders for this award, even if Gladiator walks away with Best Picture. Ang Lee won the DGA and he may very well end up winning the Oscar. At least it will be deserved.
Who SHOULD WIN: TRAFFIC.
Who WILL Win: GLADIATOR. Unfortunately Soderbergh may split his
votes and it end up going to Ridley Scott
TRAFFIC.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMThis is obvious, and we all agree on this one for who should and WILL win.
Who SHOULD WIN: CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. The thing that is most brilliant is Steven Soderbergh's excellent direction.
Who WILL Win: CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
Who SHOULD WIN: CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
Who WILL Win: CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
WRITING (ADAPTED)The only one of the nominees I did not see is O Brother Where Art Thou and I don't feel it is a serious contender.
Who SHOULD WIN: WONDER BOYS. A shame that this very well written and acted film was not nominated in more categories. The reason it is nominated is because it deserves this award.
Who WILL Win: TRAFFIC.
Who SHOULD WIN: WONDER BOYS.
Who WILL Win: WONDER BOYS.
N/A.
WRITING (ORIGINAL)The only one of the nominees I did not see in this category is Billy Elliot and I will actually be seeing it the weekend before the Oscars.
Who SHOULD WIN: ALMOST FAMOUS. A shame that this very well written and acted film was not nominated in more categories! Didn't I say this about Wonder Boys? Well ditto, and this is an even better film that that, a travesty it did not get a Best Picture nomination.
Who WILL Win: ALMOST FAMOUS. I don't think the Academy will go that wrong and totally snub this film.
Who SHOULD WIN: ALMOST FAMOUS.
Who WILL Win: ALMOST FAMOUS.
N/A.
BEST PICTURE Now this too is a real difficult one, my favorite movie of the year was Chocolat. However, for overall artistic achievement in film, I don't think it deserves the top award. I am torn between Traffic and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Both deserve it just a bit more than Gladiator.
Who SHOULD WIN: TRAFFIC. It is an artistic achievement, and it makes a convincing argument about the futility of the war on drugs.
Who WILL Win: GLADIATOR. It's a Hollywood thing, this is the movie the Academy will rally around.
Who SHOULD WIN: TRAFFIC.
Who WILL Win: GLADIATOR. Unfortunately!
GLADIATOR.
So there it is, the CurrentlyPlaying.com Reviewer's Consensus that Gladiator will indeed be the film honored as Best Picture on Sunday, March 25, 2001 at the Shrine Auditorium despite the feeling that Traffic is more worthy of the award.
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