We're All Holding Our Breath: the 67th Annual Academy Awards

By Cory Bragar

Staff Writer and Videographer

n March 25, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will hand out twenty-seven golden statues at the 67th annual Academy Awards. One will go to Kirk Douglas for his lifetime achievement. The recipients of the other twenty-six awards will remain a mystery until the 25th. In past years, Oscar night has been demystified because one stand out film, such as "Forrest Gump" or "Schindler's List," was a lock to sweep many of the major categories. This year, however, the world will be holding its breath as it watches the Academy Awards because no such sure-fire winning film exists. "Braveheart," Mel Gibson's Scottish epic adventure, leads the pack with ten nominations. "Apollo 13" received nine nominations while "Babe," everyone's favorite talking pig, and "Sense and Sensibility" each garnered seven nods. "Il Postino," the Italian romance, rounds out the top five, with five nominations of its own.
Actually, the nominations are spread out among a wide variety of films, including many first-time nominees. It is virtually impossible to predict the winners. The best we can do is guess, and so I shall, as I provide you with a comprehensive viewing guide to the 67th annual Academy Awards.

Best Supporting Actor The Nominees: James Cromwell, "Babe;" Ed Harris, "Apollo 13;" Brad Pitt, "12 Monkeys;" Tim Roth, "Rob Roy;" and Kevin Spacey, "The Usual Suspects." The Buzz: As always, this category is comprised of five strong performances. Spacey picked up the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) Award while Pitt won the Golden Globe in this category. According to many critics, Cromwell was delightful as the only human character in "Babe," but his performance was probably not strong enough to hold up to the other more well-known actors in this category.
My Pick: Although it should be close, my vote goes to Kevin Spacey.
Best Supporting Actress The Nominees: Joan Allen, "Nixon;" Kathleen Quinlan, "Apollo 13;" Mira Sorvino, "Mighty Aphrodite;" Mare Winningham, "Georgia;" and Kate Winslet, "Sense and Sensibility." The Buzz: Winslett won the SAG award. Sorvino picked up the Golden Globe. Joan Allen's portrayal of Pat Nixon has also garnered rave reviews. This category should boil down to a race between these three.
My Pick: Woody Allen films have a great track record for producing Oscar's Best Supporting Actress and I think this year will be no different. Mira Sorvino was both convincing and funny as a prostitute in Woody's latest flic. Come Oscar night, Sorvino should walk off with the statue.
Best Actress The Nominees: Susan Sarandon, "Dead Man Walking;" Elisabeth Shue, "Leaving Las Vegas;" Sharon Stone, "Casino;" Meryl Streep, "The Bridges of Madison County;" and Emma Thompson, "Sense and Sensibility." The Buzz: The Best Actress category this year is a tough one to call. Sharon Stone won the Golden Globe Award in this category while Susan Sarandon picked up the nod from SAG. However, Shue won several critics' awards and both Thompson and Streep are perennial favorites that should not be overlooked.
My Pick: While Streep's performance was strong, her movie did not receive as much attention as the other four in this category and I think that will hurt her chances. Likewise, "Casino" was overly violent and offended many Academy voters which could keep Stone from winning. My vote goes to Sarandon. Not only was her performance superb, but she is a well-known actress portraying a respectable character--the type of role the Academy likes to reward.
Best Actor The Nominees: Nicholas Cage, "Leaving Las Vegas;" Richard Dreyfuss, "Mr. Holland's Opus;" Anthony Hopkins, "Nixon;" Sean Penn, "Dead Man Walking;" and Massimo Troisi, "Il Postino." The Buzz: While all five performances were strong, there is not really much to talk about in this category. Nicholas Cage has won every major award to date for his portrayal of a man drinking himself to death. Critics all agree that he is the hands- down favorite.
My Pick: This is the one easy category to call: Nicholas Cage, unquestionably. He won all of the preseason awards, he had a substantive role, and his performance was first rate.
Best Director The Nominees: Mike Figgis, "Leaving Las Vegas;" Mel Gibson, "Braveheart;" Chris Noonan, "Babe;" Michael Radford, "Il Postino;" and Tim Robbins "Dead Man Walking." The Buzz: Mel Gibson won the Golden Globe. However, Ron Howard, who was not even nominated for an Oscar, won the Director's Guild award.
My Pick: Another tight one, but my vote is for Tim Robbins. "Dead Man Walking" was an excellent film. It was not nominated for Best Picture and Academy members might reward it in this major category.
Best Picture The Nominees: "Apollo 13," "Babe," "Braveheart," "Il Postino" (The Postman), and "Sense and Sensibility." The Buzz: A very close race. While Sense and Sensibility won the Golden Globe for Best Drama, Babe won for Best Comedy. Apollo 13 won the SAG Award for best ensemble cast. Miramax has put forward a very effective campaign to Academy voters for its underdog picture, "Il Postino." "Babe," the film about a talking pig, is the movie everyone's talking about...
My Pick: My gut says "Sense and Sensibility." The Jane Austen period piece is just the type of film the Academy usually awards. However, "Sense and Sensibility's" director was not nominated for Best Director and films rarely win Best Picture without the Best Director nomination. The last time a film won Best Picture without the Best Director nomination was in 1989. Therefore, I'll have to place my bet on "Braveheart." It won the Golden Globe for Best Director and received the most overall nominations--two good predictors for Best Picture.
Well, I have placed my bets and soon the Academy member's votes will be in the mail. All that's left to do is wait until the 25th...