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Ahhh…. The Oscars. Why do we all watch this annual event? Frankly, I just like to watch the introduction to it. That is really the best part of the whole thing. They always string together a series of clips of new and old movies in a clever way. Plus the opening stand up comedy is usually top notch. Billy Crystal is gone this year, but Steve Martin is hosting this year and I have confidence that he will be at least ten times better than Whoopi Goldberg and Dave Letterman were combined.
So who will win the Oscar for best picture? "Gladiator." Why? Because it is the sweeping epic and the sweeping epic always wins. I know some people might dismiss it as a gratuitously violent movie which indulges the movie going audience with blood, gore and tiger fights, but most critics were honest enough to admit that they loved it. And despite some melodrama and some glaring historical inaccuracies, it was a truly great film with strong performances by everyone involved. A story of a General, who should have been the emperor, but became a slave. A son who felt betrayed by his father, who then commits fratricide. A great man willing to sacrifice it all for the love of country. Unrequited love.
This movie has it all. In spades. There may be other movies that have handled these same stories and themes even better, but that does not take away from the fact that "Gladiator" is still an awesome movie.
Technically, "Gladiator" has some competition in the "sweeping epic" category. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" certainly qualifies. I think I need to see the movie again and instead of trying to read all the subtitles, I should just soak in the amazing cinematography. (This is also a problem I had with "Life is Beautiful." I couldn't enjoy Roberto Benini's great facial expressions and acting when I was reading the subtitles. But maybe that is just me.) Maybe if this movie wins for best picture, that would make up for "The Matrix" not even being nominated for best picture last year. But action movies never get their due, no matter how good they are. Crouching Tiger is truly an awesome movie on every level. The story is excellent and the special effects and fight scenes are truly breathtaking. Anyone who has not seen this movie should definitely do so, and they should do it on the BIG SCREEN. This is true of most movies, but it is especially true for this one. You want to be overwhelmed when you see it. Why will this not win? Gladiator is probably a better movie. Also, the academy probably isn't ready to award the best picture award to a "martial arts" movie with subtitles.
What is really great about "Crouching Tiger" is it accomplishes what was previously only possible in Japanese animation. Toward the end of this movie the characters are flying through trees and fighting. They are running vertically up trees and sword fighting at the same time! You just can't beat that!
Also, this is one of the first films from Asia that I have seen, with excellent production quality. All too often, Asian movies look "cheap." There is something about the film or the lighting that is used, which makes things look a little bit grainy or dirty. This film does not suffer from that problem at all.
As a side note, anyone who liked the action in this movie should really check out "Twin Dragons." It has Michelle Yeoh in it (who also stars in "Crouching Tiger"). More importantly, it is done by the same action choreographer who helped to produce "The Matrix" and "Crouching Tiger." "Twin Warriors" is really a martial arts comedy, but much of the action is as good and exciting as what you get in "Crouching Tiger."
"Traffic" is also something of an epic, but it is not a period piece. Generally, period pieces will win out over movies set in modern day. While "Traffic" was a good movie and worthy of being nominated, I don't think it really lived up to the hype. Truth be told, I enjoyed "Erin Brockavich" more than Traffic. I thought Traffic would have had more of a dramatic impact on me. I wasn't terribly moved at the end of the film and it didn't have a big emotional punch. I thought it should have ended either on a major down note or with an inspiring glimmer of hope. Instead we are left with a general malaise. Last year, "American Beauty" pulled off an ending that was both depressing and inspiring at the same time. Not an easy thing to do. Gladiator did the same…. More or less
Erin Brockavich is a great Soderberg movie. It was well written, funny, and based on a true story. I was pleasantly surprised to see it nominated for Best Picture. Anyone who has not seen this movie, should rent it today. It is not an "epic" and it is not the usual sort of movie that gets nominated for best picture, but it is absolutely one of the best films of the year.
A lot of people are claiming that "Chocolat" is a mediocre film, which is only getting praise because Miramax is hyping it so heavily. Those people are probably half right. By no means is this film mediocre. It is however, not as good as the films that generally get nominated. Then again, there is no other film that pops out in my mind as a replacement for this movie in this category this year. Other potentials that were released late last year did not quite make it over the bar. "The Pledge" and "Thirteen Days" may have been good, but not good enough to get nominated for best picture. Also, Unbreakable never got the credit it deserved.
I have to say that I did not plan on liking Chocolat. It is about a sleepy, Catholic town in France in the 1950's that gets all riled up when a beautiful (and apparently pagan) woman opens up a chocolate shop at the beginning of Lent. Maybe I can enjoy a movie like this because I have matured a bit in recent years. It is certainly a charming movie. Of course, the notion of a stranger moving to town and causing a stir is hardly a new concept. The last really good movie with this theme was probably "Pleasantville." Unlike "Chocolat," "Pleasantville" was shunned by the Academy. However, unlike that movie, "Chocolat" did not steal heavily from "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Juliette Binoche was enchanting as always. Plus we have a great supporting cast including Johnny Depp, Carrie Ann Moss, and Judi Dench. And the biggest supporting character has to be the chocolate itself. Like probably everyone else who sees this movie, I had a serious craving for chocolate afterwards. I walked through Yerba Buena Park, right next to the Metreon Theater in San Francisco, to stop and smell the roses. Then I wandered over the nearest Ghiradelli chocolate store. When I finally made it home to enjoy my milk chocolate caramel candy bar with a glass of milk, I realized what everyone in the movie was talking about.
If you want to figure out who will win for best picture this year, refer to the following graph below. It works for pretty much every year and will likely hold true for this year as well. 
Nominee list: My projected winners are in bold. BEST PICTURE
DIRECTING
ACTOR -- LEADING
ACTOR -- SUPPORTING
ACTRESS -- LEADING
ACTRESS -- SUPPORTING
ART DIRECTION
CINEMATOGRAPHY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
MAKEUP
VISUAL EFFECTS
WRITING (ADAPTED)
WRITING (ORIGINAL)
*** Let's face it. We don't really care about the following categories, but here are my choices: COSTUME DESIGN
SHORT -- ANIMATED
SHORT -- LIVE ACTION
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
FILM EDITING
MUSIC (SCORE)
MUSIC (SONG)
SOUND
SOUND EDITING
Many of these are available on DVD.
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