Oscar 2002: A Tale of Two Cities

Following close behind was another epic production that took place in a major American city -- Gangs of New York, which overcame mixed reviews to snag 10 nominations. While everyone expected the film to yield nods for legendary director Martin Scorsese and intense actor Daniel Day-Lewis, its inclusion in the Best Picture category was proof that the violent, convoluted film had a slew of passionate fans among the members of the prestigious Academy.

With that, the 75th Academy Awards officially got under way, but what made the list of nominees so surprising was that...well, there weren't too many surprises. Everyone who was nominated certainly deserved to be so, and there weren't nearly as many so-called snubs as there had been in recent years. That said, there were still some interesting tidbits to be found...

The common theory that the studios wait until the end of the year to release their best (read: Oscar-worthy) films was never more true than in 2002. Not only were all five Best Picture nominees released in December, but the earliest release date, for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, was December 18. That left only 13 days for the other four nominees to open in theaters and make their mark before the cut-off date of December 31.

Two longtime Oscar staples proved that they were still in the good graces of the Academy, as Jack Nicholson scored his 12th nomination, making him the most nominated male performer ever. If Nicholson emerges victorious in March, he'll tie Katharine Hepburn with 4 Oscar wins. More importantly, he'll have done so in 4 consecutive decades, with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in the 70's, Terms of Endearment in the 80's, As Good as it Gets in the 90's and (potentially) About Schmidt in the 00's.

Besting Nicholson with more career noms was Meryl Streep, who snagged her 13th nomination for Adaptation, beating the previous record held by Hepburn as the most nominated performer of all time. If she wins, she'll join the ranks of Ingrid Bergman, Walter Brennan and Nicholson (if he loses) as having three competing Academy Award wins.

Actually, many expected Streep to get nominated twice, with the other being for her lead performance in The Hours. Instead, that honor went to Julianne Moore, who was represented for both Far From Heaven (Best Actress) and The Hours (Best Supporting Actress). If she wins both awards, she'll be the first performer in Oscar history to win twice on the same night.

Other tidbits; Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger will be competing against each other again (after being nominated last year for Moulin Rouge and Bridget Jones's Diary), but this year, Zellweger's the one with the musical performance to push. But without a doubt, the most versatile nominee of all has to be John C. Reilly, who appeared in three out of the five Best Picture nominees (Chicago, Gangs of New York and The Hours).

Oscar pundits looking for snubs were hard-pressed to find them, but they were certainly there. The most glaring omission was for Dennis Quaid, whose career-topping performance in Far From Heaven was a virtual lock. A nod for Richard Gere also seemed like a sure thing--especially after his recent Golden Globe win--but many argued that his role in Chicago was more of a supporting performance that just didn't compare to the final list of Best Actor nominees.

But enough speculation on who got nominated. Now let's shift gears and take a look at who will win (and why) when the Academy Awards are handed out on March 23. (Break out those office pools now!)

Best Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates (About Schmidt), Julianne Moore (The Hours), Queen Latifah (Chicago), Meryl Streep (Adaptation), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago).

A daring Kathy Bates rescued About Schmidt from being a somber affair, but she didn't even show up until the last half-hour of the movie. Julianne Moore was remarkable as a depressed 1950's housewife in The Hours, but many feel that she'll have a better shot with her lead performance in Far From Heaven (in which, ironically, she also plays a 1950's housewife). A year after African-Americans made headway at the Oscars, Queen Latifah represented the only African-American performance nod this year. The problem is that, as good as she was in Chicago, she just doesn't compare to the other nominees. That leaves Meryl Streep, who won a Supporting Golden Globe for Adaptation, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was also nominated for a Globe, but in the Lead category. Now that she's in the Supporting category where she belongs, there's no denying that she stole the show in Chicago, and she'll most likely steal the glory from Streep on March 23.

And the Oscar goes to: It's Oscar and all that jazz for Catherine Zeta-Jones!

Best Supporting Actor
Chris Cooper (Adaptation), Ed Harris (The Hours), Paul Newman (Road to Perdition), John C. Reilly (Chicago), Christopher Walken (Catch Me if You Can).

Ed Harris' melodramatic turn in The Hours was only a few minutes long, so the Academy will probably wait until a better, longer one comes along before they give him the gold. Road to Perdition was tooted as the year's first Oscar contender when it came out last July, but it fell by the wayside as the year drew to a close. That may hurt Paul Newman's chances, but the Academy may still choose to honor him for his body of work (again). John C. Reilly provided the sole sensitive moment in Chicago, but he's up against some pretty stiff competition here. Christopher Walken stunned moviegoers by playing a vulnerable person for a change in Catch Me if You Can, but Chris Cooper was totally unrecognizable as the passionate Orchid thief in Adaptation (and for what it's worth, he has far more screen time than the other nominees).

And the Oscar goes to: Everything's coming up Oscar for Chris Cooper!

Best Actress
Salma Hayek (Frida), Nicole Kidman (The Hours), Diane Lane (Unfaithful), Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven), Renee Zellweger (Chicago).

Salma Hayek was an absolute revelation in her pet project Frida, but she was clearly the best thing about the movie. The same goes for Diane Lane, who gave a sexy, heated, tour-de-force performance in Unfaithful. In Chicago, Renee Zellweger continued to prove herself with a role that many believed she couldn't pull off, but this race ultimately comes down to two people. Julianne Moore gave a bravura performance as a desperate housewife in Far From Heaven, but Nicole Kidman topped them all with her unglamorous take on Virginia Woolf in The Hours.

And the Oscar goes to: Nicole Kidman wins by a nose!

Best Actor
Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Nicholas Cage (Adaptation), Michael Caine (The Quiet American), Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York), Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt).

The fact that the Academy has a soft spot for Holocaust movies gives Adrien Brody--the only Best Actor nominee without a prior Oscar win--a huge advantage for The Pianist. After sleepwalking through a series of mindless blockbusters (most of them produced by Jerry Bruckheimer), Nicolas Cage was back in full force with not one, but two polarized performances in the quirky, highbrow Adaptation. Michael Caine lobbied hard for the release of The Quiet American, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually saw it. That leaves Daniel Day-Lewis, whose passionate performance as Bill the Butcher was the best thing about Gangs of New York, and Jack Nicholson, who gave the most restrained, vulnerable performance of his career as a recent retiree in About Schmidt.

And the Oscar goes to: Jack's back, and it's "about" time!

Best Director
Pedro Almodovar (Talk to Her), Stephen Daldry (The Hours), Rob Marshall (Chicago), Roman Polanski (The Pianist), Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York).

Talk to Her didn't get nominated for Best Foreign Picture (since some idiot in Spain submitted another movie instead), but at least Almodovar got a directing nod for the year's most stylish, sensuous and strangely moving film. Stephen Daldry's melodramatic direction of The Hours made for a powerful experience, but it was a relentlessly depressing affair that divided moviegoers down gender lines. Rob Marshall's dazzling adaptation of Chicago felt more at home on the big screen than it did on the stage, but it'll be hard for him to compete with legends like Roman Polanski and Martin Scorsese. The Pianist saw a return to form for Polanski, but the fact that he's a fugitive and can't even enter the country doesn't bode well for his chances. That leaves Scorsese, who's already winning a slew of awards to make up for the ones he didn't get for more worthy films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas.

And the Oscar goes to: The "gang's" all here for Martin Scorsese!

Best Picture
Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist.

After being released a year late, Gangs of New York turned out to be a good film that only had moments of greatness. With the sympathy vote already in Scorsese's favor as Best Director, that's about as much credit as this film is going to get. The Hours is an actor's dream, but like I said, it's a real downer. The Two Towers will clean up in the technical categories, but it's too much of a "middle chapter" to deserve a win for Best Picture (and besides, the trilogy as a whole will most likely get its due after the release of the third and final film later this year). The Pianist was this year's dark horse, but with its recent triumph at the BAFTAs, the horse is picking up speed, and it just may sneak past the finish line to end up as the biggest upset of the year. Most likely though, Academy voters will get swept off their feet by the sheer exhilaration of Chicago, which could become the first musical to win Best Picture since 1968's Oliver!

And the Oscar goes to: Chicago is Oscar's kind of town!