LOS ANGELES – This year’s nominees reflects a mediocre year of movies, but nearly all those honored were worthy.
Hollywood had record domestic revenues of $7.7 billion last year, yet it was the second straight year that attendance fell. The number of moviegoers dropped to 1.42 billion, down 44 million from 1999.
Meanwhile, 10 of the nation’s largest theater companies have filed for bankruptcy protection since last summer. To reduce costs, theater chains plan to close about 200 screens a month over the coming year.
A lot of people watch the Oscar telecast as a sort of window to American popular culture. They will be more interested in ‘Who is Nicole Kidman’s companion?’ or Will Tom Cruise be all alone?
We suspect Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will win for best picture. Ed Harris should will win for best actor. If not, then Javier Bardem, portraying another real-life artist, will win for Before Night Falls.
For best actress, our pick is Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich. For supporting actor, Willem Dafoe’s title portrayal in Shadow of the Vampire is one of the great performances ever set down on film. He richly deserves it.
So does Marcia Gay Harden as artist Lee Krassner in Pollock, portraying the tormented painter’s patient and long-suffering wife.
Five of this year’s Oscar nominees have a chance to win a second award: Juliette Binoche, Ellen Burstyn, Judi Dench, Frances McDormand and Geoffrey Rush.
“We are scared,” said DreamWorks SKG executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Anybody who says they’re not scared isn’t being honest.”
So, who will be walking away with the coveted statuettes?
