> I'll start the annual Oscar Nominations Game here in the forum when the Oscar ceremony draws a little nearer. It will be an interesting year.

Even though you're going to start it later, I'd like to post my thoughts on the various awards.

I might change this list when the actual game begins. As in years previous, I haven't seen more than half of the various movies nominated.

-FP

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ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: Sean Penn
Although Tom Wilkinson has a shot, it's either going to be Russell Crowe or Sean Penn. Sean Penn will edge out a win as Hollywood likes mental disorders. Mentally retarded plus custody battle trumps a math whiz with schitzophrenia.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Jim Broadbent
I'm not sure here. All I know is that Ian McKellen won't win, solely because his movie was a fantasy adventure movie. The only way he'd be worse off is if the movie was a comedy. Jim Broadbent plays "a man coping with his wife's decline into Alzheimer's disease", which is fits the mental disorder requirement. Academy voters this year can also check out him playing a completely different character in Moulin Rouge. Plus he's British.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: Sissy Spacek
I'd say Nicole Kidman if it wasn't for The Painful Scene in Moulin Rouge. During the first quarter or so of the movie, there was a scene where Nicole's character tries to seduce Ewan MacGregor's character in a supposedly funny way. It made me cringe when I saw it in the theater, it made me cringe when I saw it again at home. Everything else she did in the movie was wonderful. Rene Zellweger won't win because she was nominated for a comedy. Sissy Spacek will win because Hollywood likes to give awards to the person they snubbed in previous years because they were giving the award they should have won to someone they snubbed the year before. She's been nominated six times and hasn't won yet.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Jennifer Connelly
I just think she's hot.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: Shrek
Jimmy Neutron? Monsters, Inc? Please.

ART DIRECTION: Moulin Rouge
I dare anyone to watch the first twenty minutes of the movie and not experience sensory overload.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Moulin Rouge
If you've seen this movie, you'd know why it should win this category.

COSTUME DESIGN: Harry Potter and the Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone
You can discount The Affair of the Necklace and Gosford Park -- those are just period clothing. This is one of Harry Potter's three nominations and it's not going to win either of the other two. The Academy will throw the movie a bone.

DIRECTING: Mulholland Drive
David Lynch is a freak. Gosford Park might be a contender as it featured thirty-seven lead characters, but Lynch's works are so bizarre, Mulholland Drive might confuse Academy members enough for them to vote for it.

FILM EDITING: Memento
Dude! It was told backwards! Wow! Moulin Rouge should win for this one; The Lord of the Rings shouldn't. Movies that feature long battles are strong contenders in this category, so don't be surprised to see Black Hawk Down win this category.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Ameile
Have you heard of any of the other nominees? There might be a few votes cast for Son of the Bride by voters mistaking it for another sequel to Steve Martin's Father of the Bride, but comedies never win Oscars.

MAKEUP: The Lord of the Rings
Usually it's the most obvious use of make-up that wins, which means that Moulin Rouge should win. However, I think the voters will go for "those adorable little cutey-cute hobbits."

MUSIC (SCORE): A Beautiful Mind
Out of all the movies I've seen this year, I only own one soundtrack, The Lord of the Rings. It's okay, nothing great. Very Enya. However, I don't remember any of the score from A.I. or Harry Potter. I'll go with a movie I haven't seen.

MUSIC (SONG): "Until" by Sting (Kate & Leopold)
It's Sting. I think there's a law requiring people to give him awards. Randy Newman might win because of the "awarding awards to people they should've awarded awards to if they weren't awarding awards to people they should've awarded awards to earlier" rule. He's had sixteen previous nominations.

BEST PICTURE: A Beautiful Mind
Moulin Rouge won't win because it was good. Lord of the Rings won't win because it's got elves in it. Out of the three remaining movies, only one has anything to do with someone with a mental problem, a prostitute, or the Queen of England.

SOUND: Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down has explosions all throughout the movie. Pearl Harbor has explosions during only one long part. There are no explosions in Ameile, The Lord of the Rings, or Moulin Rouge.

SOUND EDITING: Pearl Harbor
There are no explosions during Monsters, Inc.

VISUAL EFFECTS: The Lord of the Rings
One word: Hobbits.

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY): In The Bedroom
Ghost World won't win because it was based off a comic book and everyone knows comic books are for kids. The Lord of the Rings might win, but once again it's got elves and magic and things so it must be written for kids. Shrek was a cartoon and must've been written for kids. So you've got two serious movies. Flip a coin.

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY): Memento
Dude! It was told backwards! Wow!