1997 Oscars: Best Actress

Best Actress '97 was one of those where everyone won something. Julie Christie and Helena Bonham-Carter won critics' prizes, Helen Hunt and Judi Dench won Golden Globes, and Kate Winslet won the box office. If you were around in the late 90s, though, you may recall how unstoppable Helen Hunt was. She was the star of the TV hit Mad About You, for which she won four consecutive Emmys, 1996-99, and of the 1996 film, Twister. TV and movie stardom - isn't an Oscar the logical next step?

The nominees, ranked by me:

Casting Coup Tuesday: The Towering Inferno (a DISASTERPIECE)

It's Disaster Film Month. If you want to watch alongside the Silver Screener, check out A Crack in the World on Netflix Instant tonight. Dana Andrews, Janette Scott and Alexander Knox. But for now...
 
We begin our special Disasterpiece Theatre edition of Casting Coup Tuesday with The Towering Inferno.

As the regulars know, I am not a huge fan of the film, which is disappointing since it's the most famous and awarded of a subgenre I adore. I see nothing wrong with a two-and-a-half-hour ensemble disaster flick (Independence Day clocks in at 2h33min and is masterful), nor do I have a problem with a disaster flick that takes itself seriously (it's how camp classics like The Swarm are born). No, the biggest crimes of The Towering Inferno are a lack of focus and a dull pace. Lead characters are poorly developed or quickly pushed aside, motivations are muddled, relationships are obscured, the editing is working against the thrills of the plot, etc.

The greatest shame is that The Towering Inferno should be amazing. The cast assembled is incredible, with most of the performances delivering. Steve McQueen, Richard Chamberlain and William Holden are best in show, along with surprising, brief turns from Sheila Allen and Susan Flannery. John Williams' score is better with repeated listenings, even if it doesn't measure up to Earthquake. I don't even hate that it's obviously two different books thrown together -- the buoy escape seems so dangerous that there has to be a backup plan, and even though keeping million-gallon water tanks on top of the roof seems...bizarre...I can totally accept that. Because it's outrageous. And that's the problem with The Towering Inferno: it gives you this outrageous situation and treats it with all the sobriety of Munich.

Which is why it needs a kick-ass remake. And isn't it fun to think about who can fill the shoes of the original actors? Click on the title below to continue....

DEATH TOLL: 5 (leads only)

ROMANCES: 4 (leads only)

OSCARS

I lost my Oscar pool by just one point. If I had predicted Sean Penn instead of Mickey Rourke, it would have been a three-way tie between my roommate, a guest, and myself. Unfortunately, I went with my heart, which what did it for me on Supporting Actress, too (Amy Adams over Penelope Cruz...I knew better).

Still, what a great show. Hugh Jackman, I think, was one of the better hosts we've seen, high above Ellen, Chris Rock, and last year's Jon Stewart. I thought the whole idea of pre-production, production, and post was stellar. Putting Director before Actress and Actor was a ballsy move, but pretty cool. It broke the formula, made me interested.

Kate finally got an Oscar, so all is well with the world. Penelope Cruz is now an Oscar-winner, and in a Woody Allen movie no less -- the first time since Mira Sorvino won in 1994. Which might not bode well for Ms. Cruz, now that I think about it, but at least she'll always have it. And now she and Javier can have twin statuettes in their bedroom.

The idea of the Joker being an Oscar-winning role is one for the ages. The fact that Heath Ledger, star of A Knight's Tale, is an Oscar-winning actor, is inspiring. Wowsers.

I just don't get the Foreign Language category. Not that I'm mad or anything, I haven't seen any of the films nominated. But I just don't get it. Don't, like, the majority of them only get a release after the Oscars? It's...so confusing.

Slumdog won everything it was nominated for, except for Sound Editing, which went to The Dark Knight. And let me tell you, watching it right now on a big screen HD, on Blu-ray? It fucking rocks.

Award Weekend

The WGA and BAFTA gave out their awards this weekend. I am sorry to report that there were very few surprising results. What surprises were in store, though, were quite rewarding.

WGA
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire (based upon the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup)
Beat out Eric Roth's Benjamin Button, Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon, John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, and The Nolans' The Dark Knight. Of course, it's the only nominated screenplay I haven't read. I haven't read the novel either, and that's also the one exception here. I need to read the damn script already. 'Twould be nice to know what the fuss is about.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Beat out Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Robert Siegel's The Wrestler, Thomas McCarthy's The Visitor, The Coens' Burn After Reading. I've not read Siegel's script, but the rest I have. This is a good choice, I have no qualms. It seems the Screenplay race is decided. Dammit, when even these categories get dull and predictable....

BAFTA
The BAFTAs announced today, and that's always interesting. They allow double nominees in acting categories, say "FUCK YOU" to category fraud, and have the tendency to surprise us all. Even if they have the same movies, they nominate them in unfamiliar categories. Let's just look.

BEST FILM: Slumdog Millionaire
Same nominees as the Oscars. It's getting to be a dull affair, isn't it? What's worse, I keep reading how it's the "under dog". Really? Do people not know what that word means?

BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Defeated Stephen Daldry (The Reader), Clint Eastwood (Changeling), David Fincher (Benjamin Button), and Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon). It makes sense. He's the front-runner, one of two Brits nominated. Plus, Boyle's done a lot for British cinema. And he's the front-runner.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
Also-rans: Dustin Lance Black's Milk, Philippe Claudel's I've Loved You So Long, The Coens' Burn After Reading, J. Michael Straczynski's Changeling. I was right. It really is All Awesome on the McDonagh Front. Much admiration for this pick.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Beat out David Hare for The Reader, Justin Haythe for Revolutionary Road, Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon, Eric Roth for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. So, now he's won everything. And he'll get the Oscar, too. Beaufoy, by the way, also wrote Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, a film deeply admired here (Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Actress, Frances McDormand). So now that I know that, awesome!

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: I've Loved You So Long
Defeated The Baader Meinhof Complex, Gomorrah, Persepolis, Waltz with Bashir. This movie wasn't even in contention for this category at the Oscars. Of these, I've only seen Persepolis. Last year. So...why am I commenting on this at all?

BEST ANIMATED FILM: WALL-E
Beating out Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir. Obv. WALL-E is so going to own this category.

BEST LEADING ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Also nominated: Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Sean Penn (Milk), and Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button). Last year, BAFTA matched Oscar's acting categories four-for-four, so this may bode well for Rourke. The idea of a split between him and Penn for a win by Langella or Jenkins or Pitt is an interesting one, though. Like when Adrien Brody beat out Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson in 2002.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Not only did she win against herself for Revolutionary Road, but Meryl Streep (Doubt), Angelina Jolie (Changeling) and Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long) are also bridesmaids. After last year, this could bode well for Winslet, who always wins for The Reader when it's nominated. I'm still not completely convinced, of course, but that's because I like suspense.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
The Losers: Robert Downey, Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), Brad Pitt (Burn After Reading). What an awesome lineup this was. That posthumous Oscar is looking like a done deal for Heath. Bring it, says I.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Nommies: Amy Adams in Doubt, Freida Pinto in Slumdog Millionaire, Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading and Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler. BAFTA and I remain the only ones to nomainte Adams without Viola Davis. A Cruz win here is awesome, and a Cruz win at the Oscars would mean a spiritual win for Woody Allen. Which is, of course, amazing.

For complete results, check this out.