Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 27, 1995 TAG: 9503280001
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO AND KATHERINE T. REED STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
KTR: I have no track record - at least not a public one - so I have nothing to lose. Actually, in spite of complaints that '94 was a lackluster film year, the nominations - with some exceptions - are for great work in some wonderful movies, and that makes this pretty hard. I'm betting the Academy will, as usual, reward success, and "Forrest Gump" was nothing if not successful. So I expect it to pick up more awards than any other movie - including the Best Picture Oscar.
MM: The Best Picture award will, of course, go to "Gump," though it should go to "The Shawshank Redemption." If there had been any true justice in the nominating process, "The Crow" or "The Paper" would have received the nomination that went to "Four Weddings and a Funeral."
KTR: I don't get the "Four Weddings" nomination at all, although I liked the movie. When movies like "Little Women" or "Nobody's Fool" - an absolutely amazing movie - get ignored in that category, it's difficult to have any respect for the nominations process. Of the nominees, though, I think "Shawshank" is the most deserving. "Pulp Fiction" was more an experience than a movie and somehow disqualifies itself from serious consideration - but Quentin Tarantino's day will come.
MM: It's hard to see how the Academy can deny veteran Robert Zemeckis the director's award for "Gump," though it really ought to go to Krzystof Kieslowski for "Red" and the other two films in his trilogy, "White" and "Blue."
KTR: I love Kieslowski's work as well, but I guess the rule of thumb is as the Director's Guild goes, so goes the director's Oscar. So Zemeckis will get it.
MM: Process of elimination leaves Morgan Freeman as the only possible recipient of the Best Actor Award for his work in "Shawshank." Both Paul Newman, ("Nobody's Fool") and Tom Hanks ("Gump") have won recently. Though John Travolta was fine, "Pulp Fiction" was too violent for the Academy's taste. Nigel Hawthorne, from "The Madness of King George," is an outsider and an unknown quantity.
KTR: I wouldn't bet one measly dollar on the outcome of this category. Hanks could win again. Newman should win again for what may be the best performance of his lifetime. And Terrence Stamp ought to have been nominated for "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." But I think Morgan Freeman will get it.
MM: And I think Susan Sarandon has a mortal lock on the Best Actress statuette for "The Client" - really more as a "body of work" recognition.
KTR: I didn't think her role in "The Client" was that challenging. And Jodie Foster was interesting as "Nell," but I'm hoping the Academy isn't still enthralled with these kinds of performances (Holly Hunter's speechlessness in "The Piano" ... Dustin Hoffman's mumblefest in "Rain Man"). I have no idea how to call this one, so I'm going to bet on Jessica Lange for "Blue Sky."
MM: Because I am an unrepentant fan of hers, Helen Mirren is guaranteed a Best Supporting Actress award for "The Madness of King George." The Best Supporting Actor will go to a deserving Martin Landau for "Ed Wood," though young Brad Renfro deserved at least a nomination for his work in "The Client."
KTR: I think it's a toss-up between Gary Sinise in "Gump" and Landau in "Ed Wood." But I think Dianne Wiest will get the Best Supporting Actress award for her work in "Bullets Over Broadway."
MM: Auteur du jour Quentin Tarantino, who will be otherwise snubbed, gets his award for the screenplay to "Pulp Fiction," which was the best thing about the film, anyway. And though Frank Darabont should get the other screenplay award for his adaptation of Stephen King's novella, "The Shawshank Redemption," it will go instead to Alan Bennett for "King George" because the Academy loves those classy Brit historical flicks, and that's the only one they can vote for this year.
KTR: I hope Tarantino wins for the sheer innovation of the "Pulp Fiction" screenplay, which you can bet is going to be imitated for the next couple of years. As for the adaptation award, I would like to see Frank Darabont win for "The Shawshank Redemption" or Robert Benton for "Nobody's Fool." The reality is, Bennett will probably get it.
MM: Now it's my turn to complain. Though there were a lot of flashy performances this year - Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson - James Whitmore turned in moving and understated supporting work in "Shawshank" for which he is receiving no recognition, and doesn't Kathleen Turner deserve something for her gleeful performance as "Serial Mom"?
KTR: Yes, she does. Some of these problems would be solved if the Academy would create a separate category for comedy, which is woefully neglected at awards time and is so hard to do well. Because truly, I thought "The Paper" was one of the funniest movies I saw last year and Spalding Gray as the New York Times editor was a riot, especially in that scene where he's arguing with Michael Keaton (who was also great) over the theft of "the item."
MM: We both agree that we need a "What's-a-nice-guy/gal-like-you-doing-in-a rotten-movie like this?" award, and mine goes to Ed Harris for "Milk Money." That's the one where he plays a mild-mannered suburban widower who falls for a hooker-with-heart-of-gold, Melanie Griffith.
KTR: Mine goes to Emma Thompson for "Junior." I hope she's solved her financial problems or whatever motivated her to get involved in that stupid movie.
MM: The why-haven't-you-nominated-this-movie-for-anything? award goes to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for ignoring one of the best and most innovative films of the year, "Hoop Dreams."
KTR: I would personally like to offer two best debut awards: One to Claire Danes, who played Beth so brilliantly in "Little Women," and one to Gil Bellows - the next BIG THING - who played Tommy in "Shawshank".
MM: And last but not least, the Worst Film of the Year Award ...
KTR: There were so many. How to choose? Which movie would you have walked out on if you weren't being paid to sit through it?
MM: When you put it that way, that brings us into a whole new realm of badness. The competition is strong, but there was one clear winner. Based on the size of its budget and its completely humorless self-importance, the worst of the year has to go to "The House of the Spirits." Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder and Antonio Banderas led by Jeremy Irons. His South American patriarch was a combination of Richard Nixon and Don Corleone. Ouch!
KTR: Oh, I see: We're revising the category to worst Really Bad Movie Masquerading As a Good One. I hereby nominate the pretentious and ultimately ridiculous "Legends of the Fall." What was that Popeye thing Anthony Hopkins was doing there at the end? "Ar, ar, ar." Playing by the rules, though, I would have walked out on "Mixed Nuts" if I could have, a movie that squandered the talents of Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn and Rita Wilson.
MM: Imagine a combination of "House of the Spirits" and "Legends of the Fall," which really isn't that outlandish since they tell basically the same story. Irons and Hopkins could growl at each other, Pitt and Banderas could engage in a hair competition and Ryder and Julia Ormond could stand around looking soulful ...
KTR: And you say you're not jaded from excessive film-viewing.
MM: Just acting like a film cricket ...
by CNB