THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 1996 TAG: 9602150114
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 189 lines
THE GASPS HEARD in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning were the biggest noise out of the West Coast since the last big earthquake.
Stars and agents alike expected to spend a restless night leading up to the announcement of the nominees for the 68th Academy Awards - the annual rite that sets off America's favorite guessing game.
Beginning with a movie about a four-legged ham, there were surprises in virtually every category. ``Babe'' was nominated for best picture. ``Leaving Las Vegas,'' the tragic tale of a dying alcoholic, wasn't. Ron Howard, director of ``Apollo 13,'' didn't make the cut, yet his film received nine other nominations.
While it's a day to lament the losers, the Oscar race is wide open. There were no clear leaders going into Tuesday's nominations. As it turned out, there were no clear leaders after the list was read.
Among the surprise losers were John Travolta and Nicole Kidman. Among the big winners was Tim Robbins, who received his first directing nomination.
With 10 nominations, ``Braveheart'' topped the list, followed by ``Apollo 13'' (nine), and ``Babe'' and ``Sense and Sensibility'' (seven each).
The world will have to wait until March 25 to see who takes home the gold. Meantine, here's a category-by-category analysis of the nominees:
BEST PICTURE: ``The Postman'' (``Il Postino''), ``Braveheart,'' ``Babe,'' ``Apollo 13,'' ``Sense and Sensibility''
Those that didn't make it are the real surprises. ``Leaving Las Vegas'' went into the race having won most of the big critics' awards but didn't get a nod from the academy's 5,000 voters. (All members vote for best picture; in the other categories, only members of each branch vote.)
``The American President'' was considered a likely nominee. Its exclusion wasn't an exception. ``The Bridges of Madison County,'' ``Mr. Holland's Opus,'' ``Get Shorty,'' ``Dead Man Walking,'' ``Seven,'' ``Toy Story'' and ``Richard III'' all had been given outside chances in a wide-open year.
Only ``Apollo 13'' and ``Sense and Sensibility'' were sure bets. ``Braveheart'' had a good chance, too, though few would have predicted its 10 nominations.
``Babe'' isn't a real shocker either, although its nomination, coming from the stuffy voters who once chose ``Gandhi'' over ``E.T.,'' is ironic. It received rave reviews from serious critics and was named best picture by the National Society of Film Critics. The movie even received the backing of our own swine star, Pinky Starlight, who, between publicized bouts of overeating, attended the local premiere.
The inclusion of Italy's ``The Postman'' is cause for rejoicing. It is surprisingly literate for an Oscar nominee, and it is the first foreign- language film to be nominated since ``Cries and Whispers'' (1973).
But don't give Hollywood undue credit. The nomination comes after one of the more blatant campaigns in Oscar history. Miramax, seeking another ``Crying Game''-type victory, mailed videocassettes to voters, spent thousands on print ads and supported poetry readings by actors in New York and Los Angeles.
It was a loud campaign, but if that's what it takes to get a film like this nominated, so be it.
BEST ACTRESS: Sharon Stone in ``Casino,'' Meryl Streep in ``The Bridges of Madison County,'' Elisabeth Shue in ``Leaving Las Vegas,'' Emma Thompson in ``Sense and Sensibility,'' Susan Sarandon in ``Dead Man Walking''
This was a hotly contested race - and a refreshing change from recent years, when it was difficult to find five worthy nominees. None of the nominees is a shocker; still, the losers are regrettable.
Most regrettable of all is the omission of Nicole Kidman for her delightfully evil role as an ambitious TV weather girl in ``To Die For.''
Jennifer Jason Leigh is another big loser. She won awards from the New York Film Critics and the Montreal Film Festival for her over-the-top emoting as a loser-singer in ``Georgia.'' Last year, she was overlooked when she played Dorothy Parker. The critics call her one of the great actresses of her generation. The Oscar voters have never given her a nomination.
Other big losers in this category include Angela Bassett in ``Waiting to Exhale,'' Sandra Bullock in ``While You Were Sleeping,'' Kathy Bates in ``Dolores Claiborne,'' Annette Bening in ``The American President,'' Toni Collette in ``Muriel's Wedding'' and Vanessa Redgrave in ``A Month in the Country.''
BEST ACTOR: Richard Dreyfuss in ``Mr. Holland's Opus,'' Massimo Troisi in ``The Postman'' (``Il Postino''), Anthony Hopkins in ``Nixon,'' Nicolas Cage in ``Leaving Las Vegas,'' Sean Penn in ``Dead Man Walking''
The real surprise is the late Massimo Troisi. Even though Miramax was the big spender in the promotion department, it was expected that the campaign would pay off in the best picture category. Troisi, who has been widely compared to silent movies' Buster Keaton, put off a heart bypass operation to get the film completed. He died two weeks later. The only posthumous winner in this category was Peter Finch for ``Network.''
Sean Penn's nomination as a condemned murderer was clearly deserving, but he had been snubbed by the Oscars in former years - presumably because he often snubs Hollywood.
It's been a long time between nominations for Richard Dreyfuss. He won for his only other nomination, ``The Goodbye Girl,'' and still holds the record for being the youngest winner. Nicolas Cage enters the race with the blessing of most critics groups. Anthony Hopkins' nomination for ``Nixon'' was expected.
The list of those who didn't make the final five is formidable: Jonathan Pryce in ``Carrington,'' Sir Ian McKellan in ``Richard III,'' Tom Hanks in ``Apollo 13,'' Laurence Fishburne in ``Othello,'' Harrison Ford in ``Sabrina,'' Harvey Keitel in ``Smoke,'' Morgan Freeman in ``Seven,'' Michael Douglas in ``The American President,'' Jeff Bridges in ``Wild Bill'' and Robert Downey Jr. in ``Restoration.''
SUPPORTING ACTOR: James Cromwell in ``Babe,'' Kevin Spacey in ``The Usual Suspects,'' Ed Harris in ``Apollo 13,'' Brad Pitt in ``Twelve Monkeys,'' Tim Roth in ``Rob Roy''
Only James Cromwell, the sweet farmer in ``Babe,'' qualifies as a real surprise, but even he was supported by a heavy advertising campaign. Spacey enters the race with the support of most critics groups. Pitt enters with the Golden Globe in his pocket. Ed Harris, as the mission control chief who talked the astronauts back to earth, was a surprise loser at the Golden Globes. Tim Roth was the most over-the-top meannie of the year.
The omission of the ``Nixon'' cast can't go unnoticed. If Paul Sorvino had been nominated for playing Henry Kissinger, it would have been an unusual father-and-daugther race. (Mia Sorvino made it among the supporting actresses.) Also ignored were James Woods, Bob Hoskins and Powers Booth. In general, the voters didn't like ``Nixon.''
Other notable no-shows: Don Cheadle in ``Devil in a Blue Dress,'' Joe Pesci in ``Casino,'' Richard Harris in ``Cry, the Beloved Country,'' Michael Rapaport in ``Mighty Aphrodite,'' Sam Neill in ``Resotration,'' Greg Kinnear in ``Sabrina,'' Kenneth Branagh in ``Othello,'' John Leguizamo in ``To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.''
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kathleen Quinlan in ``Apollo 13,'' Mare Winningham in ``Goergia,'' Kate Winslett in ``Sense and Sensibility,'' Mia Sorvino in ``Mighty Aphrodite,'' Joan Allen in ``Nixon''
Joan Allen, as Pat Nixon, and Mia Sorvino, as a dumb blonde, were sure bets. Kathleen Quinlan, as a teary-eyed astronaut's wife, and Kate Winslett, one of the sisters in ``Sense and Sensibility,'' were also expected.
That leaves Mare Winningham as the real surprise. As a singing star who has to put up with an alcoholic sister in ``Georgia,'' she is fully deserving.
Missing in action were the casts of two girl-talk bonding flicks, ``How to Make and American Quilt'' and ``Waiting to Exhale.'' Call it the curse of ``The Joy Luck Club.'' It seems voters have trouble picking from an ensemble.
Other unhappy actresses include Kyra Segewick in ``Something to Talk About,'' Anjelica Huston in ``The Crossing Guard'' and Meg Ryan in ``Restoration.''
BEST DIRECTOR: Mike Figgis for ``Leaving Las Vegas,'' Michael Radford for ``The Postman,'' Mel Gibson for ``Braveheart,'' Tim Robbins for ``Dead Man Walking'' and Chris Noonan for ``Babe''
This is always the most debated category, mostly because the directors make their own choices - and they usually run counter to the academy.
It happened again this year. Although ``Apollo 13'' and ``Sense and Sensibility'' are nominated for best film, their directors - Ron Howard and Ang Lee - are not.
There once was a time when the directors didn't like to honor upstart actors who went behind the camera. Kevin Costner, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood changed that. This year, two actors deservedly made the list - Tim Robbins for delivering one of the year's best dramas and Mel Gibson for proving that Hollywood can still churn out an old-fashioned epic.
``The Bridges of Madison County's'' producers were so sure of a nomination for Clint Eastwood that the film was re-released this week. The gamble didn't pay off. ``The Postman'' has also been re-released. Martin Scorsese is a perennial omission.
In other categories, can anyone think the scripts for ``Toy Story,'' ``Braveheart'' and ``Babe'' were better than the those for ``Clueless,'' ``Dead Man Walking'' or ``The American President''? On the other hand, it is a joy that ``The Usual Suspects,'' perhaps the most intricate thriller of the year, did get a nomination for its writer. Woody Allen is always nominated.
Of all its nominations, ``Braveheart'' did not get one for art direction; neither, for that matter, did ``Rob Roy.'' ``Restoration's'' nomination can be understood, even though most of its ``sets'' were real castles in England. The most puzzling nomination is ``Babe.''
Shockingly, Maurice Jarre's fine score for ``A Walk in the Clouds'' was ignored in the music category. So was Michael Kamen's for ``Don Juan DeMarco.''
Among the more questionable nominations is a costume design nod for ``Twelve Monkeys.'' It was all grey and dirty, with hospital smocks added. But if ``Gandhi'' can win in this category, anything can.
We already know some of this year's winners. ``Toy Story'' will get a special award for its computer innovation. Kirk Douglas and animator Chuck Jones will also be honored.
Otherwise, the envelope-opening should provide for a program of surprises. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
"Babe"
"Apollo 13"
"The Postman"
"Sense & Sensibility"
[Side Bar]
Key Nominations:
[For copy of side bar, see microfilm]
by CNB