Pianists and dancers and hobbits, oh my! Wars will dominate television screens across America this Sunday as the War of the Ring, New York gang wars, and World War II all vie for top honors at the 75th annual Academy Awards.
The infamously lengthy program will once again be hosted by the overly-exalted Steve Martin, but will at least be spiced up by the even-handed battles (unlike certain pending ones) of cinematic masterpieces vs. cinematic masterpieces.
One of the biggest battles will be that of the Best Actor. Daniel-Day Lewis came out of semi-retirement to star in Gangs of New York but his chances could be hurt by Adaptation's neurotic Charlie Kaufman, played by Nicolas Cage. However, no matter how tired people may be of his wins and nominations, viewers will most likely see good ol' Jack Nicholson take home the statue for his rather un-Jack-like performance in About Schmidt.
Even more violent is the battle of Best Actress. With Catherine Zeta-Jones being denied entrance to the category, it would seem that Chicago co-star Renée Zellweger would be a shoe-in, especially after grabbing two recent awards for her role. However, I think her performance was a bit overrated and believe Nicole Kidman could bring home the Oscar for her poignant take on The Hours' Virginia Woolf.
This year's Best Director Oscar is obvious whether he deserves it or not. Martin Scorsese has been shafted by the Academy five times prior to his most recent nomination for Gangs of New York. Come Sunday, when he takes his award (and he will), he will accept it not for Gangs but for his past works such as Raging Bull and Goodfellas.
This year's award for Best Adapted Screenplay will get ugly between nominees Adaptation, Chicago, and The Hours. The Hours is a stellar film, but will most likely miss out here. The true fight will be between the two movies that ironically enough have the most original material in them. Although I'm rooting for Adaptation, I wouldn't be surprised to see Chicago walk away with it. Also, you can put your money on Gangs walking away with the Best Original Screenplay statue.
This will also prove to be one of the closest Best Picture races in years. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the only one that truly has no shot at the elusive statue. The Pianist is also unlikely to party with Oscar this year due to the controversy surrounding director Roman Polanski. The Academy will probably appease Martin Scorsese with a directing award but not for his entire film -- it just didn't receive enough praise while in theaters.
The big battle will come down between The Hours and Chicago and the victor is anyone's guess. While preferential to The Hours, I think Chicago has the right momentum to take the big award. Fans must remember, however, that Chicago would never have made it as far as it did if not for the success of 2001's Moulin Rouge, a film that breathed new life into the flailing musical genre.
When Sunday night rolls around, turn off one war and watch another. With this year's Oscars, war has never been so much fun.
