Winners indicated (*). I still need to see films like Open Your Eyes, Eve's Bayou, Hard Eight, Afterglow, Ulee's Gold, Cop Land, Seven Years in Tibet, The Devil's Advocate, Insomnia, Children of Heaven, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Waiting for Guffman, Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Strays, Four Little Girls, Cube, Inventing the Abbotts, Bent, Carla's Song, She's So Lovely, U Turn, and Selena.
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| L.A. Confidential |
BEST PICTURE:
Gattaca
The Ice Storm
Jackie Brown
L.A. Confidential*
Titanic
BEST DIRECTOR:
James Cameron, Titanic
Curtis Hanson, L.A. Confidential*
Ang Lee, The Ice Storm
Andrew Niccol, Gattaca
Quentin Tarantino, Jackie Brown
 |
| Donnie Brasco |
BEST ACTOR:
Russell Crowe, L.A. Confidential*
Johnny Depp, Donnie Brasco
Kevin Kline, In & Out
Tony Leung, Happy Together
Ray Winstone, Nil by Mouth
BEST ACTRESS:
Joey Lauren Adams, Chasing Amy
Helena Bonham Carter, The Wings of the Dove*
Katrin Cartlidge, Career Girls
Pam Grier, Jackie Brown
Helen Hunt, As Good as It Gets
 |
| Good Will Hunting |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Mark Addy, The Full Monty
James Cromwell, L.A. Confidential
Robert Forster, Jackie Brown
Jude Law, Gattaca*
Robin Williams, Good Will Hunting
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Kim Basinger, L.A. Confidential*
Cameron Diaz, My Best Friend's Wedding
Minnie Driver, Good Will Hunting
Julianne Moore, Boogie Nights
Christina Ricci, The Ice Storm
 |
| The Ice Storm |
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Donnie Brasco
The Ice Storm
Jackie Brown
L.A. Confidential*
The Sweet Hereafter
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Boogie Nights
Deconstructing Harry
The Full Monty
Good Will Hunting*
Taste of Cherry
 |
| Gattaca |
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Gattaca*
Happy Together
L.A. Confidential
Lost Highway
Titanic
BEST FILM EDITING:
Boogie Nights
The Game
Jackie Brown*
L.A. Confidential
Titanic
 |
| The Full Monty |
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Gattaca*
L.A. Confidential
Princess Mononoke
The Sweet Hereafter
Titanic
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
"How Do I Live", Con Air
"Men in Black", Men in Black
"Miss Misery", Good Will Hunting
"My Heart Will Go On", Titanic*
"Tomorrow Never Dies", Tomorrow Never Dies
Additional Categories
 |
| Jackie Brown |
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Boogie Nights
The Fifth Element
Gattaca
L.A. Confidential
Titanic*
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Kundun
L.A. Confidential
Titanic
The Wings of the Dove*
 |
| Titanic |
BEST MAKEUP:
Amistad
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Men in Black*
BEST SOUND (MIXING AND EDITING):
Air Force One
Contact
Face/Off
L.A. Confidential
Titanic*
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Starship Troopers
Titanic*
Updated: 5/20/15
1997 was such a great year, but the massive boat had to come along and own the Oscars. I love your picks, LA Confidential deserved so much more from the Academy.
ReplyDeleteThanks man. L.A. Confidential should've won Best Picture, but I'm just glad it was in the mix.
DeleteJOEY LAUREN ADAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just...I just can't with that awesomeness right there! She's on my ballot too! I love this year, such a great year for film. I even love the actual Oscar winner, even if it is more of a guilty pleasure than anything else.
Haha. You nominate her too? That's awesome! Plus, Joey Lauren Adams actually gets 2 nominations, since she wrote the song "Alive" for the film. :D
DeleteYeah, Titanic is a guilty pleasure, but I do love it.
L.A. Confidential would definitely be in my ballot too from this year, though I'm torn whether I want Guy Pearce or Russell Crowe for Best Actor, both are excellent here. I want to rewatch Gattaca again, I quite like that the first time around. Too bad the director's follow-up In Time isn't nearly as good.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where to place Guy Pearce, actually. He misses both actor categories, but I can't decide if he's lead or supporting.
DeleteI love Gattaca so much. In Time is a big step down, but I still enjoyed it.
No nomination for Pacino in D.Brasco? I love his performance there, so restrained and touching.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. He was in until I watched Nil by Mouth. I couldn't deny Ray Winstone, but Pacino is my #6.
DeleteNice. Totally agree on "L.A. Confidential" getting Best Pic while "Titanic" doesn't get nominated.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...haven't seen "The Wings of the Dove." I might have to check that out.
Thanks. Glad to see more approval of L.A. Confidential's win. I do love Titanic (guilty pleasure?), but it's nowhere near my top 5 picks.
DeleteHelena Bonham Carter blew me away in The Wings of the Dove. Her performance alone makes it worth a look.
Some really good films this year but L.A. Confidential is one of my all time favorites so it was a mini sweep for that film. The massively successful Titanic which cleaned up at the Oscars is a film I like well enough although I think it's the weakest of all the chronicles of that ill fated voyage. Visually it's surely the best but the ridiculous love story stinks on ice.
ReplyDeletePicture:
The Full Monty
L.A. Confidential-Winner
The Rainmaker
Wag the Dog
The Wings of the Dove
The closest competitor is the decadent Wings but L.A. Confidential gets just about everything right, in her one scene the actress who plays Lana Turner is all wrong but that's my only nitpick, a masterpiece.
Director:
James Cameron-Titanic
Francis Ford Coppola-The Rainmaker
David Finchner-The Game
Curtis Hanson-L.A. Confidential-Winner
David Mamet-The Spanish Prisoner
While I have many reservations about the film and was disappointed that Hanson lost that was my only problem with Cameron's win at the Oscars. Titanic was a massive undertaking and his ability to keep it and it's tremendous scale and scope on track is a fine piece of direction, too bad about the script. Despite that I'd still award this to Hanson's evocative work.
Actor:
Jim Carrey-Liar, Liar
Russell Crowe-L.A. Confidential-Winner
Matt Dillon-Albino Alligator
Clive Owen-Bent
Guy Pearce-L.A. Confidential
Bent is a horrifically depressing and brutal film but Owen's work in it is extremely moving. Alligator is loaded with excellent work but Dillon manages to stand out as a troubled man nearing the end of his rope. Carrey turns the absurd premise of Liar, Liar into a showcase for his amazing control of his physicality. Pearce's contained performance in L.A. is great and a close second choice but Crowe's coiled spring wound around a complex soul is the dynamite showing of the year. It slays me that he wasn't even nominated leaving the way open for the smug, self satisfied lazy performance by Jack Nicholson to take the prize.
Actress:
Helena Bonham Carter-Wings of the Dove
Julie Christie-Afterglow
Judi Dench-Mrs. Brown-Winner
Vanessa Redgrave-Mrs. Dalloway
Julia Roberts-My Best Friend's Wedding
I'm not the biggest fan of Julia Roberts but she was at her best in Wedding in a tailor made part that catered to all her strengths, she knew it and delivers one of her very best performances. Then there are four of the acting titans of Britain all doing their customary superior work. I adore Julie and Vanessa and their respective work but this was between HBC and Judi. I could have gone either way, Helena's duplicitous Kate is one of her best portrayals but so is Judi's Queen Victoria. Since I've already awarded HBC I'm going with Dame Dench.
I love Titanic, but not enough to put it in my top 5. I did manage to nominate James Cameron for Best Film Editing, though.
DeletePleased that we agree on L.A. Confidential. I need to watch some of these, but it's refreshing to see films like The Full Monty, The Rainmaker and Wag the Dog in Best Picture.
Love the Fincher nod. I just watched The Game recently, and I need to update my ballot. (It probably just gets an Art Direction nom, and maybe an Editing one.)
Supporting Actor:
ReplyDeleteMark Addy-The Full Monty
James Cromwell-L.A. Confidential
Rupert Everett-My Best Friend's Wedding-Winner
Dustin Hoffman-Wag the Dog
Kevin Spacey-L.A. Confidential
Hoffman was nommed for best actor but this feels more supporting to me, he's excellent either way but my runner up is Spacey's seemingly gleefully morally bankrupt Jack Vincennes who discovers much to his surprise that he still cares. He's nothing short of great but then so is Everett as the free wheeling, scene stealing George. He judges every scene perfectly always retaining his character's dignity no matter how silly the situation he's presented with.
Supporting Actress:
Kim Basinger-L.A. Confidential
Joan Cusack-In & Out
Cameron Diaz-My Best Friend's Wedding
Julianne Moore-Boogie Nights-Winner
Gloria Stuart-Titanic
I'm variable on Roberts but I flat out do not like Cameron Diaz however she's pitch perfect in Wedding outshining in her way Julia's megawatt star power and never making you wonder how she could be the groom's choice. Cusack is wonderfully crazed and befuddled as the unwitting beard fiancee in In & Out and Stuart eminently graceful and touching in Titanic, that film's best performance though I loved Frances Fisher's grasping mother. I could have easily gone with Kim's performance as the Veronica Lake lookalike, even if she really looked more like a blonde Rita Hayworth, but Julianne's complex work as Amber Waves struck me as having a deeper resonance.
Great stuff. Everett just misses my lineup, but Diaz is the highlight of the film for me. On some days, I'd give her the win. I really need to see In & Out.
Delete