The Movie Rat

The 2004 BAM Awards

Posted on December 20, 2012 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was no public knowledge.

This is because essentially the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was even more frustrating. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues, however, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name even at the time so eventually it just became BAM.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of this period of time share what I thought an why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them and other people and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at who was chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away.

I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown.

So here goes…

2004

Part of the the purpose of these reposts (aside from the obvious promotion of the forthcoming announcements) is a preservation effort. These are lists I’m transcribing from
printouts. When I started sharing these it was first via email, which I’ve never been great at saving. In fact, the impetus behind the my upcoming year in film 2003 post was the fact that I somehow lost those nominations entirely and had to jog my memory to include the winners on the running lists. 2004 also has a slight fragmentation. Somehow there’s no Best Actor nominees just a winner. Alas, these need posting before I lost anymore. This was an interesting year.

-Kill Bill films combine for 16 nominations, including 11 for Volume 2

-Harry Potter leads again with 12

-Mean Creek wins 4 of 6 including Best Picture

-Only 4 Supporting Actress nominees including Meryl Streep’s first.

Best Picture

The Passion of the Christ
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Mean Creek
Shaun of the Dead

Best Foreign Film

Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du coran (France)
Io non ho Paura (Italy)
Carandiru (Brazil)
Diarios de Motocicleta (Spain)
The Return(Russia)

Best Director

Mel Gibson The Passion of the Christ
Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. II
Alfonso Cuaron Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Jacob Aaron Estes Mean Creek
Walter Salles Diarios de Motocicleta

Best Actress

Uma Thurman Kill Bill:Vol. I
Uma Thurman Kill Bill: Vol. II
Bryce Dallas Howard The Village
Heather Smith Unscrewed
Kate Winslet Finding Neverland

Best Actor

Jim Cavizel The Passion of the Christ

Best Supporting Actress

Maia Morgenstern The Passion of the Christ
Emma Thompson Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Maria Luisa Medoça Carandiru
Meryl Streep The Manchurian Candidate

Best Supporting Actor

Rodrigo Santoro Carandiru
Josh Peck Mean Creek
Rodrigo de la Serna Diarios de Motocicleta
Jim Carrey Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
David Carradine Kill Bill: Vol.II

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Jesse James The Butterfly Effect
Josh Peck Mean Creek
Cameron Bright Birth
Ivan Dobranorov The Return
Freddie Highmore Finding Neverland

Best Score

John Williams Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
James Newton Howard The Village
Philip Glass Undertow
Michael Giacchino and Tim Simonec The Incredibles
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek Finding Neverland

Best Film Editing

Walter Murch Cold Mountain
John Wright The Passion of the Christ
Sally Menke Kill Bill: Vol.II
Steven Weisberg Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Daniel Rezende Diarios de Motocicleta

Best Adapted Screenplay

Robert Gordon and David Handler Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Niccolo Ammaniti and Francesca Marciano Io non ho Paura
Steven Kloves and J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Jose Rivera, Che Guevara, and Alberto Gramado Diarios de Motocicleta
David Magee and Alan Knee Finding Neverland

Best Original Screenplay

Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. 2
M. Night Shyamalan The Village
Jacob Aaron Estes Mean Creek
Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg Shaun of the Dead

Best Cinematography

Robert Richardson Kill Bill: Vol. I
Caleb Deschanel The Passion of the Christ
Robert Richardson Kill Bill: Vol. II
Michael Seresin Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
David N. Dunlap Shaun of the Dead

Best Sound Design

The Passion of the Christ
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Two Brothers
The Village

Best Cast

The Passion of the Christ
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Mean Creek
Finding Neverland

Most Underrated Film

Catch That Kid
The Girl Next Door
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Thunderbirds

Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Thunderbirds
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
The Polar Express
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Worst Picture

The Butterfly Effect
Pixel Perfect
Saved!
Team America: World Police
Spanglish

Most Overrated Picture

The Butterfly Effect
Saved!
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Team America: World Police
Finding Neverland

Best Soundtrack

Kill Bill: Vol. I
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du coran
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Diarios de Motocicleta

Best Makeup

The Passion of the Christ
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Kill Bill: Vol. I
Shaun of the Dead
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Nominations

Obviously these will be somewhat incomplete with one category being winner-only

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 12
Kill Bill: Vol. II 11
The Passion of the Christ 9
Mean Creek 6
Diarios de Motocicleta 6
Finding Neverland 6
Kill Bill: Vol. I 5
Sean of the Dead 4
The Village 4
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events 4
Carandiru 3
The Butterfly Effect 3
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du coran 2
I’m Not Scared 2
The Return 2
Thunderbirds 2
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 2
Unscrewed 1
The Manchurian Candidate 1
Birth 1
The Incredibles 1
Cold Mountain 1
Two Brothers 1
Catch That Kid 1
The Girl Next Door 1
Polar Express 1
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London 1

2003 BAM Awards

Posted on December 20, 2012 by bernardovillela

As those who are my friends on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter know, in December I am gearing up for my annual film awards (The BAM Awards), and that only partially explains my recent reposting of all past winners. Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was no public knowledge. This is because essentially the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was even more frustrating. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen. Back then I was ticket stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues, however, it was just for me at the time. I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name even at the time so eventually it just became BAM. Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could. The publication was an exciting and unnerving process regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of this period of time share what I thought an why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them. So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them and other people and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason. Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at who was chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away. I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown. So here goes… 2003

-As you will likely notice this post will stand out from the others. I never have been able to hold on to an electronic back-up of this year, and lost track of a hard copy. From memory I have been able to recall some of the winners. There are other factoids I can recall but this is the most I guarantee. -Much like 1999, this was a year dominated mostly by one studio (Universal) on the strength of 2 films. -8 Femmes, much like they did at the Cesars, had many a nomination but a sole win. -2003 marked the first expansion of categories in years. -Tim Robbins wins second Supporting Actor Award -Peter Pan ties Artificial Intelligence: A.I.‘s win total. -Enjoy the winners. 2004 will have more nominees but is still missing some information.

Best Picture Peter Pan Best Foreign Film The Sea Most Underrated Picture Peter Pan Most Overrated Picture Matchstick Men Best Director P.J. Hogan Peter Pan Best Actor Jeremy Sumpter Peter Pan Best Actress Nicole Kidman The Hours Best Supporting Actor Tim Robbins Mystic River Best Supporting Actress Julianne Moore The Hours Best Performance by a Child Actor Jeremy Sumpter Peter Pan Best Cast Love Actually Best Original Screenplay Love Actually Best Adapted Screenplay Peter Pan Best Cinematography Donald McAlpine Peter Pan Best Score Philip Glass The Hours Best Visual Effects Peter Pan Best Costume Design Peter Pan Best Art Direction Peter Pan Best Editing The Hours Best Original Song Toi, mon amour mon ami Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier 8 Femmes

Christmas Special Review- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Posted on December 19, 2012 by bernardovillela

Amongst Christmas specials, but particularly amongst those produced by Rankin and Bass, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town stands apart. It does so because it is most the most triumphantly well-told of the lot, soon I will describe the most cinematic but here we’re talking strictly based on narrative.

The film opens in a fashion reminiscent of Citizen Kane with a newsreel spewing headlines about Christmas that go from mundane to fantastical and we are braced for the story. Then we are introduced to a mailman modeled after and voiced by Fred Astaire, he reads and we hear, in voice over, the questions children have about Santa Claus. These facts about him we all take for granted are about to be explained.

This may seem like a simple enough, paint-by-numbers method of concocting a tale but there is such ingenuity in the plot devices and also a lack of any rococo quality to it that it works. It all flows naturally from the action. Then the narrator chimes in and connects the dots just in case, and a child’s voice is heard responding.

This may just be Romeo Muller’s, the writer Rankin/Bass employed, best work as he makes Santa an even more heroic figure because in this tale we learn of his past, learn to think of him as a person not just an icon, and then also have an antagonist who vilifies him and renders him an outlaw.

You have, of course, the talents of Astaire and Mickey Rooney in this tale and the indelible figures of the Winter Warlock and Bergermeister Meisterberger and of course another classic song. It is an absolutely unbeatable combination and one of the best options for the season.

Christmas Special Review- Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Posted on December 18, 2012 by bernardovillela

If you need further evidence of the genius of Rankin & Bass, and their favorite writer Romeo Muller, I present to you exhibit B: Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer. The only thing I could really call this special out on, in my umpteenth viewing, was how silly Rudolph’s ostracism is, but that’s a given of the story, and ostracism is usually baseless and it’s really lampooned if it’s based on something so frivolous.

What really stands out in this tale is the characters and some of the things which are done with them. You have Rudolph’s parents who have differing opinions his mother sees no problem with the nose, his father, Donner; is embarrassed by it. You also have Santa Claus, of all people, being wrong about Ruldolph and admitting as much.

Typically, I do not favor didacticism in the arts, but there are exceptions to every rule, and many to this one; here it works wonderfully because it’s not overt. Kids see that even Santa can be wrong and learn not to judge a book by it’s cover, so to speak.

Yet, where this special really excels is in the original characters it brings into the mix, and the different wants they each have, and yet, most of them are also misfits. There of course is Hermey, who wants to be a dentist and not build toys. He and Rudolph are fast friends.

The cause and effect also works very well the Abominable Snow Monster chases them away and they run into Yukon Cornelius. A character who meets a very real fate, following a Disney axiom that you can scare kids if things work out in the end.

Then of course there is the iconic Island of Misfit Toys. All these pieces may seem disparate but the fact that they’re all sewn together in a coherent manner, and each are still original pieces that do not get homogenized, make this story work.

2012 Holiday Viewing Log

Posted on December 18, 2012 by bernardovillela

The end of the year for any movie watcher typically puts you in scramble mode. Regardless of what kind of movies your trying to watch: new releases, classic cinema or Holiday-themed films.

Therefore, rather than have both this month’s mini-review round-up run overly-long as well as next months capsule review log, I figured it’d be good to siphon off the holiday-themed offerings, as not only will I try and do more of these this year, but there are enough special reviews coming next month and one post should suffice for them. If any films are new and holiday they will link from the other posts to text here.

For a reference to what my ratings mean, go here.

A Chrismoose Carol

This is one of the films I picked up after getting a region-free player. I saw a trailer for it and it just seemed like the kind of thing too silly not to give a shot. What’s refreshing is that the film is playing comedy throughout. Yes, there are overtures of schmaltz and warm-fuzziness, it is a Christmas film after all, but it’s eminently more watchable and enjoyable than I ever thought it would be – and really should have any right to be. Part of this has to do with just a different perspective. Heaven forbid an American film try and get away with a Santa getting drunk and distracted, yet still trying to make a positive film, much less having it actually be Santa and not a mall employee or a psychopath. What the film deals mostly with is a thankfully practical and rather well-crafted Moose character (It seemed rather Falkor-like, I wonder if there is any connection to NES) and adds its own spin, and a rather cloistered tale that is neither a retread or earth-shattering in its repercussions as “disaster” is being avoided. A funny anecdote is that when I was younger I’d always insist on writing the original title of the film. However, seeing Es ist ein Elch entsprungen plastered on the box and being unable to record it to memory made me learn the English title, as silly and punny as it is.

6/10

Home Alone: Holiday Heist

Now, I for one have written on this franchise on this site on a few occasions, once in theory and once when news broke. Similar to the way in which some can engage in auteur criticism, I feel that series and/or franchises can burrow out their own niche and create their own sort of scale. After all, when judging a film for what it’s trying to be the fact that it’s an installment in, or a continuation of, a series factors in.

When I wrote on Home Alone continuing and/or rebooting the idea I was leveraging was the fact that this is now a conceptual series. The series of films is predicated on a kid or kids being caught at home, without their parents, having to defend their house, and ultimately themselves. It almost always had to be that way. Disregarding the fact that in part two Kevin is not home, the fact that he is separated from his family anew is a major challenge to suspension of disbelief. So it was always likely to, and thankfully has, become a series wherein its concept-driven. Thus, whatever the other challenges brought up to each installment how Kevin gets lost again, is no longer a concern. Horror franchises with iconic killers have that issue of trying to bring back their seemingly dead, yet ultimately immortal lead – this is a major encumbrance lifted.

When I wrote about it as a news item it was to confirm that one of my wild postulations was really coming to fruition. I do have a tendency to err on the side of positivity over cynicism more often than not, but I had a few reasons to be optimistic. Based on the casting and story news that came out it seemed like the upcoming film would return closer to the core of what these films are. The series went out on a limb in part three and broke said limb off in part four. This looked like a very promising restart based on early indicators.

So? Now, it’s aired, and I’ve seen it, what did I make of it? The short version of it is that there was room for this film to be much more than a decent, enjoyable restart had there been some shifts in focus, both story and production-wise. Having said that after the precipitous slope the franchise was on, this is welcome and refreshing course correction for the most part. It’s just that the potential existed for it to surpass even my modestly lofty expectations.

The best elements of the film are: the booby-trapping motif is introduced prior to the reality of burglary dawning on the characters, the in-jokes regarding the series are plenty good, the performances of Christian Martyn (whose turn in this archetype I’d rank as best barring Culkin) and Jodelle Ferland (whose inclusion and progression adds an interesting dynamic to the film), the dichotomy of Finn’s character and its slight, steady arching; and the presence of the seemingly random neighbor-kid (Peter DaCunha) who does occasionally add humor and plot functionality.

Where the film misses opportunities in narrative is that it tries too hard to shoehorn what it feels are mandatory elements of a Home Alone film such as a misunderstood stranger who befriends the lead and doesn’t have a place to go for Christmas. Yes, there are anticipated elements, but each narrative has its own set of dynamics and fitting molds or formulas at times restricts the tale at hand.

An example of not wanting to fit a mold is giving the crooks a lot more backstory and justification than is really necessary. The emphasis on name recognition for the triad of crooks (Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples) I feel is detrimental to the film because they get over-exposed and over-wrought and the parents are under-written and under-represented.

The dialogue misfires quite a few times which is a shame when there are some good situations introduced, but there are the occasional good cinematic touches, which goes beyond the production design, there is the rotoscopic montage of the booby trap prep and some of the set-ups for the crooks are visually intriguing.

I enjoyed this film but what wass perhaps most surprising is that there were opportunities for it to be more than just a pleasant pastime and be a legitimately, unassailably solid upgrade to the sequels that had come to this series that could even serve as a springboard. Shortcomings are almost inevitable in any film, it just seems that they came in unexpected areas here and some harder elements were well-executed and some given less priority. However, it ultimately serves its purpose as a redemptive feature for the series, but could’ve been much more.

6/10

The Little Drummer Boy Book II

This is the first of four Rankin/Bass specials that are included in a new release from Warner Archive, which collects four lesser-known Christmas-themed releases from the most famous, prolific producers in this niche. Firstly, in terms of restoration this film is in much better shape than the version of the original that I have. What is fairly refreshing story-wise is that it literally picks up immediately following the first special, and tells the tale of how the news of the fulfilled prophecy is to be spread, and what obstacles must be overcome. The music (the choir-work in this one uncredited) is chillingly good. The narrative is a bit thinner, the songs a bit more filler than the original, but it is a worthy follow-up with some surprises in store. It’s also fantastic that Greer Garson is once again the storyteller.

8/10

The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold

This film continues my going through Warner Archive’s great new Christmas special set by the masters of the subgenre. Here again they have Romeo Muller back to script the tale, and it’s a good thing they do because his acumen is about all that makes this tale float. What’s good about it is that it gives me a little more banshee-related info than I had prior, but it is a most odd tale indeed. The elements mixed in of leprechauns, banshees and wayward sailors are those or darker tales and mystical tomes, but the tone is the same as their other works, yet the Christmas element is more secular than ever, if not downright pagan. This is not a moral judgment, it just makes the balancing of tone harder but the tale manages. It’s an enjoyable, odd little entry in their canon.

6/10

The Stingiest Man in Town

This is yet another rendition of Charles Dickens’ eternal classic A Christmas Carol. Not only is it another adaptation, but it’s also another musical version. Even removing non-diegetic elements that bother me like comparing it to other adaptations or how the characters are really caricatures of the actors playing them, there are many things just off about this version. The songs are inconsistent at best both in lyrical and vocal quality, as is, surprisingly enough, the voice acting; though that could have something to do with direction. The story is also oddly structured inasmuch as there is a lot of denouement. Scrooge has seen the error of his ways and the tale just lingers; removing the impact of the change in his heart. I could go on, but these are the main objections I have.

5/10

Pinocchio’s Christmas

Part of the appeal of this Warner Archive set was that I had never, or thought I had never, seen all the specials on this disc. No other film in this set gave me the feeling of déjà vu as this one. However, I cannot say of that is for real, and even if it is, I cannot guarantee I saw the whole film even if I did see it before. Out of all of these, this is the best example of the Rankin/Bass style the songs and lyrics, and vocal stylings are all top notch. It takes the Pinocchio lore and not only tells a Christmas tale with it but tells only part of the story. It’s an hour-long special that not only fits the allotted running time, but thrives because of it. There is also plenty of humor and wonderful sets. This may not be a household name special but it it on par with the best.

10/10

Help for the Holidays

Here’s another holiday-themed film not only with an Elf element, but also with the now ubiquitous conquering-the-loss-of-Christmas-spirit problem. While the end result is predictable enough, as is some of the early path, there are enough wrinkles and well-timed moves to keep it rather enjoyable in the middle. The issues, and ultimately downfall are due to a few narrative inconsistencies, the unintentional casting of a creepy Santa and the redundant uninspired score which assails your ear throughout the entirety of the film.

5/10

The 2002 BAM Awards

Posted on December 18, 2012 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was not public knowledge.

This is because the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself, for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was more frustrating than it could be otherwise. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket-stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way I had to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues later. However, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name, even at the time, so eventually it just became the BAM Awards.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process, regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of the year share what I thought and why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them, and other people, and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at those chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away.

I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown, a count -up if you will.

So here goes…

2002

-This year features some revisionist history I was able to successfully reverse. There are two categories with only three nominations, which in revision mode I filled out to 5. I was able to trim it back to three, thus making it back to what it was 10 years ago.

-In another revisionist note, this was the first year where I started splitting the screenplay award in the year where I wrote them. I did when I revised the past awards create both categories from 1996-2001. This was the first time I did it live.

-Lagaan was the first film that was nominated for Best Picture only.

-In one of the quirks of the BAM system, Hugh Mitchell who had small roles in both Harry Potter and Nicholas Nickleby, earned two nominations, and one win, for being in both casts.

-Harry Potter is Lucciesque anew setting a new nomination record, Star Wars takes the most trophies.

-This was another year that illustrated that I needed not only equality in categories, but also a top 10 or more list because there are many great films this year not in Best Picture.

-Comedic performances are prominent once again.

-Nicholas Nickleby is another multiple actors in same category film.

Winners are in BOLD and pictured.

Best Picture

Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (20th Century Fox)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Equilibrium
Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones
Lagaan
La Pianiste

Best Actress

Isabelle Huppert La Pianiste
Fairuza Balk Deuces Wild
Amanda Bynes Big Fat Liar
Jodie Foster Panic Room
Emma Watson Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Best Actor

Benoît Magimel La Pianiste
Mike Myers Austin Powers in Goldmember
Christian Bale Equilibrium
Kieran Culkin Igby Goes Down
Hugh Grant About a Boy

Best Supporting Actress

Rachel Griffiths The Rookie
Toni Collette About a Boy
Beyoncé Knowles Austin Powers in Goldmember
Maggie Smith Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Lucy Tulugarjuk Atanarjuat

Best Supporting Actor

Haley Joel Osment The Edges of the Lord
Rupert Grint Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Jamie Bell Nicholas Nickleby
Christopher Plummer Nicholas Nickleby
Ewan McGregor Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

Best Director

George Lucas Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Kurt Wimmer Equilibrium
John Lee Hancock The Rookie
Burr Steers Igby Goes Down
Chris Columbus Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Best Original Screenplay

George Lucas and Jonathan Hales Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Steven Kloves, J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Michael Heneke, Elfried Jelinek La Pianiste
Robert Rodriguez Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
Kurt Wimmer Equilibrium

Best Adapted Screenplay

JK Rowling and Steven Kloves Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Michael Heneka and Elired Jelniek La Pianiste
Nick Hornby, Peter Hedges, Chris and Paul Weitz About a Boy
Philip K. Dick, Scott Frank and John Cohen Minority Report
Charles Dickens and Douglas McGrath Nicholas Nickleby

Best Cinematography

Roger Pratt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Norman Cohn Atanarjuat
Walter Carvalho Abril Despedaçado
Janusz Kaminski Minority Report
David Tattersall Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

The following two (2) categories intentionally only have three (3) nominees.

Best Score

John Williams Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Ennio Morricone The Legend of 1900
George Clinton Austin Powers in Goldmember

Best Visual Effects

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Haley Joel Osment The Edges of the Lord
Nicholas Hoult About A Boy
Rupert Grint Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Daniel Radcliffe Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Amanda Bynes Big Fat Liar

Most Overrated Film

Road to Perdition
Spider-Man
XXX
Insomnia
Abril Despedaçado

Worst Film

Spider-Man
Insomnia
Get a Clue
40 Days and 40 Nights
The Santa Clause 2

Most Underrated Film

Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
The Legend of 1900
Igby Goes Down

Best Cast

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branaugh, Richard Harris and John Cleese Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, Paul Giamatti, Amanda Detmer and Donald Fasion Big Fat Liar
Kieran Culkin, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Ryan Phillippe, and Jeff Goldblum Igby Goes Down
Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Christopher Plummer, Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, Jim Broadbent, Edward Fox, Hugh Mitchell, Stella Gonot, and Romola Garai in Nicholas Nickleby
Mike Myers, Beyoncé Knowles, Michael York, Mindy Sterling, Seth green, Verne Troyer, and Fred Savage Austin Powers in Goldmember

Nominations

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 12
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones 9
La Pianiste 5
Austin Powers in Goldmember 5
Equilibrium 4
Igby Goes Down 4
About a Boy 4
Nicholas Nickleby 4
Big Fat Liar 3
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams 3
Abril Despedaçado 2
The Legend of 1900 2
Minority Report 2
The Rookie 2
Atanarjuat 2
The Edges of the Lord 2
Lagaan 1
Panic Room 1
Deuces Wild 1

The 2001 BAM Awards

Posted on December 17, 2012 by bernardovillela

2001 BAM Awards

Introduction

So here goes…

2001

-With A.I. sweeping through these awards this marks the pinnacle both of Haley Joel Osment’s four-year run in the Young Actor category, and of Janusz Kaminski’s run through the awards. Each is the winningest in their own field.

-Melanie Griffith joins the ranks of those who have won both Supporting and Leading Actor trophies.

-A Partilha is the first film to have three performers nominated in the same category.

-A.I. wins 10 awards in 11 nominations, the most awards and highest success rate to date.

–Harry Potter begins its rather Lucciesque run racking up 9 nominations and one win here.

– I don’t watch too many made for TV movies, but they are not verboten in these awards. This year features one of the rare occasions they break into a positive category with Snow in August.

-Here again you see the need for equal categories between mature and youth performers.

-Until recently I had forgotten that Zoolander passed largely unnoticed due in part to its release occurring shortly after 9/11. The underrated nod affirms that notion.

-This was likely the first time I toyed with the notion of US Release dates. In this year The Wide Blue Road (1957) played for, what I perceived to be, the first time in the US. I made it eligible. I likely won’t stretch that far back ever again, but it did start me looking at US debuts more closely.

Winners are BOLD and pictured.

Best Picture

Mauvaises Frequentations
A Partilha
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Max Keeble’s Big Move
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Best Director

Steven Spielberg Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Ridley Scott Gladiator
Jean-Pierre Améris Mauvaises Frequentations
Laís Bodanzky Bicho de Sete Cabeças
Ridley Scott Hannibal

Best Actor

Robinson Stévenin Mauvaises Frequentations
Rodrigo Santoro Bicho de Sete Cabeças
Haley Joel Osment Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Daniel Radcliffe Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Tamineh Normatova The Silence

Best Actress

Melanie Griffith Cecil B. Demented
Andréa Beltrão A Partilha
Nicole Kidman The Others
Maud Forget Mauvaises Frequentations
Sandrine Bonnaire Est-Ouest

Best Supporting Actor

Ronaldo Bonacchi The Wide Blue Road
Jude Law Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Jake Thomas Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Rupert Grint Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Bruce Greenwood Thirteen Days

Best Supporting Actress

Hope Davis Hearts in Atlantis
Alicia Witt Cecil B. Demented
Paloma Duarte A Partilha
Lília Cabral A Partilha
Glória Pires A Partilha

Best Original Screenplay

Alain Layrac Mauvaises Frequentations
David L. Watts, Jonathan Bernstein, Mark Blackwell, James Greer Max Keeble’s Big Move
Robert Rodriguez Spy Kids
John Waters Cecil B. Demented
Luis Bolognesi Bicho de Sete Cabeças

Best Adapted Screenplay

João Emmanuel Carneiro, Miguel Falabella, Daniel Filho, Mark Haskell A Partilha
Ian Watson, Brian Aldiss, Steven Spielberg Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Thomas Harris, David Mamet and Steven Zaillian Hannibal
Steven Kloves and J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Stephen King and William Goldman Hearts in Atlantis

Best Score

John Williams Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
John Williams Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Michael Wandmacher Max Keeble’s Big Move
Hans Zimmer Gladiator
Danny Elfman Spy Kids

Best Visual Effects

Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Spy Kids
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The Others
Jurassic Park III

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Haley Joel Osment Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Pete Tambakis Snow in August
Daniel Radcliffe Harry Potter and the Sorecer’s Stone
Rupert Grint Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Alex Linz Max Keeble’s Big Move

Best Cinematography

Janusz Kaminski Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Andrew Lesnie Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Hugo Kavensky Bicho de Sete Cabeças
Javier Aguirrresarobe The Others
Ebrahim Ghafori The Silence

Best Cast

Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, William Hurt, Frances O’Connor, etc. Artificial Intelligence: A.I.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robert Harris, Robbie Coltrane, etc. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Alex Linz, Larry Miller, Zena Gray, Nora Dunn,, etc. Max Keeble’s Big Move
Andréa Beltrão, Paloma Duarte, Lília Cabral, Glória Pires, Herson Capri A Partilha
Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier Cecil B. Demented

Most Underrated Film

Articial Intelligence: A.I.
Max Keeble’s Big Move
Cecil B. Demented
Mauvaises Frequentations
Zoolander

Most Overated Film

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Malena
Planet of the Apes
Hearts in Atlantis
The Others*

*A very good film touted as great.

Worst Picture

Hounded
Believe
The Poof Point
The Jennie Project
The Luck of the Irish

Nominations

Artificial Intelligence: A.I. 11
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 9
A Partilha 7
Mauvaises Frequentations 6
Max Keeble’s Big Move 6
Cecil B. Demented 5
Bicho de Sete Cabeças 4
The Others 4
Spy Kids 3
Hearts in Atlantis 3
Gladiator 2
Hannibal 2
The Silence 2
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2
Jurassic Park III 1
Snow in August 1
Est-Ouest 1
The Wide Blue Road 1
Thirteen Days 1
Zoolander 1
Malena 1
Planet of the Apes 1
Hounded 1
Believe 1
The Poof Point 1
The Jennie Project 1

Christmas Special Review- A Garfield Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2012 by bernardovillela

A Garfield Christmas is the warmest/fuzziest of the three specials. I do not mean that to sound facetious, it does have its touching moments both with Garfield comforting Grandma and Garfield and Odie actually getting along for a change.

It does start off on a misfire with Jon’s song as they are driving towards his mother’s house. It is a prime example of original music in a Christmas special falling on its face, which is why sometimes Carols work better. What’s worse is that the music insists on staying in this special. However, to its credit the music is not the downfall of this story.

It is a fun little jaunt, I can’t say it’s the best of the Garfield holiday specials, but it is definitely a worthy addition to the trilogy.

This story opens in a dream that’s is quite funny and the transformation Garfield has from greedy glutton to understanding the true meaning of the holiday is gradual and rather invisible which is refreshing.

The 2000 BAM Awards

Posted on December 17, 2012 by bernardovillela

Introduction

As those who are my friends on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter know, in December I am gearing up for my annual film awards (The BAM Awards), and that only partially explains my recent reposting of all past winners.

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was not public knowledge.

This is because the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself, for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was more frustrating than it could be otherwise. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket-stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way I had to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues later. However, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name, even at the time, so eventually it just became the BAM Awards.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process, regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of the year share what I thought and why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them, and other people, and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at those chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away.

I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown, a count -up if you will.

So here goes…

2000

-Comedic performances back with Drew Barrymore

-Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson are first mother-daughter nominees.

-Perhaps the year most in need of youth categorical equality. There are many splits. Young performers making “open” categories, but not making the child actor cut.

-This was the first time a special achievement award was included in the proceedings, and I handed out two. The interesting thing about the Billy Elliot selection is that it circles around the idea that it should be a musical before that ever happened.

-There are only four nominees in Best Score, I’m not certain that’s intentional, but it may well have been based on the special achievements.

-Jessica Lange here earns her 4th nomination and 3rd win. She is the first, and only actress to date, to win back-to-back Best Actress prizes, and one of two to have a win in both lead and supporting categories, along with Melanie Griffith.

-Not only does a woman win Best Director here long before the Oscars, but Taymor also does so against a fellow female nominee (Leder).

-The 11 nominations for Titus was a record.

– The 10 nominations for Pay it Forward is likely the most for a film not nominated for Best Picture.

The Bernardo Academy of Movies

Best Picture

The Patriot
The Red Violin
Titus
Ma Vie en Rose
Cradle Will Rock

Best Actress

Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich
Susan Sarandon Anywhere But Here
Jessica Lange Titus
Helen Hunt Pay It Forward
Drew Barrymore Charlie’s Angels

Best Actor

Georges DuFresne Ma Vie en Rose
Mel Gibson The Patriot
Anthony Hopkins Titus
Kevin Spacey Pay it Forward
Jamie Bell Billy Elliot

Best Supporting Actress

Laura Fraser Titus
Kate Hudson Almost Famous
Julie Walters Billy Elliot
Cameron Diaz Charlie’s Angels
Kathleen Turner The Virgin Suicides

Best Supporting Actor

Jean-Luc Bideau The Red Violin
Osheen Jones Titus
Haley Joel Osment Pay It Forward
Bill Murray Charlie’s Angels
Stuart Wells Billy Elliot

Best Director

Julie Taymor Titus
Mimi Leder Pay it Forward
Stephen Daldry Billy Elliot
Tim Robbins Cradle Will Rock
Francois Girard The Red Violin

Best Original Screenplay

Steve Martin Bowfinger
Tim Robbins Cradle Will Rock
Robert Rodat The Patriot
James Toback Black and White
Lee Hall Billy Elliot

Best Adapted Screenplay

Julie Taymor, William Shakespeare Titus
Leslie Dixon, Catherine Ryan Hyde Pay It Forward
Scott Spencer and Robert Dillon Waking the Dead
Tim Sandlin Skipped Parts
John Hodge and Eric Garland The Beach

Best Cinematography

Alain Dostie The Red Violin
Luciano Tovoli Titus
Brain Tufano Billy Elliot
Eduardo Serra Unbreakable
Paul Laufer The Cell

Best Visual Effects

The Patriot
The Cell
Hollow Man
Mission to Mars
X-Men

Best Score

Pay it Forward (Warner Bros.)

Elliot Goldenthal Titus
Thomas Newman Pay It Forward
John Corigliano The Red Violin
John Williams The Patriot

Best Performance By A Child Actor

Trevor Morgan The Patriot
Osheen Jones Titus
Haley Joel Osment Pay It Forward
Cristoph Koncz The Red Violin
Frankie Muniz My Dog Skip

Special Achievement Awards

The Exorcist

For its re-releaseshowing the world how classics should be seen.

Billy Elliot

Stephen Daldry, Stephen Warbeck and Peter Darling for unparalleled musical arrangements and choreography in a new kind of musical.

Most Overrated Film

The Contender
American Psycho
Frequency
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Meet the Parents

Worst Picture

The Talented Mr. Ripley
Stigmata
Next Friday
Mission to Mars
Hollow Man

Best Cast

Pay it Forward (Warner Bros.)

Titus
Pay it Forward
Billy Elliot
The Red Violin
The Virgin Suicides

Nominations

Titus 11
Pay it Forward 10
The Red Violin 8
Billy Elliot 6 (wins Special Achievement)
The Patriot 6
Cradle Will Rock 3
Charlie’s Angels 1
Ma Vie en Rose 2
The Virgin Suicides 2
Hollow Man 2
Mission to Mars 2
The Talented Mr. Ripley2
Almost Famous 1
Erin Brockovich 1
Anywhere but Here 1
Bowfinger 1
Black and White 1
Waking the Dead 1
Skipped Parts 1
The Beach 1
Unbreakable 1
The Cell 1
My Dog Skip 1
The Contender 1
American Psycho 1
Meet the Parents 1
Next Friday 1
Stigmata 1
Frequency 1

The 1999 BAM Awards

Posted on December 15, 2012 by bernardovillela

Introduction

As those who are my friends on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter know, in December I am gearing up for my annual film awards (The BAM Awards), and that only partially
explains my recent reposting of all past winners.

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was not public knowledge.

This is because the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself, for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was more frustrating than it could be otherwise. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket-stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way I had to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues later. However, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an
Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name, even at the time, so eventually it just became the BAM Awards.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process, regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of the year share what I thought and why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them, and other people, and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many
other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at those chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away. I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year.
Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown, a count -up if you will. So here goes…

1999

Observations of this year are as follows:

-Jessica Lange here is nominated anew, and is the second actor to win in both lead and supporting
categories.
-With 7 wins The Sixth Sense is the winningest film to this date.
-Oliver Stone is nominated two years running, his direction nomination here also marks a split between Picture and
Director. -Kevin Spacey earns another nomination here, as does Melanie Griffith and Sharon Stone.
-I have since warmed to Magnolia some.

Winners are BOLD and pictured.

Best Picture

Arlington Road
The Butcher Boy
The Green Mile
Simon Birch
The Sixth Sense

Best Director

Oliver Stone Any Given Sunday
Frank Darabont The Green Mile
Neil Jordan The Butcher Boy
Mark Pellington Arlington Road
M. Night Shyamalan The Sixth Sense

Best Actor

Warren Beatty Bulworth
Kevin Spacey American Beauty
Al Pacino Any Given Sunday
Haley Joel Osment The Sixth Sense
Eammon Owens The Butcher Boy

Best Actress

Annette Bening American Beauty
Melanie Griffith Shadow of Doubt
Jessica Lange Cousin Bette
Juliette Lewis The Other Sister
Sharon Stone Gloria

Best Supporting Actor

Doug Hutchinson The Green Mile
Jesse James A Dog of Flanders
Jamie Foxx Any Given Sunday
Tim Robbins Arlington Road
Bruce Willis The Sixth Sense

Best Supporting Actress

Thora Birch American Beauty
Toni Collette The Sixth Sense
Cameron Diaz Being John Malkovich
Diane Keaton The Other Sister
Elisabeth Shue Cousin Bette

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Joseph Cross Jack Frost
Jesse James A Dog of Flanders
Joseph Mazzello Simon Birch
Haley Joel Osment The Sixth Sense
Eammon Owens The Butcher Boy

Best Original Screenplay

M. Night Shyamalan The Sixth Sense
Warren Beatty Bulworth
David Pyne, John Logan and Oliver Stone Any Given Sunday
Mike Myers and Mark McCullers Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Ehren Kruger Arlington Road

Best Adapted Screenplay

Stephen King and Frank Darabont The Green Mile
Honore de Balzac, Lynne Siefert and Susan Tarr Cousin Bette
Pat McCabe and Neil Jordan The Butcher Boy
Washington Irving, Kevin Yagher and Andrew Kevin Walker Sleepy Hollow
Mark Childress Crazy in Alabama

Best Score

James Newton Howard The Sixth Sense
Elliot Goldenthal The Butcher Boy
Angelo Badalamenti Arlington Road
Trevor Rabin Jack Frost
Mark Snow Crazy in Alabama

Best Cinematography

Salvatore Totino Any Given Sunday
Tak Fujimoto The Sixth Sense
Emmanuel Lubezki Sleepy Hollow
Adrien Biddle The Butcher Boy
Conrad L. Hall American Beauty

Best Visual Effects

Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace
The Matrix
Jack Frost
Sleepy Hollow
Being John Malkovich

Best Cast

The Sixth Sense
American Beauty
The Butcher Boy
Jack Frost
A Dog of Flanders

Most Underrated Film

Crazy in Alabama
The Story of Us
A Dog of Flanders
The Other Sister
Election

Most Overrated

Magnolia
The Matrix
Snow Falling on Cedars
Message in a Bottle The Love
Letter

Worst Film

Can’t Be Heaven
Durango Kids
Invisible Mom II
Au Pair
Can of Worms

Nominations
The Sixth Sense 10
The Butcher Boy 8
Arlington Road 5
Any Given Sunday 5
American Beauty 5
The Green Mile 4
Jack Frost 1
A Dog of Flanders 3
Cousin Bette 3
Sleepy Hollow 3
Crazy in Alabama 3
Simon Birch 2
The Matrix 2
Bulworth 2
Being John Malkovich 1
Shadow of Doubt 1
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace 1
Gloria 1
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me 1
Election 1
Magnolia 1
Snow Falling on Cedars 1
Message in a Bottle 1
The Love Letter 1
Can’t Be Heaven 1
Durango Kids 1
Invisible Mom II 1
Au Pair 1
Can of Worms 1

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30