The nominees (then of course only five) were:
- Chocolat
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Erin Brockovich
- Gladiator
- Traffic
It's interesting to note the differences and similarites of that list to one now. While not an earth-shattering five on terms of grand-scale artistry, all five clearly hone in on tried-and-true Academy tastes, and represent the now-typical norm of how the big studios avoided Oscar-bait stuff, instead relegating to their niche departments. Case in point-- neither Chocolat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, nor Traffic are really independent films, but rather smaller, more specialized movies distributed with big Hollywood money through smaller subsidaries of big studios. Now of course this is pretty commonplace, and by 2000 is was well-established in the decade beforehand, where Harvey Weinstein, and his then Miramax embodied the classy Academy approved motion picture.
Miramax was well represented in 2000, with their trifle Chocolat, with it's refined Lasse Hallstrom direction and international cast consisting of nominated actresses Juliette Binoche and Judi Dench, along side the non-nominated Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin and Carrie-Anne Moss, but one could tell that the Miramax machine was starting to crack even here. It starts with the film itself, easily one of the most forgettable best picture nominees of the last decade, if ever, but also the film reeks then and today of machine made refinement. I remember at the time, the press of Chocolat tried to bill this film as a serious and somber meditation on individuality, but like so many in the late 90s\early 00s of Miramax Films, it feels just the same. Of course Harvey changed the landscape of the filmmaking, and the Academy Awards, so while the inclusion (in a top 5) of Chocolat seems damning and utterly stupid, there's still respect to the man behind the well-oiled machine.
But there was a sign of change in 2000 as well, as a new upstart subsidary from big Hollywood (this one being USA Films, whose parents are Universal Pictures), and in the best picture nomination for Traffic. Here was a film that is the complete antithesis of Chocolat and the type of bold, ballsy filmmaking that Harvey himself once made, and the first and only Academy love thrust upon Steven Soderbergh (he did have a prior nomination before 2000, as the writer of 1989's Miramax breakout sex, lies and videotape.) What's interesting, I think, about USA Films, now called Focus Features, is that they've developed the shrewd sense of Oscar campaigning that Miramax cultivated, but still remained earthbound by it; they're budgets are not as Miramax insane, and neither is they're preceived ego. Focus would by decades end, become a benchmark for Academy successes. Following Traffic, there was Gosford Park, The Pianist, Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain, Atonement, Milk, and A Serious Man. A lofty group, the only thing alluding the company is a best picture win sadly. But Traffic, I'm sure came very close, winning four out of five Oscars (director, supporting actor, adapted screenplay and film editing.) As a film itself, I believe the movie probably has gone down a notch or two in the way of it's legacy. My opinion of the film remains unchanged-- on the surface, it's a big, messy, challenging work that's grand and luminary, however when you look closer, it's muddled with a sort of maddening and frustrating inconsistancy.
Big Hollywood had a reason to rejoice in the nominations of Erin Brockovich and eventual winner Gladiator. Oddly enough both films opened in the first half of the year, usual dead zone for quality, baity filmmaking. But neither films (at least on paper) were necessarily Oscar slam dunks when they opened. Erin Brockovich was also directed by Steven Soderbergh, and really was the first big studio offering he ever made. Columbia Pictures compensated with his independent idiosyncracies by hiring the biggest movie star in the world (she was in 2000), Julia Roberts to star. The end result is an incredibly entertaining and sharp movie star vehicle. It's easily Roberts best performance to date, and in my opinion, a looser and more sharply focused piece of work than Mr. Soderbergh's other 2000 film. Gladiator, on the other hand, had a far more challenging mission: updating a bygone genre. A bygone genre of say fourty years or so. The big swords and sandals epics went out of fashion somewhere in the 1950s; even the classic westerns went to the dust shortly after, so director Ridley Scott's job wasn't necessarily DreamWorks Pictures safest bet for awards. And while I concede it's a marginal, visually ugly, pathetically written and rather forgettable movie, many differ. The movie was a huge success, and Russell Crowe, the only part of Gladiator that felt epic to me, become a movie star, and by the end of the year, and Oscar winner.
However, to me, the one film of the five that has aged the best is Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The graceful and majestic martial arts epic was in many cases the biggest sleeper hit of 2000-- to date it's the highest grossing foreign language film in North America by a lot. It's North American box office was $128 million, the second most success foreign film was Life is Beautiful at $58 million. Aside from that it's the storytelling, the most leisurely in the five picture nominations, is positively sublime, romantic and epic. In truth, martial arts film don't really ever do it for, so I indeed mean this as high praise. I remember seeing Crouching Tiger for the first time, it was shortly after Christmas, right when the praise and press was getting a bit out of hand. And yet when the lights went dim, I was completely in it's pull, not really sure of what was going on for a good while, but the film reached its glourius climax, I felt the emotion and captivating spell of a film that had spectacle for sure, but also a soul. Rewatching the film again, I felt it again.
The Golden Globes picked:
BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)
- Chocolat
- Erin Brockovich
- Gladiator
- Sunshine
- Traffic
- Wonder Boys
BEST PICTURE (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
- Almost Famous
- Best in Show
- Billy Elliot
- Chicken Run
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Had there been ten nominations in 2000, I believe the remaing five slots would have gone to:
- Almost Famous
- Billy Elliot
- Cast Away
- Wonder Boys
- You Can Count on Me
Almost Famous was one of the biggest critical smashes of 2000 (despite being a box office flop), had four other big nominations (supporting actress for Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand, film editing, and original screenplay which it won), and was remembered fondly as Cameron Crowe's finest film. That point is still valid-- everything he's made since (Vanilla Sky, Elizabethtown) has been awful; still a great film however.
Billy Elliot, as wrongheaded as I believe this to be, was very likely in the 6th spot (don't you just wish the Academy released voting records) because it received a best director nod (for Stephen Daldry-- his first film), as well as an acting nod (for Julie Walters, and I'm sure Jamie Bell was 6th for best actor), and writing. It had the British crowd pleaser thing working overtime, in a field of ten it would have easily inched in.
Cast Away is kind of my dark horse idea, since the film didn't exactly play the awards the way it was expected too. It received two nominations for Tom Hanks' tour-de-force performance (a given, even if the film flopped, for novelty alone), and for best sound. However, I expect (a la The Blind Side) that a field of ten would have sneaked it in on the fact that it was a bonafide success alone, plus the Hanks\Zemeckis factor does have it's pull.
Wonder Boys and You Can Count on Me are my wild guesses just because they were both liked enough by the academy, even though I'd feel better about calling out Wonder Boys if Michael Douglas had been nominated, but I think it's film editing nomination sort of makes up for it. Both were very modest success on terms of finances, but big critical hits. Of the two, I handily favor You Can Count on Me's bravura Laura Linney\Mark Ruffalo sibling act to Michael Douglas' midlife crises.
BIGGEST S
NUBS:Every year there is a share of attrocious snubs, but what about ten year later. It's a time when a films legacy can start to rear it's ugly, or delightful head. What were the best\worst films of 2000 on terms of Academy levels and what still seems sadly overlooked:
- Requiem for a Dream- ten years later it's still an amazing piece of work, and resonates just as deeply- it's Aronofsky crowning achievement, and that's saying a lot. The Academy had the good taste to recognize Ellen Burstyn for her amazing performance, but nothing else. Burstyn likely got in because she's great, and the critics loved her, but also because she's a legend-- I can easily imagine the Academy not especially liking this movie, or even watching it. Even fans (I'm one of it's biggest) must agree it's a hard, unforgettable watch.
- Dancer in the Dark- Lars von Trier is an artist of the highest order, and this film remains his best, I personally believe. Sure it's uncompromising, and as many people that love also hate it-- von Trier is that kind of director, and thankfully will always be. But there's pure magic in this work-- the one and only film star to Bjork (she's claims she'll never make another movie after this experience) and big winner of the Cannes Film Festival. Catherine Deneauve is also awesome.
- Nurse Betty- it's easy and almost encourged to take pot-shots at Renee Zellweger these days, but in 2000, before her cheeks become too much, she was utterly delightful, and thoroughly nominate-able in Neil LaBute's deranged black comedy. Betty is the sweetest character she's ever played, but also the most subsersive. And without her performance the movie's twisted dark fantasy doesn't work at all. Zellweger, as well as the inventive screenplay (which won at Cannes Film Festival) deserved Oscar attention-- of course it didn't get any of it.
- Chicken Run- it's unfortunate that the best animated feature category didn't start until 2001, because Chicken Run would have one in a heartbeat, and deservedly so. The fresh stop motion picture was cinematic bliss.
The notables of the motion picture year of 2000:
- Almost Famous
- Best in Show
- Billy Elliot
- The Contender
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Erin Brockovich
- Gladiator
- High Fidelity
- The House of Mirth
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- Pollack
- Requiem for a Dream
- Shadow of a Vampire
- Traffic
- Wonder Boys
- Yi Yi
- You Can Count on Me
No comments:
Post a Comment