Thursday, March 25, 1993
The Collegian makes its 1993 Academy Awards predictions
by Rick Kastan
Entertainment Editor
Making Oscar is no easy task.
Neither is it a matter to be taken
lightly. Many have died in the
MONS.
We film critics have a
love/hate relationship with this
time of the year because it is
always a source of both
excitement and agitation for us.
For twelve months we sit in
crowded theaters in cramped and
uncomfortable seats enduring
(often) dreadful films for your
sake, so that you may not have
to put up with them.
Then the Academy Awards
nominations roll around and we
critics disappear into self
imposed exiles, sweating it out
in dark, muggy smoke-filled
rooms for weeks on end, sifting
through old papers, racking
every inch of our memories,
looking at old notes and trying
to decide which flick will cut
the mustard and bring home the
fabled statuette and which will
d the envelope p
fall into oblivion
It's a horrible, mind wrecking
job-but we do it for you.. .
So, with that said, here are
my 1993 Oscar predictions- off
the top of my head (c'mon, you
didn't actually believe that crap,
did you?).
We'll start out with the big
one: Best Picture. Of course the
big news here is The Crying
Game, the quaint little Irish
thriller with a lot to hide that
quickly proved to be the little
independent that could. It had a
good story, great characters,
slick direction and a twist that
could curl your hair, but will it
win? I don't think so (as they
say, just getting nominated is
an honor).
Howard's End also provided
another nice surprise for those
jaded with Hollywood. Based on
E.M. Forster's 1910 novel
about two snooty turn-of-the
century English families, the
film was the darling of critics
and received good word of
mouth mid-summer last year,
Entertainment
but I think that now that the
furor has died down, it doesn't
have a very strong chance of
taking the big prize.
Hollywood heavy hitters
Scent of a Woman and A Few
Good Men were both fine films
but I don't think that anybody
actually believes that have a
chance. This leaves Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood's latest horse
opera. While it may not be a
better film than The Crying
Game, Eastwood has never won
an oscar and I'll bet the
Academy will give it to him as
a homage (to both him and his
mentor Sergio Leone whom the
Academy also snubbed in the
past).
For Best Director we have a
nice mix of personalities and
styles this year: Robert Altman
for The Player, Martin Brest for
Scent of a Woman, James
Ivory for Howard's End, Niel
Jordan for The Crying Game and
Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven.
It would be nice to see Altman
get the prize for a wonderful
film like The Player (especially
since it attacks everyone in
Hollywood that would be voting
for it) but I don't think it's
going to happen. Likewise for
Martin Brest; I don't think the
Academy will ever give the
award to the man who directed
Beverly Hills Cop.
So the three frontrunners are
Ivory, Eastwood, and Jordan.
Ivory and Eastwood both made
fine films but I think if Best
Picture goes to Unforgiven then
Jordan will get Best Director.
The Crying Game may have had
a few holes (and not enough
holes, if you know what I
mean) but it was directed
seamlessly and ballsily enough
to beat out Clint.
The Best Actor will certainly
go to Denzel Washington for
Malcolm X, not only to satisfy
Spike Lee but also because his
performance SHOULD win.
Other candidates include Robert
Downey Jr. for Chaplin, Clint
for Unforgiven, Al Pacino for
Scent of a Woman and Steve
Rea for The Crying Game who
will probably get it if
Washington doesn't
In the Best Actress category it
looks like it's pretty much a
toss-up between Emma
Thom , son Howard's End) and
(Indochine), Mary McDonnell
(Passion Fish) and Michelle
Pfeiffer ( for her laughable
performance in Love Field). Fm
saying the award will go to
Thompson even though I think
Sarandon was better and would
love to see Janet for Rocky
Horror win.
For Best Supporting Actor it
could be close between Gene
Hackman (Unforgiven) and Al
Pacino (for Glengarry Glen
Ross). I think it's Hackman's
year (Pacino wins too often).
Other nominees include David
Paymer for Mister Saturday
Night, Jack Nicholson for A
Few Good Mimues..er, Men and
a very commendable but not
winnable Jaye Davidson for The
Crying Game.
In the Best Supporting
Actress category looks like
lease....
another toss-up between Judy
Davis for Woody Allen's
Husbands and Wives and
Vanessa Redgrave for Howard's
En d . Both are strong
performances but I'm going to
sa Davis will win out over
Richardson (Damage). Marissa
(My Cousin Vinny) Tomei
should not even bother to attend
the ceremony.
The last big category is Best
Original Song. The nominees
include two songs for Aladdin
("Friend Like Me" and "Whole
New World") one from The
Mambo Kings ("Beautiful Maria
of My Soul") and two from The
Bodyguard ("I Have Nothing"
and "Run to You"). I think we
can pretty much count out the
Bodyguard and "Friend Like
Me" from Aladdin (which was
really ruined for me by that
stupid Burger King commercial
with Dan Cortesse) leaving
"Whole New World" to edge out
The Mambo Kings.
The Academy awards will be
aired next Monday, March 29.
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