OSCAR REACTION PART DEUX - Sam makes a great point in the Feedback Forum regarding 'Punch-Drunk Love': "If they had released it in late-December or January with the other prestige pictures, I guarantee that Anderson would be getting Nia Vardalos's original screenplay nomination and Emily Watson would have Queen Latifah's supporting actress nom." It is amazing how much of a factor release date is when it comes to the Oscars. All five nominees for best picture came out near the end of the year, as did most of the acting category nominees save for Diane Lane in 'Unfaithful' and Paul Newman in 'Road to Perdition.' That being said, 'Punch-Drunk' was probably hindered by its language and subject matter that was described in one letter to the Chicago Tribune entertainment section as being "obscene." (I'll have to dig this letter out and post it here sometime because it is one of the best examples of the disconnect that exists between film critics and moviegoers. This particular woman felt that critic Michael Wilmington tricked her by using the words "romantic comedy" to describe something so vulgar. Hilarious stuff.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Chris Cooper (Adaptation), Ed Harris (The Hours); Paul Newman (Road to Perdition), John C. Reilly (Chicago), and Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can)
How great is it to see usually unsung actors like Chris Cooper and John C. Reilly garnering some attention? Unfortunately, even though I liked Reilly as "Mr. Cellophane" in 'Chicago,' he was basically playing the same boring, cuckolded husband role he seems to have perfected. As I said when I wrote about 'Chicago' on Jan. 6 (A.O. Scott Stole My Thunder) the best performance in the whole film was turned in by Richard Gere, but somehow his Golden Globe win didn't translate into an Oscar nom. Newman and Walken are both fantastic in their respective films. The dignity and humanity Newman brings to his mobster character in 'Perdition' is the best reason to see that movie. The only choice that bothers me here is Ed Harris for 'The Hours.' I've always been a huge Harris fan, but his performance as a poet dying from AIDS is far too showy. It just screams Oscar, and apparently it got the Academy's attention.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Kathy Bates (About Schmidt), Julianne Moore (The Hours), Queen Latifah (Chicago), Meryl Streep (Adaptation), and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago)
I can't comment on Kathy Bates' performance, but I have pretty much the same reaction to it as her co-star Nicholson getting another nomination. She already has one Oscar and excels at playing over-the-top characters. Do we really need to reward her again? Like Reilly, Queen Latifah is barely in 'Chicago' enough to warrant a nomination. That Miramax marketing team is good, isn't it? Streep is another actress who is hard to root for because she already has, what, three Oscars at home? But I'm glad to see she got a nod for her surprising turn in 'Adaptation,' playing a neurotic, lonely writer who gets caught up in drugs and sex, instead of her break-down-on-cue-give-me-the-Oscar-now performance in 'The Hours.'

BEST DIRECTOR - Rob Marshall (Chicago), Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York), Stephen Daldry (The Hours), Roman Polanski (The Hours), Pedro Almodovar (Talk To Her)
I still need to see 'Talk To Her,' though if 'The Two Towers' was deemed worthy of a best picture nomination, then Peter Jackson probably should have gotten a directing nod. I've always been a traditionalist when it comes to the notion that the best picture is made by the best director. Scorsese will probably win, regardless of whether 'Chicago' beats 'Gangs' for best picture, because the latter is a more ambitious, epic-sized achievement. In a way, it will be a little sad though because Scorsese will finally get rewarded for a film that isn't as deserving as 'Taxi Driver,' 'Raging Bull,' or 'GoodFellas.' The Academy will probably try to make up for its past transgressions this year. My vote would be with Polanski since 'The Pianist' is the best film of the bunch.

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