The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - September 8, 1998 - 5D Minority actors simply aren't Oscars priority By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer On the eve of the Academy Awards ceremony celebrating the best films and performances of 1995, Reverend Jesse Jackson published an essay on the lack of nominations received by people of color. His protest of the Oscars and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences received widespread publicity and brought to light a major problem within the movie industry. At the time of Jackson's article, only nine of the nominees in the major cate- gories in the 90s had been minorities. The year of the protest, Ang Lee, the director of "Sense and Sensibility," was the lone non-white nominee. Much to the chagrin of Jackson and many oth- ers, talented performers such as Don Cheadle (who won the National Society of Film Critics' Best Supporting Actor Award for his work in "Devil in a Blue Dress") were ignored entirely. Although the Academy's history of overlooking minority actors, directors, and writers was long, many felt that Jackson's criticism would help improve matters by addressing the issue and by bringing negative publicity to the large- ly white organization. So, how did the Academy react? It nominated two peo- ple of color for awards the next year. The chosen pair were Cuba Gooding Jr. for "Jerry Maguire" and Marianne Jean-Baptiste for "Secrets and I ies" While Gooding's eventual victory was refreshing, it is important to note that the two performers were in supporting categories, while many stirring perfor- mances in lead roles, like Denzel Washington's exceptional work in "(courage inder Fire" or Iddic Murphy's hilarious turn as "Ihe Nutty Professor" (which won him the National Society of Film Critics Best Actor Award), were not honored. Last year, the Oscar ceremony was free of color aside from Spike Lee, whose documentary "Four Little Girls" was nominated. Among those deemed unworthy of recognition: Victor Nunez of " lee's Gold," whose direction pro- pelled Peter Fonda to a Best Actor nom- ination; Pam Grier and Samuel 1.. Jackson for "Jackie Brown" the cast and crew of the wonderful "Eve's Bayou;" and I ee, director of critical favorite "The Ice Storm" But, perhaps the snub that best repre- sents the state of afTairs in the Academy and the movie industry was the failure to nominate l)jimon Ilounsou for "Amistad." While Hounsou's perfor- mance was excellent, his ignoral would not have been as noteworthy had Sir . Anthony Hopkins been overlooked for his acting in "Amistad." It is insulting enough that in a story about a slave-ship revolt the heroes turn out to be a couple of white lawyers. But to top it offW I lopkins is nearly laughable in the film, while Ilounsou is the heart and soul of the narrative. Moreover, the Academy seems to love underdogs, as evidenced by all the attention given to Matt Damon and Ben Affeck, the well edu- cated blue-bloods who had a bit of a hard time selling their script for "Good Will Hunting." Yet, Hounsou's life story is remarkably compelling and lkatures difficulties far greater than having problems with a screenplay. IJowever, the Academy should not be singled out as the source of the prob- lem. Granted, the organization is tairly conservative, but in recent years it has opened its heart to more creative, inno- vative works, such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Fargo," perhaps opening the doors for minority filmmakers who tend to have less conventional artistic visions. Still, the failure to win awards is insignificant in comparison to the fail- ure to gain ground in the film industry. When so few of the people producing, directing or starring in movies are minorities, can the Academy really be expected to honor more than one or two people of color a year? Thus, the only way more non-white individuals will be nominated each year is if minorities somehow infil- trate the system and increase their prevalence within the industry. Obviously, this is easier said than done, and does not necessarily guar- antee more recognition. After all, the Academy is the organization that in the past did not nominate films such as "Do the Right Thing," "Boyz 'N' the I lood" and "1 loop Dreams," which are considered by most to be three of the most important movies of the last If) years The fact that recent works were not recognized by the most prominent and pervasive group in the movie world suggests an enormous problem that is nowhere near being fixed. COURTESY OF MIRAMAX Samuel Jackson played gun dealer in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film Jackie Brown. The Academy Awards have been protested by such figurs as the Reverend Jesse Jackson for their consistent lack of minority nominees. Truman hits it big as TV show Titanic floats at Oscars By Matthew Barrett Daly arts Writer No need for ID the man is legit. Previously knownor his elastic face nd crazy onseen antics, Jim Carrey shines in Is first real attempt Ait a serious ree. "The Truman Show" is not th typical game of oneupmanship tat has grown to be thw norm for Carrey's movies. instead it slowlybrings the audience into a story that~uilds and progress- es throughout it duration. ('arrey plays l'ruman Burbank, a Ocharacter whos every move in life the basis of th wildly popular and live televisi o program, "The Tirwan Show. Since birth, Truman lists lived in aself-contained dome that is known s Seahaven Island. As 5,00 camers capture his every move, Trumpa i.s surrounded by actors from th entertainment indus- trywho playdifferent characters in :*hislife. I ruman con- stantly dreIms about leaving the The Trunn island but is unable to for a variety of rea- sons. First, he has a lear of driving over water, and second, the pur- pose of all the * others on the island is to make sure he stays put. Pulling the strings bind th operation is Hollywood dir4Ntor (hristot, (Ed Harris) who runs b thl the show and Truman's World. Althoualh the premise of "The Tnuman Show" may seem a little illogical on paper, director Peter Weir and the actors involved are able to pull things together for an engag- mng-story Carrey gives a career-altering per- - 4mance and shows that he is more than capable of handling big-time dramntic roles. He is still very funny _id tines in the movie, but instead of constantly hitting the audience over the head with his humor, he careful- ly picks his spots. Other than Carrey, the film's main ~ource of hlumor is the little oddities about the television show and attempts by people on the island to kiep Truman there. ,Ejura Linney takes a turn from her Lsual serious roles as Meryl, Iumnan's over-the-top and sweeter- than-sugar wife. Dressed in ridicu- lWusly perky clothes, her main job is to keep Truman in check and slip *roduct placements into the show. 8o when she asks Truman if hie wants coffee, she gives him the whole lowdown on the particular brand. Because "The Truman Show' is tive and doesn't have any commer- eials the product placement is one of the show's main sources of funding. end of the film Christol' urns into a horrible human being, changing the weather on a whim in a last ditch attempt to keep Truman from escap- ing. Director Peter Weir does an excep- tional job working his way through a difficult subject matter. Ile is able to hold Carrey's comic talents back, instead focusing on the gradual pro- gression c1' the story. IHe also does a top-of-the-line job in creating the town of Seahaven. The houses and sets look like some- thing straight out of early television, making the television show seem much more realistic. "The Truman Show" is an exciting movie that builds tension as Truman comes closer and closer to discover- ing the truth. It benefits from excep- tional direction and stellar acting in the three main roles. The movie is also a little bit more than the story of Truman Burbank's journey, as it makes a biting com- mentary on society's love affair with television. By focusing on story and the evo- lution of its main character, "The Truman Show" is a much-needed alternative to the typical summer fare of explosions, aliens, and disap- pointment. By Joshua Rich Daily Arts Writer The dreaded iceberg never emerged at this years 70th Annual Academy Awards. That meant smooth sailing for "Titanic," the epic romance that can now add the words "Best Picture" to its already golden resume. In the annual ceremony honoring excel- lence in motion pictures, director James Cameron's film about the legendary 1912 ocean disaster received a total of 11 awards. It took home statuettes in nearly every technical category, and tied "Ben-IHur"'s 38-year-old record for Oscar wins, a mark that hasn't been neared in decades. Also tying records was industry lavorite Jack Nicholson's Best Actor award for his role as an obsessive-compulsive writer in "As Good as it Gets" his third Oscar. With the nod, Nicholson joined the company of silver screen legends Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan as the most heralded actors in movie history. Nicholson's co-star Helen hunt, who also appears on NBC's "Mad About You," was another one of the night's many anticipated winners, snagging a trophy for Best Actr ss. Also rising out of television fame wassup- porting actor winner Robin Williams, who became popular with his free-association comedy rits and his role as a wacky alien on the early 1980s TV comedy "Mork. and Mindy." Williams took home his first-ever Oscar for playing a tough therapist in "Good Will Ihunting," a film that was also nominated for Best Picture. The popular independent movie's only other Oscar went to original screenplay writers and best friends Ben Afleck and Matt Damon, who crafted "Good Will I Iunting" and waited more than five years to see their script become a motion picture. In another one of the night's most antici- pated moments, Curtis Hanson, who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed crime thriller "L.A. Confidential," collected an Oscar for the screenplay he wrote with Brian Helgeland. FILE PHOTO Oscar stands on the lookout for the good films. - A 1 1±E iiIJ Jrj Noah Emmerich and Jim Carrey star as Truman Burbank and MarIon in "The Trwman Show". Carrey's held back his comic talents to pursue a more serious role. Whether you're new to comics, or a lifetime fan, the UNDERWORLD understands what you want. 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