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2B - The Michigan Daily - eekend iIaziieo - Thursday, March 20, 2003
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome kable of
to the 75th Academy Awards show :v.en
hewrong moviete
ai EtYork," which should finally give him the Best award for the
Director award, and the dark horse from Roman years. Wil they do iit
Spring is officially in bloom as the madness of Polanskim "The Pianist." again?
March returns for a retrospective look at the year in Other films like "The Lord of the Rings: The
films that was 2002. Amass with wizardry, Jedi, Two Towers" and "Frida" also received their fair Best Actress 48
singing and dancing, a more traditional Adam San- share of nominations, but will the thus-far award One of the tougher c
dler and Nicholas Cage playing his own twin brother, ceremonies' domination by the four frontrunners be gofles thiS yea.With no
last year made its indelible mark as one of the most too much to overcome? While the world braces for dear favorite.
memorable years in recent movie history. Oft consid- war, the film world anxiously awaits the culmina-
ered the only remaining legitimate media awards cer- tion of one of its finest years to date. Many new Best Actor 58
emony, the Academy Awards are gearing up to unroll names and faces are gracing the nominees this Jack Nicholson has the
the perennial red carpet and welcome home the best year, alongside some of the most legendary figures, chance to go where no
that Hollywood has to offer. but one thing is certain: This year's Academy actor has gone before,
Returning to the Kodak Theater for its second Awards will be one worth watching.
year, the presentation also welcomes back come- Because of the tremendously long duration of the Never Nominated 613
dy legend Steve Martin to the hosting pedestal. ceremonies and the lack of background provided, A look at a few of our
Along with some of the best films in recent we're hoping to give you some insight into the nomi- favorite filmS that were
blockbuster history, some surprises have hit the nees, some predictions for winners, as well as some
stage this year with "Chicago" leading the nomi- information that you might not have known or even never nominated..
nations pack at 13. With the post-Golden Globes yet considered. Best Director 78
buzz and nine nominations to its name, Mira- -Thus, without further delay, we present to you the oesk bck in
max's upstart "The Hours" will certainly hope to Weekend Magazine guide to the 2003 (2002 by POtlSkly baCk in America?
take away some of that jazz, not to mention the release year) Academy Awards. Brace yourselves; it Not likely, but the award
long-expected Scorsese epic "Gangs of New should be one hell ofa ride! will go to Scorsese anyway-
The Michigan Daily - Weekendasipie- -1
Adapted and original:
d ~This year's best screi
By Zach Mabee
Daily Arts Writer
T he Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplay categories at the
2003 Oscars are replete with quality writing and a wealth of
diverse films representing numerous cinematic genres. From the
musical, to the dramatic comedy, to the historical epic, to the melodrama, to
the plainly absurd, seemingly every thinkable cinematic genus shows its face
in this year's nominees.
The Best Original Screenplay cat-
egory includes: "Far from Heaven,"
"Gangs of New York," "Hable con
Ella," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
and "Y T6 Mama Tambien," while
the Best Adapted Screenplay catego-
ry features: "About a Boy," "Chica-
go," "The Hours," "Adaptation" and
"The Pianist."
Best Original Screenplay, like its
adapted counterpart, is a very uncer-
tain race. Todd Haynes' work on "Far
from Heaven" is a melodramatic
exploration of 1950s cultural preju-
dices based on the ostensibly loving
but actually turbulent relationship of a
homosexual man and his wife who is
falling in love with their black gar-
dener;,the film has been lauded for its
emotive characters and its technical
flawlessness.
Jay Cocks, Kenneth Lonergan and
Steven Zaillian's combined script for
Martin Scorsese's organized crime
epic, "Gangs of New York," is also
in contention. The film delves into
the annals of Civil War era New
York street crime, examining the
criminal underworld so integral to
Scorsese's films.
"Hable con Ella" and "Y Ta Mama
Tambien" comprise this year's foreign
representation, and neither of these
can be overlooked. "Hable" explores
the dynamics of friendship and love
and the unforgiving effects that the
latter can have on the former.
"Mama" also explores human love,
but from a more humorous and
unabashedly sexual perspective.
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
rounds out the Best Original Screen-
play category. This film has been
praised for its tender humor and its
comic insight into Greek family
affairs; furthermore, it represents a
seemingly rare success amid the
many failures in the overly sentimen-
tal genre of kindhearted comedy.
The Best Adapted Screenplay cate-
gory presents critics with an equally
nuanced and similarly competitive
race. "About a Boy," Hugh Grant's
recent return to cinematic stardom,
tells the story of a suave, cunning
Londoner who is humbled by the
friendship he develops with a teenage
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"Y TO Mama Tambien," while a foreign film, has drawn a lot of attention from the Acader
boy. This is an ideal role for Grant, as
it pairs his boyish charm with an
especially funny script.
"Chicago," which has landed an
astounding 13 nominations, has also
found its place in the Best Adapted
category. The script is based upon
that of the Broadway production
and is overflowing with vigor and
powerful performances from
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zell-
weger, Queen Latifah and Richard
Gere, to name a few.
"The Hours," based on the Pulitzer
Prize-winning novel by Michael
Cunningham, is perhaps the most
dynamic and complex story of the
year. It follows three women- one
being Virginia Woolf herself - as
they all independently battle depres-
sion and peculiarly relate to Woolf's
famous character, Mrs. Dalloway.
Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and
Julianne Moore have all received
much acclaim for their outstanding
performances.
Roman Polanski's Holocaust
account, "The Pianist" marked his
triumphant return to directorial
prominence. The film is based upon
the autobiography of Wladyslaw
Szpilman and tells the chilling but
formative tale of a young Polish
Jewish pianist and his survival
through World War II.
The film is visually gripping, and
relies heavily upon wartime imagery
and the personal seclusion of Szpil-
man - played brilliantly by Adrien
Brody.
The final contender - but one that
certainly cannot be overlooked - for
the crown of Best Adapted Screenplay
is Charlie and Donald Kaufman's
"Adaptation." Spike Jonze once again
pairs his directorial know-how with
the screenwriting talents of Charlie
Kaufman (Donald is his fictitious
brother); they last released the cult hit
"Being John Malkovich."
For "Adaptation," Kaufman took
on the taxing challenge of writing a
screenplay about himself writing a
screenplay that adapts Susan
Orlean's novel "The Orchid Thief.".
Nicolas Cage gives a brilliant per-
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M AG A ZIlNE Rme
Writers: Jeff Dickerson Joel M.
Hoard, John Laughlin,sAyan
Luknsith,Todd W iser ds,
Cover Photo: Jason Roberts
Arts Editors: Todd Weiser
Mant in Editor, Jason Roberts,
Scott Seril ia, Editors
Editor in Chief: Louie Meizlish
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"About a Boy?" Where's "About Schmidt?" It did win the Golden Globe.