6B - The Michigan Daily -Weekeid Maaiie - Thursday, March 20, 2003 The Michigan Daily- Wtekeld NoOle -- Th Snubbed By Ryan Lewis Daily Film Editor Every year the nominations role out, and every year they're never quite right in the minds of most moviegoers. This year, of course, there was the critically-acclaimed "About Schmidt" receiving much less than many would have speculated. Of course, the ridiculousness that is the makeup category, as arbitrary as it sounds, somehow excluded the won- derful jobs of both "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and the newest "Star Wars" installment. Some say it's politics, others refer to it as a popularity contest, but some- how the awards have a checkered past of leaving out the very best that Hol- lywood actually offered.1 I : The best films never nominated Streep leads a talented pack of supporting nominees As usual, the heavy-hitters of Holly- wood have extended their greedy hands into the Oscar pot - especially Miramax, garnering three of the five best picture nominations. Although it may seem as though any number of other deserved films appeared on screen throughout the year, the nomi- nations, as has become commonplace, have again been swept by year-end films; only the lesser categories figure in otherwise. However, most of those that have been nominated cannot be denied their legitimate claim to the award, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will contin- ue its long-standing tradition of glam- our, long nights full of surprises and winners above all. Opening in 1929, the Academy began by rewarding best pictures in two in which they were many-times-over more deserving. The Oscars have received an ever-present stigma for handing the little golden statuette to a much less deserving film. Therefore, in the grand tradition of criticism, and for all those who have felt cheated in some point in Oscar history, I give to you five of the best films never to have been nominated in the Best Pic- ture category: 5) "Memento" Possibly one of the most intriguing- ly structured films in cinema history, Christopher Nolan's emergence onto the American screen found itself up for only Best Editing and Best Adapt- ed Screenplay. While the story is as unique as any, the acting, the twists and the tremendously intricate and ethereal backwards format should have raised the film into the company of the absurdly overrated "A Beautiful Mind." Films close but not quite mak- ing the cut include "Requiem for a Dream" and "Magnolia." See SNUBBED, Page 10B separate categories, but the silent film "Wings" from 1927 is considered the first to achieve the highest honor. Since then, the ceremony has maintained a FULL SETSFROMBO TH ARTISTS prestige above all others, sometimes failing to honor what have since become known as some of the finest films of all time - "Citizen Kane," "Raging Bull" and "Pulp Fiction" to name a few - but always granting awards in a respectable fashion. But, as that tradition holds, there have been too many films over the course of the Academy's history that were completely shut out of categories S . I Actress By John Laughlin Daily Arts Writer The award for Best Supporting Actress also has its share of premium talent with Kathy Bates from "About Schmidt," a surprising Queen Latifah with "Chicago," Julianne Moore for her role in "The Hours," Meryl Streep for "Adaptation" and Cather- ine Zeta-Jones in "Chicago." It would seem that the list of names for Best Supporting Actress rivals that of Best Actress! This year brings with it a lot of stars to the best supporting catego- ry, just as much as Best Actress, and with it a lot of tension and anticipa- tion. There are a lot of tough calls this year and there are sure to be some upsets as well. Julianne Moore is the one to look out for this year. She's nominated in both female categories this year and has not won an Oscar to date despite being nominated in the past for her role in P.T. Anderson's "Boogie Nights," for which many thought she deserved the award. Catherine Zeta-Jones is also often viewed as having been robbed, but for even a nomination for "Traffic" in which she played the wife of a notori- ous drug dealer. Zeta-Jones' role as Velma Kelly in "Chicago" was per- fectly suited for her star persona - blending both the sexy and the sophisticated. Also from "Chicago," Queen Lati- fah is nominated for her role as Matron Morton. Latifah's character A look at the underside of U of M www.universitysecrets.com was one of confidence and boldness. This actress's path to screen success has been a quick one and it is already a great accomplishment to be paired alongside Oscar veterans Kathy Bates and Meryl Steep. Kathy Bates won the Best Actress Oscar back in 1990 fory here role as Annie Wilkes in "Mis- ery." Bold and always first rate, 7 Bates now finds herself up for the Best Supporting Actress award this year for her role as Roberta Hertzel in "About Schmidt." The role included a revealing nude scene for the brave actress. Oscar darling Meryl Streep adds another nomination to her resume in the supporting category and it is somewhat surprising not to find her in the Best Actress category for her role in "The Hours." However, Streep's work in "Adaptation" as New Yorker jour- 6 / nalist Susan Orlean is definite- ly just as deserv- ing as the rest. With all the com- petition this year and against many who have not yet won an Academy Award, it will be interesting to see if Streep can snag another Oscar. Presented By GALYANS CCHA Championship Weekend Thurs., March 20 Quarter-Finals Fri., March 21 *Semi-Fi vs. 4:00 pm vs. Seed #4 4:00p vs. 7:30 pm vs. Seed #3 7:30p "Teams will be reseeded after Thursday's games nals pm pm d Sat., March 22 Third Place Game Finals 4:00 pm Championship Game 7:30 pm Hello Davre teeU LONIORROU ONLY! Nonand 6Goopm 300 SOUTH STATE (Corner of State and liberty] A A A AA A A A A, A~ A A A A A A A A. A A A AA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A