Date: Fri 05-Feb-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

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Playing-Oscars

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NOW PLAYING: Who Might, And Who Should, Make The Cut Tuesday

By Trey Paul Alexander III

The winner of the Oscar for Best Picture for 1998 is... Godzilla !!

In some parallel universe where hype matters most, the oversized, radioactive

lizard would be getting fitted for his Armani tux right about now. Thankfully,

we don't live in that universe.

Godzilla may have been among the most popular films of 1998, but when the

Academy Award nominations are announced on February 9, it is unlikely it will

see much notice aside from technical categories. But what will be nominated?

Well, Saving Private Ryan is sure to be high on the list, and Shakespeare in

Love will be well recognized. Other than that, I wouldn't presume to predict

what else to expect (Will Bill Murray be nominated for Rushmore ? How about

Cameron Diaz for There's Something About Mary ?), but just as we have done in

the past, we'll have some fun this week with some of my favorites from the

previous year. Remember my rule: no nominating something you haven't seen, no

matter how glowing the rules. Thus, I won't discuss Life is Beautiful ,

Elizabeth or Gods and Monsters . If nominations come calling, however, we'll

come back to them before Oscar night.

Year after year, one of the most common complaints about the Academy Award

nominations is the inconsistency between Best Picture and Best Director

groupings. Many argue they should always match up, but inevitably there is a

slight variance (i.e., last year, As Good As It Gets was tagged for a Best

Picture nomination, but director James L. Brooks was passed over for Atom

Egoyan and his work on The Sweet Hereafter ). You'll notice a similar

inconsistency in my picks.

The five movies I most esteemed from last year were Saving Private Ryan (it's

hard to say it was an enjoyable picture, but it was one of the most

affecting), Shakespeare in Love (a truly clever, witty and romantic film), The

Truman Show (more subtle than any Jim Carrey film you could imagine), The

Spanish Prisoner (if you haven't seen this movie, and chances are you haven't

even heard of it, then go rent it, immediately!), and The Mask of Zorro (hey,

I must have at least one popcorn-munching, old-fashioned crowd pleaser in the

bunch).

However, as you sort through the five individuals I would choose to round out

the Best Director category, you'll notice some changes from the group above.

My nominations for Best Director would include John Madden (no, not the former

Raiders football coach turned TV analyst, but the director of Shakespeare in

Love ), Terrence Malick ( The Thin Red Line ), Steven Soderbergh ( Out of

Sight ), Steven Spielberg ( Saving Private Ryan ) and Peter Weir ( The Truman

Show ). Why the discrepancy, you ask? Well, suffice to say it's too complex to

get into here. (In other words, it's more fun to be contrary and have

something about which to argue.)

Moving on to my favorite performance from 1998. I'd love to say that my

favorite actor, Harrison Ford, doing his best Bogie impersonation in Six Days,

Seven Nights made the cut, but I'd have to give a curtain call instead to the

likes of Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush and Gwyneth Paltrow, all from Shakespeare

in Love . Also high on my list are Tom Hanks and Jeremy Davies ( Saving

Private Ryan ), and Nick Nolte ( The Thin Red Line ) for their work in two of

the World War II movies released last year. Jim Carrey scored big in The

Truman Show , along with Ed Harris, and Joan Allen was a standout in the

similarly themed, yet muddled Pleasantville . The best newcomer of the year

was youngster Lindsay Lohan, who sparkled as she followed in the footsteps of

Hayley Mills in the remake of The Parent Trap .

We will return to this topic the weekend before the Academy Awards, so take

note next Tuesday when the Oscar nominations are announced and we'll be back

in a few weeks to discuss who made the cut and whom, of the five chosen,

should take home the cherished trophy.