Date: Fri 20-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: JUDYC

Quick Words:

Playing-Oscar-Amistad-Titanic

Full Text:

(Oscar Predictions for "Now Playing")

Now Playing--

Who Will Take Home Oscar Monday Night?

By Trey Paul Alexander III

Although the Oscar for Best Picture won't be given out until the final moments

of the awards ceremony on March 23, this year's Academy Awards presentation

will answer one nagging question right away: What will host extraordinaire

Billy Crystal, back for his sixth term, do to open the show? On Monday night

all will be answered during the 70th Annual Academy Awards. Every critic has

something to say about Hollywood's most prestigious evening, and yours truly

is no different. I love to throw my two cents into the pot, but faithful

readers know I never "guess-timate" who will emerge triumphant. Rather, sit

back and prepare to debate as I theorize on who should win and who was

overlooked .

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Forster ( Jackie Brown ), Anthony Hopkins (

Amistad ), Greg Kinnear ( As Good as It Gets ), Burt Reynolds ( Boogie Nights

), and Robin Williams ( Good Will Hunting ).

Should Win: Reynolds would probably give the most unpredictable acceptance

speech, but then again, his competition is the hyper-quick improv of Williams.

It's a tough choice (as are many this year), but my pick goes to Williams,

with the surprising Forster an underdog runner-up. Overlooked: I find it hard

to believe there was no room for the scene-stealing Rupert Everett (of My Best

Friend's Wedding ).

Best Supporting Actress: Kim Basinger ( L.A. Confidential ), Joan Cusack ( In

& Out ), Minnie Driver ( Good Will Hunting ), Julianne Moore ( Boogie Nights )

and Gloria Stuart ( Titanic ). Should Win: Though a Stuart win would make for

a heartwarming story, my nod goes to the resurgent Basinger. Overlooked: Anne

Heche, standing tall with the big boys, Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro in

Wag the Dog .

Best Actress: Helena Bonham Carter ( The Wings of the Dove ), Julie Christie (

Afterglow ), Judi Dench ( Mrs Brown ), Helen Hunt ( As Good as It Gets ), and

Kate Winslet ( Titanic ). Should Win: A difficult decision, but I'll side with

Judi Dench, known to younger viewers as "M" of Pierce Brosnan's 007 films.

Overlooked: Jodie Foster, not one to coast, was especially impassioned in

Contact.

Best Actor: Matt Damon ( Good Will Hunting ), Robert Duvall ( The Apostle ),

Peter Fonda ( Ulee's Gold ), Dustin Hoffman ( Wag the Dog ), Jack Nicholson (

As Good as It Gets ). Should Win: Anyone got a coin to flip? There are no

stragglers in this group, nor are there any front-runners, but my vote goes to

the memorable Duvall, who divested himself so completely of any false shtick.

Overlooked: With all due respect to Leo's legion of fans, my tie for 1997's

most dubiously forgotten performance are: Al Pacino, who did his best work in

years in Donnie Brasco ; and Djimon Hounsou, a searing, unaffected portrayal

in Amistad that depended on a depth of emotional range, not on affecting,

cloying words.

Best Director: Peter Cattaneo ( The Full Monty ), Gus Van Sant ( Good Will

Hunting ), Curtis Hanson ( L.A. Confidential ), Atom Egoyan ( The Sweet

Hereafter ) and James Cameron ( Titanic ). Should Win: As much as I'd like to

side with Hanson for his sublime film noir, it's difficult not to go with

Cameron, who never relented on his expansive (or is that "expensive"?) vision

for Titanic and was rewarded with a bank-breaking, record-breaking hit.

Overlooked: It's hard to dub someone with Steven Spielberg's clout as

"overlooked" but his underrated Amistad was definitely granted short shrift.

Best Picture: As Good as It Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, L.A.

Confidential and Titanic . Should Win: The engrossingly complex L.A.

Confidential , narrowly ahead of Titanic and Good Will Hunting , which are all

a notch above their competitors. Overlooked: I've already tooted the horn for

Amistad and Donnie Brasco above, so my honorable mention here goes to The Game

, a superbly crafted thriller by director David Fincher.