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Critics already honored most of Oscar's choices
2001-02-14
NEW YORK - So just how important are those critics' awards when it comes to the Oscars? A look at the film honors presented by various critics' associations at the end of the year -- which along with the Golden Globes are often said to be Oscar prognosticators -- indicates the critics are either mind-readers or very influential with Oscar voters. "Traffic," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Julia Roberts, Steven Soderbergh, Laura Linney, Tom Hanks -- virtually all the same names and films that captured the critics' honors went on to win Oscar nominations Tuesday. Analysts agree that an early award from a group like the New York Film Critics Circle or the Los Angeles Film Critics Association can call attention to a small, independent film such as "Crouching Tiger" or "You Can Count on Me" that might otherwise have fallen through the cracks. "Crouching Tiger," the L.A. critics' top film, earned an unprecedented 10 nominations for a foreign language film, while Linney, recognized by the New York critics, received her first Oscar nod as best actress for "You Can Count on Me." Similarly, Geoffrey Rush was nominated for his performance as the Marquis de Sade in "Quills," which the National Board of Review named best film, while the group's best actor choice, Javier Bardem, was Oscar nominated for "Before Night Falls." The formula is not foolproof of course, particularly with the high-profile Golden Globes. Jim Carrey has twice been nominated for and won the best actor Golden Globe, only to be overlooked by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars. This year two of the Globe winners, Renee Zellweger for "Nurse Betty" and George Clooney in "O Brother, Where Art Thou," failed to score nominations, a fate suffered in the past by Madonna and Nicole Kidman as well. "The awards don't do much for something like a big studio film like "Cast Away" or "Gladiator," the latter leading the Oscar nominations with 12, said one New York-based critic. "What they can do is give a boost and a shot of attention to the little films that tend to get ignored." One thing everyone in Hollywood, New York and probably the world seemed to agree on this year: Julia Roberts, who won a slew of critics' awards, is now considered the front-runner for the best actress Oscar for "Erin Brockovich." Even one of her competitors, Juliette Binoche, who was nominated for "Chocolat," said she knew Roberts was going to win, and furthermore that Roberts deserved the coveted Oscar. By Chris Michaud Reuters/Variety
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