At the annual Oscar gala this year, it might just be the scrappy rebels, the independent films, that run away with the statues, overcoming the wealthy empire of favorites — the big-budget studio flicks.
In the 73rd Academy Awards, a ceremony hosted by Steve Martin, capping the year widely panned as having been a sub-par season for Hollywood, “indies” and art-house films — films made outside the gigantic studio system — look to have a greater chance than ever to pull in Oscars in major categories.
The greatest foe the indies will face is the 12-legged warrior, “Gladiator.” The 12 nominations are the most for a film this year, and having already nabbed several Golden Globes earlier this month, the Roman epic has a roaring tide of fanfare and critical success bolstering its campaign. With nominations in seemingly every major category, including the first for the grizzled and talented Russell Crowe (Best Actor), a Best Director nod to Ridley Scott, a Best Supporting Actor slot for Joaquin Phoenix, and the buzz-worthy “favorite” position in the Best Picture category, “Gladiator” could just be unbeatable.
But the underdog lower-budget films are going to put up a fight. One of their best shots at a statue comes via Ed Harris, a blockbuster veteran, with his role in the hugely acclaimed biopic “Pollock,” a film Harris also directed, chronicling the tragic and turbulent times of the American painter Jackson Pollock. Harris grabbed a nomination for Best Actor, his third, and co-star Marcia Gay Harden got an invite for Best Supporting Actress.
The Best Actor contest is the most independent-bent category this year, with spots for Spanish star Javier Bardem, nominated for his role as the late Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas in the art-house “Before Night Falls,” for past winner Geoffrey Rush, nominated for his portrayal of the licentious Marquis de Sade in the indie “Quills,” and for Harris. But they join Crowe, the favorite in almost every critic’s book, facing the juggernaut of the Academy Awards, and Tom Hanks, a two-time winner, nominated for the blockbuster “Cast Away.” Hanks has past success (three nominations back-to-back) on his side, but the past will do nothing to help him against Crowe, roaring along with the “Gladiator” tide, who took home this year’s Golden Globe.
The hottest story in these awards is Steven Soderbergh. Having smashed on to the cine-scene with his independent classic “sex, lies and videotape” in 1989, he is today the hottest man in Hollywood, having pulled off a remarkable feat for the 2001 Oscars. Two Soderbergh films, “Erin Brokovich” starring Julia Roberts, and an ambitious commentary on the war on drugs, “Traffic,” both pulled in Best Picture and Best Director nominations. This is only the third time, and the first time since 1938, that a director received two Best Director nominations in the same year.
With the incredible leap from commercial obscurity in the early ’90s to the top of everyone’s Best Directors lists, Soderbergh looks to have the best seat, or two seats, in the Shrine auditorium. And his statistical odds aren’t bad either.
Along with “Gladiator,” Soderbergh’s films square off with the Mandarin “Matrix,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and the sweetly romantic “Chocolat” for Best Picture. In the Best Director category, Soderbergh will see, along with Scott, “Crouching Tiger’s” Ang Lee and “Billy Elliot’s” Steven Daldry.
Two Soderbergh-directed actors also seem to be holding great hands in their respective categories. Benicio del Toro, nominated for Best Supporting Actor, in Entertainment Weekly was compared to the all-time-great method actors, from DeNiro to Brando, for his performance in “Traffic.” Del Toro has been catching raves from critics and fans alike, a buzz possibly propelling him head and shoulders above even veteran actors Jeff Bridges (“The Contender”), Willem Dafoe (“Shadow of the Vampire”), the wildly talented Phoenix and “Erin Brokovich’s” Albert Finney.
But Roberts, with her third nomination, looks to be the one runaway pick to grab Oscar. Even with the bone-chilling performance by Ellen Burstyn in “Requiem for a Dream,” the heartfelt role by Laura Linney (“You Can Count on Me”), and Joan Allen’s job in “The Contender,” the category of Best Actress looks to be sealed up, with Roberts, this year’s Golden Globe winner in the category, an overwhelming favorite. Juliette Binoche, a fan favorite, might contend with her role in the feel-good “Chocolat,” but, along with everyone else, looks to be a long shot.
Binoche’s co-star, nominee for Best Supporting actress Judi Dench (a winner in ’99), will have steep competition from past winner Frances McDormand, nominated for her role as a conservative mother in “Almost Famous,” along with Gay Harden (“Pollock”) and Julie Walters (“Billy Elliot”). But all eyes will be on McDormand’s co-star, Golden Globe winner and Hollywood legacy Kate Hudson, nominated for her scene-stealing performance in “Almost Famous.”