Academy Awards

by Geofrey Hildrew

	T his year's hyped Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on March 25, presented few surprises to those who had a played sharp attention to awards odds. Rewarding a year that produced an abundance of quality motion pictures, awards went to many new faces as well as a few old ones, most of which have changed their role in cinema.

	For example, Tim Robins, and Mel Gibson, both well known actors, decided to become directors for films which succeeded in the theaters. The Best Supporting Actress category, completely comprised of first time nominees, was headed by Mira Sorvino, who claimed the Oscar for her performance in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite. Receiving the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Kevin Spacey was well rewarded for his brilliant performance in one of last year's best films, The Usual Suspects. America also tended to favor the dark and depressing genres this year, as was seen when the Best Actress and Best Actor nominations went to Susan Sarandon, for her part in Dead Man Walking, and Nicholas Cage, in Leaving Las Vegas. Surprisingly, another quality work that was similar, Terry Gilliam's apocalyptic tale Twelve Monkeys, was neglected, though it did relatively well in the theaters. Amidst the Academy's man nominees, recently proclaimed and promoted directory Mel Gibson claimed the most awards for his Scottish epic, Braveheart. In summary, some excellent films received the recognition that they rightfully deserved, in my opinion. If I look to the future at next year's Academy Awards, I can surely say that Disney's apparent monopoly over animated movies would cause them to get awards in that category. Otherwise, I think that the coming year's best works are yet to be seen.
	The Academy Awards Web Site