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Life & Arts

Some films ignored in drama-dominated pack

Film Commentary

James Davis

There's little room for comedy in the lineup for the 78th Annual Academy Awards, airing at 7 p.m. March 5 on ABC. Each of the five films up for Best Picture deals in drama, be it the small-scale, intimate romance of Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain or the larger, political perspective of Steven Spielberg's Munich. This is pretty much par for the course as far as Oscar voting goes -- Chicago is the only musical or comedy to receive the Academy's top honor in 15 years -- but a little lightness usually finds its way into the category. This year, however, not even the widely acclaimed Walk the Line or Pride and Prejudice will contend for the blue ribbon.

Perhaps the most overlooked film at this year's Oscars is another comedy, The Squid and the Whale. Lauded by critics since it debuted this fall, the film only managed to pick up a nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category. 

Jeff Daniels' performance as a fading intellectual failed to make the cut for Best Actor, and Laura Linney, a regular receiver of acting nods for the past few years, was denied recognition for her portrayal of Daniels' ex-wife. A smart, original picture, it could have held its own among the Best Picture contenders, but now it will be lucky to win in its only category, competing against the screenplays for Crash and Good Night, and Good Luck.

Though Memoirs of a Geisha earned its share of recognition in the technical categories -- costume, cinematography and sound -- its star, Ziyi Zhang, is not among the contenders for Best Actress. In fact, white actors and actresses make up the vast majority of the acting nominations this year, with the sole exception of Terrence Howard's bid for Best Actor in Hustle & Flow. Matt Dillon was the only actor to receive a nomination from Crash's impressive ensemble, while Don Cheadle, who was nominated last year for Hotel Rwanda, will have to hope for a statue as co-producer for Crash, which is up for Best Picture.

Dillon's category may provide for the most competitive race of the night, in fact. Also up for Best Supporting Actor is Jake Gyllenhaal, whose performance in Brokeback Mountain was overlooked in the Golden Globe nominations. 

Though the Academy recognized the young actor's talent, his win will have to come at the expense of George Clooney, another first-time Academy Award nominee. With nominations in three categories -- supporting actor, director and original screenplay -- Clooney may come out the big winner in March.

The biggest triumph in the Best Supporting Actor race, however, comes in the nomination of Paul Giamatti for Cinderella Man. For the past two ceremonies, the Academy has failed to recognize Giamatti's remarkable acting, once in 2003 for American Splendor and once in 2004 for Sideways, and this year's nomination is a good step toward making up for the past years' oversight.

This year's list proves, however, that not all oversights are negative. Since Moulin Rouge made a run for Best Picture in 2001, the movie musical has made a less-than-stellar comeback to the film industry. The trend came to a head with Chicago and went downhill with The Phantom of the Opera. Fortunately, the Academy is doing its part to put an end to this lackluster genre. Neither Rent nor The Producers received recognition in any of the 24 categories, as well they shouldn't have.

With the most recognition of any nominated film, Brokeback Mountain probably has Best Picture in the bag. The rest of the top prizes are open to guesswork and should provide enough surprise to make this year's ceremony a must-see.

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