OSCAR, Best Actor

I'm with you on that one, Larry R. And in Adaptation, we had Double Overacting...

O-o-o-ohh!....You guys are vicious.

Sorry, Booman, I know you like the guy...

I'll grant you guys that Cage can go over the top, but when he works with a strong director who can restrain some of his bad habits, he can be very good. I think Jonze did a great job with him and it shows in the distinctions that he brings to the role of each brother. I thought Figgis brought out his best performance in Leaving Las Vegas but he was also terrific under the Coen brothers in Raising Arizona too.

I have to concede, some otherwise capable actors have trouble with that thin line between intense,and overacting. Charles Dutton is a worse perpetrator. When these guys have a director that can reign them in they are great. But if unchecked...ouch!

The fact that Nicholas Cage has already won the Best Actor Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas may exempt him this year from the actual prize. The same can be said for previous Best Actors Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot) and Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and As Good As it Gets).

Academy voters seem to go with a sentimental favorite. If Richard Gere is nominated for Chicago, he may well be the winner. At age 53, he's still young enough to have more films ahead of him. He's old enough, though, to have been a celluloid prince for many decades. He's not won an Oscar. This may be the best year for him to win.

Damn Tim,
...I didn't see your post until just now. We said pretty much the same thing. Let me extend a warm A2k welcome to you.
...WH,
I concur, this could be Gere's year. A good performance,a money making movie, and an impressive body of work, might overcome the one stickler, that it's a musical comedy.

Well WH,
...We were wrong about Gere. Right about Cage. Was the Queen Latifah nomination a surprise to you who saw "Chicago"? I hanen't heard a lot of buzz about her, compared to Gere, Zeta-Jones, and Zellweger.

Booman, Queen Latifah stole every scene she was in. I think it's great that she was nominated!

That sounds logical Macsm 11, Her range has yet to be tested, but she definately has prescence. How about Gere? Is there anyone on the list that you think is in his spot?
...BTW. I hadn't heard a lot of buzz about Walken, but I'm glad he's there. He's one of those people that can attract me to a movie, without seeing a review.

I haven't seen The Quiet American yet, but it's not getting great reviews. Caine has two Supporting Oscars already. He's the biggest surprise on the Best Actor list for me.

You already know how I feel about Nicolas Cage, so I'll leave that alone. Hmmm, maybe that was a leading question?

Here's an interesting piece of trivia I just stumbled across. In the history of the Oscars, two males have won 3 acting oscars. Nicholson is one. Who is the other? If someone gets it, please 'fess up, if you looked it up.

I think they should just go ahead and give the Oscar right now to Daniel Day-Lewis.

booman - I'd guess Spencer Tracy. You mean leading actor and supporting actor awards combined right?

Is it Tracy? I thought it was Walter Brennan.

Go to the head of the class, Tim. It was noted thespian Brennan. You da man.

You might be right Tim - I seem to remember Tracy's name coming up the year Hanks was going for his third straight (?) Oscar. I may have it wrong though.

Thanks booman. That's how I always kept Walter Brennan straight from Walter Huston (who won for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre).

Walter Huston, ...He's a relative of the director, right? And if so, which is the father of Angelica? this is not a quiz, I'm asking.