'Lord of the Rings' Rules Oscars
It was a predictable evening, but that's not always a bad thing. Oscar crowned Peter Jackson last night, giving him an honor even bigger than Best Picture or Best Director--a clean sweep of 11 categories, with not a single loss to mar the night for the film. Never has a film so dominated a ceremony--not even the bloated Titanic, which lost three times on the way to its 11 Oscars.
Meanwhile, many performers got their due. How can you argue with Sean Penn or Tim Robbins getting an Oscar--or for giving it to them for Mystic River, which would have had a mortal lock on the Best Picture award any other year. Renee Zellweger finally broke through, probably as much for her star turn in Chicago as for the otherwise-ignored Cold Mountain. After a Grammy snub, Annie Lennox at least got one trophy for her mantle. Billy Crystal, after a fairly average opening, was witty through the rest of the night.
A few disappointments: Bill Murray didn't win, though Sean Penn was deserving. Sofia Coppola failed to mention Scarlett Johannson in her acceptance speech, snubbing someone who already went from double Golden Globe nominee to Oscar presenter despite a transcendent performance in Lost in Translation. Seabiscuit didn't get the award for cinematography--whatever you thought of the movie, or its overlong third act, it was beautiful to watch and the racing scenes were remarkable feats of filmmaking.
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