Video Review |
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Video Review |
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Last Updated 03/06/01
Email: robitai@our-town.com
"Watch It from Home"
It's already started--that buzz about the Academy Awards. Over the next few weeks lots of energy will be
expended attempting to second guess the 6,000 members of the Academy who have separated
the sheep from the goats by casting a ballot. We
can conjecture all we want, but this is a completely closed club.
Membership in The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as
it's officially titled, requires an invitation from the Board of Governors. If you haven't
achieved distinction as an actor, filmmaker, or writer who's made an outstanding
contribution to the industry, don't check your mailbox for a ballot or an invitation to
the award's ceremony. Given that, your easy
chair and view of the big screen in the den will afford you the best seat in town when the
awards air on March 25.
Of the five movies nominated for Best Picture ("Chocolat" and
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" aren't released on video yet), three are
available on DVD or video. If you missed them on the big screen, you can catch "Erin
Brockovich," "Gladiator," and "Traffic" from the comfort of home. The big winner from the line-up has to be
"Gladiator."
"Gladiator" swept the Academy nominations with a total of twelve: Best
Picture: Like "Titanic" a few years ago, "Gladiator" is BIG. It
radiates bigness from its opening moments, and seeing it on the big screen reminds you of
its epic proportions. Although you'll still
experience the rush of action, violence and gore that's a trademark of this film, the
translation to the TV screen will diminish the effects somewhat, but it's still worth your
time.
Other than Best Picture, the categories that attract the most
attention honor the ones in the limelight. Actor in a Leading Role: Russell Crowe
plays Roman general Maximus with a measured greatness.
Looking and sounding a little like Richard Burton in "Cleopatra,"
Crowe uses his understated style to create a character whose grace and style balance his
physicality. Actor in a
Supporting Role: A first-timer to the nominations, Joaquin Phoenix portrays
Commodus, Caesar's inept son. He turns the
role to the pathetic, emphasizing his character's inability to follow in Caesar's
footsteps. Watching Joaquin is relatively easy on the eye, and it's a pleasure to see how
he turns mistrust and angst inward as he self-destructs.
Although I have no idea exactly what the people nominated in the
technical categories actually do, I'm in awe of things that contribute to the film's
ability to so completely transport us to ancient Rome.
The grit, dust, and dirt of the battle; the marching legions; the
blood-lusting crowds in the arena--all these bits and pieces contribute to the movie's
verisimilitude.
Credit, I assume, goes to the folks behind the camera who know
how to splice the film and tell Russell Crowe when to grimace and when to smile. They make
certain that we're willing to believe, at least for those few hours that we're in the
theatre, that the world they've created is real.
Technical awards go
for Art Direction; Cinematography; Film Editing, Sound, Visual Effects, and
Costume Design to a mixed group of first-timers as well as seasoned veterans who've
won before. For instance, Janty Yates, who
put a whole new spin on leather togas, is a first-time nominee for Costume Design, but
Pietro Scalia, nominated for Film Editing, won an Oscar in 1991 for "JFK" and
was nominated in 1997 for "Good Will Hunting."
Directing: It's Ridley Scott. Just imagine the same person
who directed Thelma and Louise telling a cast of thousands how to hold their swords. Music (Score): You've heard his work
before; Hans Zimmer's earned seven previous nominations and landed a win with "The
Lion King." Writing (Original
Screenplay): Give credits to David Franzoni who wrote the original version of the
story. The screenplay was adapted by Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson with only
Logan being a first-time nominee.
Will "Gladiator" sweep the awards? The envelope please
. . . .
All movies mentioned available in DVD and Video, excepting
Ocean's Eleven (1960), which is available only on video.