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Home , Brenda Blethyn, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kathy Bates

THE RETRIEVER WEEKLY FEATURES March 16, 1999 PAGE23 '99 Oscar Preview: Will It Be Spielberg or Shakespeare? from OSCARS, page 21 tired of seeing her with statuettes - and how could they be?- Gwyneth will winneth. a little crazy, as it is doing for me. So let's take a look at the nominees in the big six cat­ BEST SUPPORTING egories. Nominees: 0 James Coburn, Affliction 0 , A Civil Action 0 Ed Harris, BEST PICTURE The Truman Show 0 Geoffery Rush, Nominees: 0 Elizabeth 0 Life Is Beauti­ 0 , ful 0 Saving Private Ryan 0 Shakespeare in A Simple Plan Love 0 The Thin Red Line Predictions: Definitely the weakest col­ Predictions: If you had asked me about a lection of nominees, largely due to the ab­ month ago, I would have assured you that sence of Rushmore's Bill Murray and, say it Saving Private Ryan will definitely be tak­ with me, Saving Private Ryan's Jeremy ing home the night's top honor. But hype has Davies. Coburn is a respected acting vet picked up for Shakespeare in Love lately - who's never been nominated before, so he's so much that the two fllms are rumored to be probably got the edge. (Remember­ in a high-stakes ad war. Adding fuel to the Titanic's recently lost despite fire is that Shakespeare has the most nomi­ being in the same situation.) His only real nations of any film this year (13) and that it competition is from Duvall; voters might recently picked up the Screen Guild want to give him a consolation prize since he award for Best Ensemble Cast- SAG's didn't win last year's Oscar for his fiery evan­ equivalent of Best Picture, and SAG mem­ gelical turn in The Apostle. But never under­ bers are mostly Academy members. Flip a estimate the power of Thornton (Sling Blade), coin. It'll probably be Ryan, but there's now especially when playing a hick. reason to suspect otherwise. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS BEST ACTOR Nominees: 0 , Primary Col­ Nominees: 0 Roberto Benigni, Life Is ors 0 , Little Voice 0 Judi Beautiful 0 Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan Deneb, Shakespeare . in Love 0 Rachel 0 Ian McKellan, Gods and Monsters 0 Nick Griffiths, Hilary and Jackie 0 Lynn Nolte, Affliction 0 Edward Norton, Ameri­ Redgrave, Gods and Monsters can History X Predictions: This is probably Oscar's Predictions: Norton's the dark horse, a toughest category. The statuette could go to surprise nominee for his spooky, raw tum as any of them, but the real race is most likely a reformed neo-Nazi, so he's easy to cross between Bates, Deneb and Redgrave. That off . As for the others- it's a four­ acting trio has amassed a fairly even ratio of way race. Hanks already has two awards, but critic's group awards, so it is hard to deter­ he's still liked and liked well, especially in mine which one will emerge victorious. (But his Ryan role. Nolte? Maybe. McKellan has who knows? Griffiths could sneak: in for her a better shot than either man, but then again, gathering-steam work as Hilary's subtler he did lose the Screen Actor's Guild honor half.) If you were to hold a gun to my head to the infamously giddy Benigni, who might and make me pick, I'd have to say Dench. win just because his acceptance speech will But it's only a guess. be a guaranteed gutbuster. Urn, eeny-meenie­ miney ... McKellan! BEST DIRECTOR Nominees: 0 Roberto Benigni, Life Is BEST ACTRESS Beautiful 0 John Madden, Shakespeare in Nominees: 0 , Elizabeth 0 Love 0 Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line , Central Station 0 0 , Saving Private Ryan 0 , Shakespeare in Love 0 Peter Weir, The Truman Show , One True Thing 0 Emily Predictions: Spielberg, no contest. Even Watson, Hilary and Jackie if there is a major upset and Shakespeare in Predictions: It's a race between Blanchett Love sweeps through most of Ryan's prob­ and Paltrow, both of whom demonstrated able wins, it's not likely to pick up this one. blazing Elizabethan girl power in their re­ Why? Well, not to knock Madden's excel­ spective period-piece turns. (If they cancel lent work, but Spielberg is among each other out, it'll go to Watson.) Aussie · Hollywood's most respected directors and Blanchett was the early front-runner, but many will want to see him claim this for yet Paltrow has picked up almost every honor another instant WWII classic. Plus, those imaginable for her stunning turn as bookend battle scenes are surely 1998's most Shakespeare's lady love. If the Academy isn't powerful bits of filmmaking.

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best director STEVEN SPIELBERG So fast on the heels of his uncontended Schindler's Listtriumph, he has crafted another monumental tale about humanity and self-sacrifice among the horrors of war. Thanks to Spielberg, more than the opening seen packs a huge wallop.

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