Totally Oscar

How would you cast your ballot if you were a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? We asked the SN&R’s two reigning caliphs of celluloid who (and what) they thought should be nominated to win an Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, to be held on Sunday, March 24. Here’s what they came up with.

BEST PICTURE

A Beautiful Mind A fascinating look at genius tumbling into madness, seen from inside and out.

The Caveman’s Valentine Another exploration of madness, and a pretty good murder mystery to boot.

The Fellowship of the Ring A towering achievement: great adventure, epic drama, an enchanted world created in detail.

In the Bedroom Loss, anguish, outrage; every parent’s nightmare made as real as broken hearts.

Tortilla Soup Ang Lee’s Taiwanese Eat Drink Man Woman transplanted to Latino L.A.; an improvement on an already first-rate movie. —Jim Lane

Calle 54 Exhilarating “live performance” in which the contours and heroes of Latin Jazz are bathed in a purity of sound bordering on the sacred.

The Fellowship of the Ring J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy gets a reverent, rousing and visually stunning sendoff.

Memento Enthralling, challenging murder mystery in which each scene ends where the previous scene began.

The Others Ultra-spooky ghost story that begins with a scream and ends with a jarring, creepy twist.

Shrek Ogre and his donkey sidekick rescue a princess in the year’s wittiest and most humanistic animated adventure. —Mark Halverson

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Field, In the Bedroom Field gives the dimensions of real life to what could have been an over-the-top melodrama.

Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind Howard has never been more assured; does the Academy dare overlook him yet again?

Peter Jackson, The Fellowship of the Ring New Zealander Jackson goes from indie cult figure to grand master in one brilliant stroke.

Kasi Lemmons, The Caveman’s Valentine In only her second feature, Lemmons handles a similar subject almost as well as Howard.

Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down Scott makes a complex, chaotic military action clear and gripping. —J.L.

Fernando Trueba, Calle 54 Trueba captures the rapture of Latin Jazz musicians brilliantly stewing in their own creative juices.

Peter Jackson, The Fellowship of the Ring Jackson fashions Middle Earth dreamscapes and pitched battles into visionary marvels.

Christopher Nolan, Memento Nolan extracts a trance-like effect from a fractured crime story about intuition, fact versus memory, the ability to feel time.

Alejandro Amenabar, The Others Amenabar makes us really wonder if “the lord would never allow such an aberration as the living mixed up with the dead.”

Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down Scott nightmarishly recreates the white-knuckle anguish of an American military raid in Somalia. —M.H.

BEST ACTRESS

Thora Birch, Ghost World Birch’s alienated teen from American Beauty, but deeper, more textured.

Piper Perabo, Lost and Delirious A startling breakthrough performance from the once-bland star of Coyote Ugly.

Franka Potente, The Princess and the Warrior With luck and more roles like this, Potente could become Germany’s biggest star since Marlene Dietrich.

Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom A fearless take on a complex, sympathetic, yet not entirely admirable woman.

Uma Thurman, The Golden Bowl Thurman’s talent comes of age in this brittle, neurotic role. —J.L.

Naomi Watts, Mulholland Drive Watts pushes her performance as a perky wannabe actress to transcendent heights during a soap opera audition.

Nicole Kidman, The Others Kidman uses her creamy, pale complexion, cool exterior and underlying, hair-trigger emotions to provoke a gnawing sense of dread.

Tilda Swinton, The Deep End Swinton propels this blackmail melodrama with an impenetrable mask of stoic maternal resolve after hiding the corpse of her gay son’s lover.

Audrey Tautou, Amelie Tautou exudes charm galore as a waifish Audrey Hepburn-like matchmaker, dream weaver and sweet avenger.

Stockard Channing, The Business of Strangers Channing reeks of alternating currents of doubt and control in a cannibalistic corporate milieu. —M.H.

BEST ACTOR

Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind A harrowing tour de force, intense and haunting.

Samuel L. Jackson, The Caveman’s Valentine Jackson’s best work ever; you’ll never forget his crazed, blazing eyes.

John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch By turns flamboyant and sad, the most unusual performance, male or female, all year.

Geoffrey Rush, The Tailor of Panama Rush somehow combines frantic hysteria with black comedy.

Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom One of England’s best actors vanishes completely in the tormented New England doctor. —J.L.

Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind Crowe resurrects his chameleon-like talent from The Insider to crawl under the skin of paranoid schizophrenic math genius John Forbes Nash Jr.

Geoffrey Rush, The Tailor of Panama Rush tantalizingly alert and conniving as a meek tailor with a prison record.

Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom Wilkinson slowly becomes the heart and soul of this modern American tragedy.

John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch Mitchell resurrects his off-Broadway role with an amazing swirl of clarity and flamboyance.

Samuel L. Jackson, The Caveman’s Valentine Jackson is both moving and unnerving as a paranoid schizophrenic homeless man tormented by “brain typhoons.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, The Man Who Cried As a Russian expatriate, Blanchett owns this film; Christina Ricci, the alleged lead, never has a chance.

Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind As the long-suffering wife, Connelly holds her own with Russell Crowe at his best.

Anjelica Huston, The Golden Bowl Huston is meticulous and subtle as a matron whose matchmaking goes wrong.

Elizabeth Peña, Tortilla Soup A knowing, tender portrait of a late-blooming “old maid” schoolteacher.

Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom Tomei is haunting as a good woman appalled by what she has brought upon others. —J.L.

Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom Tomei powerfully personifies the struggle to exit an abusive relationship.

Cameron Diaz, Vanilla Sky Diaz is sensual and dangerous beyond all expectations.

Cate Blanchett, The Shipping News Blanchett one-ups Cher as a promiscuous barfly.

Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind Connelly finds the emotional core of a relationship shredded by mental illness.

Alakina Mann, The Others Mann is sublimely sinister as a sibling who insists she sees dead people. —M.H.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Steve Buscemi, Ghost World Buscemi hits his stride playing a nice guy for a change.

Josh Hartnett, O Hartnett’s handsome impassivity is perfect for this devious teen Iago.

Nick Nolte, The Golden Bowl An astute, ambiguous portrayal of a cuckold who may know more than he lets on.

Brad Pitt, Snatch A note-perfect, hilariously mush-mouthed turn as an Irish gypsy boxer.

Tony Shalhoub, The Man Who Wasn’t There In barely 10 minutes as a dandified lawyer, Shalhoub all but steals the film. —J.L.

Tom Noonan, The Pledge Noonan steals scenes from Jack Nicholson as a minister with a creepy grin.

Scott Glenn, The Shipping News Glenn is larger than life but still credible in a melodrama adrift in forced eccentricity.

Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast Kingsley gives a rabid reading of gangland arrogance, vulgarity and brutality.

Steve Buscemi, Ghost World Buscemi is note-perfect as a middle-aged loser who “can’t relate to 99 percent of humanity.”

James Bentley, The Others Bentley turns panic into an art form as a boy who may be allergic to sunlight. —M.H.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Angel Eyes An underrated film, part romantic thriller, part psychological drama.

Happy Accidents Sci-fi conventions are used to examine the ups and downs of love.

Made Two urban losers sympathetically and amusingly drawn.

The Man Who Wasn’t There The Coen Brothers return to film noir, with not a hair out of place.

The Royal Tenenbaums A dysfunctional family shown with goofy wit, compassion and no small dollop of sweetness. —J.L.

Memento Seductive, tidal regression and progression of story and character.

Our Song The dialogue of three teen Brooklyn girls feels like it had been transcribed from life rather than imagined.

The Man Who Wasn’t There Seamless story of greed and betrayal teeming with amoral characters.

The Others Slithers gamely into psychological horror.

The Royal Tenenbaums Severely dysfunctional family bumps up against one’s heart as often it does one’s funnybone. —M.H.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Beautiful Mind Heavily fictionalized, perhaps, but clever, engrossing and utterly convincing.

The Caveman’s Valentine Psychodrama and murder mystery, with flashes of sardonic humor.

The Fellowship of the Ring Remember when the smart money said Tolkien could never be filmed? No more.

In the Bedroom A short story fleshed out, filled in, deepened.

Tortilla Soup The original was just fine, but this remake made it swifter, simpler, sharper. —J.L.

The Fellowship of the Ring A muscular epic adapted from an iconic novel.

Shrek A hilarious, heartfelt fairy tale adapted from the children’s book.

Lantana A slowly writhing, compelling character study adapted from a play.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch A hysteric, sometimes hilarious character study that rocks, adapted from a play.

In the Bedroom A sweeping tale of heartbreak and revenge adapted from a short story. —M.H.