Film Quips Online | Movie Reviews by John R. McEwen

OSCAR NOMINEES

This page contains reviews of 2001 movies nominated for Academy Awards.

Note: this is not a complete list of nominated films, only the ones reviewed by me.

--Click on title to see movie review--

***** So good I wept | **** That's Entertainment | *** Has its merits | ** Better than a root canal | * So bad I wept
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A. I. ****½ (PG-13/2:25/6-29-01) Scientist teaches android to love; director teaches audience to shiver.
Nominated for: Original Score (John Williams), Visual Effects.

ALI **** (R/2:38/12-25-01) Tribute film floats like butterfly, occasionally stings like bee, but is not The Greatest.
Nominated for: Best Actor (Will Smith), Best Supporting Actor (Jon Voight).

AMELIE ****½ (R/2:02/11-2-01) Personne n'exprime la passion comme une fille française. Et son directeur.
Nominated for: Original Screenplay (Guillaume Laurant, Jean-Pierre Jeunet), Cinematography, Art Direction-Set Decoration, Sound, Foreign Language Film.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND **** (PG/2:14/12-21-01) Ex-Gladiator gets in the ring with paranoid schizophrenia.
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Directing (Ron Howard), Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman), Original Score (James Horner), Film Editing, Makeup.
Won: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Directing (Ron Howard), Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman).

BLACK HAWK DOWN ****½ (R/2:24/12-28-01) Soldiers try to apprehend Aidid, Scott tries to apprehend Oscar.
Nominated for: Directing (Ridley Scott), Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound.
Won: Film Editing, Sound.

BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY **** (R/1:37/4-13-01) Jones journal joins juicy joyrides, job juggling, jaded jealousy.
Nominated for: Best Actress (Renée Zellweger).

GOSFORD PARK ****½ (R/2:17/12-26-01) Altman Yanks good performances out of a Caste of Brits.
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Helen Mirren), Best Supporting Actress (Maggie Smith), Directing (Robert Altman), Original Screenplay (Julian Fellowes), Art Direction, Costume Design.
Won: Original Screenplay (Julian Fellowes).

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE **** (PG/2:32/11-16-01) Sheesh! Even the title's too long!
Nominated for: Original Score (John Williams), Art Direction, Costume Design.

I AM SAM **** (PG-13/2:12/12-28-01) Sean Penn's mental deficiencies overcome those of script.
Nominated for: Best Actor (Sean Penn).

IN THE BEDROOM ****½ (R/2:10/12-25-01) Spacek and Wilkinson let us see into their most private places.
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Best Actress (Sissy Spacek), Best Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei), Adapted Screenplay (Todd Field, Robert Festinger).

IRIS ***** (R/1:30/12-14-01) Dench, Winslet play role of vibrant but vulnerable flower.
Nominated for: Best Actress (Judi Dench), Best Supporting Actor (Jim Broadbent), Best Supporting Actress (Kate Winslet).
Won: Best Supporting Actor (Jim Broadbent).

JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS ***½ (G/1:17/12-21-01) Computer geniuses launch vehicle that barely flies.
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature.

KATE & LEOPOLD *** (PG-13/2:01/12-25-02) Time travel pic allows Hugh Jackman to appear in You've Got Mail.
Nominated for: Original Song ("Until," written by Sting).

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING ***** (PG-13/2:58/12-19-01) A masterpiece.
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Ian McKellen), Directing (Peter Jackson), Adapted Screenplay (Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson), Original Score (Howard Shore), Original Song ("May It Be," written by Enya, Nicky Ryan, and Roma Ryan), Cinematography, Film Editing, Makeup, Costume Design, Art Direction, Sound, Visual Effects.
Won: Original Score (Howard Shore), Cinematography, Makeup, Visual Effects.

THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE **** (R/1:56/11-2-01) Coen brothers are soooooo there.
Nominated for: Cinematography.

MEMENTO **** (R/1:53/3-16-01) Climax first and talk later? Definitely a guy flick.
Nominated for: Original Screenplay (Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan), Film Editing.

MONSTER'S BALL ****½ (R/1:51/2-8-02) Thornton goes black, never goes back.
Nominated for: Best Actress (Halle Berry), Original Screenplay (Milo Addica, Will Rokos).
Won: Best Actress (Halle Berry).

MONSTERS, INC. ****½ (G/1:46/11-2-01) Beastie buddies battle bad boogeyman for baby Boo.
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature, Original Score (Randy Newman), Original Song ("If I Didn't Have You," written by Randy Newman), Sound Effects Editing.
Won: Original Song ("If I Didn't Have You," written by Randy Newman).

MOULIN ROUGE ***** (PG-13/2:06/6-1-01) Wouldn't the Gay '90s have been great with Elton John around?
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actress (Nicole Kidman), Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup, Sound.
Won: Art Direction, Costume Design.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE ***** (R/2:26/10-19-01) How does David Lynch afford all that lysergic?
Nominated for: Directing (David Lynch).

PEARL HARBOR ***½ (PG-13/3:04/5-25-01) Bruckheimer takes an incredible story and sinks it like the Arizona.
Nominated for: Original Song ("There You'll Be," written by Diane Warren), Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects.
Won: Sound Effects Editing.

SHREK **** (PG/1:27/5-18-01) Cameron Diaz calls up Mike Myers, invites him to come on ogre.
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature, Adapted Screenplay (Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman).
Won: Best Animated Feature.

TRAINING DAY ***½ (R/2:00/10-5-01) Washington teaches Hawke how to LAPDance.
Nominated for: Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Supporting Actor (Ethan Hawke).
Won: Best Actor (Denzel Washington).

VANILLA SKY **** (R/2:25/12-14-01) Cruise takes Cruz into madness.
Nominated for: Original Song ("Vanilla Sky," written by Paul McCartney).

(All reviews copyright John R. McEwen and The Republican)