If There Had Been Ten: 1999

The Nominees:

1. American Beauty

2. The Green Mile

3. The Sixth Sense

4. The Insider

5. The Cider House Rules

The Next Five:

6. Being John Malkovich

7. The Matrix

8. Toy Story 2

9. Topsy-Turvy

10. The Talented Mr. Ripley

Possibilities

11. Magnolia

12. The Hurricane

13. Sleepy Hollow

14. Sweet and Lowdown

15. Analyze This

16. Fight Club

17. Election

18. The End of the Affair

19. Angela's Ashes

20. The Red Violin

21. Man on the Moon

Commentary: I would love to see something clever like Election, thrilling like Fight Club, or quirky like Magnolia make the final list, but alas, this isn't what I would want to be nominated (although that does give me an idea for a new series for the blog), but instead this is about what would have been nominated. The Matrix was nominated for four awards, and won every single one of them, and would have been the big blockbuster of the bunch. Being John Malkovich got a direction nod for Spike Jonze, and could have been a quirky, yet well liked nominee. The Academy does love Mike Leigh, and although he didn't get a directing nod this time, the movie managed four nods, and could have easily gotten in. Finally I went with the less than stellar The Talented Mr. Ripley because it managed five nods, and could have easily stolen a nod for picture. Finally, while there was no Animated Feature category at the time, Toy Story 2 got perfect reviews, and probably would have been the designated animated movie for 1999.