If I Had Been An Academy Voter - 2002 Part 2

Best Art Direction
Academy Winner/My Pick - Chicago
Commentary - The sets of Chicago were fantastic, between the showy stages to the dark prison interiors.

Best Cinematography
Academy Winner - Road to Perdition
My Pick - Gangs of New York
Commentary - Let's face it, Conrad L. Hall, won his third Oscar for Road to Perdition because he had passed away. I hate to say that, but it definitely was a factor. Instead, I would have given the award to Gangs of New York, which was not only completely shut out, but was beautifully shot.

Best Costume Design
Academy Winner/My Pick - Chicago
Commentary - Good choice for the Academy. Atwood did a great job of mixing razzle-dazzle stage clothes with prison garb, with 1920's period pieces.

Best Film Editing
Academy Winner - Chicago
My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Commentary - The one problem I had with Chicago was that it dragged a little towards the end. In contrast, the succint Two Towers was well put together, much shorter than its LOTR counterparts, and action packed from first frame to last.

Best Makeup
Academy Winner/My Pick - Frida
Commentary - Well, The Time Machine sucked ass, and the eyebrow alone was enough for Frida to get my vote.

Best Original Score
Academy Winner - Elliot Goldenthal "Frida"
My Pick - Elmer Bernstein "Far From Heaven"
Commentary - I preferred Berstein's score in Far From Heaven, as it captures the emotional impact of the film perfectly.

Best Original Song

Academy Winner/My Pick - "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile"
Commentary - I am surprised and thrilled that the Academy actually recognized the brilliance of this song, and they definitely made the right choice. Who would have thought that Eminem would be an Oscar winner?

Best Sound Mixing
Academy Winner/My Pick - Chicago
Commentary - The vibrant music that pumped into audience's ears was crisp, bright, and pitch perfect. The sound people of Chicago definitely deserved some recognition.

Best Sound Editing
Academy Winner/My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Commentary - A pleasure for the eyes and ears, like the rest of the series.

Best Visual Effects
Academy Winner/My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Commentary - See above.