Show Strong Candidates Fill Best Actor Slate Gene Seymour If for no other reason than fairness you wish you could scatter all the legitimate legitimate legitimate mate contenders for this years year's best actor Oscar into other competitively drier years and give them a clearer shot at glory But since that's not going to happen Academy Award voters are going to have to deal with what may well be the most prodigiously talented field of potential lead-actor lead nominees in recent memory Even such perennial mitigating factors as sentiment second chances strong timers first-timers and beloved old favorites seem leveled off by the sheer bulk of rate first-rate performances qualifying for this category As sportscasters say of wire-to-wire wire football games its it's a shame that somebody somebody somebody some some- body has to lose 3 OS L f C r y Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in Miramax Films' Films The Aviator A There hasn't been such an impressive field arguably since 1962 when Gregory Pecks Peck's portrayal portrayal portrayal por por- of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird was chosen over such worthy nominees as Peter in Lawrence of Arabia and Jack Lemmon in Days of Wine and Roses Among those not even nominated nominated nominated nomi nomi- that year were James Mason for Lolita Jason Robards Jr for Long Days Day's Journey Into Night Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey for The Manchurian Candidate Robert Preston forThe for forThe forThe The Music Man Kirk Douglas for Lonely Are the Brave You get the idea This year offers an even more daunting selection And yet even in this crowded field there is for the moment anyway a clear favorite leading the pack though hes he's got some pretty powerful guys staying close behind him I See for yourself Sure bets Jamie Foxx Ray CRay His consummate b n nl n t h It t 1 ki Ll 1 I. I s 1 d A nl rt lA 1 1 real to n g y e rendering of the legendary recently recently recently recent recent- ly departed Ray Charles makes him The One to Beat That he all but stole Collateral from Tom Cruise and may get a supporting actor nod in the process only enhances his chances So what if he doesn't actually sing He does everything else too brilliantly for it to matter Leonardo DiCaprio The Aviator A quirky star turn for sure But more to the point its it's a quirky y star turn that is a centerpiece centerpiece centerpiece center center- piece of a big popping eye-popping spectacle spectacle spectacle spec spec- that will get an especially big push toward nomination time The push will be big enough to propel DiCaprio to the lead-actor lead t I t Ji f iV iVi i J x h J E S E Johnny Depp as Peter Pan creator JM Barrie in Miramax l Films' Films Finding nomination many believe he was unfairly unfair unfair- ly denied for Titanic Paul Giamatti Sideways Both he and the movie are this years year's critics' critics dar dar- lings Yet the film has gradually edged its way into the hearts of mainstream moviegoers which will embolden the Academy to give this gifted character actor a profile high-profile nomination Liam Neeson Kinsey Hollywood has for some time been looking for the right occasion to reward Neeson for a career of honorable hard work His subtly charged portrayal of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey offers the per- per See Actor continued on page 10 Actor continued from page 6 feet opportunity and in any other year hed he'd be the front- front runner As things stand now hes he's got an outside shot Javier The Sea Inside Yes he plays a paraplegic paraplegic paraplegic para para- seeking death with dig dig- But hes he's so mesmerizing in the role that unlike other performances of physically challenged individuals you almost forget his characters character's maladies Is this a big enough distinction distinction distinction tion to put him in contention If it isn't the guy most likely to take his spot will be be Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda Much will depend on how much of an impact this movie about African genocide makes on the publics public's publics public's publics public's pub pub- lic's consciousness If enough people see it it they will also see how a great actor can carry a complex x distressing distressing distressing distress distress- ing movie solely on the strength of his characters character's intensity and conviction Dark horses Sean Penn The Assassination of Richard Nixon If he hadn't won last year hed he'd be Foxx's I I I. I p pi i t y yi i yb J b I 1 I. I C r I M Don Cheadle in United Artists Artists' Hotel Rwanda principal competition Johnny Depp Finding Once a frontrunner run front ner his worthy movie is losing its momentum as a presence in inthe inthe inthe the marketplace Clint Eastwood Million Dollar Baby Kevin Bacon The Woodsman Gael Garcia Bernal Bad Education The Motorcycle Diaries Jim Carrey Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Mark Ruffalo We Dont Don't Live Here Anymore Jeff Bridges The Door in the Floor Jim Caviezel The Passion of the Christ k |