Sunday, March 21st marks the 71st award ceremony from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences... the Oscars.
The Locus is proud to dedicate this issue to the nominees of 1998.
BEST PICTURE
ELIZABETH

Gramercy		 PRO:  Dramatic films about historical figures have often fared quite well at the Oscars... Patton, Gandhi, Amadeus, The Last Emperor, and Braveheart have all taken home Best Picture honors.

CON:  While many will agree that artisticly this film is spectacular, this seems to be the least engulfing of this year's nominees.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Miramax		 PRO:  Roberto Benigni forces us to see the world as we always wished we could see it.  Even in the face of oppression and fear, hope and joy will find ways of carving a niche out of despair.

CON:  Foreign films don't often succeed as well in the Oscars as they do in overseas awards.  No foreign language film has ever won Best Picture.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Dreamworks		 PRO:  I've not heard of a single person who wasn't affected by this film.  Good drama grabs a hold of you and draws you in.  This is a fabulous look at the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

CON:  Quite honestly, I can't think of one.  Admittedly, it was too powerful of a film for me to think of it objectively.
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Miramax		 PRO:  Amazing performances by all involved, and a romantic tale that is both eternally familiar and strikingly new.  This film garnered 13 Oscar nominations, more than any other this year.

CON:  Comedies, while a difficult art to master, are often passed over in favor of dramas.
THE THIN RED LINE

PRO:  An all star cast and powerful script have established this film as a work in its own right.  This introspective look at the nature of war, of hope, and of the human condition has earned its place among this year's nominees.

CON:  This film just can't seem to get out of the shadow of Saving Private Ryan.  Almost no one refers to this film with out mentioning the Dreamworks picture.
Click HERE for more of this year's nominees
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