Here they are.  Pick the winners:

Best Picture: 
As Good As It Gets
The Full Monty
Good Will Hunting
L.A. Confidential
Titanic

Best Actor: 
Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting
Robert Duvall, The Apostle
Peter Fonda, Ulee's Gold
Dustin Hoffman, Wag the Dog
Jack Nicholson, As Good As It Gets

Best Actress: 
Helena Bonham Carter, The Wings of the Dove
Julie Christie, Afterglow
Judi Dench, Mrs. Brown
Helen Hunt, As Good As It Gets
Kate Winslet, Titanic

Best Supporting Actor: 
Robert Forster, Jackie Brown
Anthony Hopkins, Amistad
Greg Kinnear, As Good As It Gets
Burt Reynolds, Boogie Nights
Robin Williams, Good Will Hunting

Best Supporting Actress: 
Kim Basinger, L.A. Confidential
Joan Cusack, In & Out
Minnie Driver, Good Will Hunting
Juliane Moore, Boogie Nights
Gloria Stuart, Titanic 

Best Director: 
Peter Cattaneo, The Full Monty
James Cameron, Titanic
Atom Egoyan, The Sweet Hereafter
Curtis Hanson, L.A. Confidential
Gus Van Sant, Good Will Hunting

Best Original Screenplay: 
As Good As It Gets
Boogie Nights
The Full Monty
Good Will Hunting
Deconstructing Harry

Best Adapted Screenplay: 
Donnie Brasco
The Sweet Hereafter
L.A. Confidential
Wag the Dog 
The Wings of the Dove

30 responses total.

My goodness, I actually have opinions on this~ I'm torn between Judy Dench
in Mrs. Brown and Helena Bonham Carter in Wings of the Dove, but I think I'l
go with Dench, simply because I *believed* that she was Victoria while the
movie lasted. I'd prpbably vote for The Full Monty for best original
screenplay, and The Wings of the Dove for best adapted screenplay. 
(Twila is startled because she usually doesn't see ANY of the movies nominated
for Oscars!)

I could make guesses at all of them except Best Actor.  I don't
know how anyone can choose from that list.

Jeez, I've only seen one of the movies listed.

i find myself surprised to have actually seen more than one of them...  <grin>

 Best Picture:                       Best Supporting Actress:
 Titanic                             Gloria Stuart, Titanic

 Best Actor:                         Best Director:
 Robert Duvall, The Apostle          James Cameron, Titanic

 Best Actress:                       Best Original Screenplay:
 Kate Winslet, Titanic               The Full Monty

 Best Supporting Actor:              Best Adapted Screenplay:
 Anthony Hopkins, Amistad            L.A. Confidential

  note that that's not based on personal preference but instead on
  my perception of what kinds of things the people voting on the awards
  prefer (their preferences rarely coincide with my own..)

I predict that "Titanic" and Cameron will win for best picture
and director, respectively. More later...

  wow, really going out on a limb there, John..  :-)
  I'd lay odds on it..

Cameron has had his reward and the Academy might pass him over 
in favor of someone more deserving.  Titanic is a great example 
of "popular" movie-making, which in the past hasn't been the sort 
of thing that's won Oscars.

Possible, but I'm still inclined to think Cameron will get best
director. If he doesn't, I don't who will. Egoyan, Hanson, and
Van Sant are all possible dark horses.

I was disappointed that "The Ice Storm" was entirely passed over
in the nominations, and that "Jackie Brown" didn't get more. I'm
rooting for Robert Forster for best supporting actor.

In view of its success in the nominations, "L.A. Confidential" --
which did mediocre business at the box office -- is going to be
re-released. I definitely plan to catch it, having missed it the
first time around.

The shocker in the nominations, for me, was "As Good as it Gets".
It was fun enough until the Nicholson character started to get
all vulnerable and nice but the Best Picture nomination is over
the top.  "Amistad" was far more deserving of the nomination.

Aside: Anyone want to wager a bet as to how long it will take
before The Motion Picture Academy stops using the term
"actress" in the nominations?

I'll bet it will be a while.

  Actually, I think they're planning on going to "actrix" next year.. 

  re #11:  Jack Nicholson seems to have some sort of unnatural hypnotic
  power over the minds of the MPAA..

Titanic should win several awards, not only because it was splendid, but
because it is good for movies.  Too often the Academy leans toward less
popular, more obscure movies and gives the cold shoulder to those with
universal appeal.  Titanic is long enough (probably the biggest key to its
success is its length, irnoically enouhg) that it has something for everyone
and still has enough left over that the Academy can still like it.  If a movie
with that kind of exposure wins Oscars, the public will take notice.

   yet another year in which i've seen none of the movies involved.

I think titanic should get best picture, best actress, and best director.

But I haven't seen any of the rest.

Didn't "As Good As It Gets" wwin a bunch of awards at the Golden Globe
ceremony?

Was Titanic's score also titanic, worthy of an Oscar?

Agora item 95 <-> Cinema item 18

re 18 - I don't think so.  It wasn't much more than the tune that what's her
name did that's a huge hit now.. instrumentalized throughout the movie.

Im torn over who Id pick for best actor....Robert DuVall was just
amazing in The Apostle, but Peter Fonda was also really great in
"Ulee's Gold" (am I the only one here who's even seen that)  Plus
I'd really like to see Fonda win as sort of a career reward.

  Hmmm..  Strongly disagree -- I didn't like "Ulee's Gold", didn't
  think Peter Fonda's performance was all that remarkable, and don't
  think Peter Fonda comes even close to meriting a "career reward."

I saw "Ulee's Gold" and liked it pretty well. Although Fonda was quite
good, I doubt he deserves the best actor award. (Haven't seen The
Apostle yet.)

I too enjoyed "Ulee's Gold" and thought it was Peter Fonda's
best effort to date.  

i thought he was quite fuzzy in "the trip."

I was a little suprised that Contact got next to no nominations. I thought
it was a great movie.

I was somewhat disappointed by it.  Jodie Foster for best actress, but the
rest of the movie dragged.

I'm rooting for Robin Williams to win the Best Supporting Actor
nod for "Good Will Hunting."  It was a great performance.   The
screenplay was good, too.  Great flick.  See it.

Today is my 1st day in bbs... Titanic has to be the best picture. I have seen
it . and it is terrific. very good.Kate has no competiion for best actress....

     re #6
     But you didn't predict that Cameron would be a
     terrible director.

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