Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- What if they held an Academy Awards presentation show and nobody cared? It could happen in March at the 74th annual Oscar festivities at the brand-new Kodak Theater in Hollywood, specially built for the Academy Awards. The year 2001 has produced the most lackluster bunch of movies in recent history. Advertisement The excitement level for new films, excepting "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," has been zero. No other movie this year stirred the populace except teens and kids; stuff such as "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc.," "Rush Hour 2," "American Pie 2," "The Mummy Returns" and "Jurassic Park 3." Super action films like "Titanic" were in short supply not to mention pulse-pounding drama like "The Silence of the Lambs" or "The English Patient." Absent, too, were endearing comedies like "Forrest Gump," and historical grandeur like "Braveheart." Advertisement With a month to go before the nominations deadline at year's end, Hollywood 2001 can be written off as the year of the blahs. The box office was pretty good thanks to industry-wide pandering to the lowest common denominator: adolescent boys and their wide-eyed dates. True star power has been at a low ebb, contributing to a less-than-exciting movie year. Aside from Julia Roberts, few actresses can open a film bigtime. That's why America's Sweetheart is paid $20 million a picture. There also is a paucity of male stars whose names on marquees guarantee a major hit. It was less than thrilling this week when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its front-running favorites for its Golden Globe Awards in January, the first major award program of the new year. In a promotion by Tinseltown's trade paper The Hollywood Reporter, a "Golden Globes Preview" opened with "i am sam," trumpeting the as-yet- unreleased picture as a possibility for more than a dozen Globes. It suggests "i am sam" for best picture, best actor and actress (sean penn and michelle pfeiffer) and best director (jessie nelson). The lowercase typography is a gimmick to attract the attention of readers who might think the printers goofed or the ad copy was written by first-graders. Great movies worthy of awards do not need gimmicks to draw the public to the box office. All it takes is a truly outstanding movie. Advertisement But tell that to the "i am sam" gaggle of producers: jessie nelson, richard solomon, edward zwick and marshall herskovitz, who up to now have taken themselves Quite Seriously. Also high on the foreign press list is "Vanilla Sky." Few people have seen it yet. But it is recommended for consideration as best picture, best actor and actress -- Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz -- with Cruise also listed, along with Paula Wagner and Cameron Crowe, as producer. "Vanilla Sky" uses traditional capitalization for its cast and crew credits like real grown-up people. Like "i am sam," "Vanilla Sky" is not yet in release, which demonstrates what the foreign press thinks of 2001's previous releases. Perhaps December releases will save the year. It would appear the best of 2001 has yet to be seen in theaters and that the Golden Globe ads could be part of a master publicity campaigns. To demonstrate what a mediocre year it is for worthwhile motion pictures, consider some of the other unreleased possibilities: "The Royal Tenenbaums," starring Gene Hackman and Angelica Huston. "Ali," a biopic of the former heavyweight champ. "Black Hawk Down." Advertisement "Ghost World," starring Thora Birch, a movie advertised as "a buoyant, funny and disarmingly humane comedy of beautiful losers in revolt." Also listed as Golden Globe possibilities are "Shrek" for God's sake and "Monsters, Inc." Not for best "animated movie" but best picture. C'mon! A little closer to the possibility of nomination is the suggestion of "Moulin Rouge," if for no other reason than Nicole Kidman's singular performance, which might indeed win the former Mrs. Tom Cruise a Golden Globe. Far-fetched is "Legally Blonde," a cute little comedy starring Reese Witherspoon. Columbia Pictures is backing Drew Barrymore for a Golden Globe for her singular performance in "Riding in Cars with Boys," which would put the blond actress in a class with her distinguished ancestors. However commonplace the 2001 movies may be so far this year, one picture at this juncture shines as an outstanding entertainment and a work of art worthy of awards. It is "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." This unique tale of childhood wonder, based on the books by J.K. Rowling, appeals to moviegoers of all ages just as her books know no age limits. Advertisement "Harry Potter" is a worthy, precedent-setting movie no matter how you look at it. And in years to come, when people see "Harry Potter" won a Golden Globe and, hopefully, an Oscar, they will nod their heads and agree.
