Jack Nicholson has always been one of my favorite actors. Evidentially that feeling is shared with others. The 50-member Los Angeles Film Critics Association has just named Nicholson best actor for his role in director Alexander Payne’s “About Schmidt.”
Word is out and about that this film will send Nicholson to the Oscar line with a nomination from the Academy of Arts and Motion Pictures. Nicholson is no stranger to the little guy with three Oscar’s under his belt for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Terms of Endearment” and “As Good as It Gets”. In this new film Nicholson plays a newly retired and suddenly widowed Midwestern insurance actuary who hits the road in a Winnebago, apparently to stop his daughter from marrying a no good loser. The film also was named best picture and won best screenplay.
Sharing the acting honors with Nicholson was Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York”. The Nicholson-Day-Lewis tie was the only one in the L.A. selections. The other categories all featured runner-up winners. “Far From Heaven,” a ‘50s melodrama, was named best picture runner-up, and its star, Julianne Moore, was named best actress. Isabelle Huppert took the runner-up spot for “The Piano Teacher,” a drama about an anguished middle-aged classical piano instructor. Spanish director Pedro Almodovar was dubbed as top director for “Talk to Her.” Todd Haynes was runner-up for “Far From Heaven.”
Chris Cooper, as a toothless orchid thief in “Adaptation,” was named best supporting actor; Christopher Walken was the runner-up for “Catch Me If You Can.” Edie Falco (who recently guest starred on the season finale of the ‘Sopranos’) won for supporting actress (“Sunshine State”), with the runner-up Kathy Bates (“About Schmidt”).
While getting a tap on the back from the Los Angeles critics does not guarantee an Oscar nomination, it certainly puts the actor or film in that direction. Next Thursday another deciding factor will come into play, the Golden Globe nominations will be announced.

… read the rest of the story by Subscribing now.

... read the rest of the story by Subscribing now.