OSCAR PREDICTIONS 1999: OTHER CATEGORIES
 The sign of a true Oscar fanatic – though perhaps also a sign of benevolent insanity – is that the announcements of the technical categories carries as much excitement as the more glamorous acting, writing, directing, and picture prizes. I wish the morning news programs could be swayed to cover the announcement of all the Oscar nominees, especially since it seems unfair to cheat the geniuses of lighting, non-fiction filmmaking, and the other untelevised divisions of the public admiration they deserve. But that's my soapbox issue!

I trust no one will fault me too much for keeping mum on the Live Action Short, Documentary Short, and Animated Short categories. Though I have seen lists of the finalists, I would be unable even at gunpoint to name a single fact about the films or their creators. Even the Documentary Feature and Foreign Film contenders are almost completely unknown to me (and to nearly every American outside the special Oscar committees), but I'm willing to take a stab at those lists based on the elevated reputations of a few participants and the consistent patterns that Oscar nominees in these divisions tend to follow: i.e., cute kids, indictments of social justice, and behind-the-scenes glimpses at the performing arts can go a long, long way.

Finally, please note that my predictions for the Documentary Feature, Foreign Film, Visual Effects, Sound Effects, and Makeup categories reflect the published rosters of finalists in each of those categories. And now, as they say, on with the show!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

**American Beauty, Conrad L. Hall**
**The Insider, Dante Spinotti**
**Sleepy Hollow, Emmanuel Lubezki**
**Snow Falling on Cedars, Robert Richardson**
The Talented Mr. Ripley, John Seale



Runners-Up
Eyes Wide Shut, Larry Smith
The Sixth Sense, Tak Fujimoto

Dark Horses
Anna and the King, Caleb Deschanel
Bringing Out the Dead, Robert Richardson
The Straight Story, Freddie Francis
Three Kings, Newton Thomas Sigel
 BEST ART DIRECTION

**Anna and the King, Luciana Arrighi**
Being John Malkovich, K.K. Barrett
**Sleepy Hollow, Rick Heinrichs**
**The Talented Mr. Ripley, Roy Walker**
Titus, Dante Ferretti


Runners-Up
**Topsy-Turvy, Eve Stewart**
The End of the Affair, J.Billington & T.Woollard

Dark Horses
Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Gavin Bocquet
The Matrix, Richard Sherman
American Beauty, Naomi Shohan
Angela's Ashes, Geoffrey Kirkland


BEST COSTUME DESIGN

**Anna and the King, Jenny Beaven**
**Sleepy Hollow, Colleen Atwood**
**The Talented Mr. Ripley, A.Roth & G.Jones**
**Titus, Milena Canonero**
**Topsy-Turvy, Lindy Hemming**


Runners-Up
Star Wars, Episode I: The
Phantom Menace, Trisha Biggar
American Beauty, Julie Weiss
The End of the Affair, Sandy Powell
An Ideal Husband, Caroline Harris

Dark Horses
Tea with Mussolini, Jenny Beaven, et al.
The Matrix, Kym Barrett
The Red Violin, Renée April
Sweet and Lowdown, Laura C. Bauer
 BEST FILM EDITING

**American Beauty, T.Anwar & C.Greenbury**
The Hurricane, Stephen E. Rivkin
**The Insider, W.Goldenberg & P.Rubell**
**The Sixth Sense, Andrew Monshein**
The Talented Mr. Ripley, Walter Murch


Runners-Up
The Green Mile, Richard Francis-Bruce
Three Kings, Robert K. Lambert
Being John Malkovich, Eric Zumbrunnen
Eyes Wide Shut, Nigel Galt

Dark Horses
Fight Club, Jim Haygood
**The Matrix, Zach Staenberg**
The Limey, Sarah Flack
Bringing Out the Dead, Thelma Schoonmaker


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

**American Beauty, Thomas Newman**
The Green Mile, Thomas Newman
The Insider, L.Gerrard & P.Bourke
The Sixth Sense, James Newton Howard
**The Talented Mr. Ripley, Gabriel Yared**


Runners-Up
Anna and the King, George Fenton
Sleepy Hollow, Danny Elfman

Dark Horses
The Straight Story, Angelo Badalamenti
Eyes Wide Shut, Jocelyn Pook
The Legend of 1900, Ennio Morricone
**The Red Violin, John Corigliano**
 BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Mountain Town," South Park: Bigger, Longer...
**"Music of My Heart," Music of the Heart**
**"Save Me," Magnolia**
**"When She Loved Me," Toy Story 2**
**"You'll Be in My Heart," Tarzan**


Runners-Up
"How Can I Not Love You?," Anna and the King
"The Muse," The Muse

Dark Horses
"Wise Up," Magnolia
"Beautiful Stranger," Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me


BEST FOREIGN FILM

**All About My Mother (Spain)**
The Color of Heaven (Iran)
The Cup (Bhutan)
Orfeu (Brazil)
Three Seasons (Vietnam)


Runners-Up
Mifune (Denmark)
**East-West (France)**

Dark Horses
Aimée & Jaguar (Germany)
Rosetta (Belgium)
 BEST DOC. FEATURE

Amargosa
Beyond the Mat
**Buena Vista Social Club**
Smoke & Mirrors: A History of Denial
The Source


Runners-Up
**Speaking in Strings**
Mr. Death: The Rise...Fred A. Leuchter

Dark Horses
**On the Ropes**
Pop & Me


BEST SOUND

**The Green Mile**
**The Matrix**
**Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace**
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The World Is Not Enough


Runners-Up
The Sixth Sense
Three Kings

Dark Horses
American Beauty
**The Mummy**
BEST MAKEUP

**Bicentennial Man**
**Life**
**Topsy-Turvy**


Runners-Up
**Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me**
Blast from the Past
 BEST SND. EFFECTS

The Green Mile
**Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace**
Three Kings

Runners-Up
Any Given Sunday
**The Matrix**
BEST VIS. EFFECTS

**The Matrix**
**Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace**
**Stuart Little**

Runners-Up
The Mummy
Sleepy Hollow
TOTAL CORRECT PREDICTIONS: 64 / 95 (67%)
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