Lasse Halstrom   Spike Jonze   Michael Mann   Sam Mendes   M. Night Shyamalan

Best director

The nominees: Lasse Hallstrom, "The Cider House Rules"; Spike Jonze, "Being John Malkovich"; Michael Mann, "The Insider"; Sam Mendes, "American Beauty"; M. Night Shyamalan, "The Sixth Sense."

This is where it gets incredibly messy, if not downright stupid. Forget Mann and Jonze immediately. "The Insider" is too solemn to woo younger voters, and Jonze's nomination is little more than a nice gesture. Hallstrom and Mendes are currently considered to be the front-runners, even though no one had much to say about "The Cider House Rules" until Miramax launched its by-now customary "vote for us" blitzkrieg.

Mendes will almost definitely win, for a smart, funny movie that's not half as smart and funny as everyone wants to think it is.

However, the most inexplicable development is that people are scoffing at Shyamalan's virtuoso handling of material that didn't bode well for critical acceptance or huge box office. And "The Sixth Sense" ended up with both. Some folks are never happy.

My vote: Shyamalan eats the rest of the pack alive, although, to a large degree, the wrong pack was nominated.

Where are they? The Academy's nomination voting rounds left Kimberly Peirce and David O. Russell without the nominations many thought they'd earned. Both "Boys Don't Cry" and "Three Kings" are intense, visually assured, and boast great performances. Peirce made the bravest film of the year, and Russell made the most audacious. So they get to sit at home and eat potato chips on Oscar night. Had they received their due, I would have hesitated, then voted for Peirce. Along with Steven Soderbergh (whose eccentric revenge film, "The Limey," was also completely ignored) these filmmakers are forging a welcome return to a more personal, heartfelt form of commercial American filmmaking. » Next category