2003 OSCAR PREDICTIONS and IF THEY LET US VOTE: Visual Awards
	MAKEUP Lord of the Rings Master & Commander Pirates of the Caribbean PREDICTIONS & IF THEY LET US VOTE Lord of the Rings VISUAL EFFECTS Lord of the Rings Master & Commander Pirates of the Caribbean PREDICTIONS F&SN and HB&TW: Lord of the Rings IF THEY LET US VOTE F&SN: Lord of the Rings HB&TW: Pirates of the Caribbean (because LOTR won the last two years!) COSTUMES Girl with a Pearl Earring Last Samurai, The Lord of the Rings Master & Commander Seabiscuit PREDICTIONS F&SN and HB&TW: Lord of the Rings 2nd Pick:  The Last Samurai IF THEY LET US VOTE The nominees for Costume Design are all so good that it’s almost impossible to pick a favorite.  “Seabiscuit,” “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” and “Master & Commander” all made it their business to make their period costumes appear comfortable and lived in, and at the same time matching the overall color palette.  “Seabiscuit’s” bright, warm, and multicolored autumnal ambience was matched in its costumes, as was “Master & Commander’s” seaworthy blues, blacks, and grimy greys and “Girl with a Pearl Earring’s” imitation of the painter Vermeer’s shadow tones. “Lord of the Rings” had to start from the ground up with a fictional universe…yet that was two years ago, and costumes are perhaps more integral to “The Last Samurai” than any other film this year.  No other costumes made me shiver the way the horns and armor of the samurai did when they rode out of the mist, and no costume change was as important as Tom Cruise’s transformation from the disillusioned Westerner to the cold samurai. F&SN and HB&TW: The Last Samurai
				Prestige Awards                  Acting Visuals              Music & Sound
					March 1st:  Winners added in yellow
			ART DIRECTION Girl with a Pearl Earring Last Samurai Lord of the Rings Master & Commander Seabiscuit PREDICTIONS F&SN and HB&TW: Lord of the Rings F&SN 2nd Pick: Master & Commander HB&TW 2nd Pick: Girl with a  Pearl Earring IF THEY LET US VOTE F&SN and HB&TW: Lord of the Rings F&SN 2nd Pick:  Master & Commander HB&TW 2nd Pick: The Last Samurai CINEMATOGRAPHY City of God Cold Mountain Girl with a Pearl Earring Master & Commander Seabiscuit PREDICTIONS F&SN and HB&TW: Cold Mountain F&SN 2nd Pick: City of God HB&TW 2nd Pick: Master & Commander IF THEY LET US VOTE Like Costume Design, Cinematography is another category in which playing favorites is nearly impossible.  “City of God” deserves the win for making washed-out tones look like memories, but the others deserve to be mentioned.  “Seabiscuit” was so colorful, “Girl” was so cold and painterly, “Master & Commander” soaked us with its limited color scheme, and “Cold Mountain” succeeded in capturing the good old-fashioned great outdoors. F&SN and HB&TW: City of God