Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Biggest Snub:
Kathy Bates – Titanic
My Overall Thoughts:
This is a year where four of the 5 nominees were quite deserving of their nominations and all 4 of them were good enough to be deserving winners.
My Rankings:
Supporting Actress
5. Minnie Driver
4. Joan Cusack
3. Kim Basinger
2. Julianne Moore
1. Gloria Stuart
Movies
5. In & Out – Has some great moments, but overall is underwhelming. Great cast but even they can’t help raise the level of entertainment here. Message about tolerance is clear, but Seinfeld still did it better. Love how the plot comes from a factual event but with different reactions.
4. Boogie Nights – Movie doesn’t have much of a standard plot and makes the viewer constantly wonder what the point is besides showing the dark world that these people are sucked into with little to no chance of getting out.
3. Good Will Hunting – Slightly over-rated movie. It’s good, just not great. Damon and Williams are both excellent here.
2. L.A. Confidential – Great vehicle for Crowe and Pierce while Spacey, Cromwell and Basinger showed they still have what it takes. Excellent score that helps accentuate the mood and atmosphere of the time. Feels noir-ish but yet modern and the mix makes it even better to watch unfold. The twists and turns along the way are great because they rely on such a clever script that ties it all together by the end. Definitely one of the best movies of the year.
1. Titanic – Amazing film because it gets so much right. The characters all have ample time to be developed and this helps make the love that sparks between the characters feel quite realistic. DiCaprio and Winslet are both perfect in the lead roles and manage to show the diverse nature of their characters yet also show how it could conceivably be possible for them to fall in love with one another over the course of three very intense days. Cameron does an amazing job creating both the atmosphere and the look of everything on this voyage and this film is a wonder from a technical level in addition to the personal and emotional level. Very deserving of it’s 11 Oscar wins (out of 13) and is easily among the best films ever made because it works on so many levels. One of my all-time favorite films!
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – I guess so! KB is fine here, but both GS and JM do better jobs with their performances.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
MovieRob 
Basinger somehow got on a roll here – in a very good film – where she was solid, but IMO, not outstanding. For me – both Driver and Moore were better in their respective movies – and I would’ve given the nod to Moore.
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I think Moore was the standout in this category in what I regard as the year’s best movie. I agree with Rob and Michael; Basinger was good but not spectacular. Perhaps she was helped by voters wanting to give L.A. Confidential a major win in the year of the Titanic sweep, her victory also acknowledging the excellence of the entire but otherwise unnominated cast. Spacey, Crowe, Pearce, et al probably cancelled out each other in the nominating process, just too many outstanding performances to focus on one.
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