`BEAUTY AND THE BEAST' FAVORITE IN OSCARS CONTEST

If opinions of area movie enthusiasts are an indication of how tonight's Academy Awards will turn out, Oscar history will be made.

That's because the majority of people who entered the Southeast Missourian Pick the Oscars Contest chose "Beauty and the Beast" as the winner in the best picture category.

If Academy voters agree, "Beauty" will become the first animated film ever to be named best picture.

But another movie critic says that although "Beauty" is an entertaining film, the Academy isn't quite ready to name an animated film as the best of the year.

"It's a great movie that certainly deserves the nomination," said Harvey Hecht, professor of English at Southeast Missouri State University who has taught film classes for 10 years.

But will "Beauty" win?

"I doubt it," Hecht said. "Most (Academy) voters wouldn't vote for an animated film."

Other best picture nominees have stronger chances of being voted as the year's best film, he said.

Oliver Stone's controversial film, "JFK," is one of them. The movie's director has been criticized for everything from bending the facts surrounding the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, to outright fabrication of the truth.

That's okay, Hecht said, as long as moviegoers realize they are not taking in a history lesson when they enter a movie theater.

"I'm not as bothered by the mixing of fact and fiction in movies as some people are," he said. "No artist ever is capable of portraying reality completely accurately.

"People shouldn't go to films expecting to get truth or history. A lot of us, when we see something like `JFK,' it becomes our version of fact. That's the real danger."

Of other best picture nominees, "Silence of the Lambs" is another strong contender for the prestigious award. The film, with its flesh-eating anti-hero, played by Anthony Hopkins, and young FBI agent struggling to bring a similar killer to justice, struck a nerve with viewers.

"Hopkins' character (Hannibal `The Cannibal' Lecter) is so vivid and terrifying," Hecht said, "he could have won the award even if he had never appeared on screen and all we had heard was his voice. It could make your skin crawl."

One of the problems with including an animated film in a category with traditional films is the difficulty in comparing them.

"Comparing `Beauty and the Beast' to any of the other films is almost like comparing apples and rutabagas," he said. "This one is a great apple and the other is a great rutabaga, but you can't match them straight up."

Pick the Oscars entrants also favored "Bugsy," the Warren Beatty flick centered around the life of the famous casino-king gangster.

The categories for best actor and best actress also had definite favorites, both stars of the horror film "Silence of the Lambs." Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster get the nod of local movie buffs.

Also in the best actor category, Nick Nolte ("The Prince of Tides") came in second, but Beatty was not far behind. Robin Williams ("The Fisher King") and Robert De Niro ("Cape Fear") got just four votes each.

Seventy-six people entered the contest. One person will win 20 movie passes to Wehrenberg Theatre in West Park Mall.

Though Foster was far and away the favorite for the best actress Oscar, Bette Midler, who starred in "For the Boys," was a distant second.

Hecht said people's fascination with Hollywood stars and the movies that make them famous is based on the allure of real-life glamour.

"There is still a sense of beauty and attraction to Hollywood," he said. "It's a little bit of hero worship mixed in with sexual fantasy. Even intelligent people are drawn to it."

Movies will always be one of the best escapes of everyday life. Call them two-hour vacations or invitations to suspend disbelief. Good movies will always have the power to capture the public's attention.

"Escapism is a main attraction of horror films, even something as involving as `Silence of the Lambs,'" Hecht said. "Most people like to be scared as long as it's in controlled circumstances, where they know it's only a movie."

Some movies require more thought than others.

"I try to insist upon my students that a good movie is an art form, much like a poem or piece of artwork," he said. "But all their life they've been taught to just sit back and enjoy. A good movie is one that engages the brain."

In the supporting actor category, Tommy Lee Jones' mysterious portrayal of Clay Shaw in "JFK" most impressed local movie fans, but Jack Palance, who played a trail boss in "City Slickers" was a close second. Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley, both of "Bugsy," joined Michael Lerner of "Barton Fink" in supporting actor oblivion, according to Pick the Oscars ballots.

Jessica Tandy of "Fried Green Tomatoes" ran away with the best supporting actress category, getting about 90 percent of the vote. Tandy won the Oscar for best actress in 1990 for "Driving Miss Daisy."

In other categories, Oliver Stone was picked as best director, and the song "Beauty and the Beast" narrowly edged out Bryan Adams' romantic ballad "I Do It For You" from the movie "Robin Hood" in the best original song category.

John Singleton's screenplay for "Boyz N the Hood" was the favorite for best original screenplay, but James Toback's "Bugsy" was a close second. Callie Khouri (a native of Paducah, Ky.), who wrote "Thelma & Louise," came in third.

In the adapted screenplay category, Ted Tally's "The Silence of the Lambs" deserved the Oscar, according to local movie fans. Oliver Stone and Zachary Skylar ("JFK") were second.