For most, March Madness revolves around the NCAA basketball tournament, but for the movie biz, it pertains to the Academy Awards. Tinseltown is buzzing about the Oscars and this year I thought we’d get a head start. Next week we’ll look at the major nominees and discuss who deserves to win (I make no predictions, just subjective picks – I’m a terrible seer!), but this column will focus on nominations that got away. 1999 featured a number of innovative, quirky, and off-beat films to go with Hollywood’s stock-in-trade, the mega-blockbusters, and it’s worth taking a peek at some noteworthy efforts that didn’t make Oscar’s final roster cut.

Best Supporting Actress: Janet McTeer nabbed a Best Actress notice for Tumbleweeds, but her young co-star, Kimberly J. Brown, was left in the proverbial dust. This young actress imbues her role (as the daughter of an impulsive mom) with a depth uncommon for her age, and an avoidance of teary sentimentality that’s even more rare. Screen veteran Jessica Lange continues to surprise, this time showing no fear of Shakespeare in Julie Taymor’s aggressive screen adaptation, Titus. As the Goth Queen Tamora, Lange captures both heart-rending pain and cold-hearted, malicious satisfaction. Lastly, consider Carrie-Anne Moss from The Matrix. True, a great deal of her role has to do with looking good in black vinyl, but consider the work she put in to be an unflinching action equal to the guys. If we applaud De Niro for putting on pounds or recognize Russell Crowe for modifying his physical appearance, why not give credit to Moss for so convincingly inhabiting the physicality of her role?

Best Supporting Actor: This is a difficult, competitive category. On the positive side, there were many praise-worthy performances, but the diversity here may have taken away from the creation of more substantial female roles (more on that a little further below). Christopher Plummer (The Insider) and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich) both scored in roles in which they played true-life characters: Plummer as a canny, cranky Mike Wallace and Malkovich as a kooky, unashamedly twisted version of himself. Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) made an impression as the very un-real Agent Smith, the stilted-speaking villain who taunts “Mr Anderson.” Also worthy of recognition is the energetic turn of Jamie Foxx as the brash, cocky quarterback of Any Given Sunday. Previously known only for TV comedy, Foxx ably held his own both in scenes with Al Pacino and Lawrence Taylor!

Best Actress: This was a hard category to fill on the Oscar ballot (did Meryl Streep really need another nod?) and even more difficult to expand upon here. It has little to do with the talent of the actresses but much to do with the worth of the roles given them last year. Julia Roberts could have made a bid for a nod with her work in Notting Hill, although most critics are gushing that she may win Oscar’s attention this year for Erin Brokovich, which opens this week. A case could also be made for Rene Russo, who had an audacious star turn in The Thomas Crown Affair.

Best Actor: Just as Lange hit high marks with her work in Titus, Anthony Hopkins could have easily nabbed a nomination for his portrayal of the title role in this brutal tale. Al Pacino doubled his fun last fall with two choice roles in late-year offerings: one as embattled 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman in The Insider, and the other as the fiery, yet worn-down coach in Oliver Stone’s bombastically entertaining Any Given Sunday. Lastly, while many saw him as Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, Terence Stamp scored in a vastly different, mostly unseen performance, in The Limey, as a father out for justice.

Best Picture: Last year was a good year for movies because a number of films, despite their arguable flaws, appeared to cleave to their director’s singular vision instead of feeling as though they’d been churned out by the Hollywood production machine. Magnolia is a perfect example. Typically, viewers either love this film or despise it. But either way, there’s no denying director Paul Thomas Anderson is adhering to his own artistic instincts and not a studio’s. Toy Story 2, on the other hand, proved that just because you’re a crowd-pleasing sequel doesn’t mean you have to lack for wit, style or ingenuity. Finally, The Matrix accomplished the increasingly atypical feat of enticing both our visual senses — with its mind-blowing effects and action scenes — and our mental faculties — featuring a densely-plotted tale that rewards multiple viewings and discussions.