Just like last year, when Miramax's Shakespeare in Love upset DreamWorks' Saving Private Ryan , Cider is the likeliest choice to upset Beauty . It deals with the abortion issue with great care. It's the kind of movie the academy loves. They watched the tapes of all these tough movies out there, like Boys Don't Cry , and saw Cider as a breath of fresh air. American Beauty is fairly cold.
Cider is warm.
Miramax may have been the largest spender in the academy race. And the amount of dollars often predicts results. But Press is ready to fight back as the DreamWorks marketing team prepares for the inevitable post-nomination advertising push. But she isn't pleased about it. It's distasteful to me to turn the Academy Awards into a marketing derby.