Welcome to MovieFreak’s first-ever roundtable critics’ discussion on the Academy Awards. For those reading; and maybe for even some of those getting this e-mail; the idea behind this roundtable is to enter into the type of in-depth critical discussion that review writing doesn’t usually lend itself towards. On the surface, this back-and-forth by-play between us all should start with the Oscars, and then quickly dissolve into an analysis of 2003’s year in film.

Only ground rule: keep it fun and don’t take anything personally. Film, like any art form, is a fluid medium. We are not all going to agree, and thank goodness for that. What good would a forum like this be if we did?

All right, I guess I should introduce our players. For those that don’t already know, I’m Sara Michelle, Seattle resident and the senior critic and columnist here at MovieFreak. Joining us is Dennis, the owner, webmaster and chief DVD reviewer for the site, and the Diva, another Seattle-area critic and one of the three gloriously talented and quick-witted women of www.3blackchicks.com (if you’ve never checked out their site – please do – it’s fantastic). Finally, also along for the ride are two other MovieFreak film critics, Chris and Greg.

Now I know all of you at this point have gotten a chance to look over this year’s Academy Award nominations. I have to say, for my part I’m not really all that disappointed. Each category, for the most part, I have to admit being pretty much happy with. What surprised me the most is the breadth of wonderful little films the Academy chose to recognize this year. In what was supposed to be the year of the epic-sized Hollywood event picture, a score of lesser-known independents stole a great deal of the thunder.

Case in point: “City of God.” This great Brazilian entry was submitted last year as its county’s foreign film, and despite a plethora of accolades, didn’t manage a nomination. Going into general release in the United States in January of last year, it became eligible for this year’s Oscars in every category except, of course, Foreign Language Film. This time around, it scored four nominations, including nods in both directing and screenwriting.

This just astounds me. Not only is this a tough, brutal picture about societal disintegration, it also opened in January and is in freaking foreign language!! These are not exactly things that translate into award nominations, especially not with the traditionally snobbish old-guard of the Academy. They’re not supposed to like movie like this one, preferring safe, generic (and almost slightly geriatric) movies like “Seabiscuit.”

So does this mean the Academy is changing? Last year saw two foreign films, “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Talk to Her,” score major nominations in categories other than Best Foreign Film. Is this just a short-termed jest on the part of the Academy to make us believe they actually want to recognize quality? Or are nominations like these and ones for, say, Keisha Castle-Hughes of “Whale Rider” (Best Actress) and “Lost in Translation” (Best Picture) going to become the norm from now on?

This is just one of the topics this year’s Oscar nominations could lead us into. Hopefully, it won’t be the only one. I know I, for one, am just dying to find out what you all really do think of “Lost in Translation.” This was a movie I liked, emphasis on the word “liked,” but for the life of me don’t understand all the hubbub about. I found it far too meandering and unfocused, and while it was indeed grounded by an wondrous central performance from Bill Murray I’m still not sure it warrants all the attention its garnered. In fact, in the realm of 2003’s independents, I’m not too sure it would even make my top ten, “American Splendor,” “Whale Rider” and “In America” just three that I cherished far more than Sofia Coppola”s sophomore feature.

But I’m leaving you all in the driver’s seat as to where we go from here. Remember, try to keep your responses to no more than once or twice a day, and really put some thought into where you want this forum to go. We’ll post everything that’s said for the next week. If everyone feels like going longer, so be it. All the same, a week should be more than enough.

Can’t wait to see where this all leads. (Introduction by Sara Michelle Fetters.)