Oscar bitch by MATTHEW HAYS As usual, the Oscar nominations always lead to plenty of bitching. Why, for example, are sucky, putzy films like The Green Mile and The Cider House Rules up for best picture while The Talented Mr. Ripley and Being John Malkovich somehow missed the mark? It's a puzzle, but let's just say that when looking back at best-picture winners over the decades, it seems the Academy is virtually always wrong. So why bitch about it? Because it's there, that's why. So, on with my self-indulgent rant: okay, so just about everyone was a wee bit taken aback by Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut. But even if you didn't get it or like it, I strongly believe Nicole Kidman should have been at the very least nominated for her turn in the film. And really, should Janet McTeer have been nominated for that wafer-thin movie Tumbleweeds? That smudgy carbon copy of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is getting way more attention than it deserves, which is in turn getting on my nerves. It is certainly rare to see a horror movie, like The Sixth Sense, up for best picture. Usually, those snooty Academy types dismiss horror genre entries along with comedies, deeming them not serious enough. Jim Carrey must be majorly pissed about the fact that this is the second year he's won a Golden Globe for a performance (last year's Truman Show, this year's Man on the Moon) that hasn't even garnered him an Oscar nomination. That, after taking a whopping 50 per cent pay cut for his work on Moon, earning a mere $10 million. Cry us a river, Golden Globe boy! No doubt you poor readers have some Oscar rants you're having to bottle up inside of you, and that sort of thing isn't very healthy. Have no fear: the Mirror's annual Alternative Academy Awards race will be launched within weeks, allowing you to vote for your own contenders. Stay tuned. Congratulations are in order for Montreal filmmakers, who dominate the best short animated category. Four out of five in this section are from Montreal-based filmmakers or production houses. Thank the NFB for helping turn our burg into an animation mecca. The only dilemma: who do we root for on Oscar night? Next Thursday, Feb. 24, Montreal Women in Film presents another in its smashing cocktail series, this evening featuring Rosanne Cohen and Lyne Lapointe, who will discuss their knowledge in TV and feature-film production. The event takes place at Restaurant L'Orchidée du Chine. Members $10, non-members $12. Info: 274-2025. Finally, congratulations go out to Montreal production house Cineflix, which has made good with its endearing TV series, Dogs With Jobs. The series, as the title might imply, focuses on various canines and their wacky vocations. Apparently tails are wagging over the show, as it has been renewed for another season. Catch the next episode of Dogs this Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on the Life Network. COMMENTS: matt_hays@babylon.montreal.qc.ca