On a morning when the 74th Oscar nominations announcements had to vie for air time with terrorism-related news, the films that had the most success with the academy could be summed up in a single word: reassuring. In fact, of the six films that received five nominations or more, all but one can be seen as different forms of cinematic comfort food.

While it has rarely been the academy's style to embrace probing, difficult material, the year's events seemed, if anything, to have increased its love of the familiar. As a result, four of the five best picture nominees, even those with ostentatiously glitzy exteriors such as Moulin Rouge, are conventional at their core. And with one exception (In the Bedroom), films that did not fit that mould suffered in the voting.

So the traditionally uplifting A Beautiful Mind was a big winner on Tuesday, scoring nominations in most of the major categories while the disquieting Black Hawk Down failed to get a best picture nod. Since September 11, Hollywood has been trying to gauge the national mood and if academy voters reflect current tastes, everyone wants movies that go down easily.

Of course, there is comfort food and there is comfort food, and it is heartening that the picture that received the most nominations (a near-record 13, including picture, direction, screenplay, cinematography and Ian McKellen for best supporting actor) was the masterful The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

It was encouraging that the academy not only had no trouble differentiating this film from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (which received only three nominations) but also recognised that Rings was no ordinary colossus but one made with intelligence and true emotion.

Coming in behind Rings with eight nominations, including picture, direction, screenplay and acting nods for Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly, was A Beautiful Mind.

Though loosely based on the true story of a schizophrenic maths genius, Mind has had more nips and tucks done to its underlying reality than a desperate trophy wife, all with the object of making a troublesome, complicated reality into an audience-pleasing, reassuring "one man overcomes adversity" movie.

Gosford Park, which finished fast to end up with seven nominations, had the foresight to combine two familiar and much-loved genres: the Agatha Christie country party whodunnit and the kind of upstairs/downstairs, smart servants/simple masters story that has been popular at least since P.G. Wodehouse created Bertie Wooster and Jeeves.

Only one non-feelgood movie prospered in this atmosphere and that was the decidedly sombre In the Bedroom (five nominations, including best picture). A key reason here was the strength of the acting: Bedroom had three performance nominations (for Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei), a figure matched only by the Iris trio Jim Broadbent, Judi Dench and Kate Winslet.

Doubtless also a powerful factor in In the Bedroom's success with the academy, as it was with that of the French-language Amelie (five nominations) and also Iris, was the power of Miramax's advertising and publicity campaign.

Though the company's trademark enthusiasm does not work in all cases (the benighted The Shipping News was shut out) it has given the studio a record 11 best picture nominations in a 10-year period.

And there is something heartening about a film as good as In the Bedroom getting the recognition it likely would not have received without this support.

If Bedroom survived the happiness blitz, other disturbing films were less successful. Black Hawk Down got four nominations, including best director for Ridley Scott, but its reality and its uncompromising intensity might have cost it a chance for best picture.

Similarly, critical favourite Mulholland Drive could manage only a best-directing nomination for David Lynch. Even the strength of Naomi Watts's acting couldn't get her nominated or compensate for the film's spooky and unapologetic nonlinearity. More to the academy's liking was Renee Zellweger's deft comic performance in the bubbly Bridget Jones's Diary.

As usual with the academy, the writers' branch came up with the most eclectic nominations.

This year, it almost seemed as if the writers saw a different group of films than anyone else. For example, the dark comedies Ghost World (about teen angst) and The Royal Tenenbaums (about family dysfunction) received no other nominations besides best original screenplay, while the thriller Memento (original screenplay) and the animated Shrek (adapted screenplay) each received only one other nomination.

Now it's on to the Academy Awards, which this year are likely to be anything but routine.

Already there are reports of unprecedented security for the March 24 event, taking place at Oscar's new home, the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Kiwis hail Rings director Jackson
BBC News

The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has been hailed as the man who put "New Zealand on top of the film world" by the media in his home country.

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first instalment of JRR Tolkien's epic trilogy, has emerged as leader in the race for this year's Academy Awards, with 13 Oscar nominations, including best picture.

The hit movie was made in New Zealand and has given the country its highest profile in the film world for years, with New Zealand-born Russell Crowe also nominated for an Oscar.

Jackson paid tribute to the huge crew of 2,500 people, many of them fellow Kiwis - as people from New Zealand are known - after the film earned the second highest tally of Oscar nominations in history.

"Those 13 nominations, because they are in every department ofproduction, pre-production, design, post-production have touched every one of those 2,500 people," he said.

"The awards are a by-product, they are not the reason you make a film. But I'm thrilled that so many Kiwis have been nominated."

He would not prepare an acceptance speech, he said, because "that will bring bad luck".

The headline in the Evening Post newspaper in Jackson's home town Wellington read: "Oscar smiles on Jackson."

The director, who was relatively unknown before making The Fellowship of the Ring, was nominated for best director and best adapted screenplay.

Another New Zealander, special effects wizard Richard Taylor, won three nominations for costumes, make-up and visual effects.

The film also picked up nods for music, editing, sound and cinematography among others while UK actor Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf, was named in the list for best supporting actor.

The nominations were "a standout achievement", according to New Zealand Film Commission chief executive Ruth Harley.

This year's short-list set a record for individual New Zealand nominations, and the local media also highlighted the country's other Oscars nods.

Shrek co-director Andrew Adamson, whose film is named in the best animated feature film list, was born in the country, while Russell Crowe is up for best actor for his role in A Beautiful Mind.

A Beautiful Mind is expected to be a strong challenger for the coveted best picture prize.

It garnered eight mentions on the shortlist, the same number as lavish musical Moulin Rouge.

The best picture category is completed by In The Bedroom and Gosford Park, which has seven nods.

It was also a good year for UK actors and actresses, with eight stars nominated.

They included Dame Judi Dench, who is on the best leading actress shortlist for her role as novelist Iris Murdoch in Iris, and Tom Wilkinson, who has a leading actor nod for In The Bedroom.

The academy's 5,500 voting members - described as "feature-film professionals" - decide who is nominated for Oscars.

The winners will be announced on Sunday 24 March in a lavish ceremony at the Oscars' new Hollywood home, the Kodak Theater.

Last year saw Gladiator win five awards, with Erin Brockovich, Traffic and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also doing well.