I've been perusing the early Academy Award predictions and the following titles keep coming up: Atonement, American Gangster, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Juno.
Now, I haven't seen most of those, but they're all exactly the sort of movie I love, and would love to see vie for the Best Picture prize. Just imagine: the Coen Brothers facing off against Paul Thomas Anderson; three crime movies going head to head a year after The Departed was the unlikeliest of winners; Joe Wright's follow-up to the exquisite (and woefully underrated) Pride & Prejudice sitting alongside a quirky Jason Reitman comedy starring Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera and Jason Bateman. I'd be in Oscar Heaven.
Of course, things could change. We might be looking at, say, Into the Wild, In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs and Lust, Caution. But those seem to be long shots, and there isn't much else on the horizon. I'm guessing I'll be pretty happy with the lineup come February.
8 comments:
Things could change? Jon Stewart might not even be able to write any jokes about the films that do end up nominated if this writer stike doesn't end soon, so I sure would say "things could change."
I'm not sure what accounts you're reading, but it seems as though most any movie released in the next two months or any of the many quality films to come before could have a shot for one of the three spots likely open next to No Country for Old Men (the likely lock) and American Gangster (also a good bet). The Academy is likely to give the nod to Hairspray or Sweeney Todd, might provide a spot for a small film like Away from Her, The Savages or Once, should show some love for Eastern Promises, Michael Clayton, Gone, Baby Gone, Zodiac or Breach, and could finally break the documentary barrier by making a spot for any of the most lauded films of the year (King of Kong, In the Shadow of the Moon, My Kid Could Paint That, Lake of Fire, or No End in Sight).
So I'm sure hoping the Academy doesn't satisfy Clay's wish by filling its roster with only films that have been released in November or December (often in New York only) and instead recognizes all the great work that has been done this year.
You've thrown out some more titles but you haven't really changed my theory at all.
If Zodiac, Breach or Once make the cut, all the better. I loved them all.
You're dreaming if you think a documentary will make the cut (no more chance than an animated film, what with the ghetto-izing of those genres into their own categories).
As for Michael Clayton, Gone Baby Gone and Eastern Promises... again, I haven't seen them, but they all seem like the kind of film I'd love to see represented.
That leaves Hairspray (which I enjoyed) and Sweeney Todd (don't see that happening).
So yeah, I'd be happy to see a break from the late-year nominees, but I think I'd still be very happy with the lineup.
What theory? You don't have a theory; you just have a list of movies you're predicting will be nominated. Unless your theory is that the Academy refuses to consider all twelve months of the year when choosing the best films of the year. If, in fact, the Academy can't look before November when seeking quality films to nominate, then your predictions might be right. Or they might be wrong (let's face it, a lot of films open in the next two months). Time will tell.
That is the underlying theory behind my post -- the Academy tends to nominate the things the "experts" say it will nominate. And those tend to be the end-of-the-year releases.
And this year, I like the looks of all the movies the experts are pointing to, which isn't usually the case.
Which experts? Cite your sources, buddy. I want to read what these bozos are saying.
I will not divulge my sources and risk the small prize.
Wow. While I knew you could be bought, I had no idea your price was so low. So be it. You and your Magic 8 Ball can "theorize" away. I'm choosing to have a little faith in the good old Academy that they will continue to have a longer memory than those "experts" say they have.
Faith in the Academy is almost never rewarded. Instead they give you Crash.
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