An update of contenders and where they stand:American Gangster sits at a 77%, enough to keep in the running for Best Picture.
Dan in Real Life holds on with 64%, which isn't enough for anything special. Stars Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche received decent reviews but nothing to crack into the race.
With 15 reviews counted, Lions for Lambs is another fallen contender with 33% which many predictors saw coming.
Michael Clayton holds on with 91% and Gone Baby Gone with 92% but the buzz for the two films has subsided in the past weeks. Your great reviews can't do anything if not enough people are talking about it afterwards.
Still so much more year left in Oscar world.
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Thanks to No Country For Old Men Tommy Lee Jones's buzz for In the Valley of Elah has gone up some. At least according to this week's Buzz-o-meter.
ReplyDeleteTommy Lee Jones is wishful thinking
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but I wouldn't count him out just yet.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alison, Tommy Lee Jones is perhaps one of the strongest dark horses for Best Actor at the moment. If Tom Hanks or Denzel Washington don't get nominated, I'll bet Jones gets a spot, easy.
ReplyDeleteMC is going to be nominated for Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor, thats all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Alison, No Country should remind the Academy that Jones was excellent in the earlier Elah. The only problem will be if Jones is equally as impressive in this new movie and his votes are split.
ReplyDeleteEach week we seem to watch a new, hyped film open to lackluster results and I don't think either Washington or Crowe were as good as the much-hyped match-up led us to believe. I didn't see the fireworks I was promised.
Things like this can only help the respected veteran Jones. He has NOT been nominated since 1994 and he has NEVER been nominated in the lead actor category.
We've had a barrage of political films these last couple of months and none of them have taken off at the box office (chiefly because they weren't that good). Names like Streep, Redford, Cruise, and Witherspoon have done little for any of these films. This being said, I still believe the Academy will support one of them and that one will be In the Valley of Elah. I think Jones will benefit from this.
Very good points, Thomas. TLJ has never been given a nod as a lead. I hope to see him finally receive that.
ReplyDeleteThe votes may split for the two movies, but the role in No Country seems much more similar to many of his other roles (like U.S. marshal), whereas in Elah he is also a grieving father. Also, Javier Bardem seems to be getting a good deal of the attention for No Country. I haven't seen it yet, so I'll judge for myself, but so far it's Bardem that is constantly singled out in the feedback and he may actually steal Jones's thunder in this film. I'm thinking that if they consider TLJ (and I hope they do), they'll go back to his performance in Elah.