Is American Gangster too common? Is Atonement too Brit? Is No Country for Old Men too dark?
On his latest article, Rob Cameron discusses the state of the Best Picture race as of December:
"There once was a time when things always seemed inevitable, the true contenders for nominations fairly obvious. Those times have vanished in the wake of Brokeback Mountain's infamous loss to Crash in '05, and more importantly Dreamgirls' failure to garner a nomination for Best Picture last year..."
Read the full article here
And share your current Best Picture predictions with our readers in our forum!
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I'm still not convinced about American Gangster, although it did get some nods at the Satellites. My predictions may change tomorrow. But as of today they are:
ReplyDeleteNo Country for Old Men***
Atonement
Michael Clayton
Le Scaphandre et le Papillon
Sweeney Todd
I know many are saying that Sweeney Todd is too gory to win. Since I haven't seen it yet I'm reserving judgment on that. However, based on the feedback that has come in, the film sounds like it's too good, and well-made, for AMPAS to ignore it. I'm thinking it has a chance at getting a BP nod.
I agree that American Gangster won't get nominated, but if none of the other potential nominees rake in some major cash, it will be. As of now, my list is almost the same as yours. The difference is that I think Juno should be there instead of Michael Clayton.
ReplyDeleteI think we can all agree that Atonement and No Country are the two safest contenders right now. Films like American Gangster and Charlie Wilson's War have been labeled as good but not as great as they should have been, but could still step in if another film doesn't pick up the slack. There Will Be Blood was once one of my top contenders, but it has lost some buzz, and reviews are borderline great. I'd still say it has a good chance, but I need more official word. Sweeney Todd is a big question mark, but it's quickly becoming an exclamation point if early word is to be believed. It'll be an uphill battle, but if it's as good as I hear, I don't doubt it'll get a nod (though if it does, Juno certainly won't). Diving Bell is shaping up more and more, but it's still a bit of a runner up. Michael Clayton is just a little bit below that for me, followed by Into The Wild and Eastern Promises (if it can pick up any momentum). So for now, I'd say:
ReplyDeleteAtonement
No Country For Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
But of course, only for now...
My feeling is that There Will Be Blood is out, just because it is too divisive. People either love it or hate it. And it's really DDL's show. I hope he gets a best actor nod. Everyone seems to think he is one of the most solid contenders but I have my doubts, given that he was shut out of the Satellites.
ReplyDeleteEastern Promises (and Viggo Mortensen) is beginning to show up again. I'm keeping my eye out on this one.
As for Atonement, I know it was loved in Europe and it seems like an AMPAS sort of picture (a la The English Patient). But I'm wondering if it will be another film that doesn't live up to everyone's expectations. For now, I'm keeping it on my list.
My predictions:
ReplyDeleteLock: Atonement, Sweeney Todd and No country for old men
Likely: Eastern promises
The fifth flot: Juno, The diving bell and the butterfly, Into the wild, I'm not there or inclusive The namesake (Gotham and ISA nominations-Favorite theme of the AMPAS)