When it comes to awards in the film industry, the year can be divided into two sections: Fall, and Everything Else. Regardless of some films being able to maintain their buzz throughout the year to score a best Picture nod (Gladiator, Crash, Little Miss Sunshine), it's still a rare feat when a film released before September ends up with a slew of nominations (in fact only six of the forty past nominees in the 2000's for Best Picture have been released pre-September). For actors, it's usually no better, with a performance having to be on par with Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich or Russell Crowe in Gladiator to survive the onslaught of awards-centric performances that come between September and New year's Eve.
This autumn seems to be no different, with many Oscar heavies weighing in: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reteaming for the first time since Titanic in Revolutionary Road; Baz Luhrmann pairing with Hugh Jackman and his Moulin Rouge! muse Nicole Kidman in the epic Australia; Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk, with Sean Penn; Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron in the adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Road; and the fall season kicks off early with last year's big winners, the Coen Brothers, teaming with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading.
So in this gamut of Oscar heavyweights, are there any already-released films or performances that stand a chance? Hit after the jump to see who!
Of course, the biggest hype for any film so far this year has to be The Dark Knight. Not since The Lord of the Rings trilogy has there been a film to reap such sweeping critical praise and box office success. If there has ever been a superhero film to come along with a valid shot at Best Picture, it's this one. Partially driving that buzz is Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. After all the buzz, it turned out that Ledger's performance really did live up to the hype, and is thus far the most obvious choice for a Supporting Actor nomination.
So who else does that leave? Early potential Oscar grabbers have quickly fizzled out, including Kimberly Pierce's anti-war drama Stop-Loss, the political Swing Vote, and the period romance The Other Boleyn Girl. Yet some other films have left many particularly surprised. Iron Man shouldn't be counted out, especially for its timely screenplay as well as career-resurgent acting from Robert Downey Jr. (who may have to fend off himself with his roles in Tropic Thunder and The Soloist).
In terms of other actors, the only others to stick out seem to be Javier Bardem in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and James Franco in Pineapple Express. Franco's performance however, is hardly the kind to garner Oscar attention, even in a supporting role. The best scene stealer to bet on may be Tom Cruise, who with Downey, runs away with Tropic Thunder in every scene he's in. After a rough few years, this may be Cruise's shot at a critical comeback. No pun intended.
The field for actresses is even more barren at this juncture. While Meryl Streep has (of course) gained Oscar buzz for carrying Mamma Mia!, the material will probably prove to be too lightweight to be considered real awards candy, especially in the shadow of heavy dramas (Streep will probably snag nom #15 though for her work in this fall's Doubt).
If all of this seems to be disheartening, there's plenty of films already released that are shoo-ins in other categories. The screenplays for Hamlet 2 and Tropic Thunder would be great additions to Original Screenplay, while The Dark Knight's inspirational weaving of various classic Batman stories could be a viable choice for Adapted Screenplay.
Meanwhile, the Animated Film race is already heated up, with Kung-Fu Panda, WALL-E and Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who! all receiving mass critical and commercial success. Likewise, the documentary field has had its own share of critical gems, with the release of Young@Heart, American Teen and the upcoming Religulous.
So yes, film fans, the big ones are still to come, awards-wise. But take heart at the ones already released, and help me jumpstart the campaign for Hamlet 2's "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" for Best Original Song by going to see it in theatres next week!
This autumn seems to be no different, with many Oscar heavies weighing in: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reteaming for the first time since Titanic in Revolutionary Road; Baz Luhrmann pairing with Hugh Jackman and his Moulin Rouge! muse Nicole Kidman in the epic Australia; Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk, with Sean Penn; Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron in the adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Road; and the fall season kicks off early with last year's big winners, the Coen Brothers, teaming with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton in Burn After Reading.
So in this gamut of Oscar heavyweights, are there any already-released films or performances that stand a chance? Hit after the jump to see who!
Of course, the biggest hype for any film so far this year has to be The Dark Knight. Not since The Lord of the Rings trilogy has there been a film to reap such sweeping critical praise and box office success. If there has ever been a superhero film to come along with a valid shot at Best Picture, it's this one. Partially driving that buzz is Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. After all the buzz, it turned out that Ledger's performance really did live up to the hype, and is thus far the most obvious choice for a Supporting Actor nomination.
So who else does that leave? Early potential Oscar grabbers have quickly fizzled out, including Kimberly Pierce's anti-war drama Stop-Loss, the political Swing Vote, and the period romance The Other Boleyn Girl. Yet some other films have left many particularly surprised. Iron Man shouldn't be counted out, especially for its timely screenplay as well as career-resurgent acting from Robert Downey Jr. (who may have to fend off himself with his roles in Tropic Thunder and The Soloist).
In terms of other actors, the only others to stick out seem to be Javier Bardem in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and James Franco in Pineapple Express. Franco's performance however, is hardly the kind to garner Oscar attention, even in a supporting role. The best scene stealer to bet on may be Tom Cruise, who with Downey, runs away with Tropic Thunder in every scene he's in. After a rough few years, this may be Cruise's shot at a critical comeback. No pun intended.
The field for actresses is even more barren at this juncture. While Meryl Streep has (of course) gained Oscar buzz for carrying Mamma Mia!, the material will probably prove to be too lightweight to be considered real awards candy, especially in the shadow of heavy dramas (Streep will probably snag nom #15 though for her work in this fall's Doubt).
If all of this seems to be disheartening, there's plenty of films already released that are shoo-ins in other categories. The screenplays for Hamlet 2 and Tropic Thunder would be great additions to Original Screenplay, while The Dark Knight's inspirational weaving of various classic Batman stories could be a viable choice for Adapted Screenplay.
Meanwhile, the Animated Film race is already heated up, with Kung-Fu Panda, WALL-E and Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who! all receiving mass critical and commercial success. Likewise, the documentary field has had its own share of critical gems, with the release of Young@Heart, American Teen and the upcoming Religulous.
So yes, film fans, the big ones are still to come, awards-wise. But take heart at the ones already released, and help me jumpstart the campaign for Hamlet 2's "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" for Best Original Song by going to see it in theatres next week!
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