If you've been tracking the various
films I've been predicting in certain categories, then it should go
without saying what I'm anticipating to be Best Pictures players.
I'll go the limit and pick ten, even though we all know that'll never
happen.
Will Steven Spielberg's Cold War drama
Bridge of Spies hew closer to Lincoln (every bit
the Academy hit it appeared to be on paper) or War Horse
(which went home empty-handed)? In either case, a nomination at least
for Best Picture is foreseeable. Spielberg's clout in Tinseltown is
not to be underestimated.
One hopeful that's already been seen
and appraised as a legitimate Oscar threat is the romantic drama
Brooklyn, which was snatched up out of Sundance by the wily
awards campaigners at Fox Searchlight. We'll have to wait until
November to see for ourselves, but you can bet the PR strategists are
already mapping out this film's red carpet road map.
Harvey Weinstein has a couple of
options to throw at the wall. The first is Carol. Todd
Haynes has been away from the big screen for eight years, not that he
was ever a huge Oscar draw in the first place. He received his sole
nomination to date for Far from Heaven, but maybe the
Academy is finally ready to embrace one of his films wholeheartedly.
The extra Best Picture slots help.
The other option is The Hateful
Eight. Quentin Tarantino's abrasive auteur style may not fit the
typical Oscar mold, but that didn't stop Weinstein from setting up
Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained as major
contenders, even bringing Quentin his second statuette. The question
is: Can Harvey get both these titles into the race, or will his habit
of putting all his eggs in one basket rule the day?
David O. Russell's recent string of
Academy-targeted screwball dramedies have not been showing a
promising trend iun terms of winning percentages: The Fighter
went 2/6 (pretty good), Silver Linings Playbook went 1/8
(better than nothing), and American Hustle went 0/10
(ouch!). But it would seem he's not deterred, and he'll try to nab
his elusive statue by reteaming again with J-Law in Joy.
Can Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu return
to the big show only a year after being honoured with an exorbitant
three Oscars for Birdman?... which I loved, but let's not
pretend that winning all three wasn't overkill. Nevertheless, The
Revenant could give him a chance to go back-to-back in numerous
categories.
Gus van Sant has had a couple of huge
Oscar successes in his time, but everything else he's done has been
almost completely ignored. It feels like he's due for another awards
hit. But will The Sea of Trees – about two suicidal men in
a Japanese forest – be accessible enough for the Academy's
relatively mainstream tastes? If the 'Tree of Life faction'
can rally behind one art film, then perhaps it stands a chance.
After flirting briefly with
Oscar-powerhouse status during Slumdog Millionaire's dream
run, it would seem Danny Boyle's awards magnetism has cooled. His
Steve Jobs biopic (AMPAS' favourite genre) might bring him
back into the fray. An Aaron Sorkin screenplay and big star power in
A-lister Michael Fassbender may go a long way in drawing voters'
attention.
Sometimes a true Hollywood story is
enough to earn the favour of the members who enjoy seeing themselves
reflected in the movies. Trumbo, starring Bryan Cranston as
the famously blacklisted screenwriter, may garner some easily won
love overall, even if its nomination haul isn't that impressive.
Personally, my most anticipated project
of the year might be Robert Zemeckis' The Walk. I quite
liked Flight and it gave me hope that Zemeckis was ready to
get back into adult-geared studio dramas after a decade of frolicking
in manic motion-capture experiments. I have high expectations for
this vertiginous dramatization of Philippe Petit's World Trade Centre
daredevilry.
My guesses:
Best Picture
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Joy
The Revenant
The Sea of Trees
Steve Jobs
Trumbo
The Walk
Best Director
Danny Boyle
Todd Haynes
Alehandro G. Inarritu
David O. Russell
Steven Spielberg
