The last few months right before the Oscar are mainly of two things: prestige and pure fun. This is the festive season when families seek  a mental escape through  lighter films and this is also the season of contest when  serious cinema competes for Oscar gold.

The way to the Oscar this year is sort of going bonkers. The awards race have just begun and it has already traveled  more ups and downs than any in recent past. The viewers and movie lovers have already started anticipating on issues common like ‘Which movies will be worthy of competing for the Academy Award? ‘ along with things like ‘Which ones will really open in time to qualify?’

Oscar

Few, that would not only have qualified but would also have bagged a few awards, have quited, like the Robert Downey Jr.-Jamie Fox’s homeless musician drama “The Soloist” (rescheduled to release in next spring) and the Viggo Mortensen revelatory drama “The Road” (based on the novel by Cormac). Another major shift has been the “ Defiance”, which was re-scheduled to release on December 31st, the last day for qualifying for the Academy Awards. “The Reader” starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, was supposed to release in the next year,  moved up to compete the Oscar this year instead of next.

David Poland of Movie CityNews.com said, “Basically, every studio is tight for money and making their bests bets for the Oscar in a much less general way”. He also added that “It costs so much money to be in the Oscar race that if they don’t have to be in it, they’re getting out. The result is a lot fewer movies vying for best picture”.

Poland says, “The illusion that this all happens because a movie is good is out the window. The reality is, there is a structure and a business to campaigning for an Oscar”. Predicting further shuffling he added, “I’m hearing that some films may be getting back into the season because there are so few movies in play”.

The prestige films that have high hopes of bagging a few titles this year, the two most popular ones are  Doubt starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a dueling nun and priest, and Frost/Nixon  starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella as a dueling reporter and ex-president.

Tags: Academy Awards, Oscar
Posted in awards, movies, nominations, upcoming | Comments (0)

Oscar

Its a dream for every actor, director, writer, art director, make-up artist, camera person and sound recordist achieve the most prestigious award in their lifetime. The golden statue, or the Oscar is something that everyone in the film clan is in love with and desires to achieve.

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards of merit in the film industry (mainly Hollywood), which is presented by the body of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually to recognize excellence in cinema. The formal ceremony of the Academy Awards,  when the awards are presented is among the oldest, most prominent,  prestigious, and popular film award of the world.

The 81st Academy Awards, which will honor the best in film for 2008 will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Best Actor:
Sean Penn will be a tough contender for playing gay activist Harvey Milk in the film “Milk” and Benicio Del Toro will doubtlessly gleam as legendary Che Guevara in “The Argentine.” Leo too is close and he could ride a “Revolutionary” sweep on the Academy Award night.

Best Actress:
There are quite a few names and all of them will, trust me, give a tough fight to each other. There are past Academy Award winners like Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Cate Blanchett along with rising star Keira Knightley. Kate Winslet too is a strong contender for her performance in “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road.”

Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger is expected to receive the golden statue this year as a tribute  for his excellent acting in “The Dark Knight.” He died in an accident at the age of 28 on 22nd January, 2008. Even before his unexpected mournful death, people were appreciating his unique portrayal of the Joker his last film.  The Academy may take up this opportunity to pay a tribute to this great character actor.

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Ryan, with her wonderful performance in Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture contender “The Changeling.”may be the winner this year, which she lost last year.

Best Director:
No Prizes for guessing!! its none other than Clint Eastwood. Sam Mendes with his film “Revolutionary Road”  is a new face to join the two-win clan with him.

Tags: Academy Awards, Oscar
Posted in awards, movies, nominations, performances, spotlight, upcoming | Comments (3)

Oscar 2009

Well, what better time it could be than this to make a few predictions of the forth coming Academy Awards.
Scheduled to take place on 22nd of February, 2009, producer Laurence Mark will work as the producer and writer-director Bill Condon as the executive producer of the 81st Annual Academy Awards telecast. Bill stated that this will be their first involvement in the production of an Oscar show.

There are some great films that have already released and few lining up the queue to carve a niche by the end of 2008. The year had seen films with big stars and some of the best directoral works. The 2009 Oscars could be one of the most competitive seasons in the recent Oscar history. Here are the names of the films we think that may bag a few awards.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount)
Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, David Fincher directs this film. This is based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald
book, about a man who ages in reverse. The concept is new and sounds absolutely intriguing to all. 2008
Supporting Actress winner, Tilda Swinton, is also featured in the film.

Australia (20th Century Fox)

Australia

After a long wait, Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) is back with an epic love story about two people who start on a journey crowding cattle across the remote areas. They survive through numerous obstructions including bombing by Japanese forces. Luhrmann has once again choosen Nicole Kidman as the leading lady and teamed her with the very versatile Hugh Jackman. The chemistry is ravishing between the two and Luhrmann is very hopeful about his film.

The Reader (The Weinstein Company)
The Reader is a story adapted from the best-selling book by Bernard Schlink. The story accounts the relationship between a young boy and a woman who are charged of Nazi war crimes. The story spans over several decades and takes many turns along the way. Stephen Daldry (The Hours) directs the film starring Academy Award nominees Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Although there are some new twists in the story the big challenge is whether the film can actually satisfy fans of the book.

The Changeling (Universal)
Clint Eastwood is back with his new film “The Changeling”. He strikes fear in the hearts of other directors with a hope of adding one more gold statute to his collection. The film is a story about a mother whose son is kidnapped. After his son is returned to her she has a strange feeling that its not her son. Angelina Jolie plays the mom along with Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan also stars in the film. The story has more mystery and suspense. There is drama, and Eastwood’s personal touch is revealed through  a wizard of powerful conflict among the characters.

Revolutionary Road (Paramount, Dreamworks)

Revolutionary Road

This is one of the biggest competitors of Oscar 2009. The Academy Award winner for American Beauty, Sam Mendes, directs the film. The co-stars are Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Remember Titanic that created history?. The story is about a married couple who have to sail through the harsh realities of life during the depression era while raising their two small children. The story is an adaptation of novel by Richard Yates. The film is scheduled to hit the screens this December.

Tags: Academy Awards, Oscar
Posted in awards, movies, nominations, performances, spotlight, upcoming | Comments (4)