We have our Oscar hosts

The Associated Press, along with a number of other news outlets, are reporting that at long last, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards have hosts. Following in the vein of 82's Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosting duo, James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be our MCs. Honestly, the choice perplexes me a little. Baldwin and Martin (the latter especially) are proven comedic talents, with Martin being a former host. And Hugh Jackman, host of the 81st ceremony, made sense because of his status as a triple threat: acting, singing, and dancing (and those previous gigs hosting the Tony's couldn't have hurt). Out of the two, Hathaway certainly makes more sense; she showed off some serious singing/performing skills in Jackman's opening number. But Franco? Um...where exactly did that come from? I'm not saying that he's a bad choice, far from it. It's just a question of why? Why would you pick a host who is currently a front-runner for one of your acting prizes? Granted, Hugh Jackman managed to pick up a Tony when he was host, but he's an exception. Somehow, Hathaway and Franco seems like a much bigger gamble than Martin and Baldwin. On the flip side, it could pay off, and the two could have great chemistry. And, now that I think about it, this certainly helps the Academy seem more friendly towards younger movie-goers, which AMPAS has been trying to accomplish for years now.

Where we stand: Best Actor in a Leading Role Part II

Yesterday I started looking at our contenders for Best Actor, and due to the fact that I was running long and also because it was getting really late, I cut it off without touching on many of the men most likely to get in. So that's where we're picking up today, starting with none other than...

Morgan Freeman in Clint Eastwood's "Invictus". The Oscar-winner is probably a sure-fire nominee for several reasons: Clint Eastwood film + Nelson Mandela + story about racial unity amid old fashioned politics/laws = Oscar wet dream. Take into consideration that Freeman is a recent Oscar-winner, but not TOO recent (a la Sean Penn in "Milk") for the Academy to be willing to give him a second statue.
And since we're on the subject of second statues, let's talk about a contender who does have one: Daniel Day-Lewis in "Nine". Now, I think Day-Lewis still has a chance, seeing as he's coming off of a recent win, and instead of going into seclusion for five years, he's doing something he's never done before: a musical. The problem? The impressive female cast (namely Cotillard and Cruz) could steal all of his thunder...and by thunder I mean awards. That, and the performance may actually be very good, but may feel too light compared to the performances he's known for. In a film likely to grab a boatload of nominations, Day-Lewis could find himself getting nothing beyond a Golden Globe nomination.
One of the more interesting performances to watch this awards season is Viggo Mortensen in "The Road". The long-delayed film is FINALLY coming to theaters at the end of this month, and word so far has overall been positive, but not ecstatic. But what's truly surprising is that more people aren't at least behind Mortensen. The man certainly has his supporters from those who have seen the film at festivals, but there are a few who feel that he isn't good enough, whether due to his own fault, or weaknesses in the film. Mortensen was nominated for the first time recently (for "Eastern Promises" (2007)) and could ride his way to a nomination based on left-over love from 07-08. Even with his handful of doubters, Mortensen still has a strong shot not just because of the positive support, but because his performance is in the hands of the Weinsteins, who, if they feel strongly enough about his work, will campaign the hell out of him. If the film is moderately successful, Mortensen's chances could possibly skyrocket.
Mortesen is someone who has only been nominated once, but there are those out there who haven't even been nominated at all. Case in point: Colin Firth in Tom Ford's "A Single Man". Firth has a lot going for him at the moment. The film has been very well received at festivals, and Firth won the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival (I think that's right...I need to double check). The film was so well received in Toronto that the Weinsteins, ever the Oscar-hounds, snatched up the film and made it a big 2009 priority. Toss in a bunch of reviews claiming that this is Firth's career-best performance, and buzzed-about supporting performances from Julianne Moore and Matthew Goode, and it makes a potent mix.
Speaking of people who haven't been nominated before, there's Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station". There hasn't been too much early word on the film, but what word there is is good. Throw in Plummer's veteran status and the film's late-in-the-game release, and we could be looking a surprise contender. However, Plummer does face internal competition, namely Helen Mirren (who won best actress at the Rome Film Festival). Plummer also has "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", which has received mixed reviews, though Plummer overall has been given good notices. He isn't likely getting nominated for the role, but having two well-liked performances in one year doesn't hurt. On the other end of this spectrum is Ben Whishaw in "Bright Star". I wouldn't be surprised to see Whishaw get nominated in the future, but this one is doubtful. His performance has received "nice" reviews, but not nice enough. Plus, co-star Abbie Cornish is the one who has been getting the best notices, so unless the Academy just goes crazy over the film, don't expect for Whishaw's name to show up too often during awards season. He might have a shot at the Golden Globe nod, but for now, that's about it.
Moving back into "popular" territory, let's have a look at George Clooney. Now, I'm not a friend of Clooney's Oscar-winning performance in "Syriana" (2005) or his nominated work in "Michael Clayton". However, the Academy disagrees with me, and with "Up in the Air" (one of my most anticipated of the year) earning raves for Clooney and the rest of the cast, and Clooney's popularity in the Academy, look for him to be in the running for Best Actor yet again.
Last but not least is our recent addition to the race: Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart". If the performance gains enough momentum he could be a major player thanks to his four prior nominations (no easy feat) and the fact that he hasn't been nominated in a while.

That's all for now, stay tuned for updates on our next acting category: Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Where we stand: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Following up on my previous post, I figured it's about time I go and take a look at the various Oscar races, starting with none other than Best Actor. With no clear front runners, and with the closest things to front runners barely seen or not seen at all, it's a tricky race. Let's see what we can think of...

Let's start with performances that have already been released, shall we? Hm, not an incredible bunch, though there is some strong work here, and we shouldn't be surprised if one or more of these men is a nominee...but WHO??? First, there's Sam Rockwell in "Moon", who is currently my win for Best Actor, and has picked up one or two obscure awards. It's certainly a good performance, at times verging on a great one, and Rockwell has to carry the whole movie on his shoulders, which he does well. If given a proper campaign he could be the major indie player in the best actor race. He also plays two roles in the film and shares most of the film...with himself, which seems like something that would go over well with the Academy. It's an expressive role that doesn't quite delve into histrionics and and even better, he has no internal competition, supporting or otherwise. The big hurdle for Rockwell however, is exposure. A campaign is critical, and if it doesn't happen, Rockwell's performance could be lost in the dust.
Then there's Jeremy Renner in my still-number-1-of-the-year, "The Hurt Locker". What Renner's performance has that could hinder him is naturalism. Bigelow's film is a grounded, naturalistic one, and Renner's performance fits into the film beautifully. The scenes he has with his son in the film are beautifully subdued and balance out his scenes as the reckless soldier. Unfortunately, with so many showy roles on the way, Renner could be left behind simply because the performance isn't big enough. Unless. Unless the Academy really gives some serious loving to Bigelow's film and Renner gets swept along.
Next up to bat, Joseph Gordon-Levitt in "(500) Days of Summer". This one is especially strange. If the Academy decides to nominate a much lighter role, he could be the perfect vessel. As for the performance itself, it's very good, and Levitt certainly makes a bigger impact than his co-star because the film focuses on Tom's ups and downs. Levitt gets to be both dour and delightful (he hit the dance scene out of the park), but can the performance really attract awards of any kind? While a Golden Globe nod isn't too far a stretch (seeing as there's a comedy/musical category) at the moment his chances aren't too good. But you never know, this could be the year the Academy wants to honor a more fun performance. And besides, Levitt is a very talented actor who has gone totally unrecognized in a slew of indie projects, and he's bound to get at least nominated some day...just perhaps not this year.
Let's talk about Johnny Depp. Audiences certainly adore him, and recently the Academy has too. In fact...pretty much ONLY in recent years has the Academy warmed up to him. Though he received plenty of Golden Globe nominations in the 1990s, Depp didn't receive an Oscar nod until awards season 03-04, and it was for a film that wasn't the least bit traditional Oscar bait...quite the opposite ("Pirates of the Caribbean"). But now Depp isn't playing a pirate or a writer or a singing murderous barber; he's playing a gangster. Honestly, I did like Depp in "Public Enemies". It was nice to see him in a role where there was no way for him to twist the character into a variation of Capt. Jack Sparrow. He was quiet, intriguing, and had good chemistry with Marion Cotillard, and toward the end he has some affecting, but not overwhelming, scenes that are what I like to call "Oscar-clip scenes". But can he get in? Reception for the film was good, albeit a bit underwhelmed, and with so many other contenders, the Academy may not feel the need to give Depp a chance.
Lastly for this installment (it's getting late, so we'll finish this in a new post tomorrow), "A Serious Man"'s Michael Stuhlbarg. The performance is certainly very good, but the film is so small that Stuhlbarg could easily just get trampled unless he gets some "serious" help from critics and precursors. What I like most about Stuhlbarg is that even though his is a reactionary role, he still gives the character life (as opposed to, say...Benjamin Button, who just kind of stood there when life happened). Even then, the nomination is an unlikely one. Like Renner, Stuhlbarg only has a good chance if the Academy goes crazy over his film, and if one or more of the unreleased performances disappoints in a BIG way.

That's all for now, check back over the next few days for the second half of the Best Actor race, as well as the races for Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. And remember folks, as indepth as predictions can become, and as crazy as things can (and will) get, all that matters in the end is the name that's on that carefully guarded envelope.

We have a new contender

Like many things in the movie world, Oscar season is often filled with some surprises, whether it's in the build-up or in the actual award shows themselves. For a while, I thought that this year's Oscar hopefuls had been figured out. After all, Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life" is now officially a 2010 film, as is the Robert Duvall awards-vehicle "Get Low". But wouldn't you know, right when the preliminary dust had nearly settled, a new name is being thrown into the mix, and that name is: Jeff Bridges. The four-time Oscar nominee best known for his un-nominated performance as The Dude in "The Big Lebowski" (1998), is now being tossed around as a contender because his much-buzzed film "Crazy Heart" has received a 2009 release. But what makes Bridges particularly interesting to watch is his status as an Oscar veteran. Four nominations is nothing to sniff at, and if the performance is as good as the festival hype says it is, then we could see Mr. Bridges attending the Oscars as a nominee, and even a "he finally got one!" winner. Like anything else in awards season, time (and precursor awards) is the only answer. The film opens in limited release on December 16th. The premise certainly sounds like solid Oscar bait; have a look...

Source: Incontention.com
By Kris Tapley
Fox Searchlight Pictures has settled on a December 16, 2009 release date for Scott Cooper’s “Crazy Heart,” which I wrote up yesterday. Here’s the synopsis from the studio. Nothing you don’t know, but at least it’s “official” verbiage:

Four-time Academy Award® nominee JEFF BRIDGES stars as the richly comic, semi-tragic romantic anti-hero Bad Blake in the debut feature film CRAZY HEART from writer-director Scott Cooper. Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.