LA Times Handicaps the Oscar Race (1 Viewer)

[David Oliver]

http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,14...-41498,00.html
I was a bit surprised to see what this writer has given the best odds to, Ali, although after reading his explanation I can see why. Also, Shrek seems to have some play, which I find surprising. I enjoyed the movie, but am not convinced it is great. I think it is benefitting from very weak competition this spring and summer. Personally, I am disappointed about Memento not getting more Hollywood buzz.

 

[MickeS]

The person who wrote this hasn't seen these movies though, right? I remember that last year this time the big buzz movie was "All the pretty horses"...
This year, I was looking forward to "A beautiful mind", until I read this in the article: The film's Akiva Goldsman script has almost mythic status among Hollywood insiders, which gives the film extra early momentum.

Akiva Goldsman?? The guy who wrote "Practical Magic", "Lost in space" and "Batman and Robin"...! Suddenly I am not so interested anymore. But of course, he did write "A time to kill" which was at least decent. But my hopes for a great movie are gone.
/Mike

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

An odd list of films, IMO. I seriously doubt Shrek will be a contender, especially with the Animated Oscar this year. (Although it's a good film, I believe it's vastly overrated too.) When Memento was hot, I kept telling people I doubted it would be an Oscar player. It's release date doesn't help, but I think some perceive it as a gimmick.
I don't even want to think about the words "Academy Award screenplay nominee" and "Akiva Goldsman" in the same sentence. *shudder*
I'd be very surprised if Lord of the Rings gets major nominations, but I'd be more surprised if Harry Potter does. Unlikely in my book.
I think The Majestic is a lock, and Ali is probably pretty close to one. The Shipping News has the pedigree, that's for sure, but I can't remember what else Miramax is releasing then. (I just hope it's better than Chocolat.) There seems to be good buzz on The Royal Tenenbaums, and I'd consider it a stronger than a longshot.
Of course, this all points out the fact that there's something wrong with this strategy of backloading the year like this. I'm sure some of these films will flop, whether good or not, but might have a better chance to find audiences if spread out during the year. I wasn't around when the awards began, but I assume they were secondary to the films. Now the awards are primary, and the film is arranged to make it most conducive to achieving that goal.
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[Michael Reuben]

My memory may be playing tricks on me, but wasn't Pay It Forward being touted as an Oscar contender about this time last year?
M.
[Edited last by Michael Reuben on August 29, 2001 at 11:06 AM]

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

quote: My memory may playing tricks on me, but wasn't Pay It Forward being touted as an Oscar contender about this time last year?[/quote]
Yes, that one and Finding Forrester, among others.
~Edwin
[Edited last by Edwin Pereyra on August 29, 2001 at 10:16 AM]

 

[MickeS]

Yep, Pay it forward, Finding Forrester and All the pretty horses were all getting extremely good Oscar buzz... then they opened, people got to finally see them, and nobody mentioned them again. What other "hot" movies disappeared off the radar when they opened?
/Mike

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

What other "hot" movies disappeared off the radar when they opened?

Robert Altman's Dr T and the Women, Men of Honor, Proof Of Life and You Can Count On Me never really caught on.
~Edwin

 

[Michael Reuben]

You Can Count on Me did OK for a limited "indie" release. And it did get two Oscar nods. The rest sank from sight.
M.

 

[Jason Seaver]

You Can Count On Me never really caught on.

I'll agree with the rest of the list, but You Can Count On Me appeared to be a quiet success that ran for months here in the Boston area, earned upwards of $9M (pretty good for a boutique film), got Laura Linney and Kenneth Lonergan nominated for Oscars, and did fairly well on video.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

You Can Count On Me was very successful. I think The Shooting Gallery could only wish more of their films had done so well.
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Read my reviews at www.dvdmon.com
Most recent reviews: Open Your Eyes, Waiting for Guffman, Maelstrom, Diary of a Chambermaid: The Criterion Collection
Most recent column: Panning P&S

 

[Guy Martin]

Actually I know some people who work in the biz out in LA and who have read the Goldsman "A Beautiful Mind" script and were very impressed. And these are smart people who's taste runs close to my own. They were especially shocked since most of them, like most of us, hated much of his previous work (Batman and Robin, Lost in Space etc). I guess maybe the subject forced him to rise to the occaision. Either way it shows you can't write someone off just because they've turned out a few bad flicks (anyone remember some of the dreck that Curtis Hanson made prior to LA Confidential? Or Roger Donaldson pre-13 Days?). At least it makes me curious enough to read the script and find out for myself.
- Guy

 

[Hubert]

How about going to see the movie before you judge it. You never know, it might turn out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Judging a film based on who wrote it is not the most accurate judge of a movie.

 

[MickeS]

Hubert, I will judge it after I've seen it. I was merely commenting on my expectations.
But I agree, I think that a person writing an article about Oscar speculations should have seen the movies before commenting on their chances...
/Mike