Now that the Oscar nominations are roughly four months away (egads!), it’s time to start spinning the wheel. Compared to last year’s war-laden epics, along with a very obvious frontrunner (Hobbits, anyone?), the 2004 Oscar contenders are shaping up to be varied and eclectic. A mix of majors and indie gems, this year’s Best Picture hopefuls range from ambitious material by top-gun directors such as Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and Mel Gibson, to quirkier, existential fare from young Turks such as Wes Anderson, Alexander Payne and David O. Russell.
Well, at least it makes things more challenging!
Read on for our look at the prospects.
The Passion of the Christ
This could be tricky. While no one doubts this intense film–a look at Jesus Christ’s last hours, helmed by the talented, albeit zealous, Mel Gibson–is a powerful cinematic experience worthy of Oscar’s attention, the Academy has never been too keen on controversial subject matters, especially a lightning rod of religious fervor like The Passion. Chances may be slim for Best Picture, but the Academy will most likely throw it a bone in other categories (Jim Caviezel as Best Actor, perhaps?)
Fahrenheit 9/11
Same goes for the anti-Bush rant Fahrenheit. Filmmaker Michael Moore decided to withdraw the film from the Best Documentary category and shoot for a Best Pic nod, a gutsy move, to say the least. Never before has a documentary been considered for the top spot, especially one so contentious–and if you take into account Moore‘s, uh, politically charged acceptance speech he made in 2002 for Bowling for Columbine, it’s likely the Academy may decide to not risk any Moore surprises.
Sideways
Writer/director Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt) is a master at creating intricate slices of life–and Sideways looks to be no exception. Based on the novel by Rex Pickett, the film follows two friends–a depressed writer (Paul Giamatti, so good in American Splendor) and his altar-bound friend (Thomas Haden Church)–who go on a debauched wine-tasting week together that turns into a midlife crisis exploration. After the film’s hit premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Oscar bees are buzzing, saying its Payne‘s best to date; the fellow may finally be looking at some well-deserved recognition.
Alexander
Then there’s the other Alexander–you know, the Macedonian leader who conquered most of the known world by the age of 30. Director Oliver Stone and Colin Farrell are bringing the story of Alexander the Great to the big screen, complete with lavish costumes, elaborate sword-and-sandal fight sequences (including elephants, no less) and more Greek tragedy than, well, a Greek tragedy–all qualities the Academy loves. Still, the whole heroic epic thing is getting old.
Finding Neverland
Whimsical, magical and sad, this beautifully filmed tearjerker from director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball) traces the origins of J.M. Barrie’s classic children’s tale Peter Pan. The film explores the real-life story of Scottish playwright Barrie (played ever so sweetly by Johnny Depp) who, at the turn of the 20th century, developed a touching friendship with a widowed mother (Kate Winslet) and her sons, which inspired him to create his masterpiece. If it can get Academy voters to clap their hands and believe in fairies, it’s a shoo-in for the Best Picture ballot.
Spanglish
James L. Brooks rarely fails. With Best Picture nods to three of his four films: Broadcast News, Terms of Endearment and As Good As It Gets (I’ll Do Anything didn’t make the cut), the writer/director is poised to get nomination No. 4 with Spanglish–an offbeat yet heartwarming tale about a chef (Adam Sandler), his neurotic wife (Tea Leoni) and the beautiful, single Latina mom and housekeeper (newcomer Paz Vega) who comes between them. Throw in the wife’s cantankerous lush of a mother (Cloris Leachman) and some of Brooks‘ zippy dialogue and you might just have a recipe for Oscar gold.
The Aviator
Here’s Martin Scorsese again, right back in the thick of it. The five-time nominee, never winner, must believe he has been robbed of Oscar time and time again (the last being Gangs of New York‘s total shutout in 2002) could be going for another attempt with another Leonardo DiCaprio starrer, Aviator. It’s a big-budget look at the young life of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes before he got all crazy and reclusive, whose love affairs with big-name actresses such as Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), were tabloid fodder in the ’30s and ’40s, as was his desire to build the ultimate airplane. You can’t blame Scorsese for trying.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera
Ah, the token musical. Seems these days if a Broadway show is turned into a sumptuous big-screen extravaganza, it automatically makes the Best Picture list. And Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom is about as lavish–and as popular–as they come, falling chandeliers and all. The catch is director Joel Schumacher, not really known for his musical talents, has cast relative unknowns in the leads–Scottish actor Gerard Butler (Reign of Fire) as the mad, half-masked Phantom and the lovely Emily Rossum (the doomed daughter in Mystic River) as his object of affection. We’ll see if the gamble pays off.
Other Possibilities: Director Mike Nichols‘ drama Closer–a story about two couples who end up swapping partners, starring an impressive foursome (Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen); Wes Anderson‘s (The Royal Tenenbaums) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, about an aging oceanographer (Bill Murray) who goes out on one last expedition with a boatload of colorful characters; and the wild, wacky and existential love/life stories Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, from Being John Malkovich‘s writer Charlie Kaufman, and I Heart Huckabees, from Three Kings writer/director David O. Russell, which could sneak in on pure originality alone.
The Foreign Factor: There’s also a small but powerful list of foreign films, that, for whatever reason, are not able to qualify for the Foreign Language category and are therefore vying for Best Picture nods, including: the Chinese House of Flying Daggers which stars Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon‘s Zhang Ziyi as a martial arts-happy dancer suspected of aiding a revolutionary during the Tang Dynasty; the Spanish The Motorcycle Diaries, a look at the young Che Guevara (Y Tu Mama Tambien‘s Gael Garcia Bernal) before he became the infamous revolutionary as he takes a soul-searching motorcycle trip up the southern coast of South America; and the French A Very Long Engagement from Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, about a woman (Amelie star Audrey Tautou) who waits for her fiancé to return from fighting in WWI, with a little help from supporting player Jodie Foster.
