The 79th Academy Award nominations will be announced on Jan. 23, so it’s time to start spinning the wheels and predict which movies have that certain Best Picture quality.
Last year saw yet another dark horse, Crash, come out of nowhere to win Best Picture. Actually, it seems for the last few years, frontrunners are harder and harder to pinpoint, paving the way for an assortment of eclectic choices. The 2006 contenders are no exception.
We’ve got a war epic (Flags of Our Fathers); a gritty crime drama (The Departed); a tense character piece (Babel); a tearjerker (The Pursuit of Happyness). There’s one about the royal family (The Queen) and another about the dangerous diamond biz (Blood Diamond). And yes, there’s even another musical (Dreamgirls).
Read on for our look at the 2006 Best Picture prospects.
Babel
Based on the biblical allegory—in which man’s vain attempt to build a tower to God compels Him to vengefully create a cacophony of different languages that stymie communication and isolate people from one another—Babel is another dramatic doozy from 21 Grams director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Its three interweaving, interconnecting stories span the globe—from Morocco, where a traveling American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) meet with near-tragedy; to Mexico, where a Hispanic live-in caregiver (Adriana Barraza) is forced to take her young charges across the border with dire consequences; and finally to Japan, where a deaf teenage girl (Koji Yakusho) deals with her own isolation in strange pseudo-sexual ways. Although Babel has gotten mixed critical reviews, Inarritu’s work (he also did Amores Perros) is usually highly regarded, and this sort of intense drama is just the type to sneak in and catch the Academy’s eye.
Blood Diamond
Diamond has a couple of things in its favor: 1) Its an action-packed flick from producer/director Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai, Glory) which concentrates on the cutthroat conflict diamond trade and is set during the 1990s civil unrest in Sierra Leone and 2) it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a South African mercenary, looking for a rare pink diamond, who teams up with a local man (Dijmon Hounsou), searching for his kidnapped son. It’s got political intrigue mixed with a personal story about real-world issues to propel it forward, as well as a hot actor, already gaining buzz for his work in The Departed, attached to it. Plus, Zwick’s got some street cred with his Oscar-winning producing efforts (Shakespeare in Love). All those elements might blend well come nomination time.
Dreamgirls
Although year-end musicals are still prominent, nothing has been able to live up to the 2002 Oscar-winning Chicago. Until now. Word on the street is Dreamgirls—based on the Broadway smash hit about the rise and fall of a 1960s popular singing group á la The Supremes—totally rocks the house, with standout performances by Beyonce Knowles as a Diana Ross-type diva; Jamie Foxx as the girls’ very hands-on manager; Eddie Murphy as a fading R&B singer, and most notably, former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson as the show-stopping Effie, the same role which earned Broadway star Jennifer Holliday a Tony. Let’s face it, with an original Motown sound, splashy musical numbers and compelling, almost intimate story, Dreamgirls could be a—dare I say—frontrunner.
The Departed
Could this finally, FINALLY be Martin Scorsese’s year? I know, I know, we say that every time the seven-time nominee comes out with a movie—but this year, he and/or his film may actually win. Unlike his last two nominated films, Gangs of New York and The Aviator, The Departed marks a sort of a return to Scorsese’s old Goodfellas ways. Based on the popular Chinese film Infernal Affairs, Departed’s combination of mobsters, good cop vs. bad cop and plain old-fashioned violence gives Scorsese fans a warm and toasty feeling, like he’s coming home after trying his hand at either too arty, too insular or too grandiose themes. But the biggest thing Departed has going for it—besides a sell-out cast, including Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and scores of others—is the film has been a big box office success. That’s always a big plus, even if Departed is a gritty bloodbath.
Flags of Our Fathers
And wouldn’t you know it? Martin Scorsese may once again be up against his old nemesis, Clint Eastwood. But on this occasion, the two-time Oscar winner is at a slight disadvantage. His WWII flick–revolving around the now famous photo of the U.S. soldiers hoisting the American flag after the grueling battle against the Japanese on Iwo Jima—hasn’t done as well at the box office. No matter. Flags is still an expert piece of filmmaking, with heart-stopping images of war—and heart-wrenching drama back on the home front to back it up. It’s definitely the kind of movie the Academy likes to reward. But even if Clint doesn’t win anything this year, he may get a second chance when the companion film to Flags, Letters for Iwo Jima—which tells the same story from the Japanese perspective—is released next year.
The Pursuit of Happyness
Just call this one the happy feel-good entry of 2006. Based on a true story, it tells the tale of Christopher Gardner (Will Smith), a struggling salesman trying to care for his young son (played by Smith’s real-life son Jaden Smith) while being forced to live on the streets. That’s heart-breaking enough, but it’s what Gardner does to better himself and his circumstance that will really get you. Incredibly bright, Gardner risks it all to change careers, landing an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, while he and his son endure many hardships in pursuit of his dream of a better life for the two of them. Yep, success stories about overcoming great odds should have the tears—and accolades—flowing. Even the title’s cute.
The Queen
A film about how Queen Elizabeth II handled Princess Diana’s death sounds like a ginormous bore fest, right? But that’s the beauty of The Queen. Fueled by an unbelievable performance from Helen Mirren and expert direction from Stephen Frears, the film focuses on events immediately following Princess Diana’s untimely death and how newly elected Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) had to convince Queen Elizabeth to come out and address the inconsolable masses, despite her determination to grieve in private. Its an incredibly fascinating character study on two of contemporary history’s more influential people, and its deeply personal and humanistic virtues can only be marveled. If the Academy voters can get past the sap of Happyness or the toe-tapping of Dreamgirls, The Queen should stand out as a clear choice.
Other possibilities:
The Prestige and The Illusionist: Who would have thought 19th century magicians would be all the rage? Indeed, this is their year, with two rather stellar entries to consider. The Prestige stars Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as rival magicians trying to one up each other, while The Illusionist, starring Edward Norton and Jessica Biel, tells a rather romantic yet tragic love story about a magician and his muse. Each are quality filmmaking in their own right.
The Good German and The Good Shepherd: No one can get this two films straight. The Good German Shepherd? All we know is they are two period pieces with the word “good” in them. Of course, that will all change once they are released. The Good German is a stylish Casablanca-esque post WWII murder mystery from director Steven Soderbergh, shot in black and white and starring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett. The Good Shepherd is from director Robert De Niro about the early days of the CIA and stars Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. OK, they sound different—and intriguing—enough.
United 93: Although World Trade Center carries a more optimistic viewpoint, United 93 still stands as the better choice if nominations to a 9/11 movie were to be handed out. The tense, documentary-style filmmaking from director Paul Greengrass about the events surrounding that fateful day and the heroism on the doomed flight just sticks with you.
Little Miss Sunshine: Of course, odds are not in this darling little indie’s favor since it was released AGES ago, but we just can’t get that adorable little girl’s face (Abigail Breslin) out of our heads, as she inadvertently brings her dysfunctional family together on a road trip to a beauty contest.
The Painted Veil: Ah, the token beautiful period piece about love and infidelity based on a classic novel. The Academy should always consider at least one of these a year. Although it’s not Jane Austen this time, but rather W. Somerset Maugham, it’s the story, set in the 1920s, of a man and wife (Edward Norton and Naomi Watts) whose troubled marriage brings them to China and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. Oh yeah, Best Costume Design at the very least.
Volver: Pedro Almodovar’s further homage to all mothers, great and small, is most likely a shoo-in for a Best Foreign Language nod, but Volver’s compelling themes and wonderful performances, especially from Penelope Cruz, could snag it a spot on the Big List.
Little Children: From the mind of In the Bedroom’s Todd Field comes another tense character piece similar to Babel, except Children keeps it very close to home, examining the mundane life of a suburban mom (Kate Winslet), who feels trapped and therefore embarks on an affair with an equally bored stay-at-home dad (Patrick Wilson). If In the Bedroom can get nominated, Children certainly stands a good chance.
