[IMG:L]Let’s face it: There are generally just a few months out of the year when Oscar-caliber films are released, and Academy members look almost exclusively at those months. But a half-year of some quality movies have been released since the last Academy Awards ceremony–and even though they may not be much of a factor come February 2009, we take a look back and wonder: What if the Oscars were handed out today…?
BEST PICTURE
The nominees are:
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Visitor
Wall-E
And the hypothetical Oscar goes to: The Dark Knight
As slow as the year started out, this summer produced some high-quality films–the delightful Wall-E, Woody Allen’s return to comedy, Spanish-style, with Vicky Cristina— and of course, the usually overlooked comic-book movies. But The Dark Knight truly stands out as a stellar combination of great performances, dramatic themes, deep thoughts–and pulse-pounding action. Look, if Gladiator could win Best Picture, Dark Knight has just as much of a chance. OK, maybe not, but we like to dream.
Photo(s) by Warner Bros.- © 2008- All Rights Reserved
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BEST ACTOR
The nominees are:
Christian Bale, The Dark Knight
Don Cheadle, Traitor
Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Ben Kingsley, Elegy
And the hypothetical Oscar goes to: Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Bale and Downey Jr. deserve their accolades for turning superheroes into real men, while Cheadle and Kingsley continue to dazzle with their unbelievable talent. But it’s veteran character actor Jenkins, probably best known as the deceased dad from HBO’s Six Feet Under, who should get the award. In his first real starring role, Jenkins turns in a tour de force performance as a rigid professor, who changes in unexpected ways when he returns from a trip to find a couple living in his New York apartment. It’s always great to see a hard-working actor finally get his due.
Photo(s) by Overture Films- © 2008- All Rights Reserved
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BEST ACTRESS
The nominees are:
Helen Hunt, Then She Found Me
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Julianne Moore, Savage Grace
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia
And the hypothetical Oscar goes to: Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City
Moore and Leo are the indie darlings who could surprisingly have legs through the rest of the year with their performances, especially veteran actress Leo, playing a single mom in Frozen River. Hunt, who has been absent from movies for awhile, returns with a subtle performance as a put-upon women, while Streep deserves recognition for singing her heart out in Mamma Mia. But we love Parker for bringing SATC’s Carrie Bradshaw back, flawed and beautiful as ever. We’ll hand her the Oscar.
Photo(s) by New Line Cinema- © 2008- All Rights Reserved
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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
The nominees are:
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Aaron Eckhart, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Danny McBride, Pineapple Express
And the hypothetical Oscar goes to: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
As you can see, we liked us some comedies this summer (as did the rest of the world), made excruciatingly funnier by the supporting performances of Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and McBride–but they can never win. Then there’s Eckhart’s multi-layered performance as Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight , but honestly, he can’t outshine the late Heath Ledger as the Joker–one of the more compelling villains to come around in a long time.
Photo(s) by Warner Bros.- © 2008- All Rights Reserved
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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
The nominees are:
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Mila Kunis, Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Amy Poehler, Baby Mama
Emma Thompson, Brideshead Revisited
Marisa Tomei, War, Inc.
And the hypothetical Oscar goes to: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
While Thompson’s matron and Tomei’s journalist handle the more dramatic side of things, Kunis’ quirkiness and Poehler’s white-trash goodness carries the comedy. But Cruz truly shines and takes Woody Allen’s blend of dramedy to a whole new level–fiery, seductive and oh-so-Latin. She may still make the cut in the months to come.
Photo(s) by The Weinstein Company- © 2008- All Rights Reserved
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BEST DIRECTOR
The nominees are:
Timur Bekmambetov, Wanted
Jon Favreau, Iron Man
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton, Wall-E
Ben Stiller, Tropic Thunder
And the hypothetical Oscar goes to: Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
So rarely do the directors, who make those amazingly visual actioners, make it to the Academy’s list, so here’s our salute to them. Bekmambetov, Favreau and Stanton all deserve recognition for their vision (as does Guillermo Del Toro for Hellboy II, but we can’t list everyone). Even Stiller goes above and beyond his usual fare. Yet, Nolan surpasses them all with both vision and story. Don’t be surprised to see him make it all the way, as well.
Some other picks:
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Wall-E: Natch
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Man on Wire: Watching this guy walk on a tightrope between New York’s former World Trade Center is chilling enough.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Under the Same Moon: This mostly Mexican film might not be considered since there is English spoken, but it’s still a heart-warmer from start to finish
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Guillermo Del Toro and Mike Mignola, Hellboy II: The Golden Army: We didn’t put him on the director’s list, but we’ll recognize him here.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and Jim Reardon, Wall-E: One of these days Pixar is going to win this category; they just HAVE to.
