The 11th Annual Who'll Be Back?

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OscarGuy
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Post by OscarGuy »

Next thing you know, it will be:

Roman Holiday starring Carey Mulligan
Sabrina starring Carey Mulligan
Funny Face starring Carey Mulligan
The Nun's Story starring Carey Mulligan
How to Steal a Millionaire starring Carey Mulligan

Then, towards the end of her career, it will be:

Always featuring Carey Mulligan

And, to completely piss Damien off:

Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Carey Mulligan
Wesley Lovell
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Post by FilmFan720 »

Playbill.com is reporting that Carey Mulligan is close to signing on to play Eliza Doolittle in the Emma Thompson-penned remake of My Fair Lady. If the film turns out to be strong (and with John Madden behind the helm, you never know), Carey Mulligan could be back sooner than later.

Hugh Grant is also close to signing to play Henry Higgins, so this could also possibly lead to his first career nomination.
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Post by Mister Tee »

There was some talk about the Metalious film, and it's something she could use her clout to get made. But I have a feeling alot of studio folk are going to be, Grace Who? (Even Judith Krantz is a bit past it for many of them) Anyway, doesn't Return to Peyton Place kind of cover the territory the movie would?

And yes, flipp, good to see you back.
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Post by flipp525 »

Thanks, BJ!
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Post by The Original BJ »

Flipp! Welcome back!



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Post by flipp525 »

Wasn’t Bullock supposed to star in (as well as co-produce) a Grace Metalious biopic a couple of years ago? That’s the film for which I had thought she’d finally gain Oscar attention -- playing the real-life author of Peyton Place, her meteoric rise and then early death. This Oscar win for The Blind Side might start the wheels churning on that project again.



Edited By flipp525 on 1268771407
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Post by The Original BJ »

Mister Tee, you're absolutely right about Leo, that he clearly showed real talent at a young age, then dipped a bit and became more of a "star," and recently has been winning back some of that early acclaim. So it's not a totally fair comparison, as Bullock never once given a Gilbert Grape-level performance early in her career.

OscarGuy, you're right, I do hate Bullock's win. But I did say that she could latch herself onto auteurs and prove she has a real talent for drama, so I don't see how that suggests that I'm only trying to make her seem like a one-off because it makes me feel better. Regarding her performance in Infamous, well, I liked her work in that film, and thought it showed potential. But I also don't want to overpraise that performance either -- it certainly didn't cry out "give her an Oscar!" to me.

The reason I said Bullock got lucky was because I don't think she or anyone associated with the film thought they were making an Oscar vehicle with Blind Side; as Mister Tee has said, it was pretty much Bullock's same old shtick, which hasn't gotten her anywhere near an awards podium in the past. That this one clicked, in a year when her not-strong competition included two newbies and two rewarded veterans, has a lot more to do with luck, I think, than tremendous acting talent. But if she does manage to carry a serious drama -- which Blind Side absolutely isn't -- I'm happy to change my tune. She's a very likable person, and, as I've said, she's supposed to be a joy to work with, very humble and genuine, and not remotely a diva. So if this win pushes her in a new direction, I'm happy to root for her success.
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Post by FilmFan720 »

I think your closest trajectory here is going to be Reese Witherspoon. Beloved, charming movie star who has dabbled a little in darker fare but who generally sticks to lighter material. Both of them won for mainstream fare that isn't considered challenging. Since her win, Witherspoon has stuck to more mainstream fare, either thrillers or romantic comedy, and I see Bullock following suit, although both may return to the odd independent film here and there.
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Post by OscarGuy »

"She really got lucky with Blind Side"

Oh how quickly we forget Infamous. It's not exactly unheard of for her to ditch the glam and do something independent. But, I forget, I have to take many of these comments with a grain of salt since most of you hate her win, so anything you can do to make it seem like it will be a one-off thing makes you feel better.

And, I'm not saying you won't be right, I'm just saying we can hypothesize all we want, but Bullock is an unusual case and as such may not follow any of our prescribed trajectories. For all we know, she could do intense drama and lightweight comedy simultaneously.
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Post by Mister Tee »

The Original BJ wrote:Leonardo DiCaprio did it. Maybe Bullock could too.
I'm not sure that's fair to Leo, unless you set a strict demarcation between Leo-the-child and Leo-the-post-Titanic-adult. DiCaprio had shown a strong ability as a young actor -- in This Boy's Life, Gilbert Grape and Marvin's Room, so it's hard to view it as Tatum O'Neal-like fluke. I grant that in Titanic he seemed a pale shadow of that talented kid (partly because he didn't have the experience to flesh out such a poorly drawn character, the way, say, Paul Newman did in many films), and that ever since he's been slowly making his way back up the ladder to where he was by 1996. But he had shown at least those flashes earlier, something I can't say I've seen in Bullock.

What makes me think Bullock will attempt seriousness (while still doing numerous Proposal's, I agree) is her own declaration at the SAGs, that she opted to redirect her career in the mid-90s by choosing such projects. Of course, the fact she she considered Crash just such a project is indicative of her limited-if-not-crappy taste, but she at least appears to WANT to be a serious actress.

My vernal expectations of Emily Blunt are not just from her crowd-pleasing turns in Prada and Victoria, but from the interesting work she's done in My Summer of Love and (to a lesser extent) Sunshine Cleaning. I don't think we've begun to see all she can do.

Interresting take on Molina. In fact, I've been cool on many of his performances over the years, all the way back to his (I thought) misguided Halliwell in Prick Up Your Ears; I also found his Broadway Tevye fatally lacking in punch. But I thought his Diego Rivera was sensational, and couldn't believe it was omitted for Harris, Newman or Reilly, and I found his work this year quite worthy of inclusion. Maybe to many he's just a tired old face, and they're not interested in giving his newer/better work a chance.
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Post by The Original BJ »

FilmFan720 wrote:
The Original BJ wrote:And, of course, I fully expect to see Emily Blunt as a nominee very soon.

You almost wonder what it is going to take to get her a nomination? This year, in a weak category, she couldn't break through despite her film doing much better than expected in the tech categories. In 2006, she had a critically acclaimed supporting role that could have ridden Meryl Streep's coattails in but didn't. I think she needs a bonafide Best Picture nominee and she is in.

I think the reason I see Blunt as very likely is that I don't see her two omissions as being indicative that she's disliked in any way. She was decent in Young Victoria, and way better than Bullock, but it wasn't a really special role or film. And though she was a hoot in Devil Wears Prada, I didn't think she was an outrageous omission -- she just had the misfortune of being edged out of the 6-candidates-into-5-slots by other strong contenders. I think she'll be nominated soon, either based on a great performance, or just sheer momentum. (Whereas with, say, Alfred Molina, you sort of have to wonder if the voters just don't like him, as he's now missed out on two nominations for pretty baity roles in otherwise well-received films against some weak competition.)

And as far as Sandra Bullock goes...I highly doubt she's going to suddenly start making "serious" movies. She really got lucky with Blind Side, given that it was taken seriously as drama by this group, despite being well within her preferred lightweight crowd-pleaser genre. Personally, I think she'll return to making Miss Congenialitys and All About Steves, and everyone will suddenly act as if "these aren't the kind of movies an Oscar winner should be doing!" and then realize how much of a mistake it was to vote for her in the first place.

Or, to be fair, she could start latching herself on to auteurs and prove that she's more than just a lightweight, and has real talent for drama. Leonardo DiCaprio did it. Maybe Bullock could too.




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Post by Okri »

Interesting to see people mention Emily Blunt. I wouldn't be surprised one way or the other, but she's not someone I'm expecting a nomination from in the near future. Abbie Cornish? Yes, even though she didn't come close this year.
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Post by Hustler »

I´m not comparing her. I´m just saying Bullock chances are weak. Beyond Julia´s decision the true thing is that she never came back so far.
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Post by OscarGuy »

After Erin, Julia took the "I'm not doing anything serious" path and then took time off to have children. Until we see what Bullock's plans are, you can't compare her to Julia.
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Post by Hustler »

Anna Kendrick will be nominated again in the coming two or three years. (She´s going to repeat Amy Adams´example)
As for Streep, she´s not likely to appear next year. August is still on development.
María Bello was not mentioned here. I bet she will be recognised.
As for Bullock my impression is she´s done with it. Remember Julia Roberts after Erin.
Clooney and Damon are easy choices to be back.
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