MSN - It's Never Too Early for Oscar

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Post by Penelope »

It's not the movies, it's--and this is how it appears to me--how he seems to be whoring himself out for Oscar gain.

Of course, I'm just bitter because he contributed to The Agent of Satan unnecessarily stealing the Oscar that belonged to The Great And Glorious Goddess Known To Mere Mortals As Kate Winslet. If he does it again this year--helping Angelina Jolie steal another Oscar--my wrath will know no bounds.




Edited By Penelope on 1219448988
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Post by Sabin »

I have to agree with OG regarding Clint: it's nothing more than Oscar-whoring of the nth degree, and it's partly why I've really soured on him in recent years.

Do you honestly think Clint Eastwood stays up late at night praying he wins a fifth and sixth Oscar? I think he just picks projects that appeal to him, which is to say also to the relatively conservative Oscar-voting base and his people smartly position him. He's not making these movies to win Oscars. He's doing it because that's what he does: he's a compulsive storyteller, isn't he? Look at his career. Acting leads to Directing. How much longer does he have left?

After the release of 'Blood Work', he publicly sued Warner Bros. for mishandling his film and I believe he changed representation too because he wasn't getting the material he wanted. Now he is and he's getting nominated. I can't really begrudge the guy. That being said, I still don't honestly believe that he only took an acting position in 'Million Dollar Baby' to get it made as he said.
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Post by Big Magilla »

Reza wrote:
flipp525 wrote:
Big Magilla wrote:Peter O'Toole in a highly buzzed about performance could get him his ninth nomination and long overdue win if the film finds a buyer and is released in time for this year's awards.

Aww…it doesn’t feel like Oscar pre-buzz season yet without the annual “Peter O’Toole project and finally overdue Oscar” sound byte. Does it ever occur to anyone that maybe it’s just not going to happen and we should all, I don’t know, move on? This desperate need for him to be awarded year after year is so tired and old.

The need for O'Toole to win may be tired and old but his win will make one hell of an Oscar moment. Lord knows the annual show needs such moments desperately. His speech would be a highlight for sure!
But, alas, he probably wouldn't show up like Paul Newman didn't bother to go when he finally won on his 8th nomination.

The nomination, if it comes, would probably be in support pitting the old guy against the guy who died too young. The staid Academy not wanting to choose between the two would probably give the award instead to someone whose name we'll forget in two years.
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Post by Penelope »

I have to agree with OG regarding Clint: it's nothing more than Oscar-whoring of the nth degree, and it's partly why I've really soured on him in recent years.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston

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Post by Cinemanolis »

flipp525 wrote:Also, as much controversy as Mamma Mia! has stirred up on this board, I think her rendition of "The Winner Takes it All" is one of the best cinematic moments of the year thus far.
I agree 100%. I thought her 'The Winner Takes It All' scene was superb, and one of the few scenes that have stayed with me from this years' movies.
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Post by Reza »

flipp525 wrote:
Big Magilla wrote:Peter O'Toole in a highly buzzed about performance could get him his ninth nomination and long overdue win if the film finds a buyer and is released in time for this year's awards.

Aww…it doesn’t feel like Oscar pre-buzz season yet without the annual “Peter O’Toole project and finally overdue Oscar” sound byte. Does it ever occur to anyone that maybe it’s just not going to happen and we should all, I don’t know, move on? This desperate need for him to be awarded year after year is so tired and old.
The need for O'Toole to win may be tired and old but his win will make one hell of an Oscar moment. Lord knows the annual show needs such moments desperately. His speech would be a highlight for sure!
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Post by flipp525 »

Big Magilla wrote:Peter O'Toole in a highly buzzed about performance could get him his ninth nomination and long overdue win if the film finds a buyer and is released in time for this year's awards.
Aww…it doesn’t feel like Oscar pre-buzz season yet without the annual “Peter O’Toole project and finally overdue Oscar” sound byte. Does it ever occur to anyone that maybe it’s just not going to happen and we should all, I don’t know, move on? This desperate need for him to be awarded year after year is so tired and old.
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Post by Big Magilla »

I don't know, the article is fairly middlebrow but then so is the Academy so it might be right on the money.

Let's not begrudge Clint rushing Gran Torino into theatres for Oscar consideration. The guy is old, he may not live long enough to wait around until 2010 to find out if he gets another best actor nomination.

As for Streep in Doubt, I thought it was odd when Jeffrey Wells placed her in support way back in his Oscar balloon but I shrugged it off as another Wells blooper. On the other hand, maybe they know something we don't. Maybe the structure of the film is different than that of the play and Streep's screen time is limited. It's a stretch but it's possible.

There's a little New Zeland film called Dean Spanley that will be shown at the Toronto Film Festival that hasn't been on anyone's radar. It stars Jeremy Northam. Sam Neill, Bryan Brown and Peter O'Toole in a highly buzzed about performance could get him his ninth nomination and long overdue win if the film finds a buyer and is released in time for this year's awards.




Edited By Big Magilla on 1219420744
flipp525
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Post by flipp525 »

OscarGuy wrote:So, he really cares about making good films and not winning Oscars? Then why does he keep moving non-holiday themed films to the end of the year? Why doesn't he release in the earlier parts of the year or the middle of the year? Come on, you don't think we're all naive enough to believe he's just doing it to make good movies. It's all about promoting.

Um, no. I think he's actually just all about making good films. He's not some awards show whore, desperately fiending for Oscar recognition. And when is he supposed to release his films, in the dead of summer?

For awhile there, Woody Allen released about a movie a year (sometimes two), often at year end and could give two shits about the Oscars.




Edited By flipp525 on 1219420081
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Post by OscarGuy »

Why not release a film a year? I mean, it's not like he's putting out two each year.

So, he really cares about making good films and not winning Oscars? Then why does he keep moving non-holiday themed films to the end of the year? Why doesn't he release in the earlier parts of the year or the middle of the year? Come on, you don't think we're all naive enough to believe he's just doing it to make good movies. It's all about promoting.
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Post by FilmFan720 »

OscarGuy wrote:And why does Clint Eastwood keep shooting himself in the foot? He has two movies...and one he could push to next year...he may be a good director, but he's starting to grate on my nerves like Spielberg does with his two-films-a-year-Oscar-ballot-stuffing attempts.
I know, who does this guy think he is. I mean, as a filmmaker, can he stop making films?

Did you ever think that maybe he isn't ballot stuffing, and actually just making films and hurrying them out to the theatres. He probably only has so many years left in him, maybe he just wants to get them out. I don't think he really cares about Oscars anymore, he just wants to make good films.
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Post by flipp525 »

And who is Streep "supporting" in Doubt? Isn't that clearly a lead role?

Also, as much controversy as Mamma Mia! has stirred up on this board, I think her rendition of "The Winner Takes It All" is one of the best cinematic moments of the year thus far.




Edited By flipp525 on 1219422331
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

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Post by Zahveed »

It's strange. I went back to find an author, but there wasn't one.
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Post by OscarGuy »

Who even wrote this thing? I find some of the statements rather questionable and a quite bit snarky. Sounds like a gossip column, not an Oscar article. Though, some statements are pretty fair and I'd agree with them.

And why does Clint Eastwood keep shooting himself in the foot? He has two movies...and one he could push to next year...he may be a good director, but he's starting to grate on my nerves like Spielberg does with his two-films-a-year-Oscar-ballot-stuffing attempts.
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Post by Zahveed »

It’s Never Too Early for Oscar


Midseason Oscar predictions you can bank on; a posthumous statue for Heath?; 'Madagascar' returns to Africa and theaters; Ben Affleck tries to make us laugh again


Yes, it's that time of year again. The big show may be just under six months away, but, for the fourth year in a row, the Hitlist is going out on a limb in the dregs of August and making some Oscar predictions you can take to the bank. Last year your faithful Oscar prognosticator correctly predicted Cate Blanchett's nomination for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (cough, undeserved, cough), that critics would pounce on "Charlie Wilson's War" (they did), "Atonement" would receive a Best Picture nomination (barely), and "Ratatouille" was a lock to win Best Animated Picture (OK, that was an easy one). As for this year's campaign? Well, don't say I didn't warn you.

Does "The Dark Knight" have a magic number to get nominated for Best Picture? Yes: $500 million. Money talks in Hollywood, and don't discount that an incredible box office tally (only "Titanic" has made more) and critical acclaim will be rewarded with a nomination by the Academy. Bat suit or not.

Is Meryl still Meryl? For the second year in a row, yes. Her work in "Mamma Mia!" is guaranteed to land her a Golden Globe nom for Best Actress in a musical or comedy, but won't get much love from the Academy. But it's her supporting role in the "oh, so very serious" drama "Doubt" that should provide her an amazing 15th nomination. Yep, it's good to be the Streep.

Is Clint Eastwood back in the game? Sigh, yes. Not only does he have the period melodrama mystery "Changeling," which received good notices at this year's Cannes Film Festival and debuts in October, but he's finishing up "Gran Torino," in which he also stars, for December. Considering he has posted two end-of-the-year surprises in the past three years with "Million Dollar Baby" and "Letters From Iwo Jima," no one should doubt his Oscar intentions this time around.

What's the biggest wild card in this year's race? No, it's not Oliver Stone's "W" (please), it's "Australia," hands down. Director Baz Luhrmann hasn't made a movie since 2001's "Moulin Rouge," which scored eight noms and won two statues, but he's returning in grand style with a "Gone With the Wind"-like epic chronicling a major chapter of his native country's history. It's never smart to discount Luhrmann, but at a rumored three hours running time, is this a film that will move Academy members or bore them?

Is this Kate Winslet's year? Yes. After five (!) Oscar nominations, Winslet should finally snag a Best Actress trophy for what's been described as a heartbreaking performance in "Revolutionary Road." And it's about time, too.

Is David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" the front-runner for Best Picture? Yes. You'd never know it from the trailer, but the epic tale of a man (Brad Pitt) who ages backward through his life is already being called "the one" by those who have seen it. Of course, that doesn't mean it will actually win ...

Who has a better shot at getting a nomination: Will Smith for "Seven Pounds" or Angelina Jolie for "Changeling"? Smith. While Jolie has failed to get a nomination since winning for "Girl, Interrupted" almost 10 years ago, Smith has been steadily gaining industry respect with noms for "Ali" and "The Pursuit of Happyness." This year's entry, "Seven Pounds," appears to be prime Oscar bait for Hollywood's biggest star. Jolie, on the other hand, couldn't beat out unspectacular performances by Cate Blanchett and Laura Linney last year to land a nom for her own heart-wrenching work in "A Mighty Heart." Even with Academy favorite Clint Eastwood to help pull the strings on "Changeling," she's got her work cut out for her.

Could two adaptations of Tony Award-winning plays get nominated for Best Picture? It's possible, but unlikely. Both "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon" received theatrical acclaim on the Great White Way, but it's hard to imagine both making it into Oscar's final five. On the other hand, all the actors in both films are key players in the individual award races.

Will Heath Ledger win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar? No. The late star of "The Dark Knight," who turned the summer upside down with his charismatic portrayal of the Joker, will get nominated, that's a lock, but not win. There are too many other candidates in high-profile films coming out closer to the nomination process. It's hard for a performance from the fall or summer to compete with something more recent and fresh. Marion Cotillard ("La Vie En Rose"), Jodie Foster ("The Silence of the Lambs") and Julia Roberts ("Erin Brockovich") are three of the very rare exceptions.

Could any movie upset "WALL-E" in the Best Animated Picture race? Yes. It's not on the release schedule for this year, but if Focus Features moves Henry Selick's stop-motion fairy tale "Coraline" into Oscar consideration, it could give the Pixar juggernaut a good race.

Is Tom Cruise's "Valkyrie" back in the Oscar race? No. The "Cruise as a Nazi trying to kill Hitler movie" (spoiler: he fails!) is trying to combat bad media buzz by moving into a Dec. 26 release date. It's not about Oscar, but a savvy PR move to make the press think, "Oh, it must be good if they moved back into this year." Seriously, do we look that gullible? (But then again, maybe we're wrong. Maybe it really is good ...)

Is "Milk" this year's "Brokeback Mountain"? Probably not. Gus Van Sant's biopic of San Francisco's first openly gay city official, Harvey Milk (played by Sean Penn), boasts an all-star cast, but the only performance anyone is buzzing about is James Franco's turn as Milk's boyfriend. That doesn't mean the movie isn't good, but it won't be anywhere near the cultural phenomenon "Brokeback" was (nor was it ever intended to be), and that probably means much less Oscar love.
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