December Predictions

[rolotomasi99]

i just saw THE GOOD GERMAN. it was excellent. i loved how much it looked and felt like a film from the 40's, reminded me of what FAR FROM HEAVEN was able to accomplish. the story was thrilling and interesting. i highly recommend it for true cinephiles.
as for oscar nominations, i would say cinematography and score are assured. the black-and-white photography was gorgeous, and the music was quite beautiful. set and costume are possibilities but not guaranteed. cate blanchett was amazing as usual. if they were not running her in the lead category i would say she definitely would be nominated. none of the other actors from the film are possibilities. director and picture are definitely not going to happen, but screenplay is still possible since the adapted category has such slim pickings.

[Sabin]

A-HA-HA-HAAAA!

Friday estimates for 'Rocky Balboa'? $5mil. Not bad, not bad at all.

'Night at the Museum' stands at $12 mil...

And in its second weekend, 'The Pursuit of Happyness' at $5.5 mil...

Sly couldn't punch out a homeless Will Smith in its second weekend of sleeping in that bathroom stall.

EAT IT, YA FOOKIN' QUEEN!



Edited By Sabin on 1166906428

[criddic3]

I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier, but Rocky is coming out on the same holiday weekend as Dreamgirls is.

Is anyone having the same evil thought I am? What if Rocky end up beating Dreamgirls at the box office?

EDIT: Alright, they're not quite opening at the same time. Don't post before you think, Sonic.

It is entirely possible, as its opening day was seen as a solid success this past Wednesday. With reviews mainly positive, Rocky could be number one or two this weekend.

[Damien]

Damien, as you would know better than the rest of us, is there any truth to this? It could be mindless gossip, but I've seen it on several sites now:

It's all news to me.

[mashari]

Damien, as you would know better than the rest of us, is there any truth to this? It could be mindless gossip, but I've seen it on several sites now:


"The supposed rift between Beyoncé Knowles and her Dreamgirls costar, Jennifer Hudson, may have been greatly exaggerated.

Rumors have been swirling that Beyoncé is miffed because Hudson is the movie's obvious breakout star for her role as powerhouse vocalist Effie White. But sources told me today that Beyoncé has always known Effie was a showier role than Beyoncé's own soft-spoken Deena Jones. "Beyoncé is a confident girl," a pal tells me. "She doesn't get jealous of people."

So, where did these rumors get started? It sounds like Beyoncé's father, Matthew Knowles, may be to blame.

I'm told things soured between the Knowles family and Ms. Hudson because Daddy Knowles tried unsuccessfully to woo the former American Idol contestant as a client to his Houston-based Music World Entertainment management company.

"He tried to sign her halfway through production of Dreamgirls because he wanted to be her manager," my source says, "but Jennifer turned him down. That's when things really went south."

Although Hudson already had management during this time, a source tells me Matthew has recently told some people he's actually been managing her "for a while now."

"He walks around saying he's her manager, and everyone is like, 'No, you're not,' " a source says.

In other words, it doesn't look like Beyoncé has a problem with Hudson getting so much of the Dreamgirls attention. It looks like it's Daddy's bruised ego that's causing the ruckus.

I'm told that Daddy was so insulted by her refusal to sign with him that he demanded the movie be re-edited to lessen Hudson's screen time and boost Beyoncé's. He argued that his daughter was being shortchanged but was rebuffed by the studio and the filmmakers. In one meeting with director Bill Condon, I'm told, Beyoncé's mom, Tina, went into a "tirade" about how he ruined the movie for her daughter. "It was supposed to be her Oscar role," Tina hissed, according to a source.

Matthew and Tina Knowles did not return calls by deadline."

[Damien]

Dreamgirls is only opening on some 800 screens, so it probably won't be in first place.

Bit of trivia: Chicago made over $170 million but it never had a week at number one.

[Sonic Youth]

I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier, but Rocky is coming out on the same holiday weekend as Dreamgirls is.

Is anyone having the same evil thought I am? What if Rocky end up beating Dreamgirls at the box office?

EDIT: Alright, they're not quite opening at the same time. Don't post before you think, Sonic.

[criddic3]

At the time though, consensus was that DiCaprio was better in Catch Me If You Can, but Gangs of NY was getting the bigger push for Oscar nods.

[rolotomasi99]

as for leo dicaprio, i am not sure why people keep thinking he is going to split his vote. anthony hopkins had the same situation in 1993 with two powerful performances in REMAINS OF THE DAY and SHADOWLANDS. everyone was worried about him splitting his vote, but in the end they nominated him for the film that they also chose as a best picture nominee. that is what i think helps leo's situation.

Remember, Leonardo found himself without a nomination the last time he had 2 high profile films in contention--Catch Me If You Can & Gangs of NY in 2002. It could very well happen again.

i do not think that resulted from a split vote. i just think CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was too frothy and light in a very solid year for lead actors, and GANGS OF NEW YORK was all day-lewis.

oh, the golden satellites apparently nominated leo for BLOOD DIAMOND and not THE DEPARTED. i still say the academy is going for him in THE DEPARTED.

[Damien]

Sylvia Syms is only 72? ? ? ?

[VanHelsing]

Let's all pray together now.

Btw, these supporting actresses have their own individual pages at Variety:
Juliette Binoche, 'Breaking and Entering'
Cate Blanchett, 'Notes on a Scandal'
Vera Farmiga, 'The Departed'
Jennifer Hudson, 'Dreamgirls'
Rinku Kikuchi, 'Babel'
Diane Lane, 'Hollywoodland'
Phyllis Somerville, 'Little Children'
Sharon Stone, 'Bobby'
Emma Thompson, 'Stranger Than Fiction'

I guess Blunt, Bullock & Syms have to go through all these actresses before they could get nominated. Binoche is actually being pushed for leading so I don't know why she's on the list. And is it Rinko or Rinku? I think Breslin & O'Hara haven't had their pages up yet.

[Penelope]

I haven't seen the Byrne or Epps films, but if Blunt, Bullock and/or Syms made it in, I'd be very, very happy.

[VanHelsing]

Penelope should get excited!

----------

Supporting actress dark horses
By STUART LEVINE (Variety)

Emily Blunt
Pic: "The Devil Wears Prada"
Why: Buying coffee, answering phone calls and dashing around the city running errands for Meryl Streep were only part of what made Emily Blunt part of "Prada's" success story. Mostly, it was her Brit tough love for Anne Hathaway that got audiences jazzed. Directors have noticed, too, as the half-dozen or so projects she has ahead of her indicate.

Sandra Bullock
Pic: "Infamous"
Why: Bullock was in the very unenviable spot of playing the same character a year after the actress who played her previously was Oscar nominated. Reviews for "Infamous" were generally good, as were they for Bullock, but asking voters to nominate an actress playing a different version of a familiar character is tough sledding. Regardless, it's nice to see Bullock play characters that have more gravitas than "Miss Congeniality."

Rose Byrne
Pic: "The Dead Girl"
Why: As the grieving sister who can't find her way until her sibling's death is resolved, Byrne has a nice segment in Karen Moncrieff's "Rashomon"-told tale of suffering and loss. The talented 27-year-old Australian thesp is opening all the right doors, and it only seems a matter of time until she moves from supporting to topline roles.

Shareeka Epps
Pic: "Half Nelson"
Why: As the four boys in HBO's phenomenal series "The Wire" have proved, playing inner-city schoolkids are a great way to showcase the talents of the younger generation these days -- and Epps is more than up to the challenge. Ryan Gosling and she connect in ways that go beyond the three R's, and with the film doing well at the Indie Spirits, this one's a possibility.

Sylvia Syms
Pic: "The Queen"
Why: Syms' turn at the Queen Mum was impressive and regal enough to even make Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth wobbly in the knees. Syms' character touts the corporate, er, monarchy line when Diana's death turns into a bit of a national circus and though she wasn't in all that many scenes, the 72-year-old thesp does matriarchal majesty well.

[rain Bard]

Is a prarie home compainion adapted or original...ive seen it on both lists.

Gotta be adapted. unless the Academy's changed its rules lately. Half the characters (Guy Noir, Dusty & Lefty, etc.) are based on characters from the radio show.

[dylanfan23]

Is a prarie home compainion adapted or original...ive seen it on both lists.