You can mock the annual Oscar ceremony, ridicule the campaigns led by studios and actors alike to win a golden statuette and rail that the voters neglect great popcorn fare like “The Dark Knight.”
WWTW does it all time.
The Oscars still matter, and the month of December is the time when studios sneak in some of the year’s best films For Your Consideration.
Some of the season’s biggest guns are set to fire, and these are the films mostly likely to make the most noise come March 7 – Oscar night.
- “Black Swan” – Natalie Portman plays a ballet dancer grappling with inner demons and the gig of a lifetime. She’s a lock for an Oscar nomination and likely the early favorite to take home the prize. Dec. 3 (limited)
- “The King’s Speech” – Colin Firth didn’t win an Oscar for his celebrated turn in last year’s “A Single Man.” This may right that wrong. Dec. 10 (limited)
- “How Do You Know” – Nicholson. Witherspoon. Rudd. Wilson (Owen, that is). And, best of all, James L. Brooks (“Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News”). If it’s a fraction as good as the names suggest, it’s major Oscar fodder. Dec. 17.
- “The Fighter” – Director David O.Russell may be a famous hothead on the set, but combining him with the equally combustible Christian Bale is said to have sparked a sure fire Oscar nod for the erstwhile Batman. Dec. 17 (limited)
- “True Grit” Almost everything the Coen brothers touch is magic – with the exception of “Ladykillers.” Their take on the John Wayne classic is the most anticipated film of the winter – aside from that movie about the video game gone wild. Dec. 22 (limited)
- December sleepers – Don’t be surprised if the following films crash the Oscar party – “Made in Dagenham,” “Somewhere,” “The Company Men” and “Night Catches Us.”
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, some films seem to go out of their way to be Oscar contenders, to the point where it’s a major turnoff. I would have to say that most of the films listed here were ones that I wanted to see, as I thought they looked interesting. It’s somewhat refreshing.
My opinion may change after seeing some of them, but for now it’s refreshing to see films that may actually be entertaining, up for Oscar nominations.
To me, “Never Let Me Go” fell into that category. It felt so Oscar ready that it didn’t bother to tell a compelling story.