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I’m SO ‘off the carpet’ this week

Posted by · 9:48 am · November 3rd, 2008

After the online drama of the last couple of weeks, it’s been nice to settle in and get to the actual movies for a change.  The media at large has gotten a look at “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk” and “Doubt,” while features and long lead writers have had their peeks at “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Revolutionary Road.”  A elect few have seen “Defiance.”  The only outstanding variables of the season remain “Australia” (tick-tock) and “The Reader” (with a grand trailer debut late last week).

We’re getting there.

An array of interviews and AFI Fest commitments have kept me from really digging into a column this week, but I have adjusted the charts for the time being.  There’s still a lot of guessing going on, even if a number of categories are coming into focus.  But tomorrow’s results really could have an effect on this thing.  We’ll see how it plays out…

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→ 16 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , | Filed in: Off the Carpet

16 responses so far

  • 1 11-03-2008 at 10:50 am

    Ivan said...

    PICTURE
    The Dark Knight
    Milk
    The Reader
    Revolutionary Road
    Slumdog Millionaire

    DIRECTOR
    Danny Boyle/Slumdog Millionaire
    Stephen Daldry/The Reader
    Baz Luhrman/Australia
    Christopher Nolan/The Dark Knight
    Gus Van Sant/Milk

    ACTOR
    Leonardo DiCaprio/Revolutionary Road
    Richard Jenkins/The Visitor
    Frank Langella/Frost-Nixon
    Sean Penn/Milk
    Mickey Rourke/The Wrestler

    ACTRESS
    Anne Hathaway/Rachel Getting Married
    Sally Hawkins/Happy-Go-Lucky
    Melissa Leo/Frozen River
    Kristin Scott Thomas/I´ve Loved You So Long
    Meryl Streep/Doubt

    SUPP ACTOR
    Josh Brolin/Milk
    Philip Seymour Hoffman/Doubt
    Heath Ledger/The Dark Knight
    Eddie Marsan/Happy-Go-Lucky
    Dev Patel/Slumdog Millionaire

    SUPP ACTRESS
    Penelope Cruz/Vicky Christina Barcelona
    Viola Davis/Doubt
    Rosemarie DeWitt/Rachel Getting Married
    Marisa Tomei/The Wrestler
    Kate Winslet/The Reader

    ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
    Milk
    Rachel Getting Married
    Vicky Christina Barcelona
    The Visitor
    The Wrestler

    ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
    The Curious Case of BenjaminButton
    Doubt
    The Reader
    Revolutionary Road
    Slumdog Millionaire

    CINEMATOGRAPHY
    Australia
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Dark Knight
    The Reader
    Revolutionary Road

    FILM EDITING
    Australia
    The Dark Knight
    Milk
    The Reader
    Slumdog Millionaire

  • 2 11-03-2008 at 1:40 pm

    michael mckay said...

    Kris, does Gran Torino have any shot at a Best Picture nomination??

    Outside of your top five right now (Slumdog, Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon, and Rev Road) which films would round out your next five (in no particular order)??

  • 3 11-03-2008 at 2:09 pm

    Casey said...

    i feel like frost/nixon is losing ground, certainly ron howard because ive read several notices, including Guy’s, that said howard just wasnt the guy for this tale. i also think were underestimating brad pitt again. i really got the feeling that hes gonna get a nomination, or if ben button hits real big, an oscar this year

  • 4 11-03-2008 at 2:29 pm

    Seany P said...

    What happened to James Franco???? I was hoping this year’s attention was going to be a breakthrough for him.

  • 5 11-03-2008 at 3:58 pm

    Kristopher Tapley said...

    Seany: To my mind, Brolin is much more of a stand-out in the film than Franco (who, to be fair, is quite good — he’s just not called upon to stand out like Brolin is).

  • 6 11-03-2008 at 4:13 pm

    JAB said...

    i really dont understand dev patel as supporting, isn’t he the main character?

  • 7 11-03-2008 at 4:32 pm

    Kristopher Tapley said...

    Smarter move really. If people like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio are looking iffy in the lead race, Patel would have no shot in the slightest. This gives him a chance to find recognition.

  • 8 11-03-2008 at 4:37 pm

    Guy Lodge said...

    Plus, Patel’s role is played by younger actors for a significant portion of the film — I don’t think a supporting classification would be unjustified.

  • 9 11-03-2008 at 4:50 pm

    Kristopher Tapley said...

    Agreed.

  • 10 11-03-2008 at 5:31 pm

    Seany P said...

    Kris, It does seem like Brolin stands out more (from the trailer at least.) I’m just bummed becuase I used to hate James Franco and this year he just really impressed me, starting with his work in Pineapple Express. Yeah, that’s right Pineapple Express. I felt that he portrayed the innocence of his character very well to make a stoner idiot seem rather charming. He also played off of comedic heavy hitter Seth Rogen giving the two of them unparalleled chemistry in an average movie. I think he deserves a nomination for Pineapple Express. Will it be given? Absolutely not. No way in Hell. Should it be given? Yes.

  • 11 11-03-2008 at 5:36 pm

    Kristopher Tapley said...

    I’m with you, Seany. Believe me. His day will definitely come, though.

  • 12 11-03-2008 at 7:51 pm

    Matthew said...

    Why isn’t Wall-E on the top ten of original screenplay?

  • 13 11-03-2008 at 7:53 pm

    Kristopher Tapley said...

    What screenplay?

  • 14 11-03-2008 at 9:40 pm

    JAB said...

    also, no Synecdoche in original screenplay? I feel like Kaufman’s reputation alone garners some consideration for it, unless it was complete garbage, which isn’t what I’ve heard.

  • 15 11-04-2008 at 12:16 am

    McGuff said...

    Just saw “The Visitor” tonight, and I was really taken aback — not often do we get heart-warming and heart-breaking in a single flick. This takes the musical ideas of “Once” and runs with it, adding a humanity and scope that John Carney’s film lacked (IMO). As much as I love the film, I don’t think Jenkins should deserve a spot in there — there’s not a performance ahead of him on Kris’ list that I thought was better.

    However, for the sake of this movie being recognized, I will pull heavily for McCarthy in the Original Screenplay category. Personally, I think the script is far better than Woody Allen’s, and I wonder if it has the legs to be given winning consideration in a few months.

    I’ll be backing Hiam Abbas through the season as well, but don’t look now, we might just have a deeper-than-usual Best Supporting Actress race. There seems to be a growing consensus in Cruz, Tomei and DeWitt, and The Reader trailer has Kate Winslet looking closer to a lock. A tough road to hoe for Abbas, then, fighting amongst the Benjamin Button and Doubt girls.

    In conclusion, rent The Visitor. I’m down 32 movies in 2008, and I have it ranked fourth (behind WALL-E, TDK and Tropic Thunder). No small praise, I promise.

  • 16 11-04-2008 at 9:40 am

    Jamie said...

    Thrilled with the Fiennes jump in the supporting actor category. Nat at The Film Experience raised an interesting point though: is it too ridiculous, even for Oscar, for film’s two name actors to be campaigned in the supporting positions? In my opinion, both Fiennes and Winslet are justified in their placement, but it does seem suspicious if there are no recognizable lead actors…