• Kim Voynar responds to the foreign shortlist. [Movie City News]
• Pete Hammond wonders if “The Dark Knight” in dicey waters with the “Reader” surge coming on strong. [Notes on a Season]
• Tom O’Neil thinks keeping the Oscar presenters a secret until the big night is a mistake. Eh, I dig it. [Gold Derby]
• Paula Schwartz catches up with Clint Eastwood at the National Board of Review awards. [The Carpetbagger]
• Nirpal Dahliwal on why “Slumdog Millionaire” could have only been made by a westerner. [The Guardian]
• The Press Association gets some Obama inauguration comments from Will Smith at the “Seven Pounds” red carpet across the pond. [The Independent]
• The only nomination “The Dark Knight” will share with “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” all year long: the Publicist Awards. [Variety]
Comments
3 responses to “1/15 Oscarweb Round-up”
I like not knowing the presenters too, because I’ll watch anyway. But I don’t think it’s a good move. Mystery isn’t the way to go unless your audiences are built in.
Meanwhile, what to say about Pete Hammond? There are so many reminders, every year, of what a LONG season this is, and how BORED writers get, thereby feeling the need to pose stupid scenarios and ask ‘What if?†Come ON! BAFTAs ain’t shit. The top 5 have locked up PGA/DGA/Eddies – and as for ‘TDK’ getting knocked out for ‘The Reader’, it also has WGA, will get a slew of techs, and I maintain that if it’s nominated, it has a chance to win it. ‘The Reader has NOT ONE of these things going for it – not even WGA, for Christ’s sake. Give Kate the Oscar – that’s its prize.
If they were to go with a film that has done well with critics and audences like Gran Torino or Wall-E I don’t think a Dark Knight snub would be that bad. But Reader has mixed reviews and as been flopping even in limited release from the start, I think it might send the wrong message that the academy is out of touch with both critics and audiences if it got in.
I’m just not buying the whole Dark Knight’s in jeopardy thing. When things get too pat it’s very common for reporters to dig up every possible scenerio to keep people thinking there is suspense. I think the Big Five are still likely to be nominated, but if any film is in danger I would say it’s Frost/Nixon which doesn’t seem to have much buzz anymore where Dark Knight and Slumdog are the talk of Hollywood (Dark Knight – will it make it; Slumdog – is it already over). Not to mention what I think is thebig question: how much is being left out of everything lately hurting Benjamin Button? The big thing is no one can seem to agree on the movie ready to “knock” Dark Knight from the top five. A week ago it was WALL-E and Doubt. A few days ago it was The Reader and The Wrestler. Today it’s Gran Torino. Until there is an agreement on which movie is likely to do it I’ll stay with the Big Five as my prediction.