THE 1st ANNUAL T.O.P.s (TRAILER OSCAR PREDICTIONS)
Before I get started, file this under: BAD IDEA. Will Smith is going to direct a remake of The Karate Kid. But wait, it gets worse. His son Jaden will fill Ralph Macchio’s shoes and Jackie Chan will play Mr. Miyagi. Um…how about NO. I like Smith but I wasn’t as impressed with The Pursuit of Happyness as most, and this just seems like a poor choice. That being said, it will probably gross $100 million.
And now, on to the real post.
Let’s be honest, not many Academy Award-caliber films have been released this year thus far. That is about to change. And I love watching movie trailers, both in theaters and online at home. So I decided to create the TOPs, my first attempt at Trailer Oscar Predictions.
I’ve only seen a few films on this list (they are noted with an asterisk); the rest are truly just based on my opinion about what I catch glimpse of in those two minute previews. I take casting, script, and direction into consideration in that short period of time.
I do admit to cheating when it comes to one film: the trailer for Charlie Wilson’s War has not been released yet, but based on the cast and production photos alone, I’m taking a leap of faith. I am also including one black horse candidate/wishful thinking choice (Keri Russell).
So here are my early October predictions in the major categories for the 2008 Academy Awards:
BEST ACTOR
- Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
- John Cusack (Grace is Gone)
- Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
- Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
- Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) *
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Ed Harris (Gone Baby Gone)
- Alan Rickman (Sweeney Todd)
- Mark Ruffalo (Reservation Road)
- Denzel Washington (American Gangster)
- Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
BEST ACTRESS
- Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
- Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart)
- Keira Knightley (Atonement)
- Laura Linney (The Savages)
- Keri Russell (Waitress) *
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)
- Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement)
- Meryl Streep (Lions for Lambs)
- Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
- Rachel Weisz (My Blueberry Nights)
BEST DIRECTOR
- Ethan & Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men)
- Marc Forster (The Kite Runner)
- Mike Nichols (Charlie Wilson’s War)
- Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
- Ridley Scott (American Gangster)
BEST PICTURE
- American Gangster
- Atonement
- Charlie Wilson’s War
- Into the Wild
- The Kite Runner
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- Charlie Wilson’s War (Aaron Sorkin)
- Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck)
- Into the Wild (Sean Penn)
- The Kite Runner (David Benioff)
- No Country for Old Men (Ethan & Joel Coen)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- American Gangster (Steven Zaillian & Mark Jacobson) [not sure this qualifies as Original; based on article, not novel]
- Eastern Promises (Steven Knight) *
- Knocked Up (Judd Apatow) *
- Lions for Lambs (Matthew Michael Carnahan)
- Once (John Carney) * [not sure this film will qualify for '07 Oscar consideration; it played at film festivals in '06]
Anyone else care to make a few guesses or strongly disagree with anything based on trailers you’ve seen?