REALLY EARLY OSCAR PREDICTIONS: THE BEST NEW RELEASES OF 2006
This year’s Oscar-caliber films have finally arrived. My predictions for early Academy Award contenders are listed below, in addition to other releases I eagerly await.
Official JOpinionated Caveats:
1. Some of the films on my list feature a few of my least favorite actors (i.e. Ben Affleck, Cameron Diaz, Josh Hartnett, Gwyneth Paltrow), but I will ignore them all with ease and joy, focusing instead on their brilliant co-stars and the films at hand.
2. It pains me to admit that two of my selections were written by the man who is responsible for the worst Best Picture in Oscar history (Paul Haggis; Crash), but I remember how fantastic his script for Million Dollar Baby was, so I will keep that in (an open) mind.
SEPTEMBER 2006
ALL THE KING’S MEN
Political drama; Loosely based on Gov. Huey Long
Cast: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Patricia Clarkson
Director/Screenwriter: Steve Zaillian (A Civil Action, Searching for Bobby Fischer)
OCTOBER 2006
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Gael Garcia Bernal
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros)
Screenwriter: Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams, Amores Perros)
THE DEPARTED
Crime Drama/Thriller;
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter: William Monahan (
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
Action/History/War; The six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima
Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Barry Pepper
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby)
MARIE ANTOINETTE
Biography/Drama; The infamous young Queen of
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis {LOVE her!}
Director/Screenwriter: Sophia Coppola (Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides)
THE PRESTIGE
Drama/Thriller; Two magicians, intense rivals – it looks much better than it sounds!
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson
Director/Screenwriter: Chris Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento)
NOVEMBER 2006
THE FOUNTAIN
Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi; Three parallel stories, from 16th through 26th centuries
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn
Director/Screenwriter: Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Pi)
[* Pop culture aside: Director Aronofsky and Weisz are now engaged and have a baby]
DECEMBER 2006
DREAMGIRLS
Drama/Musical; Adaptation of hit Broadway play
Cast: Beyonce, Jaime Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson
Director/Screenwriter: Bill Condon (Kinsey, Gods & Monsters)
[* Pop culture aside:
THE GOOD GERMAN
Drama/Romance/Thriller: Journalist in post-WWII
Cast: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire
Director: Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich)
Screenwriter: Paul Attanasio (Quiz Show, Donnie Brasco)
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Drama/Romance/Thriller: History and suspicion of the CIA
Cast: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Director: Robert De Niro (A
Screenwriter: Eric Roth (
Other films on my must-see list this year:
SEPTEMBER 2006
THE BLACK DAHLIA
Crime Drama/Thriller; James Ellroy novel about unsolved murder
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank
Director: Brian De Palma (
Screenwriter: Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds)
[* Pop culture aside: Hartnett and Johansson are now dating]
CHILDREN OF MEN
Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller; Glimpse into a future world without children
Cast: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Michael Caine
Director/Screenwriter: Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
HOLLYWOODLAND
Drama/Mystery/Thriller; The mysterious death of TV Superman George Reeves
Cast:
Director: Allen Coulter (Sex & the City, The Sopranos)
Screenwriter: Paul Bernbaum
INFAMOUS
Biography/Drama; The OTHER movie about Truman Capote
Cast: Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock, Daniel Craig (the new Bond), Peter Bogdanovich, Jeff Daniels, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hope Davis, Isabella Rossellini
Director/Screenwriter: Douglas McGrath (Emma)
[* Pop culture aside: British actor Jones played Dobby the House Elf in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Smee in Finding Neverland]
THE LAST KISS
Comedy/Drama; Friends in their 30’s begin to second-guess their lives & decisions, as do their parents
Cast: Zach Braff, Rachel Bilson, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck, Blythe Danner, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Tony Goldwyn (A Walk on the Moon, Someone Like You)
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis (Flags of Our Fathers, Crash, Million Dollar Baby)
[* Pop culture aside: Director Goldwyn played the slimeball friend who betrayed Demi and Swayze in Ghost]
OCTOBER 2006
RUNNING WITH SCISSORS
Comedy/Drama; memoirs of a quirky, dysfunctional childhood
Cast: Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, Evan Rachel Wood, Joseph Fiennes, Brian Cox
Director/Screenwriter: Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck)
NOVEMBER 2006
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Comedy; Actors reacting to awards buzz
Cast: Christopher Guest & his usual cast, plus Ricky Gervais (The Office on BBC) and John Krasinski (The Office on NBC)
Director/Screenwriter with Eugene Levy: Christopher Guest (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind)
STRANGER THAN FICTION
Comedy/Drama/Romance; Man hears woman narrating his life, in his head – again, it looks so much better than it sounds!
Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah
Director: Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball)
Screenwriter: Zach Helm
VOLVER
Comedy/Drama; A mother returns as a ghost to fix her daughter’s life
Cast: Penelope Cruz
Director/Screenwriter: Pedro Almodovar (Talk to Her, All About My Mother)
DECEMBER 2006
THE
Comedy/Romance; Two women from different countries swap homes, lives
Cast: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black
Director/Screenwriter: Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give, What Women Want)