OCTOBER 1, 2015
Welcome to Phase 2 of Oscar season.
On August 19, we began our Oscar conversation with 10 potential Best Picture candidates, based on initial reviews or an Oscar-baity resume. To refresh, they were:
“Bridge of Spies” (Director: Steven Spielberg)
“Carol” (D: Todd Haynes)
“The Danish Girl” (D: Tom Hooper)
“The Hateful Eight” (D: Quentin Tarantino)
“Inside Out” (D: Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen)
“Joy” (D: David O. Russell)
“The Martian” (D: Ridley Scott)
“The Revenant” (D: Alejandro G. Iñárritu)
“steve jobs” (D: Danny Boyle)
“The Walk” (Robert Zemeckis)
Late summer/early fall, however, is when things begin to get real Oscar-wise. Three key film festivals (Telluride, Venice, Toronto) have already unveiled their offerings and a fourth (New York) is about to conclude. The good news is that most of the above titles have now been reviewed, and all are still in the mix. The even better news is that, after the festivals, six more titles have clearly emerged or have been resurrected as potential Oscar players. Let’s dig in.
“Black Mass” (opened September 18)
Director: Scott Cooper. Writers: Jez Butterworth and Mark Mallouk, from the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. With Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch
Before its release, “Black Mass” was thought to be more of a commercial play than an awards contender, but the reviews for Depp and Edgerton were good enough to get them into the Actor and Supporting Actor discussion. Given the film’s so-so box office so far, a Best Picture nom may be a bit of a reach, but it’s not out of the question.
“Brooklyn” (opening November 6)
Director: John Crowley. Writer: Nick Hornby. With Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhall Gleeson, Julie Walters
This tale of a young Irish woman emigrating to 1950s Brooklyn is just the kind of small period piece that often sneaks into the Best Picture category. Plus reviews have been stellar, particularly for former nominee Saoirse Ronan, who could make a major play in the Best Actress race. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” (opened May 15)
Director: George Miller. Writers: George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nico Lathouris. With Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron
One of the biggest surprises of the festival season was the recurrent mentions in reviews as to how much better “Mad Max: Fury Road” was compared with the Oscar bait that critics were being fed. One of the best reviewed films of the year, “Fury Road” garnered a 97% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes, staggering for an action film. Below-the-line nominations for cinematography, editing, make-up, visual effects and both sound categories are almost assured, but a Best Picture nom is even possible, and I can see critics getting behind Theron for a Best Actress play. This is the kind of development that makes the Oscar race so interesting.
“Room” (opening October 16)
Director: Lenny Abrahamson. Writer: Emma Donoghue, based on her novel. With Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
Ever since her acclaimed performance in the indie film “Short Term 12” a few years ago, Brie Larson has been on the verge of a major breakout, and it appears “Room” is the vehicle to do it. The story of a mother and son who have been held captive in a windowless room for years, “Room” has also garnered loud supporting actor talk for 8 year-old Jacob Tremblay, who could become one of the youngest Oscar nominees ever. This film looks to be a real player.
“Son of Saul” (opening December 18)
Director: Laszlo Nemes. Writers: Laszlo Nemes and Clara Royer. With Geza Rohrig
Stay with me on this one. It’s a Holocaust movie set in Auschwitz-Birkenau, where a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners set apart from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis, makes a shocking discovery that changes his life. It’s reported to be some pretty tough material. but it has been playing like gangbusters throughout the festival season. The key to its potential awards success is that it is being released by Sony Pictures Classics, which knows its way around Oscars and led “Amour,” another foreign-language film with equally difficult material, to 5 Oscar nominations including Best Picture just a few years ago. A nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film is pretty much assured, but “Son of Saul” may show up in a few more big categories as well.
“Spotlight” (opening November 6)
Director: Tom McCarthy. Writers: Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer. With Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber
“Spotlight” has become the big story of the festival season. A newsroom thriller said to be very much in the vein of “All the President’s Men,” the film follows the Spotlight team of investigative reporters from the Boston Globe as they check out allegations of child abuse in the Boston Archdiocese, which leads to uncovering corruption in the upper echelons of the city’s government. McCarthy, a much-respected director who hit a speed bump earlier this year with the flop Adam Sandler project “The Cobbler,” appears to be back in form here, and the starry ensemble, including last year’s nominees Ruffalo and Keaton, are all going supporting (a smart move). This material is right in the wheelhouse of Oscar voters, which may help it to be considered the favorite at the moment.
Lots of good movies ahead. Can’t wait!
