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?
I definitely am down with Keri Russell for Waitress. That is an underrated movie and she was really great in it.
My wishful thinking is Katherine Heigl for Knocked Up. She is just so adorable.
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