The Oscar Warrior - Part 1
Source: Edward Douglas December 20, 2005
Welcome back to the Oscar Warrior, where we look at the potential candidates for Hollywood's most highly regarded movie awards.
Since our preview of the Oscar season a few weeks back, a lot of preliminary kudos have been given and the nominations for the auxiliary awards have been announced including the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice. At this point in time, we certainly have a bunch of assumed frontrunners, a couple of sure-things, and a few snubs. Still, one can't expect the Oscar nominations to look like any of those others, because rather than being picked by critics and journalists, they're picked by those working in the film industry.
That's not to say that they aren't influenced by reviews or buzz or what the studios are pushing, but there are still a few mysteries and a number of slots to be filled. Hopefully, this column won't ruin the Oscar race for anyone like all of those nasty "bloggers" I keep hearing about! (Note: My picks to win are in red, although it may be too early to tell in some cases.)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
This is a tough year for the supporting categories, because there are so many great performances and contenders, but none of them really jumping out as frontrunners. To make matters worse, many studios have been trying to shoehorn their primary actors and actresses into supporting categories, because they know that they stand a better chance at getting a nomination in this wide open field.
The classic example of this is George Clooney, who plays rogue CIA agent Bob Baer in Stephen Gaghan's political thriller Syriana. It's obviously a leading role, and anyone who has seen the movie will probably think that Clooney has no business in this category. That said, the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press (HFPA) already nominated Clooney for a Golden Globe in a supporting role, which will just cause the type of confusion that causes split votes among the Academy. Although Clooney has yet to go to the Oscars, this year, he may just have to settle for getting a nomination as a director instead. (See below.)
Paul Giamatti is another actor who has been shut out of the Oscar race for far too long. After two years with strong roles in acclaimed films like last year's "Sideways", the Academy might feel better about giving him kudos for his supporting role to Russell Crowe in the boxing drama, Cinderella Man. Giamatti may be one of the few sure things.
Likewise, another clear favorite is Bob Hoskins for playing the straight man to Judi Dench's cantankerous widow in the British musical comedy Mrs. Henderson Presents. It should be Hoskins' second Oscar nomination and his first in almost 20 years, and he only had to get naked to get it!
While most people have been raving about Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance in Capote, there's no denying that the supporting performance by Clifton Collins Jr., as killer Perry Smith is just as strong. While he's been overlooked by the Hollywood Foreign Press, expect the Screen Actors Guild and the acting division of the Academy to give him his due respect.
The great thing about Paul Haggis' drama Crash is that it has such a strong ensemble cast and a number of noteworthy performances. The actor getting the most attention is Matt Dillon, a long respected actor who has taken roles in so many bad movies that people forgot how good he was. His performance as a racist cop is noteworthy, as is the performance by Terrence Howard, although the latter is more likely to get recognized for his leading role in Hustle & Flow. (Also, see below.)
William Hurt was nominated for three leading actor Oscars during the late '80s, but some think that his very different role as a gangster in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence deserves an Oscar. He was overlooked at the Golden Globes, as was Jake Gyllenhaal, star of Brokeback Mountain, although the latter might be because many people consider him to be one of the film's two leads. Likewise, Geoffrey Rush may get into this category for his double-dealing role in Steven Spielberg's Munich if the Academy starts to get behind the movie. Expect the Academy to go with one or two of these three over Clooney and Will Ferrell.
Then there are a couple veterans giving strong performance in much-loved movies like Frank Langella in the Clooney-directed Good Night, And Good Luck and Donald Sutherland, who plays Keira Knightley's supportive father in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. It wouldn't be too surprising if one of them gets in to the race, but probably not both.
My Personal Picks: There were so many great performances that aren't even being mentioned, such as Alexander Siddig, who plays a Arab trying to change things in Stephen Gaghan's Syriana and Oliver Platt and Jeremy Irons give hilarious comedic performances in Lasse Hallström's Casanova that will probably go overlooked.
The Nominations: Paul Giamatti, Bob Hoskins, Matt Dillon, Clifton Collins Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal (Alternates: William Hurt, George Clooney)
Source: Edward Douglas December 20, 2005
Welcome back to the Oscar Warrior, where we look at the potential candidates for Hollywood's most highly regarded movie awards.
Since our preview of the Oscar season a few weeks back, a lot of preliminary kudos have been given and the nominations for the auxiliary awards have been announced including the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice. At this point in time, we certainly have a bunch of assumed frontrunners, a couple of sure-things, and a few snubs. Still, one can't expect the Oscar nominations to look like any of those others, because rather than being picked by critics and journalists, they're picked by those working in the film industry.
That's not to say that they aren't influenced by reviews or buzz or what the studios are pushing, but there are still a few mysteries and a number of slots to be filled. Hopefully, this column won't ruin the Oscar race for anyone like all of those nasty "bloggers" I keep hearing about! (Note: My picks to win are in red, although it may be too early to tell in some cases.)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
This is a tough year for the supporting categories, because there are so many great performances and contenders, but none of them really jumping out as frontrunners. To make matters worse, many studios have been trying to shoehorn their primary actors and actresses into supporting categories, because they know that they stand a better chance at getting a nomination in this wide open field.
The classic example of this is George Clooney, who plays rogue CIA agent Bob Baer in Stephen Gaghan's political thriller Syriana. It's obviously a leading role, and anyone who has seen the movie will probably think that Clooney has no business in this category. That said, the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press (HFPA) already nominated Clooney for a Golden Globe in a supporting role, which will just cause the type of confusion that causes split votes among the Academy. Although Clooney has yet to go to the Oscars, this year, he may just have to settle for getting a nomination as a director instead. (See below.)
Paul Giamatti is another actor who has been shut out of the Oscar race for far too long. After two years with strong roles in acclaimed films like last year's "Sideways", the Academy might feel better about giving him kudos for his supporting role to Russell Crowe in the boxing drama, Cinderella Man. Giamatti may be one of the few sure things.
Likewise, another clear favorite is Bob Hoskins for playing the straight man to Judi Dench's cantankerous widow in the British musical comedy Mrs. Henderson Presents. It should be Hoskins' second Oscar nomination and his first in almost 20 years, and he only had to get naked to get it!
While most people have been raving about Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance in Capote, there's no denying that the supporting performance by Clifton Collins Jr., as killer Perry Smith is just as strong. While he's been overlooked by the Hollywood Foreign Press, expect the Screen Actors Guild and the acting division of the Academy to give him his due respect.
The great thing about Paul Haggis' drama Crash is that it has such a strong ensemble cast and a number of noteworthy performances. The actor getting the most attention is Matt Dillon, a long respected actor who has taken roles in so many bad movies that people forgot how good he was. His performance as a racist cop is noteworthy, as is the performance by Terrence Howard, although the latter is more likely to get recognized for his leading role in Hustle & Flow. (Also, see below.)
William Hurt was nominated for three leading actor Oscars during the late '80s, but some think that his very different role as a gangster in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence deserves an Oscar. He was overlooked at the Golden Globes, as was Jake Gyllenhaal, star of Brokeback Mountain, although the latter might be because many people consider him to be one of the film's two leads. Likewise, Geoffrey Rush may get into this category for his double-dealing role in Steven Spielberg's Munich if the Academy starts to get behind the movie. Expect the Academy to go with one or two of these three over Clooney and Will Ferrell.
Then there are a couple veterans giving strong performance in much-loved movies like Frank Langella in the Clooney-directed Good Night, And Good Luck and Donald Sutherland, who plays Keira Knightley's supportive father in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. It wouldn't be too surprising if one of them gets in to the race, but probably not both.
My Personal Picks: There were so many great performances that aren't even being mentioned, such as Alexander Siddig, who plays a Arab trying to change things in Stephen Gaghan's Syriana and Oliver Platt and Jeremy Irons give hilarious comedic performances in Lasse Hallström's Casanova that will probably go overlooked.
The Nominations: Paul Giamatti, Bob Hoskins, Matt Dillon, Clifton Collins Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal (Alternates: William Hurt, George Clooney)
Full article is here.