ATONEMENT Is Oscar-Bound |
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The two-month-old Writers Guild strike (see my previous column, HOW THE WGA STRIKE AFFECTS THE BOX OFFICE) has already transformed the Golden Globes from a glittering star in the Awards Show firmament into an efficient, lackluster news conference.
Last week, MEDIA WEEK, the Bible of the news world, speculated that NBC will lose $10-$15 million in ad revenue as a result of rolling back of the Golden Globes gala.
I see this turn of events as a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I know that some of you missed the Red Carpet, the clumsy acceptance speeches, and the celebrity gaffes. On the other hand, some Match Flickers appreciate not having to sit through a bloated, three-hour, padded, over-produced telecast that mandates watching the rich and pampered flick broccoli from their teeth when they think the cameras aren't watching.
Even as the Golden Globes had the red carpet pulled out from under them, the people who produce the Oscar, the Crown Jewel of the Awards Shows, were putting on a happy, hopeful face. The day after the Hollywood Foreign Press scaled down its gala, Bruce Davis, the executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, said of the Oscar-cast, ""I'm not going to cite odds, but our hope is we can work something out, or that the strike is resolved in time."
It should come as no 
THERE WILL BE OSCARS |
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surprise that the same year that gave us BEE MOVIE (2007) has also generated some of the earliest and strongest Oscar buzz in years.
Nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards won't be announced until Tuesday, but fans and pundits have been buzzing busily and loudly for several months about whom they believe the nominees should be and will be.
Unless it is KO'D, or diminished, by the WGA Strike, The 80th Annual Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 24, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The show, broadcast by the ABC Television Network, will be hosted by Jon Stewart. This is Stewart's second go-round as Oscar host. He debuted as Oscar's Emcee on the 78th Annual Academy Awards, held in 2006
Although Oscar is buzzing around about a dozen motion pictures, the loudest noise is swarming around three motion pictures: ATONEMENT, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, and THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
Let's look at these buzz-worthy flicks one at a time.
ATONEMENT, adapted from a novel by Ian McEwan, is the story of a young teenager (13) who wrongly accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he never committed. The critics and the Hollywood Foreign Press have swooned over this one, and, since its limited December 7 release, ATONEMENT has amassed a worldwide gross in excess of $60 million. With Golden Globe wins already 
NO OSCAR-CAST FOR OLD MEN AND WRITERS |
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under its belt, this Keira Knightley, James McAvoy starrer is a sure bet for multiple, major Oscar nods.
Cash, death, drugs, and hunting coalesce in the Coen Brothers' NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Miramax's acclaimed Crime Drama, and another Golden Globe darling. This Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem vehicle, released in early November, is nearing the $50 million mark in worldwide box office, and showing muscular legs.
Perhaps the loudest of all Oscar buzz is for Daniel Day Lewis' performance as Daniel Plainview in writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's cautionary drama THERE WILL BE BLOOD. The 2 hour, 40 minute, saga proves that "money can't buy you happiness," as it tells the tale of a poor, embittered prospector who finally strikes it rich with oil find. Lewis has already collected a Golden Globe for this grisly tale.
The only negative here, if it is one, some critics suggest that the Oscar-winning actor's incredible performance overpowers the flick.
Beyond the aforementioned frontrunner, there is strong Oscar buzz for Golden Globe winner SWEENEY TOOD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, EASTERN PROMISES, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, MICHAEL CLAYTON, AMERICAN GANGSTER, and JUNO, among several other films.
The wait will be short to learn who Oscar stings and who he blesses. The nominations will be announced next Tuesday at 5:30 a.m.
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| The Business of Show |
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Does advertising, public taste, or overindulged stars determine a movie's box office fate? Christoper Stone explores what's going on behind the box office.
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| Christopher Stone |
Christopher Stone is the author of the international best seller Re-Creating Your Self. With Mary Sheldon, he co-authored three highly successful hardcover books of guided meditations.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.
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