Is this Batman's year for Oscar?
Posted: Tuesday, November 04, 2008 6:30 AM by Paige Newman
Filed Under:
Movies
If you think this year’s Oscars will be dominated once again by small, indie movies, think again. Don’t be surprised if you see “The Dark Knight,” “WALL-E” and even “Iron Man” enter the mix of Oscar contenders. Warner Bros and Disney/Pixar have launched best picture campaigns for “Knight” and “WALL-E,” and, according to the New York Times, now that “The Soloist” has moved to 2009, Paramount may push “Iron Man” for best picture and star Robert Downey Jr. as best actor.
Now it’s not unheard of for popular films to be nominated for Oscar. “Star Wars” was nominated, and lost to “Annie Hall.” “E.T.” famously lost to “Gandhi.” Even “Jaws” was nominated, though “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” took home the award that year. And of course, there have been some big popular winners, such as “Titanic,” “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and even “Silence of the Lambs.”
Warner Bros. |
Heath Ledger is a lock to be nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar, and the film could be nominated for best picture.
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And it’s hard to argue that this year’s three mainstream contenders aren’t worthy. After all, those pesky critics who audiences accuse of being out of touch and hating everything loved these three films. “The Dark Knight” scored 94 percent positive ratings with critics on RottenTomatoes.com. “WALL-E” was even stronger with 96 percent. And "Iron Man" wasn’t too far behind “Knight” with 93 percent. These really are three of the best films of the year.
But, of course they aren’t the only names you’ll hear in the run-up to Oscar. There’s Brad Pitt in
David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Sean Penn stars in the biopic
“Milk.” Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio star together in
“Revolutionary Road.” Clint Eastwood’s December surprise is
“Gran Torino” and you may also see Kate Winslet’s
“The Reader,” Ron Howard’s
“Frost/Nixon” or Nicole Kidman’s
“Australia.” And that’s discounting two small films with a lot of buzz,
Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” and Mickey Rourke’s comeback film,
“The Wrestler.”
Of the three mainstream flicks, “The Dark Knight” has the best chance to get into the best picture race. The second-highest grossing film of all time was also much better reviewed than “Titanic.” And its director, Christopher Nolan, is an auteur who commands Hollywood respect. Stars Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart and the late Heath Ledger (who is a lock for a supporting-actor nomination), are real actors, not simply celebrities.
“WALL-E” (my favorite of the three) will have a tough time getting out of the best animated film ghetto, which didn’t exist back when 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” was nominated. “Iron Man” seems to have more of a “Pirates of the Caribbean”-like shot of getting Robert Downey Jr. nominated for best actor, though he faces some tough competition.
One place to find guaranteed support for these three flicks: ABC, which will air the awards on Feb. 22. According to the New York Times, last year’s Academy Awards show was the least watched in history, with 32 million viewers. The best rated Oscars: 1998, when “Titanic” won, with 53 million viewers.
Do you think “The Dark Knight,” “WALL-E” and “Iron Man” deserve to be nominated for Oscar? And are you more likely to watch the Oscars if they are?
