Contenders? A look ahead to the 2010 awards slate possibilities

With the date for next year’s Oscars announced Friday as February 27th, 2011 (back in its standard time frame after this year’s push back to avoid Winter Olympics competition) and the BAFTAs now announced as February 13th, 2011 it clearly has to be time to look ahead to some of the potential contenders for the 2010 Awards.

Of course in a perfect world it would be a three horse race between The Expendables, Machete and Predators, but I can’t help thinking that even if the Academy extended the Best Picture nominees from 10 to 100 none of these would be likely to get a look in. Call me crazy!

So just a scant 11 months away from the big night what is currently on my horizon as seeming like potential Oscar bait?

True Grit – Any of the following would be enough to get this film consideration: The Coen Brothers writing and directing; Roger Deakins on as DP for a western; Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges taking on the role of Rooster Cogburn that won John Wayne his only acting Oscar; Josh Brolin and Matt Damon in the supporting cast. The combination of all these things surely makes this a sure fire front-line contender.

Hereafter – Okay so I say this about the new Clint Eastwood movie every year and some years it proves more true than others, but frankly Eastwood could send a CCTV tape into the Academy and drum up at least a couple of nominations so a reteam with Matt Damon (nominated this year in Eastwood’s Invictus) seems a good bet.

Get Low – The reputation preceding this film regarding veteran actor Robert Duvall’s performance alone puts this in the “pay attention” stakes. Add Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray and the Academy will be considering this.

The Fighter – (Pictured above). I’m not a fan of David O Russell but a true-story, boxing themed picture starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo screams Oscar potential. Three of those four actors have had Oscar nomintions in the past 3 years, and the insane thing is Bale is the one who hasn’t. On set pictures suggest he’s pulled a Machinist-style body transformation for this one. Could Bale finally be set for the Oscar recognition he deserves? I’m betting yes.

Love And Other Drugs – Another one with incredible early word. The IMDb tries to tell you this is a rom com, which doesn’t sound very Oscars, but this has Ed Zwick (Glory, Last Samurai) directing Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, with Hathaway already being lauded for her portrayal of a woman with early-onset Parkinsons disease. Hathaway seems much loved in Hollywood and after her stunning role in Rachel Getting Married at this early stage she seems a good bet for one of the 5 best actress nominees. And it had nudity which is one of those hallmarks of “serious actress” roles – see Hathaway’s own turn in Brokeback Mountain (with Gyllenhaal) or Halle Berry’s Oscar-winning turn in Monster’s Ball.

127 Hours – Danny Boyle directing the underrated James Franco (overdue some Oscar recognition – Milk anyone?) in the true story of a mountain climber trapped under a rock for 5 days who eventually cuts his own arm/leg (I forget which, I saw Danny Boyle talking about it at the end of last year) off in order to escape/survive. Harrowing, grueling, all about the acting. Hello Mr Oscar, sign me up!

The Greatest – There’s no shortage of opportunities for this year’s Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan (who should have won) to get another nomination next year. One possibility is for supporting actress (always a sure fire-win for a young actress with a Best Actress loss under her belt) in The Greatest. This romantic drama weepy seems a bit like Moonlight Mile from about 8 years back based on the trailer below. Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon (also in Moonlight Mile) are parents whose son (Aaron Johnson) is kicked in a car accident and find themselves having to deal through their grief with the pregnant girlfriend of their son (who they don’t really know and Sarandon dislikes). That would be Mulligan sporting a flawless American accent. This is early in the year though in the US so may only have Bafta potential.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/videonews.php?id=64355

Never Let Me Go – The other (and stronger) Mulligan shot also would likely see her in a push for supporting actress (seriously, add Wall Street 2 into the mix – who knows how big her role as Gordon Gekko’s daughter is – and Mulligan could have supporting actress sown up one way or the other already). Never Let Me Go sees Mark Romanek finally back behind the camera for the first time since the brilliant (and vastly underrated) One Hour Photo in 2002. Based on the novel by Kasuo Ishiguro (Remains Of The Day) and starring Keira Knightley, Mulligan and the ever excellent Andrew Garfield this should get attention unless it proves to be a real clunker!

Blue Valentine – A relationship drama starring two of the best young actors around (Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams – both past Oscar nominees) that was one of the hits of Sundance? Yup, Oscars beckon.

The Way Back – Peter Weir is a superb director and he’s making his way back here after 7 years away (since Master & Commander) with a 1940s-set true story about soldiers trying to escape from Siberia (I think). Colin Farrell and Ed Harris star.

The Descendants – Alexander Payne steps back behind the camera for the first time since 2004’s Sideways and has George Clooney in the lead as a widower searching, with his two daughters, for his late wife’s lover. This one should at least garner attention.

The American – Clooney again as Anton Corbijn follows up the excellent Control with the story of an assassin. So Clooney in lighter Payne-directed mode (Up In The Air Clooney) or in more serious mode (Michael Clayton Clooney)? Perhaps both! I bet he’s in the actor race somewhere though.

How Do You Know? – equally bound to get viewed at the very least is this rom com for the simple reason it’s the new James L Brooks. Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson star and rumour has it Brooks’ lucky charm Jack Nicholson is along for the ride.

Another Year – Lesley Manville stars in the new Mike Leigh, whose films are always cause for celebration and awards attention. Plus Imelda Staunton and Jim Broadbent feature. Typically though no clues as to the plot or even tone.

Betty Anne Waters – look out Oscar voters Hilary Swank is back with another true story portrayal. Oscar experts Fox Searchlight are distributing this story of a high-school drop-out single-mother (I may have just worn out my hyphen key!) who puts herself through law school to defend her brother, wrongfully accused of murder. Sam Rockwell (as the brother) may finally get the Oscar recognition he deserves (and deserved this past year for Moon).

The King’s Speech – wait a minute this year’s Oscar-loser Colin Firth following up his best ever performance (in A Single Man) by playing King George VI. Support from Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon and Sir Derek Jacobi. Hello consecutive nominations for Mr Firth!

Black Swan – okay so it has a supernatural bent but Darren Aronofsky knows how to deliver a damn fine film and he has a cast including Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Winona Ruder and Barbara Hershey to help him. No shoe in but can’t be ruled out either.

Inception – Chris Nolan steps away from the bat for a thriller that looks to be a mind-bender but that little is known about. Of course what is known is that Nolan has assembled a phenomenal cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy); and that the man has never made a bad film. Stepping away from Batman may make the academy take him a little more seriously for once (and they already took notice with nominations for both Bat-films, even if not the big ones).

The Rum Diary – No idea what to make of this long gestating film but you can never ignore Johnny Depp and the return of Withnail & I’s Bruce Robinson to the director’s chair after nearly 20 years makes it a must see at least.

The Social Network – David Fincher telling the story of Facebook’s creation? Could be brilliant, could me a major WTF? It seems an odd, and therefore intriguing, match of director and subject. I love (LOVE) Fincher’s Zodiac so hoping this true story proves as intriguing (because frankly the subject matter doesn’t do anything for me).

Tree Of Life – Terrence Malick directs Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. Unless it’s a train wreck (and yes, I did see The New World so I know how possible that is!) this is surely an Oscar voters must-see at least. Rumour has it it may first see the light of day in Cannes so that may tell us more if it happens (of course Malick will have to stop tinkering for that!).

There are of course numerous others. We could bring up Toy Story 3 which, as a Pixar film, has already locked a slot in the Best Animated Feature category.

Then there’s films from industry stalwarts Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island) and Ridley Scott (Robin Hood), but Shutter Island feels too early and not good enough. It’s a better film than The Departed but Scorsese has his Oscar now and Shutter isn’t good enough to stay in voters minds for 10 months IMHO. Robin Hood is another “we’ll see come Cannes” one but the uninspired trailering makes it look more Kingdom Of Heaven than Gladiator, and both the Ridley/Russell/period epic and Robin Hood story in general feel very “been there, seen that” so I don’t expect big things or awards attention for this unless if really surprises and knocks it out of the park. Time will tell.