Hilary Swank in Amelia
It's a whole new ballgame. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences spiced things up in June by announcing their intention to expand the Best Picture category from five to 10 nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, opening the door for more worthy and possibly more top-grossing, audience friendly candidates. Star Trek, anyone?
The Oscar contenders are lining up in earnest, including the new released, possible Best Picture nominee Amelia, a biopic period film, starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart, the spunky pilot who was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in the 1930s and who disappeared in 1937 in an attempt to fly around the world. Playing a tomboy once again, Swank may just snag her third nomination with the performance, but she – and the film – could have some stiff competition.
Here's a rundown of some potential nominees:
THE FILMS
Up – Could a Pixar masterpiece finally make it to the Big Show? They seem to get nominated in (and usually win) the Best Animated category every year, but they haven't had a chance to shine with the major players. That could all change this year with the delightful and poignant Up, which might be looking at dual nominations.
The Hurt Locker – As a compelling war drama about an elite bomb squad unit in Iraq, it proves veteran director Kathryn Bigelow still has the chops, combining a great character study with grab-your-seat intensity.
District 9 – Star Trek certainly would be a crowd pleaser if nominated for Best Picture, but if there is one big-ticket summer actioner on the list, it should be District 9. As a sci-fi thriller, it's a $100 million hit, but it's affecting social commentary might also speak to the heart.
An Education – This British gem, set in the 1960s London suburbia, has been gaining major cred since its rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in January, especially for Carey Mulligan's turn as the 16-year-old protagonist, having an affair with a 30-year-old playboy (Peter Sarsgaard). A touchy subject? Maybe, but the Academy still loves a good indie from across the Pond.
Up in the Air – Juno director Jason Reitman is maturing like a fine wine and turns in his best film to date with Up in the Air. It's a wry look at a man (George Clooney) who's forced to re-evaluate his life after years of avoiding it. Judging from the warm fuzzies it's getting on the festival circuit, Reitman could get another chance to win that gold statuette.
Invictus - Not only is this a film about Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) and his reconciliation with the country's most popular Rugby player (Matt Damon) during his first term as South Africa's president, it's also directed by Clint Eastwood, the Academy's most favorite person in the whole world. Need I say more?
Nine - And what Best Picture list would be complete without a rousing movie musical? This latest big-screen adaptation, a musical based on Federico Fellini's 8 ½, is helmed by Chicago director Rob Marshall and stars a bevy of talented people, including Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman, to name a few. Sounds like a shoo-in.
More films to consider: Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino's Jewish badass WWII fantasy; Jane Champion's Bright Star, about the 19th century poet John Keats and his muse; and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, a festival favorite heavily touted by executive producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
THE ACTORS
George Clooney, Up in the Air – There are shades of similarity between this and his Oscar-nominated performance in Michael Clayton – both men have demanding jobs that have left their lives empty -- but at least Clooney gets to play it cute and snarky in Up in the Air. That is when he is at his best, and many say this is the best he has ever been.
Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine – The man can sing AND dance? With the same intensity this two-time Oscar winner pours into all his roles, one can only imagine the kind of tour-de-force he'll display as an Italian film director torn between the many women in his life.
Matt Damon, The Informant! or Invictus – The actor has had quite a year, with two possible performances in contention: his sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad portrayal of a pathological liar in The Informant!; and as captain of the South African Rugby team, who works with Nelson Mandela to unite the country after apartheid ends in Invictus.
Morgan Freeman, Invictus - Then again, Freeman may take the Invictus spot away from Damon as Mandela. Director Eastwood, who guided four-time nominee Freeman to his only Oscar win in Million Dollar Baby, could perform the same magic again.
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker – This character actor gets his own chance to shine as the American soldier addicted to the adrenaline of diffusing hidden bombs in Iraq. Think this year's Richard Jenkins.
Other Best Actors to consider: Stage actor Michael Stuhlbarg as a mild-mannered Midwest man trying to get rid of his brother in the Coen brothers' A Serious Man; Colin Firth as a gay prof in A Single Man; and Ben Whishaw as the doomed poet John Keats in Bright Star.
Then there's a few supporting actor contenders already running in front, namely Christoph Waltz as the sadistic yet opportunistic Nazi captain in Inglourious Basterds. As well, Alfred Molina and/or Peter Sarsgaard may be looking at nods for their work in An Education.
THE ACTRESSES
Abbie Cornish, Bright Star – While Hilary Swank has one period piece covered, the comely Cornish has the another, as Keats' 19th century lover and muse Fanny Brawne. The Australian actress could be looking at her first nomination.
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia – What Best Actress list would be complete without the multi-talented Streep? Besides maybe Carey Mulligan, the only other true frontrunner at this point is Streep for her larger-than-life turn as Julia Child teaching us how to cook French food.
Carey Mulligan, An Education – Frontrunner No. 2, Mulligan – best known to U.S. audiences as one of Keira Knightley's sisters in Pride & Prejudice – is one of those newcomers the Academy just loves to pounce on, especially when the performance is as quirky, delightful and nuanced as Mulligan's is in the film.
The women of Nine – Marion Cotillard as the wife, Penelope Cruz as the mistress, Judi Dench as the confidant and costume designer, Nicole Kidman as the muse, Kate Hudson as the American journalist and Sophia Loren as the mother – any of these fine actresses could be nominated, and rightly so.
Others to consider: Comedian Mo'nique, who drops the funny act to give a vicious portrayal of an abusive mother in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, as well as Twilight actress Anna Kendrick, who plays Clooney's sharp-witted protege in Up in the Air.
The next few months will be interesting as awards watch season kicks into high gear, culminating in the announcement of the 82nd Academy Award nominations on Feb. 2. Stay tuned for more!
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