The Oscars are still fresh in our memories, but no matter how you cut it they are over and it it is time to move forward as we have a whole new year of films to embark on.
Of course, we are heading into the summer months very soon and they aren’t exactly prime for Oscar pickin’s so we will have to wait a while for a few of these to come out, but I have put together a list of ten films I am going to be keeping my eye on for Oscar’s big prize in 2010. Have any you caare to add to the list?
- Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu with Javier Bardem)
- The Lovely Bones (I heard a small bit of good buzz on Peter Jackson’s next recently)
- Broken Embraces (Penelope Cruz won last night and now she’s back with Pedro Almodvar)
- Nine (Rob Marshall’s new musical with a fleet of talent along for the ride)
- Adam (Max Mayer’s dramedy is already stirring some buzz)
- The Ghost (Roman Polanski won’t enter the U.S. but his films will)
- A Serious Man (The Coen brothers directing a bunch of unknowns. Perfect!)
- Up In the Air (Jason Reitman has George Clooney along for his next)
- Whatever Works (Woody Allen and Larry David together just sounds sooooooo right)
- The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick with Sean Penn and Brad Pitt)
It’s not a scientific list by any means, just a little bit of fun speculation and below are ten more films that could potentially make some waves.
- Julie & Julia (Meryl Streep is in it, can’t ignore it)
- Agora (Alejandro Amenabar with Rachel Weisz)
- Brothers (Jim Sheridan directs Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal)
- Edge of Darkness (My Departed-style film pick)
- The Informant (Steven Soderbergh with Matt Damon)
- Amelia (A biopic about Amelia Earhart with Hilary Swank just says “Oscar” to me)
- Cheri (Michelle Pfeiffer is already getting early buzz)
- An Education (Early festival buzz, but sounds like an actor’s piece)
- Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese’s latest, but based on the book it’s going to be a close one)
- The Men Who Stare at Goats (Another Clooney feature with Good Night, and Good Luck scripter Grant Heslov at the helm)
We also can’t forget about Paul Greengrass with Matt Damon in Green Zone and Michael Mann’s Public Enemies with Depp and Bale, but both of those are dealing with summer release dates. I considered adding Fame to one of the two lists, but will it be a successful musical or crash and burn like Rent did? I worry Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will have the sentiment but still be a bit too “out there” for the Academy. Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker seems lost at Summit. Mammoth got some bad reviews out of Berlin. It looks like Steven Spielberg probably won’t be making Lincoln this year. I can’t put a finger on how good The Young Victoria will be and Sin Nombre is coming out too early to be considered a contender just yet, even though I really want to see that film, and Sugar appears to be in the same boat. Oh, and at this point I have pretty much given up on The Road — maybe there is an Oscar there, maybe not, but I am just hoping I get a chance to see it before the Weinstein’s lock it away forever. I also think The Soloist is now doomed for award consideration after having its release date moved.
So what did I forget? I am sure you have some ideas, fire away.
