Countdown's Begun (Part 1)

Ah, it is almost that time again. This year's summer blockbusters have come and gone, with a few major releases still to be had before the September slowdown. With the end of the blockbuster season, it means only one thing - it is time to gear up for the annual Oscar hype that surrounds Hollywood from September until mid February the following year. Of course, it is always a good thing for a movie to receive critical praise but those that are released in the September-to-December window and do so are almost certainly put on the shortlist of Oscar favourites by movie fans and AMPAS voting members alike. After all, since 2001's A Beautiful Mind, only one movie released outside of that time frame (Crash, released in May 2005) has won the top prize. With these things in mind, why don't we play the role of speculator and have a look at some of the favourites for the 82nd Academy Awards in Hollywood? Remember, this year the fun doubles as there will be ten Best Picture nominations (an incredibly stupid move, I know). I'll list the ten movies that I think will get the call for the March 7th showdown, and then in a series of three posts I'll explain why.

THE LIST:

Nine
Shutter Island
Invictus
Avatar
Up
The Lovely Bones
The Hurt Locker
The Informant!
Amelia
Precious

Best Picture Candidates

Nine (directed by Rob Marshall, in theatres November 25th, 2009)

Nine is a clear favourite for many reasons. Rob Marshall, the man behind the helm, is no stranger to Academy success. His last two films, 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha and 2002's Chicago have a combined total of 19 award nominations and nine wins, including Chicago's win for Best Picture. Marshall himself was nominated for Best Director for Chicago, and his chances of grabbing a nomination for the March 7th, 2010 ceremony look good. What else? Six of the eight principal cast members have won an Acting award, including the 2007's Best Actor and Best Actress winners, Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard. Nicole Kidman (Best Actress in 2002), Penelope Cruz (Best Supporting Actress in 2008), Sophia Loren (Best Actress in 1960), Judi Dench (Best Supporting Actress in 1998), Kate Hudson and Stacy Ferguson (aka the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie) also star in this musical based on the 1982 Tony Award-winning musical production of the same name. The story focuses on Italian film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) as he struggles with a midlife crisis while interacting with the various women in his life, including wife Luisa (Cotillard), his mistress Carla (Cruz), and his protege Claudia (Kidman). Nine is set for wide release on November 25th, 2008.

Shutter Island (directed by Martin Scoresese, in theatres October 2nd, 2009)

Martin Scorsese, like Marshall, is no stranger to the Oscars. While Scorsese was finally honoured with long-deserved Best Director award for 2006's The Departed, Scorsese has directed six films that have been given an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture (The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas, Raging Bull and Taxi Driver), with both The Departed and Raging Bull taking the top prize. So with his 21st feature-length film debuting on the same weekend as The Departed did three years ago, its easy to see why the film is garnering Oscar buzz. Taking a slight detour from his favoured crime sagas, Scorsese turns to frequent collaborator and friend Leonardo DiCaprio in this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel of the same name. Set in 1954, DiCaprio plays US Marshal Teddy Daniels who, along with his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), is investigating the strange disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer) from the Ashecliffe Psychiatric Hospital on Shutter Island in Massachusetts. Once they arrive, they begin to discover that the hospital along with its director, Dr. John Caldwell (Ben Kingsley) have some sinister motives lurking beneath the surface. Michelle Williams and Jackie Earle Haley also star in this dark and suspenseful thriller that calls back to 1991's Cape Fear, and looks to be one of Scorsese's finest achievements yet.

Invictus (directed by Clint Eastwood, in theatres December 11th, 2009)

Clint Eastwood looks to be at it again. Age showing no ill effects, the two-time Best Director winner is taking on a horse of a different colour this time around, as Eastwood climbs the saddle to direct what can be considered his first true biopic, one that is no small task either. Set for release in mid-December, Invictus is the final resting name of the Nelson Mandela feature that will revolve around the fall of apartheid and Mandela's efforts to unite South Africa by hosting the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Matt Damon also stars as South Africa captain Francois Pienaar. The film has been in development for some time and is highly anticipated after Eastwood was left disappointed at the 81st Academy Awards, as both of his 2008 films Changeling and Gran Torino went empty handed. The film is said to be especially compelling and while focused on a limited time frame, accurately reflects the emotions and feelings that were about in South Africa at the time. For playing the Human Rights champion, Freeman has earned comparisons to Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Gandhi in 1982, a film which dominated the 55th Academy Awards. While the movie may suffer from Constant Gardener-syndrome in thanks to its peculiar name (it is Latin for "unconquered"), Invictus is sure to be recognized by the Academy in some form or another.

That's it for this one. Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3.