Wednesday Oscar Watch

Welcome to a newly-restarted feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe. It’s a bit early to be able to accurately predict the eventual Oscar nominees, but around this time, plenty of likely contenders are being released. I’ll be looking every Wednesday at the awards chances for all of the films released the previous week. Additionally, to make up for lost time, I’ll also be taking a look at the films released earlier in the year, one or two months at a time. Chime in with your thoughts on the Oscar chances for these films in the comments section. Also, if I’ve missed any films from the previous months, please say so!

Films released September 9th, 2011

Warrior
This sports film has earned generally strong reviews and it’s likely that Tom Hardy will end up as an Oscar nominee one of these days, though I think he’ll have to wait a big longer. The film could be a huge crowd-pleaser and end up as a dark horse Best Picture contender, and there’s also been buzz for two-time nominee Nick Nolte for his role as the alcoholic father of the two fighters.

Contagion
Director Steven Soderbergh was once a double nominee and the eventual winner, and an ensemble thriller like this always holds a bit of potential for making some awards noise. This strikes me as less of an Oscar movie, despite the fourteen Oscar nominations and three Oscars held by the members of its cast.

Films released March 2011


Rango (March 4)
This film, which I still haven’t had the opportunity to see, is a sure thing in the Best Animated Feature category, regardless of whether there are three or five nominees.

Jane Eyre (March 11)
This movie went under the radar when it was released, and while its hopes of any acting accolades have probably been dashed, it may still turn up in the Best Costume Design category or another artistic production field.

Win Win (March 18)
This independent comedy may fare well if it places at the Golden Globes, and Paul Giamatti is a strong, well-liked actor with just one Oscar nomination to his name, so he’ll need to be nominated again sometime soon. I’m not sure if people will remember it enough by the time Oscar voting comes around, so it may not have much of a shot.

Miral (March 25)
This film is noteworthy as director Julian Schnabel’s feature film follow-up to his Oscar-nominated “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” It also received mostly terrible reviews and is all but out of the race thanks to its controversial nature and self-indulgence.