Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe. Every Wednesday, I’m taking a look at the awards chances for all of the films released the previous week. Chime in with your thoughts on the Oscar chances for these films in the comments section.

Avatar
This is one of only two major awards contender movies released this year that I have to see, and I really do plan it seeing it soon. It seems I’d be a fool not to predict its domination at the Oscars, since it has earned mostly glowing reviews and Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Director, Score, and Song. The last time James Cameron was nominated, he won and “Titanic” took home a boatload of Oscars. The interesting thing to note about that is that “Titanic” didn’t even score a nomination for Best Screenplay, and it’s likely “Avatar” won’t due to its sci-fi subject matter and a whole lot of competition. Otherwise, it’s probably safe in the aforementioned four categories, as well as Visual Effects, Sound, Score, Film Editing, Art Direction, and maybe even Cinematography. I’ll be able to make those predictions more securely once actually having seen the film…

Crazy Heart
This film is locked in two categories and that’s probably it, but it will be a serious threat to win in both. The first is Best Actor for Jeff Bridges, who has earned four Oscar nominations over the past forty years and delivers what many, including myself, call a career-best performance. He’s sure to be in the final five, and a strong possibility to beat Colin Firth (“A Single Man”) and George Clooney (“Up in the Air”). Don’t count on a nomination for costar Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose category confusion won’t help her since both categories already have a solid list of contenders. The other category in which this film will get nominated is Best Original Song, where “The Weary Kind” should definitely make it in.

Nine
This majestic musical from the director of “Chicago,” which won Best Picture seven years ago, did extremely well at the Golden Globes with five nominations, but it’s likely that only two to three of those will translate to the Oscars. “Cinema Italiano,” a Best Original Song contender, should have no trouble getting in if the number of nominees stays at five, and Penelope Cruz has done well with precursors to earn a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Plus, she’s last year’s winner in the category, which could either help (we love her!) or hurt (again?) her. With ten nominees in the Best Picture category, “Nine” could have a good shot but may fall out if the so-so reactions to the film are shared by Academy voters. Director Rob Marshall is almost definitely out, but the film should be able to score nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction, as well as Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Ediitng.

The Young Victoria
This period piece opened later and to positive reviews but little buzz. Emily Blunt probably came close to an Oscar nomination three years ago after earning a Golden Globe nod for “The Devil Wears Prada,” and she’ll likely come close again this year. Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) is probably a step ahead of her, and the Best Actress category is sealed a bit too tightly for her to crack it. She still has a shot, so don’t write her off just yet, but don’t hold your fingers either. The film may have a better chance at scoring nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costumes, like “The Duchess” did last year. Blunt will probably have to wait a bit, but someday she’ll be an Oscar nominee.

I can’t imagine any nominations for Did You Hear About the Morgans. That’s it for notable films released this past week. There are only a couple of weeks in the year left! Come back every Wednesday for an analysis of the previous Friday’s theatrical releases and their Oscar chances. Thanks for reading!

Movie with Abe: Nine

Nine
Directed by Rob Marshall
Released December 18, 2009

There’s something awfully familiar about “Nine.” Like director Rob Marshall’s 2002 hit “Chicago,” it exists in a world where seemingly powerful men are actually almost invisible and a whole host of women dominate their lives. Like the 1979 film “All That Jazz,” it tells the story of an aging, revered director who watches as he is hopeless to direct the show of his life, which is sung at him by all the people he used to know and who he helped to create. His work is out of his hands, and that’s a fascinating thing to see. The fact that it’s been seen before isn’t a real problem, but the film is hardly as cohesively strong as some of its musical numbers.

There are indisputably several great scenes in “Nine.” Each spotlights one performer, to the point that it feels disjointed since the powerless Guido (Daniel Day-Lewis) is the only one present in almost all of them. It’s the story of Guido’s past and present splintered into the women – his mother, his wife, his mistress, his lead actress, his costume designer – who have defined his life. It’s made implicitly clear that the musical numbers are to be taken as Guido imagining and visualizing the moments in his life, as they are interspersed with scenes of actual events, where only in his head is Guido actually singing away at hounding reporters or serenading one of his beloved ladies in a moment of anguish. The ensemble of dancers is absolutely impressive, but all of the singing actresses seem woefully unaware of each other because they aren’t really given a chance to interact, only to alternate places in the mind of their maestro.

The actresses, however, still bring down the house, each in their own show-stopping numbers representing the many faces of Guido, with the help of a spectacular soundtrack. Penelope Cruz delights and charms as Guido’s over-the-top mistress, and “A Call to The Vatican” is a terrific number that introduces audiences to her life of excess and relationship to the esteemed director. Judi Dench, seen as Guido’s mentor throughout the film, commands the screen in the entertaining “Folies Bergère,” where she reminds Guido of his initial delight at the world of entertainment. Fergie is fierce and fantastic as a seductress who sings “Be Italian” and stresses the unique appeal of Italians. Kate Hudson is the lone American, but still sparkles as a journalist that sings “Cinema Italiano,” a great addition written for the film. And Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose")croons a lovely ode to her loneliness as Guido’s long-suffering wife, “My Husband Makes Movies.” Sophia Loren and Nicole Kidman round out a top-notch cast that shines individually but isn’t given much opportunity to interact.

Among all of the ladies, there is powerhouse actor Daniel Day-Lewis as Guido. While it’s hardly a performance worthy of comparison to his roles in “Gangs of New York” or “There Will Be Blood,” it’s nonetheless an impressive transformation into this Italian director so obsessed with himself that he doesn’t even have any idea what to do next. But, like the rest of the film, the most extraordinary moments for Day-Lewis come when he is singing, particularly the early number “Guido’s Song.” The film certainly contains endearing visuals of Italy, but it’s when everyone breaks out into song that the film really scores, and the rest just can’t quite live up to that.

B

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Nine

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Nine – Opening December 18, 2009



There are so many things that are intriguing and awesome about this trailer, and regardless of how good the film ends up being, this is undoubtedly one of the best trailers of the year. Having Daniel Day-Lewis star in another movie is easily an exciting enough reason for this film to be great, and his demeanor is perfect for this role. This is also the accomplished British actor’s sixth film in fifteen years, and every performance he turns in is more than thoroughly prepared and usually quite awe-inspiring (think “There Will Be Blood” and “Gangs of New York”). That’s not all this spectacular trailer has to offer. The sheer female talent paired with Day-Lewis is staggering. Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, and Sophia Loren – all Oscar winners and respected actresses capable of incredible performances and sure to sparkle on screen with Day-Lewis. The way each is introduced in the trailer is terrific, and they all seem to be treated equally importantly. The use of “Be Italian” to musically accompany the trailer is excellent, and gorgeous shots of Italy and what looks like the Amalfi Coast make this look like a visually astonishing experience. Brief snapshots of the show numbers are evocative of director Rob Marshall’s previous magnificent musical, “Chicago,” and returning to what Marshall does best is certainly a welcome concept. All in all, this looks like a more expansive, glossier production of Bob Fosse’s 1979 film “All That Jazz,” with talent up the wazoo and an incredible time to be had by all. Even if the film isn’t all that, there are so many elements that at least one should still be great, and having six Oscar winners in the cast is a pretty foolproof plan. And that’s not even considering the music.