"Young@Heart" Not Eligible For Documentary Oscar

The story can be read here. The article is actually about a particular distributor and some of the movies that will be affected in the Best Documentary Feature race, but the big blow to me is that "Young@Heart" will not be eligible for nomination in Best Documentary because it was aired on TV in a foreign country. I can't tell you how much this saddens me. Yeah, it's chances of actually getting nominated and winning were pretty slim. This is a category that has given out the most questionable awards out of any category, and the voters for that category are more into Iraq and global warming movies these days. Still though, this is one charming movie, and it's shame it won't be up for a prize it deserves to be nominated for. You can buy the movie here and/or check out the trailer below:



I'll be back later today as a ton of trailers for Oscar potentials have popped up today.

Paul Newman: R.I.P.

Paul Newman, one of the great actors of our time, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. He will be missed.

Born under unusual circumstances...

The second trailer for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has been released, and we now have a better idea of what this movie is going to be about. It still looks a bit strange, but I'm intrigued. I think cinematography and art direction nominations are in the cards, but I'm not sure what else. Either way the Oscar race just got a whole lot more interesting.

"Valkryie" Trailer Released

So we finally get a look at "Valkryie," Tom Cruises big comeback. I admit that I was skeptical of this movie. Neither Cruise nor director Bryan Singer have been worth talking about recently (movie wise that is), but this project is shaping up to return both men to some of their former glory. But will it be nominated for Oscars? I'm going to go out on a limb and give a very firm no. I'm sorry, but Cruise has been doing little more then destroying his career these past few years. He destroyed it in a few short weeks with the couch incident and the arguement about chemical imbalance, and he's been kicking the corpse ever since. Now, after he's killed and mutilated his corpse for a career he wants to revive it. Well, in Hollywood it can be done (ask Robert Downey Jr.) but it's going to take one hell of an effort.

I think the proper steps were taken when he took that cameo role in "Tropic Thunder" to shake things up, and if this movie is any good he'll have set the path for a full career revival. But I think the Oscars are going to pass this film on principle alone. His next project maybe...but there is one unwritten rule with the Academy: If you screw up in your career, you've got to prove you still want it before they give you an Oscar. And if you don't believe me on this, just go ask Eddie Murphy where his locked in Oscar went after "Norbit" was released.

"W." Trailer Released

After the previous trailer suggested a more down-to-Earth drama, this second trailer of Oliver Stone's "W." looks like some sort of weird action film. I'm not sure what to expect anymore at this point. I guess I'll find out soon enough though: The movie's going to be released BEFORE Junior is kicked out of office!

Cases For and Against Potential Nominees

A new predictions chart has appeared over at Awards Daily.com showing that there are five films that are predicted to be nominated for Best Picture at the end of the year ("The Dark Knight" just missed the boat, appearing at number six). Now I obviously haven't seen all of these films, but let's look at the films and, based on the trailers and posters alone, pick up some of the pros and cons of the material:

Number 1

Frost/Nixon

Cases For Nomination

• Academy Award winner Ron Howard is directing it.



• Frank Langella and Michael Sheen are looking promising.



• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!



• It's about a lousy Republican President. The voters tend to be very liberal and eat this stuff up.



• If John McCain wins election the voters will likely vote this film in just to make a point.

Cases Aginst Nomination

• Ron Howard hasn't directed anything of much critical acclaim in the last few years.



• The subject matter might not be compelling enough to make it great.



• If Barack Obama wins voting for this film could create a backlash for kicking the opposing party while their down

Final Verdict: Unless the movie isn't good I'd say this is a pretty good bet for a nomination.

Number 2

Milk

Cases For Nomination

• Love for Gus Van Sants "Good Will Hunting" could carry over to this film.



• It's a biopic. The Academy LOVES biopics!



• Sean Penn looks like a scene stealer, which could help seeing as he's in the lead role.



• With bills debating on whether or not gay marriage is to be legalized the subject matter will be difficult to ignore.



• If voters vote down legalizing gay marriage the voters will give this film a synpathy vote.

Cases Against Nomination

• Though the trailer looks promising the movie could be a one man show (AKA: "Capote").



• The gay facter could be offputting.

Final Verdict: I think this ones in.

Number 3

The Curious Case of Benjaman Button

Cases For Nomination

• Brad Pitt attracts a lot of Academy attention



• David Fincher has been racking up critical hit after critical hit, and he's sure to be honored somewhere along the line.



• The trailer looks so very intriguing.

Cases Against Nomination

• The book isn't as popular with the general audience



• Brad Pitt tends to get more acclaim in supporting roles then leading roles.



• The secrecy surrounding this movie could hurt it in the long run.



• May be too weird for the voters taste.

Final Verdict: I personally don't see this film getting nominated unless the reviews are really, really good.

Number 4

Slumdog Millionaire

Cases For Nomination

• Raves reviews coming from Sundance



• Would fill the "uplifting comedy" criteria.



• Witty screenplay could get a big push from the writers.



• Audience discovery could make this a surprise hit at the box office.

Cases Against Nomination

• Raves could cool down.



• Audiences might not connect to film, and thus not see it.

Final Verdict: This is one of those cases where we really won't know until it's released. On paper it sounds like a sure hit, but you never know.

Number 5

Revolutionary Road

Cases For Nomination

• Kate and Lwo reunite for the first time since "Titanic."



• Subject of marriage that traps freedom ressonates more today then ever before.



• Sam Mendes first major hit since "American Beauty?"

Cases Against Nomination

• Reuion has gotten relatively little attention.



• Sam Mendes isn't an Academy favorite.



• "American Beauty" has held up poorly.



• Movies about lovely marriages are a dime a dozen since "American Beauty" was released.



• Audience anticipation for this movie is lower then the rest of the potential nominees.

Final Verdict: I'm not convinced this is going to get nominated. It might, but I would not put any stock in it happening.

Hey this was fun. How about we do this in a few days with the next potential five?

"Appaloosa" Is Out

Ed Harris's directorial return "Appaloosa" is out on two fronts: It's out in theaters and out of the Oscar race. The movie has received a limited release this weekend. This is likely because word-of-mouth helps movies like this more then major opening weekends. That said, the word-of-mouth for this film is fairly average. Lot of people and critics saying it's a "good but not great" effort. Some have even gone on record to say they hated the movie, and Renée Zellweger seems to be getting the lions share of the critisim. This is why I always tell people not to judge a movie before you see it, and why I don't put potential nominees on the sidebar until I see the movie. When all you've got is a trailer and a few screenshots anything, and I mean anything, can look like Oscar material.

And trust me folks, I was one of the people who was thinking this would be a contender come Oscar time. Critically acclaimed cast, a return to directing for an Academy Award nominated actor, lots of cool screenshots that promise something epic, and let's face it: Westerns have been making a comeback. This weekend it all came crashing down. No, I'm not saying the movie is bad. It's probably decent. But decent just isn't good enough to get nominated these days. There may be a costume or set decoration nomination in the cards for this film, but any chances for nominations in the top categories died thanks to it's lukewarm reception.

Seperated At Birth?

They say that everyone has a double out there. I think I may have found Frances McDormand's double though:



What do you think? Am I on to something or am I just seeing things?

Bushes Team In Film

I'm still not sure if the movie is going to be any good, but looking at the cast I'm (cautiously) optimistic.

"Frost/Nixon" Poster Reveled

The poster for Ron Howard's anticipated bio-pic "Frost/Nixon" has been released. Notice how the pressure is on Langella. This is looking better by the day.

"Speed Racer" Is Out

This is just a friendly reminder that one of the years more overlooked films (and big budget acid trip) "Speed Racer" was released on DVD a couple of days ago. This is a movie that has potential effects and sound nominations in the cards (as well as a wild card Best Animated Feature nod). You can buy the DVD or BluRay below. Oh, and though this may be stating the obvious, the BluRay disk is the second best way to view this thing (the first being the IMAX showing, but that's not much of an option anymore).

"Coraline" Has High Stakes

One of the movies I'm anticipating more then other's is Henry Selicks "Coraline," a new stop-motion movie adapted from a Neil Gaiman book. Apparently the studio that is making it was founding by some guy who used to work for Nike, and while they don't believe they will make an instant financial hit, they hope to make a critically financial hit so that they can compete in an ever growing animation market:

The risk is unmistakable. The world of animation gets more crowded by the day, with feature films, DVDs, TV series and video games competing for consumers' attention. And "Coraline" isn't your typical talking-animal romp or potpourri of pop culture references.

Rather, it's a spooky, through-the-looking-glass tale of a lonely tweener girl who moves to Ashland and steps into a mirror world where sinister impostors stand in for her parents.

And did we mention that there's also a burlesque, Benny Hill-style interlude that mixes Shakespeare, trapezes and the doffing of clothes -- all set to a song written by "Coraline" director Henry Selick?

By choosing unconventional source material, as well as the decades-old stop-motion technique over the computer-generated animation familiar from such hits as the "Shrek" franchise and "The Incredibles," Laika is breaking with nearly all the conventions that helped make animated movies one of the surest bets in Hollywood.

Ebert Loves 'Women'

Far be it from me to judge the great Roger Ebert (who has long been an inspiration) but I have to wonder what it is he was thinking when he gave a three star review to the new Meg Ryan fiasco "The Women." He points out that the movie is not great, but then how could it be? There are too many characters to get involved with. Most of the review is simply a checkoff of who the characters are, what they do, and what they could have done more of. And the movie is still three stars. That's a recommendation. I've been reading Ebert reviews for a long time, and this review sounds like a one and a half or two star film. I'd be interested to see why the movie ended up at three, especially now that the movie has received a low 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's just ten points up from what "Disaster Movie" got.

'Slumdog' Wins Over Audiences

It turns out that "Slumdog Millionaire" won the coveted Audience Prize at the Toronto Film Festival. This means that a Best Picture nomination is looking more and more likely.

McDormand Is In (As Far As I'm Concerned)

To those of you who've been wondering when it would be safe to go to the theater again I am glad to report that "Burn After Reading," the Coen brothers follow-up to their Best Picture winner "No Country For Old Men," is a fun movie. It's not great, and I wouldn't count on there being too many Oscar nominations for it, but it's one of the better movies in theaters right now (and it's certainly better then "The Women"). In fact, there is only one potential Oscar nomination I see on the horizon: Best Supporting Actress for Frances McDormand. The wife of one of the directors themselves, McDormand won an Oscar for Best Actress in the classic film "Fargo." Since then she's been greatly underappriciated, turning in great performances under her "plain" looking face. In this movie she shows a comic timing and ability that makes you wish women were allowed to be funny more often. We'll see how the race pans out, but for now she's in.

"Doubt" Trailer Reveled

Wow. I'm sold. Keep an eye out for this one folks: I think it will get many nominations on subject matter alone. Of course, it's looking like Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, and Amy Adams are all up for leading and supporting Oscar nominations. Whether or not there's a Best Picture nomination in the bag is up in the air, but considering the public concern about child molestation in the Catholic Church I wouldn't be too surprised if this became a front runner before anyone saw it.

9/11: Never Forget

Though it's a bit late in the day I want to take a moment of silence on this, the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. May we never forget that terrible day.

The State of the Race: September Edition

It's a tricky thing to predict Oscars. There is no science to it, just guesses. And chances are you're wrong anyway. That's why I don't put predictions on the side until I've seen the film first. But, for fun, let's do an honest to God predictions. I'm not going to stand by these choices for the rest of the year, but as it stands here are the five films I believe have the best shot at being Best Picture nominees come February:

The movies (in order):

1. The Dark Knight
2. Milk
3. The Road
4. Changeling
5. Slumdog Millionaire

The only reason there's no picture for "Slumdog Millionaire" or "Changeling" is because the studios haven't released posters yet (and for the record, the "poster" for "The Road" is actually the book cover). This will likely change in the coming months as we see other potentials at film festivals like "Doubt" and "Reservation Road," but for now here's my wild predictions.

"Changeling" Trailer Released

And here's the trailer for Clint Eastwood's upcoming film "Changeling," one of the most anticipated releases of the year. I would pretty much count on this getting multiple Oscar nominations (including Best Picture). The Academy seems to really love Clint. So much so that they passed over awarding Marty a few times in honor of him. History aside I must say that I'm impressed with the trailer and can't wait to see this.

Batman's Road To Oscars

So "The Dark Knight" is officially going to be a contender at the Academy Awards (if Warner Bros. has anything to say about it), but what about the previous Batman Films? They got Oscar nominations too. A couple of them won too. But what got nominated for awards and what didn't? Let's take a look:

Batman The Movie

Nominations: 0

Really guys, did you think this was going to get nominated for anything? I didn't think so. Alright, let's get serious about this.

Batman

Nominations: 1

Best Art Direction (Won)

This award makes the most sense, seeing as how the movie was praised for it's look more then it's story or depth (though it IS a good movie). This would be the first nomination but not the last.

Batman Returns

Nominations: 2

Best Visual Effects
Best Makeup

Yet more visual awards, but this time the film came away empty handed. Oh well, life moves on.

Batman Forever

Nominations: 3

Best Sound
Best Sound Editing
Best Cinematography

Hard to believe that the Batman movie with the most Oscar nominations comes from a Schumacher film. Luckily the film didn't win any awards.

Batman & Robin

Nominations: 0

While I would not have minded a couple of effects nominations, I'm glad the Academy decided to completely snub this film. After all, this was the film that killed the Batman franchise, and to honor it with awards would seem pretty cruel.

Batman Begins

Nominations: 1

Best Cinematography

Yet another lone nomination. And again it went home empty handed. Such is life, which brings us to...



..."The Dark Knight." Though only the original "Batman" film has won an actual Oscar, "The Dark Knight" is likely to change that. This is the first superhero film that could get a Best Picture nomination. Heath Ledger will likely be the first person to get an acting award for his performance. We're potentially looking at comic book movie history in the making. And what an exciting thing that is.

The Battle Is On: Warner Bros. Wants Oscars For "The Dark Knight"

The fight is on people: Warner Bros. wants "The Dark Knight" in the race for Best Picture and they're not being shy about it. This is a campaign that will last longer then the Presidential elections folks so strap yourselves in for the ride. What Warner plans to do is re-release the film in select IMAX's this January (why not all of them?), just so that the movie "stays in the voters minds." I'm sure there will be lots of free passes given out to Academy members as well. The movie likely won't beat "Titanic's" since Warner is planning a December release for the DVD and BluRay (Note to Warner CEO: BIG FREAKING MISTAKE!!!), but the film sits commertably at number two. I'm glad Warner is taking this seriously. Right now I've the movie as a potential nominee is all but one categoty: Best Visual Effects.

And really, a nomination there doesn't seem like a stretch, seeing as how the effects used to create Two-Face's burnt face were so seemless you forgot that computers were involved. If I had my way, "The Dark Knight" would walk away with 13 nominations. I don't know if THAT'S going to happen, but I think a nomination in the top spot is pretty much a given at this point! Here's hoping the Academy doesn't disapoint. Oh, and here's a look at the BluRay box art for the movie.

"Che" Get's Day and Date

In a shocking move, IFC Films, known for their day and date releases of many smaller films, have picked up Steven Soderberg's "Che." This means you will have the chance to see the movie either in a select number of theaters or on Video On Demand...on the exact same day. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet. Releases like these for limited releases makes it harder for me to see in the theaters, and I don't want to miss an epic like this in the theater. Still no word on whether or not the film will be available as one or in split in two. Either way this is getting interesting (maybe too interesting, I can see Oscar voters passing this movie by due to release complications alone).

"The Soloist" Trailer

Seeing as how Joe Wright's previous two films have attracted Oscar attention (particularly "Atonement," which got a Best Picture nomination) I feel that we can expect great things from "The Soloist." It looks like a movie with great performances, it a personal film, and (if the trailer is to be believed) it's based on a true story. Sounds like Oscar bait to me. Robert Downey Jr. has been having an esspecially good year. With "Iron Man" he revived his career in a big way. In "Tropic Thunder" he stole the show and looks to have a good shot at a Best Supporting Actor nomination. And now we have "The Soloist," which looks like potential Best Actor material. There's just five things standing in his way right now:

1. Voters could get confused as to which role to vote for, and he could walk away nomination-less.
2. Jamie Foxx could steale the nomination here.
3. The two actors could split the vote and neither get nominated.
4. Too much Downey could prove fatel to his chances.
5. "The Soloist" could be a terrible film, and thus not be award worthy.

Well, either way, glad to see Downey making films again. Whether he gets an Oscar nod or not it's difficult to revive a troubled career (just as Ben Affleck), and he managed to revive his in several big ways. So bravo to him.

Cruz Is Going For Double With "Elegy"

Another movie I saw fairly recently (but forgot to mention) is the dark and sexy "Elegy." Starring Ben Kingsley as a man who go through women like they were disposable newspapers, the movie is a gripping and captivating tale about an unconventional relationship. Though the acting is universally excellent, I think the stand out performance in this movie is Penelope Cruz, who gives a lot of depth and personality to this character that could have easily been lost. Not only is her character an interesting person, but (and this is not meant to be be offensive) the Academy LOVES to nominate sexy whores for Oscars.

Now I'm not saying Ms. Cruz (or her character) are really whores, but how many times have you seen a woman play a sex pot/prostitute/adulter and get an Oscar nomination? Well, just ask Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Laura Linney, Kate Winslet, Annette Benning, Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Jane Fonda, etc, etc...really folks, if you're a woman in the Hollywood business, the best way to get an Oscar nomination is to play a whore with a heart of gold. But yes, it's a good performance. I'm going to list multiple actors for potential nominees here, but I believe Cruz's will stick around the most. Which would be funny because then she could potentially pull off a double nomination. The trailer is below (Note: I can't post the red band trailer for obvious reasons, but it's out there for you to find):

Man Gets Nominated (Maybe)

I saw a screening of the hit documentary "Man on Wire" yesterday...and I was floored. Here is a documentary that has nothing really important to say, it just documents an amazing thing that one crazy man decided to do one year. I know the Academy loves to nominate "important" documentary films, but I think this movie has a shot at getting a nomination because of it's popularity.

Is Rourke Going To Wrestle In A Nomination?

I don't report on too many festival news because...frankly, there's just too much of it. Plus I don't like campaigning a film "too" much until I've seen it (though some movies, like "Milk," I blog about a lot just because I'm excited about it). That said I have been hearing an overwhelming amount of positive buzz about Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler." Particularly I've heard that Mickey Rourke's performance is one of those unforgettable performances that only comes along once a year. Since this is a lead role, maybe Rourke will have a good shot at the winning slot in the Best Actor category? Maybe the picture will even sneak into some other categories. Either way, this is one to look out for.

The FINAL "Milk" Poster Reveled

So this is the poster that Focus Features has decided to unleash to the public for "Milk?" Hmm...I don't know. I kind of liked the old poster better. Oh well, at least Penn still looks classy.

Weekend Box Office

I think it's about time we check to see how the movies did at the box office this weekend:


Well, the new Nic Cage movie was number one. But only $7 million? Ouch, that can't be good. Nice to see "The Dark Knight" hanging in at number four. I'm sad to see "Disaster Movie" hanging in there, but it won't be long before it's dumped on DVD to be dumped in a land mine two years down the road.

A Blessing If Ever I Saw One

So "Disaster Movie" has been out a whole week and has managed to make a hair over $7 million dollars. Considering the previous so-called "spoof movies" all had big opening weekends despite their quality, this is a great sign that we may be seeing an end to these lousy wastes of celluloid (unless they're filming these digitally, which I highly doubt). So I'm in a good mood and can go to sleep with a smile on my face, as I don't expect the movie to do much better this weekend with the poor reviews it's gotten.

A Doc With Potential

I must say that I'm very interested in seeing this documentary. This seems like one of those movies that could affect a lifestyle choice that people seem to think they need but don't. Now I'm not much of a water person. I drink some of it, but I admit that it's difficult for me to enjoy something without sugar in it. So I made a perfect judge when it came to whether or not there was a difference between tap and bottled water. I didn't taste any difference. Then I saw an episode of Penn & Teller's "Bull$h!t" program, and they pretty much confirmed my theory that bottled water was no different then tap water. It's going to be interesting to see what information this doc provides and how it will effect the people who see it. Oh, and it totally looks like it has Oscar potential.

Advertise Now

Now that the site is up and running smoothly I think it's time to offer cheap advertising. Right now there are five advertisement boxes on the right, you can advertise any site for $0.10 a day. This price can change depending on whether or not you get outbid. Oh, and a word to the studios: Advertising a movie on this site will not make me like it or campaign for it any more then I already do. Just figured I'd let you know.

Pearce Wants To Work With Nolan

It seems Guy Pearce wants to work with Christopher Nolan on the next Batman film. He gushes about "The Dark Knight" in this interview below. Butt-kissing certainly never hurt anyone before.

The Unsung Hero

While all the performances in "The Dark Knight" are spectacular, only one has been given a lot of press: the late Heath Ledger. That said though, I believe that there's at least one other performance that should be just as acclaimed in this movie and should be receiving talk of a Best Supporting Actor nomination. That actor is Aaron Eckhart playing Harvey Dent (AKA: Two-Face). I know that the Joker is a force to be reckoned with, but Dent's character is really the soul of the movie. While on the outside a war is being waged against two public figures, the real battle is for Dent's soul. Batman wants to protect Dent so that he can move on with his life and put up the cape. Joker wants Dent to fall because he knows what it will do to Gotham if their "Knight In Shinning Armor" were to betray them.

It's a powerful performance, one that Eckhart has to play convincingly or else the entire subtext of the story could crumble. Under his acting though it never does, and it's a shame he's not getting the dues he deserves. So for now I'm going to throw his name into the Best Supporting Actor pot. I know it will likely be removed around October, but just for awhile I want to give credit where credit is not being given enough.

"Rachel Getting Married" Trailer

I must say it's nice to see Jonathan Demme's name attached to something that's not a concert film. I mean this guy won a Best Director Oscar for "Silence of the Lambs" and seeing him direct concert films seems like a huge waste of talent. I don't know if "Rachel Getting Married" is going to be a great return for the director, but Anne Hathaway is the first person who looks to have serious potential for a Best Actress nomination.

"Milk" Trailer

The trailer for Gus Van Sant's "Milk" has been posted and the movie is looking more and more promising. I've still got concerns about Penn, but Josh Brolin and Emile Hersh are looking fairly promising for Best Supporting Actor nominations (though they won't likely win because...well, you know why). Enjoy:

We Won't See Moore On The Red Carpet

Controversial documentary maker Michael Moore won't be at the Academy Awards despite releasing a new film this year. That's because he intends to release the film for free online and then sell the DVD. Personally, I think this makes sense. The new film, entitled "Slacker Uprising," is about Moore's sixty-two city tour to try and get college students to vote. The trailer is below:



And while I don't want to get all political I have to say that I'm glad this movie won't be up for Oscar consideration because this looks like a self-promotional film if ever I saw one. I'm happy when people try to encourage the younger generation to vote (a generation, it seems, that would rather blog about their problems then actually take the time to vote on them), but if Mikey thinks his tour was successful at all then he's nuts. The poll statistics showed that the droves of college students that would vote didn't even register...or in other words they didn't show up.

In the preview you see kids committing to vote President Bush out of the White House, and we all know how THAT worked out! Basically Mike's tour was a wash, and this is him trying to make a buck off his disappointment (and to maybe try and convince himself the whole thing wasn't a wash). The only reason he's not releasing it in theaters is because he knows no one will pay to see it. So he's giving it away. And the DVD...well, that's for his fans who just HAVE to have everything!

"The Voice" Will Speak No More

Don LaFontaine
August 26, 1940 - September 1, 2008

This isn't exactly Oscar related, but it should be noted that voice legend Don LaFontaine has passed away at the age of 68. Don was probably the most heard voice in the world (yes, even beating out Jim Cummings). As "the voice" for trailers, Don was someone you would hear every time you went to the theater, letting us know when upcoming movies would be coming out. While there will always be voice actors to spice up trailers, the world feels a little sadder without the true legend. Here's a video to remember his wonderful career.

"Milk" Poster Reveled

The poster for Gus Van Sant's upcoming biopic "Milk" has been released...and I have to say I'm a fan. Looking like an old fashioned 70's political ad, this is one of the few "stylish" posters I've seen recently (even if its still all about Sean Penn). I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Penn as Harvey Milk, but we'll still have to see whether or not it picks up Oscar nominations. If "Brokeback Mountain" didn't go the distance I don't think "Milk" will. After all, when was the last time you saw a biopic win Best Picture? Has it even happened?

Update: 9-4-2008

Boy, do I feel stupid. As someone pointed out in the comments below, biopic movies HAVE won Best Picture! A few of them are even some of my favorite films of all time; "Schindler's List," "The Last Emperor," and "Amadeus" (though the latter is possibly up for debate with the, shall we say - loose - historical accuracy). Oh well, I'm glad I made this mistake because it shows that someone is reading, and they care enough to comment.

Update: 9-5-2008

Well the poster had to be taken down because it wasn't the official poster that Focus Features authorized, so I guess we'll have to wait a bit more to see what the real poster is.

"Che" Will Be Twice As Much Fun/Money

According to Variety Magazine, Steven Soderberg's "Che" will be split into two films while the four hour long version will receive a "road show" release. For those who don't know what the term road show means it was basically a form of distribution for epic movies of the old days. See, back when three to four hour films like "Ben-Hur" and "Around the World In 80 Days" were being made, not all theaters had the surround sound and wide screens to make a mainstream release possible. Therefor these movies would open in select cities and then slowly move to other cities over the next couple of years. And since DVD didn't exist back then (heck, VHS wasn't even on the radar yet) this sort of run around could last a few years.

Now Oscar winner Soderberg, who is known for his experimental films, decided to make a four hour epic on the life of Latin Revolutionary Che Guevera, starring Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro as the the title character. It's a bold undertaking as the cinema hasn't seen a four hour epic released in theaters since Warner Bros. released "Gods and Generals" in 2003 (a major flop, though I blame that on the poor quality of the film and NOT the running time). While this would have been a hard sell to the public I think it could have been a success because people who are interested in this film expressed interest in sitting through a four hour film. By breaking it in two it feels like a cheap way to sell multiple tickets, and I'm not sure how many people are going to buy it.

This could also potentially effect the films Oscar chances (particularly Del Toro, who's an early favorite at a Best Actor nomination), because with two halfs of the film the votes this film receives could be split. Or maybe the Academy members won't vote for either. After all, how do you decide which half of the movie has better direction and/or acting then the other? In fact, chances are the road show release of the full movie is there to try and eliminate this confusion for the voters. Either way I'm less confident in the film now.