What Are Chances of Oscar Love For "50/50": About 50/50 I'd Say

So one of the movies that I'm going to cautiously be keeping an eye on during this Oscar race is "50/50."  I haven't written my review yet (it should come in at around three and a half stars for me), but spoil it a bit for you, this is a good movie.  It may not be the greatest film in the world, but its amazing how it takes a serious situation that is so bleak for everyone, and manages to make it funny while also acknowledging the despair that comes along with such bad news.  Again, it may not be a great film, but its a good film in what it ends up doing.  Seth Rogan was his usual funny self (though maybe a bit too routine to get an Oscar nomination), and Anna Kendrick was good as a young psychiatrist trying to help the main character.

However, the standout performance is obviously that of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who not only brings humor to the role, but also frustration and despair.  A role like this is tricky because the main character has to be confident enough for us to believe he can survive this, but vulnerable enough that we feel his pain.  He carries this movie so well, that I want to seriously consider his chances at getting a Best Actor nomination for the role.  This is the sort of juicy role the Academy loves, and we shouldn't discredit this one just because its a comedy.  A think other potential nominees include Best Original Screenplay and Best Makeup.  Will it make the Best Picture lineup?  Hmm...maybe.  It is a movie that would appear to get some number one votes, so you never know.  For now though, Levitt's performance is the one to watch out for.

Here Comes The "Bridesmaids"

After a hard night as work (don't ask), I went home to my humble house and popped in a movie that I picked up Tuesday: "Bridesmaids."  I saw this movie earlier in the year and deemed it the surprise hit of the year.  I gave it four stars in my review, but considering how few great comedies we've gotten this year, maybe I should have added an extra half star to the grade.  The year is almost complete and there hasn't been a more funny film I've seen this year (the film is very likely to make my Top Ten list).  Re-watching it on BluRay made me realize something: This film may have Oscar potential.  I know, I know, comedy is a tough sell for the Academy.  But you know what?  Once in awhile you just sort of have to go with your heart.  It seems unlikely on paper that this would get nominated for anything, but considering the shallow competition we've gotten so far, it seems more crazy not to predict it at this point.

It has box office success.  It has a breakout performance by Kristen Wiig.  It's also one of two big hits this year starring mostly women ("The Help" being the other one).  And by golly, this is such a funny movie that I'm starting to feel like a bitter old man not predicting it to get nominated for SOMETHING!  So first I'm going to predict Kristen Wiig getting a nomination for Best Actress.  This was a breakout role for her, and she just won an Emmy a few nights ago, so she may have momentum to get a nomination here.  I'm also throwing in a prediction for Best Original Screenplay, since the screenplay categories are where comedies tend to fare very good.  Don't believe me: "Shrek" got a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.  No joke, look it up.  My last prediction is a long shot, but I'm going to predict a nomination for Melissa McCarthy for Best Supporting Actress.

I know, that last one sounds more crazy than anything else, but think about it: She STEALS the movie!  Every scene she's in she's upstaging the entire cast of characters, and she's the most complex woman in the whole film without getting all serious and depressing.  Way back in 1960 Peter Ustinov won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the Stanley Kubrick film "Spartacus."  You may think that for an epic that must have been a serious role, but you'd be wrong.  It was comical.  VERY comical!  Kevin Kline and Alan Arkin won Oscars in this category for playing largely goofy roles, so if a comedy performance is going to get a nomination, it will normally be as a supporting character.  Whether it gets these nominations or not is up in the air, but one thing should be obvious: If you haven't seen "Bridesmaids" yet, you are missing out on the best comedy of the year.  No joke, you really are.

Update: I made a mistake in the article.  It wasn't Kristen Wiig who won an Emmy it was actually Melissa McCarthy.  I'm sort of glad I was wrong about this though, as it gives McCarthy's chance at a Best Supporting Actress nod more weight.

Updating Sidebars

Now that I've got time to update this site again I've decided it was about time to revamp the predictions sidebar. The biggest difference you'll notice is that I've added "Changeling" to many different categories. I still don't think this is Best Picture material (though it was good), but the Academy loves Clint, and this has some stylish cimematography and good acting to make Oscar take notice should the nomination potentials look too grim (which they are starting to). I'm going to hold firm that I believe Clint other film, "Gran Torino," will be the film getting the Best Picture nomination. I've also moved "The Dark Knights" screenplay to Best Adapted Screenplay because that box looks so lonely (and "The Dark Knight" could go either way with the screenplay at this point). I've also removed "The Dark Knight" from the Best Score category, since the Academy officially anounced it was not eligdable for that award.

Also (and I know this is a long shot) I fell Kevin Smith's raunchy comedy "Zack and Miri Make A Porno" has a halfway decent shot at getting a Best Original Screenplay nomination, so I'm going to include it for now and see how it looks. Again, not likely, but I'm feeling a bit crazy right now. Other then that there are a few minor changes here and there. Looking forward to next week when "Australia" opens, and we can see how much Best Picture potential that epic troubled film has.

The Dark Dialog

I know that there is a lot of talk about a Best Picture nomination for "The Dark Knight," the one thing that puzzles me is why there is no talk about a nomination for the screenplay as well. I mean, is it even possible to have one of the most complex and exciting action films of the summer...without the characters saying anything interesting? I find that hard to believe in a movie with several quotable lines and unpredictable twists. I think the issue is that people don't know where this could get nominated. Is this an original or adapted screenplay? Well, it's based off a series of comic books but the story itself is original. So hard to choose. Personally I think we should just pull a Two-Face and flip a coin. Heads...



...we put it in Original. Tails...



...we put it under Adapted.


And the category is...


...heads. So (for now) I'm going to put this prediction under the Best Original Screenplay category. Of course, depending on how things play out with other screenplays, this could always end up in the adapted category (and let's face it, it's chances of winning are better there).