Will Early 2007 Films Like Zodiac and Black Book Win Awards?
Filed under: Awards, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Politics, Oscar Watch
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Last night I was having drinks with a Manhattan film critic who told me that he was putting both Zodiac and Black Book on his end of year list, no matter what the establishment thought of their awards chances. I was very happy about the latter, since I'm sure that it's one of the best films of the year, and although I didn't see Zodiac until recently, I also feel that it would be absurd if that film loses a slot in awards consideration to lesser (and later released) films like American Gangster or Enchanted. The Academy is, of course, notorious about forgetting what came in the January -- April period of the year, but sometimes they can surprise you, especially in a weak year for Best Picture like this one is. (Aside from No Country for Old Men and Atonement, what other sure bets for a Best Picture nomination are there?) Zodiac in particular seems to be catching some late momentum -- today Jeff Wells of Hollywood-Elsewhere has released his top ten list and declares Zodiac to be the best of the year. I doubt he really thinks that, but putting it at the top spot may succeeded in the true goal -- getting it noticed.
When we take a look at The Envelope's Buzz meter -- the most comprehensive awards buzz calculator known to man -- we see very few early year contenders, except for Julie Christie for Away from Her. In fact, every movie on The Envelope's Best Picture slate is a movie I've seen in the last few weeks, except for Atonement, which I caught at a festival. A great film like Black Book isn't even a blip on The Envelope's horizon at this point. What early 2007 films do you think are being overlooked?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-09-2007 @ 3:46PM
Wayne said...
It's not an early film, but I hope that "Gone, Baby, Gone" isn't overlooked by the voters the way it was by the public.
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12-09-2007 @ 5:34PM
Jordan said...
i personally think that the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford SHOULD be a shoe-in for best picture, but of course it wont be. i also have a feeling that there will be blood will be up for something, at least.
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12-09-2007 @ 6:21PM
Gregory Rubinstein said...
Zodiac was a good movie and I do think it should (but probably won't) get nominated for Best Picture. However, there is no way I liked a better than American Gangster. That had two great actors and a compelling storyline. I haven't seen Enchanted, but I would imagine that Zodiac is better than that movie.
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12-09-2007 @ 6:57PM
Thad Garrison said...
Zodiac bored me to tears, and I love true crime and serial-killer related fare. The film felt endless and uninspired to me.
Fincher's notorious control-freak method of directing zapped the life out of the subject matter. Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is the pits - teetering on mocking the mentally disabled (and the character isn't retarded, which makes it that much stranger.) Robert Downey Jr. is his normal unbearable self (critics tell me this is masterful acting - I think it is a junkie alcoholic playing a junkie alcoholic.) I'm still surprised by how good the reviews were and continue to be for this film.
One of my favorites this year not mentioned on the list: Before the Devil Knows Your Dead. I think the direction and screenplay are top notch. Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance is also, as usual, excellent.
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12-09-2007 @ 7:30PM
pecker13 said...
A real movie that desserves oscar buzz that is not getting any is "Talk to Me" w/ Don Cheadle. This movie desserves all the oscar attention it can get. I bet if George Clooney was to spray paint himself black like Angelina Jolie then it would get all the oscar buzz it desserves to get.
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12-09-2007 @ 7:54PM
Stan Heck said...
Not true anymore about movies released in Febuary get forgotten. "Silence of The Lambs" won and it was released one year prior to the awards. IF you go to my blog I stated when Zodiac came out that it was the must see movie of the year. I know a great movie when I see it..
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12-09-2007 @ 9:26PM
honey said...
I'd love to see The Assassination of Jesse James take home some award nominations. It was a tremendous film, just like No Country for Old Men. (Roger Deakins...you're the master..)
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12-10-2007 @ 12:30AM
uforeader said...
I don't think this year is really appropriate for this question. None of the year's early films were that impressive to me. Zodiac was good, but also dragged in the middle, and pales to several more recent movies.
I will forever be upset that Cinderella Man was not nominated for Best Picture a few years back. That's the perfect example of a modern movie that suffered due to its early release date.
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12-10-2007 @ 12:57AM
Michael said...
Yeah, timing is everything. Black Book was one of the most unique and moving films I saw this year and it is too bad the academy is giving it the short end of the stick. Another error the studios made was releasing my other favorite film this year last December, again completely eliminating it from Oscar contention. "The Painted Veil" was a magnificent film, one I've watched several times already and it never fails to impress me. Even though it isn't a traditional "blockbuster summer popcorn film" it was easily in my top two or three films I've already seen this decade. As the window gets shorter and shorter still between theater run and DVD, I am saddened that these great films suffer from lack of exposure.
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12-10-2007 @ 12:58AM
Michael said...
Yeah, timing is everything. Black Book was one of the most unique and moving films I saw this year and it is too bad the academy is giving it the short end of the stick. Another error the studios made was releasing my other favorite film this year last December, again completely eliminating it from Oscar contention. "The Painted Veil" was a magnificent film, one I've watched several times already and it never fails to impress me. Even though it isn't a traditional "blockbuster summer popcorn film" it was easily in my top two or three films I've already seen this decade. As the window gets shorter and shorter still between theater run and DVD, I am saddened that these great films suffer from lack of exposure.
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12-10-2007 @ 11:33AM
caleb said...
Your link to Black Book is wrong. It goes to Zodiak on Moviefone.
Zodiak better get a nomination.
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12-10-2007 @ 1:19PM
kevjohn said...
Zodiac seemed to drag on a bit too much for my tastes (and the general moviegoing public's taste). Robert Downey Jr. was amazing in it however.
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12-10-2007 @ 3:04PM
Anthony said...
Saying that Zodiac was underwhelming would be an understatement. Most of which I would blame on Jake G.
However, I think it was one of Robert Downey Jr's best performances. I'd love to see him get a nod.
I'm also probably alone on this one... but I think Marcia Gay Harden deserves a nod for "The Mist"... dont hate me..
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12-13-2007 @ 8:35AM
william kerns said...
I have not seen "Black Book," but "Zodiac" remains one of the year's very best, and this year I think it IS quite likely to be overlooked. I also expect the 4 nominees for Best Picture all to be November and December releases battling "No Country for Old Men" -- which doesn't bode well for "Into the Wild" (a masterpeace from Sean Penn) or "Hairspray" (two hours of mostly smiles).
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