With the 2008 Oscars approaching, we here at The Playlist have been speculating amongst ourselves about how the Oscar landscape for 2009 will look. The more we talk about it, the more we have come to realize that 2009 has precious few clear Oscar-bait film slated for release, and just earlier today, Jeffery Wells noted that exact same thing (sucks when someone beats you to a piece you’ve been dwelling on for a few weeks).
Wells predicts at this point that only four or five films have legitimate chances for Oscar nominations. He cites James Cameron’s “Avatar,” Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones,” Clint Eastwood’s untitled Nelson Mandela project and Rob Marshall’s “Nine.”
While consulting our 60 Most Anticipated Films of 2009 list, we think five may be a bit low number, as there are few present on the list that could be contenders. Even though it is being branded “too bleak” by many, “The Road” could benefit by being pushed into 2009 and make a run at an Oscar nomination, not to mention Terrance Malick’s highly anticipated “Tree of Life,” which is rumored to be making its world premiere this springs at Cannes [ed. also, Paul Greengrass’ “Green Zone,” and Wells has also added Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Biutiful,” and says “An Education”‘s Carey Mulligan is a good bet for Best Actress].
Either way, it does it seem like there’s waaaaay less Oscar bait this year, and it could be because a) it is simply because the film’s haven’t been announced yet or b) it is the effects of the late-2007 writer’s strike finally coming into effect.
But then again, who knows, its way to early to be making Oscar prediction for 2009, as at this time last who would have guessed Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire,” a film which has 1/3 of its dialogue in a foreign language and stars previously unheard of actors would be poised to clean-up at the Academy Awards.
