Back in May I had laid out how the Oscar race seemed pretty set early on in the best Actor category. Despite the many potential best actor nominees, early on names like Daniel Day-Lewis and Denzel Washington were being thrown around.
While I was more impressed with Crowe's acting in American Gangster, it's clear that Denzel Washington has the buzz behind him and an excellent shot at getting his 6th academy award nomination.
George Clooney's role in Michael Clayton while certainly not over the top and dramatic, is a nuanced title role in a film that won't be completely void of buzz and award announcements (plus the Academy loves him and other co-stars Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson will likely have buzz as well)
Daniel Day Lewis is still bringing in the buzz for his much anticipated role in P.T. Anderson's film There Will Be Blood.
The crazy buzz for Reservation Road and Jaoquin Phoenix had died. (Last March I blogged about how Reservation Road seemed to have unprecedented buzz behind it...it did)
And while Tom Hanks had his glory days with the Academy it's still unclear as to what role Charlie Wilson's War will play in this years award line-up, but more and more, I'm thinking Tom Hanks will not be receiving his 6th Oscar nomination this year. While Johnny Depp has turned up the juice, and could receive his 3rd nomination for Sweeney Todd (they're loving him this decade).
The only name clearly worth adding to the four remaining contenders from may (Washington, Clooney, Day-Lewis, Depp) is James McAvoy whose buzz for the highly anticipated film Atonement just seems to continue to grow.
So with that I present an updated image of the face of the predicted best actor nominees for 2007:
It would seem to me at this point that the shakiest nomination potential are for Clooney and Depp (Tim Burton isn't known for scoring nods for his actors). Yet the lack of a clear replacement secures there place.
The other true potential nominees in this catagory as I see it could be: Emile Hirsh, Into The Wild; Tommy Lee Jones, In The Valley of Elah; Phillip Seymore Hoffman, The Savages or Before the Devil Knows Your Dead.
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9 comments:
I think Depp's chances for nomination are the shakiest. No matter how well he does in Sweeny Todd, the fact remains that it is a genre film. And, sadly, the Academy has never been particularly fond of genre films.
I still think Tommy Lee Jones has a shot at a nomination. He's had two of the most critically acclaimed performances of his career back to back with "In the Valley of Elah", and "No Country for Old Men".
@ mercurie...it is hard to tell how sweeney t. will be perceived and how they'll view Carter and Depp's performances.
@ jeremy...you make a good point...and i agree he has a shot...that's why he's included in the very thin list of alternates...and i agree tommy lee jones probably has a better chance (at least at this point) than Hirch or P.S. Hoffman.
I think Depp is in. I am still concerned for McAvoy as he does seem a little shaky. "Atonement" was an amazing film, and he in it, but I am still a little wary how the critics will respond. They never agree with me.
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It's not Day-Lewis in that photo, but the guy who is his assistant in the movie!!
Predictions
Lock:
-Daniel Day-Lewis (One of the best)
-Johnny Depp (PofC=Box office / Critical and audience loving actor)
Likely:
-James McAvoy (Snubbed the last year / European breakthough9
-Emile Hirsch (American breakthough by a master like Sean Penn)
-Denzel Washington (He's a star...)
Possible:
-Tommy Lee Jones (Great performance but the film...)
-Viggo Mortensen (I believe in him)
-Tom Hanks (He's a star but I don't think so)
-George Clooney (Good but no great)
-Brad Pitt (Very good but overshadower by his costar)
Dark horses:
-Sam Riley-Ryan Gosling (Surprise factor)
-Philip Seymour Hoffman (better next year)
-Tony Leung-Don Cheadle-Frank Langella (ISA Nomination...)
-Josh Brolin (Plus for the film)
Unlikely
-Jake Gyllenhaal (Esquire says... / He's better that Witherspoon...)
-Joaquin Phoenix (Worst performance in Toronto)
don't count out Phillip Seymour Hoffman's work in The Savages it's pretty extraordinary.
and the clips i have seen from Sweeney look BAD in terms of the singing. looks like the film misses alot of the humor in the show and Depp's voice sounds weak... really don't think he has the chance everyone is giving him.
and Frank Langella for Starting Out in The Evening is starting to get buzz... keep a look out. he is a VERY well known character actor who has been around the business for a while now...
good!
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