Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Oscar: Acting Race & The Men in The Can But Not On The Screen

It's just over three months until the end of the year, and one of the most challenging part of this year's Oscar predictions is establishing what films are coming out this year.

This seems most challenging in the category of Best Actor. The list of actors on the edge seems to grow.

It wasn't until Toronto that I had even heard of the film Get Low staring Robert Duvall, with a strong supporting performance by Billy Murray. And yet, after Toronto, these performances becomes ones that are viable contenders IF they get distribution.

In Get Low Robert Duvall plays a Tennessee man that is planning on throwing his own funeral before he dies.

Duvall isn't the only actor hanging out in limbo, nor is he the only limbo actor playing an old man.

In fact, not the only actor,in limbo, playing an old man in Tennessee. Hal Holbrook plays an old man who deals with his family's betrayal in the film The Evening Sun. The Evening Sun won the audience award at SXSW film festival, (as well as awards at other smaller festivals), but again...no distributor.

You also have the Leo Tolstoy biopic, The Last Station, staring Christopher Plummer (along side Helen Mirren)...

...And the biopic about Charles Darwin, Creation, staring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.

You can throw around some other names if you want, like Martin Landua in Lovely, Still, or Joe Pesci in Love Ranch (along side Helen Mirren), Javier Bardem in Biutiful, or even Edward Norton in Leaves of Grass, and maybe Colin Farrell in Niel Jordan's Ondine.

All no distribution, but all viable Academy Award contenders if they start showing in theaters in New York and LA by the end of the year.

Thier films are done, but will any of them have a chance?

(Pictured top to bottom: Robert Duvall, Get Low; Paul Bettany, Creation; Christopher Plummer, The Last Station; Hal Holbrook, The Evening Sun; Joe Pesci, Love Ranch)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think that Biutiful is quite done yet and I don't think that it will come out until 2010.
But I hope the other films get distributors and come out soon. It is a shame because there are a number of great sounding films without distributors and so much junk gets wide releases.

Andrew K. said...

I would love to see Joe Pesci back at the Oscars...just because and I wouldn't mind seeing Farrell nominated although I hate the source for Ondine. How come you didn't include DeNiro in Everybody's Fine?

Danny King said...

I too hadn't heard of Duvall until about a week ago, but now I am very intrigued and I hope the film does get a distributor.

Another one to look out for is Michael Caine in Harry Brown.

RC said...

@ anon - I think you're right about Biutiful...and as for the junk -- they'd stop making it if people stopped watching it and paying $$$ for it.

@ Andrew - it's been a long long long time 1992 since we've seen De Niro at the Oscars -- I believe everybody's fine does a distributor (Marimax) -- at least this film about an old man has a distributor.

@ Danny - I hope "Get Low" gets a distributor too -- it seems a little more intriguing than some of the others -- you are right, I totally forgot about Harry Brown -- yet for some reason, I think people are "worn out" by Michael Caine and that it'd have to be super-amazing for him to get a nod.

RC said...

@ danny - one more thing - Harry Brown does have a distributor - Lionsgate.

Danny King said...

Okay, I wasn't sure if it had a distributor or not. It should be interesting to see how he fits in because he has won before, but only for supporting, so I wonder if the Academy will use that for or against him.