Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe. Every Wednesday, I’m taking a look at the awards chances for all of the films released the previous week. Chime in with your thoughts on the Oscar chances for these films in the comments section.

Avatar
This is one of only two major awards contender movies released this year that I have to see, and I really do plan it seeing it soon. It seems I’d be a fool not to predict its domination at the Oscars, since it has earned mostly glowing reviews and Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Director, Score, and Song. The last time James Cameron was nominated, he won and “Titanic” took home a boatload of Oscars. The interesting thing to note about that is that “Titanic” didn’t even score a nomination for Best Screenplay, and it’s likely “Avatar” won’t due to its sci-fi subject matter and a whole lot of competition. Otherwise, it’s probably safe in the aforementioned four categories, as well as Visual Effects, Sound, Score, Film Editing, Art Direction, and maybe even Cinematography. I’ll be able to make those predictions more securely once actually having seen the film…

Crazy Heart
This film is locked in two categories and that’s probably it, but it will be a serious threat to win in both. The first is Best Actor for Jeff Bridges, who has earned four Oscar nominations over the past forty years and delivers what many, including myself, call a career-best performance. He’s sure to be in the final five, and a strong possibility to beat Colin Firth (“A Single Man”) and George Clooney (“Up in the Air”). Don’t count on a nomination for costar Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose category confusion won’t help her since both categories already have a solid list of contenders. The other category in which this film will get nominated is Best Original Song, where “The Weary Kind” should definitely make it in.

Nine
This majestic musical from the director of “Chicago,” which won Best Picture seven years ago, did extremely well at the Golden Globes with five nominations, but it’s likely that only two to three of those will translate to the Oscars. “Cinema Italiano,” a Best Original Song contender, should have no trouble getting in if the number of nominees stays at five, and Penelope Cruz has done well with precursors to earn a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Plus, she’s last year’s winner in the category, which could either help (we love her!) or hurt (again?) her. With ten nominees in the Best Picture category, “Nine” could have a good shot but may fall out if the so-so reactions to the film are shared by Academy voters. Director Rob Marshall is almost definitely out, but the film should be able to score nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction, as well as Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Ediitng.

The Young Victoria
This period piece opened later and to positive reviews but little buzz. Emily Blunt probably came close to an Oscar nomination three years ago after earning a Golden Globe nod for “The Devil Wears Prada,” and she’ll likely come close again this year. Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) is probably a step ahead of her, and the Best Actress category is sealed a bit too tightly for her to crack it. She still has a shot, so don’t write her off just yet, but don’t hold your fingers either. The film may have a better chance at scoring nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costumes, like “The Duchess” did last year. Blunt will probably have to wait a bit, but someday she’ll be an Oscar nominee.

I can’t imagine any nominations for Did You Hear About the Morgans. That’s it for notable films released this past week. There are only a couple of weeks in the year left! Come back every Wednesday for an analysis of the previous Friday’s theatrical releases and their Oscar chances. Thanks for reading!

Movie with Abe: Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart
Directed by Scott Cooper
Released December 16, 2009

There are movies driven by music, and there are movies driven by performances. This is one case where it’s hard to discern which is more moving, though while the songs written for the film are undeniably great, it’s hard to beat Jeff Bridges, who delivers a career-topping performance as country singer Bad Blake. There’s something simply irresistible and enticing about the combination of Bridges, a real-life musician, and the lifestyle-defining country songs he sings at his gigs throughout the film. This is a road movie about a man who has nothing to tie him down anywhere but who begins to realize that maybe the way he lives his life isn’t nearly as fulfilling as he might have hoped.

Bridges really makes the film, putting his all into the character and making the small moments count for so much. Early in the film, Bad goes to pull a cigarette out of the pack and ends up with not one but three cigarettes drooping out of the side of his mouth. He couldn’t care less, and it’s likely not the first time it’s happened. It’s an intimate moment that’s both funny and pathetic, and makes Bad an endearing protagonist whose journey throughout the film becomes intricately interesting and wholly worthwhile.

Bad’s story is one driven by and tied to his music, and therefore the scenes which actually showcase him performing are the ones that are the most touching and rousing. Bridges points to the significance of the lyrics of the songs, like “I used to be somebody; now I’m somebody else,” suggesting the deterioration of the aging, overweight musician and the nostalgic manner in which he looks back at his life. Bridges also describes the film’s tribute to the notion of getting “caught up in the myth that there’s something good about being bad.” It’s a deeply contemplative film, with a lead character who tries his hardest not to dwell on the glory days of his past but who, in the end, just can’t help it.

Bridges is the driving force of the film, but he has ample support from the other lead performer. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Jean Craddock, a small-town reporter eager for a big story and the chance to interview a living legend. It’s through his conversations with her that Bad really begins to come undone, and the two share a fascinating chemistry which really makes the film work. Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell enhance some smaller scenes in the film that add to the deconstruction of Bad’s character. In many ways, it’s a very familiar story that has been told numerous times before, but the performances elevate it considerably. The music always makes it more infinitely more appealing, particularly the fantastic song “The Weary Kind,” sung by Bad during the film as an ode to his career and a stellar definition of the way his life has panned out. Bridges hasn’t seen his fame go down the toilet, but Bad is certainly the role of his career, and he delivers outstandingly.

B+