Hurray for hollywood

Awards Season has been underway for several months. It’s always fascinating to see who gets remembered and who is cast by the wayside to die alone in a ditch on the side of Oscar’s yellow brick road. Performances and films that were once touted as sure nominees for Oscar Gold come and go with the arrival of new more favourable product. End of year lists often are heavy on end of year product as critics forget about some great films from months before. Perhaps it is due to voter laziness that the familiar favourites are always called upon come Oscar time. I don’t mean to discredit Meryl Streep, but it seems her nominations are always a sure thing. Ditto for any semi serious film George Clooney is involved in. Don’t steer clear of the Streep/Clooney films though, they’re usually pretty good, but make sure you check the less recognized performers too! All those terrific performers who are searching for Oscar’s validation.

After the tremendous success of Chicago, perhaps Nine is poised to have similar success, being from the same director and boasting some serious star power. I don’t know that anyone would be surprised to see Daniel Day Lewis steal Oscar Gold (or your milkshake!) on that magical evening. Day Lewis has a very unique talent for making himself entirely unrecognizable. Perhaps this has something to do with his minimal public appearances. It’s easier to believe Day Lewis is somebody else than Brad Pitt, or Mr. Cruise. Newcomer to the Hollywood game Marion Cotillard is perhaps not familiar enough to be given credit for her consistent performances, but many viewers of La Vie En Rose would agree that she most certainly, WAS Edith Piaf. Performances in Public Enemies and now Nine really emphasize what a tremendous actor Cotillard is. Penelope Cruz has had Oscar success in the past, on the red carpet and during the ceremony. She could potentially receive some positive attention from voters for her fiery role in Nine, or Almodovar’s latest: Broken Embraces.

Fresh on the heels of Juno, Jason Reitman is sure to get some attention for his more mature follow up, Up in the Air. Every few years George Clooney attaches himself to a project that has a bit more substance than the regular Hollywood fare. Good Night and Good Luck, and Syriana have proven that Clooney has more to offer than just his Clooneyness. This modern tale of loneliness has the George almost playing himself, in what could be considered a less than flattering self parody.

One of those early films that seems to be losing a bit of steam lately is An Education, whose lead Carey Mulligan was almost guaranteed the best actress award when this film debuted in September. Her performance as a young woman coming to grips with the realities of life is truly one of the best of the year, and should not be missed. It was quite shocking to see dark horse Sandra Bullock take the Golden Globe this year for The Blind Side, beating out the favoured Mulligan. Perhaps this is the push that will finally see Bullock taken seriously as an actor, and not just Ms. Congeniality.

The other serious contender for female acting prizes seems to be Precious, boasting several raw and unflinching performances. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe shocked audiences with her emotionally charged performance as Precious Jones, who has been living anything but a charmed life. Word is that Paula Patton gives a top-notch performance as one of Precious’ teachers and that Mariah Carey is miles away from her role in Glitter in the less than glamorous role of a guidance counselor.

We should certainly not forget Clint Eastwood’s luck during Oscar Time. A man who has consistently made challenging films that one would never have expected from the guy who played Dirty Harry, is back with Invictus. Featuring tour de force performances by Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, this one is surely an underdog, but I don’t think anyone would be too surprised to see it get a little recognition.

The list could go on and one. The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner, A Serious Man’s Michael Stuhlberg, Streep and Baldwin from It’s Complicated… pretty much any flick we are playing this February has a chance at winning acting statues. Heck even the kid from Where the Wild Things Are should get some attention. If you haven’t seen them all, how will you know who deserves it most?