January
8
DGA Nominations: Dark Knight is In
There were no surprises Thursday morning at the DGA nominations. The top five movies--the same as the Producers Guild--are likely to be the films announced January 22 for the Oscars: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire.
Yesterday I realized that the movie picking up Oscar steam--besides comic-book movie The Dark Knight--is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It has scale and scope and ambition and emotion and yes, it's a hit.
The impeccably crafted Milk had the earmarks of a winner for a while --it has period, history and political timeliness on its side--but the film's big win may be Sean Penn. Also well-made, Frost/Nixon is a smaller actors' vehicle. Slumdog Millionaire is hugely popular, a crowd pleaser. (I love it.) But I suspect it doesn't look and feel like the kind of best picture the entire Academy goes for. I wonder if it's a tad rough around the edges, violent, and melodramatic for the older set. The Dark Knight will win many Oscars, but I doubt that best picture will be one of them. Which leaves Benjamin Button in the lead right now.
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you're right, TDK most likely will not snag Best Picture. The Academy usually snubs blockbuster movies (unless it's "classy" like Braveheart)... but remember the upset win 2 years ago, when everyone thought Brokeback Mountain would win and it went to Crash instead.
So I don't think Benjamin Button will win, and this sounds crazy, butttttt.... maybe TDK will be a surprise victory. after all, the Oscars have suffered low ratings in the past few years, so wouldn't they like to have higher ratings and lure in a large fanboy audience base?
Posted by: Ugly Deaf Muslim Punk Gurl! | January 08, 2009 at 11:18 AM
the voters do not think in those terms. they genuinely vote for the movies they admire the most.
Posted by: Variety.com * | January 08, 2009 at 04:12 PM