TFF
has a history of previewing some of each year’s Oscar favorites, last year for
example had ‘The Artist’, ‘The Descendants’, ‘A Dangerous Method’, and ‘Albert Nobbs’,
needless to say I was on the lookout last weekend for this season’s
frontrunners. Unlike recent years however
there was a smaller sample size of films with expansive Oscar hopes, unless we
are talking about best Foreign Language Film.
There
were at least three films in Telluride that have great chances in the Foreign
Language category, two I saw, ‘Rust and Bone’ (France) and ‘The Hunt’
(Denmark), and one I was shut out of, ‘Amour’ (Germany, Austria, France
collaboration, won Cannes).
Unfortunately with great foreign films there isn’t much need to delve
into specific elements of their makeup, the category is simply judged by the
film as a whole.
It
is unfortunate that foreign films don’t get as much pull in the other major
categories, other than the occasional acting nomination which comes every few
years, foreign films are rarely recognized for their screenplays or technical
aspects. Mads Mikkelsen (‘Casino Royale’)
has an outside chance at a Best Actor nomination depending on how strong the
field is, simply because he was recognized at Cannes. Unfortunately he will most likely be
overshadowed by less powerful roles in English speaking films. I’d also venture to say if ‘The Hunt’ was an
American adaptation we could also be looking at noms for screenplay and cinematography.
As
stated before, multiple larger Hollywood productions that show in Telluride can
sometimes garner a large number of nominations.
This year however I can only see one film with such potential, ‘Argo’. Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort sees
him break away from his Boston safety net (‘Gone Baby Gone’ and ‘The Town’) to
tackle a film with a much larger scope. Based
on a real declassified mission, ‘Argo’ is the story of the rescue of six
Americans working at the United States Embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage
crisis of 1979. Affleck stars and
directs while Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay.
The
nom chances; although the acting is top notch at all levels the film plays more
as a tense thriller than something that lends itself to showcase dramatic
range. On the whole it is very much an
ensemble piece with no one actor afforded enough screen time to steal the
show. Aside from the lack of a strong
possibility for an acting nom, ‘Argo’ can expect a handful of nominations in
other categories. I think this is
Affleck’s time to be recognized for his ability as a director, I thought there
was a chance for ‘The Town’ but the Academy usually makes
directors/writers/actors establish themselves with a few strong efforts before
being recognized, pay their dues so to speak.
The other strong possibilities include: Best Picture, Best Original
Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.
The
only other film with Oscar hopes coming out of Telluride was ‘Hyde Park on
Hudson’. Starring Bill Murray as
Franklin D. Roosevelt, ‘Hyde’ depicts King George VI and Queen Consort
Elizabeth’s visit to FDR’s Hyde Park country estate in the months leading up to
the start of WWII. Early buzz has Murray
as a possibility for Best Actor and Laura Linney, playing FDR’s distant cousin
and mistress Margaret Suckley, as Best or Best Supporting Actress. Due to it being a period piece there’s always
a chance for Costume Design as well. I
didn’t have a chance to see it in Telluride so more to come after its release
later this fall.
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