We’re still a few months away from the start of Awards Season, but to get you prepared I’ve put together a list of the 12 Major Headlines you’ll see be reading once the races get underway in the Fall:
Boxing v Boxing – Last year’s theatrical bout featured “Southpaw” against “Creed”, with the latter earning Sylvester Stallone a Critics Choice and Golden Globe Award. This year, “Hands of Stone” with Robert De Niro and Usher (out Aug. 26) and “Bleed for This” starring Miles Teller (Limited – Nov. 4) will be duking it out.
Berg v Berg – The director of “Lone Survivor”, Peter Berg, re-teams with star Mark Wahlberg on two films: the true-story sea drama “Deepwater Horizon” (Sept. 30) and “Patriots Day” (Limited – Dec. 21), about the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing.
Thanks for Hanks? – Tom Hanks plays Captain Chesley Sullenberger in Clint Eastwood’s “Miracle on the Hudson” drama “Sully” (Sept. 9) While Hanks has given some fantastic performances over the past 15 years (most recently in “Captain Phillips”, “Saving Mr. Banks” and “Bridge of Spies”), he hasn’t received an Oscar nomination since “Cast Away” in 2001.
Streep’s Quest – With “Florence Foster Jenkins”, Meryl Streep is looking for her record-breaking 20th Oscar nomination. I’ve seen the film (which opens Aug. 12) and while my opinion is embargoed, considering the tough competition in the Best Actress category, a nomination is not a lock by any means.
Disney Domination – As I wrote in a previous LCJ Blog post, Disney could secure three of the five Best Animated Feature slots, with “Zootopia”, “Finding Dory” and “Moana” (Nov. 23).
Keaton’s Trifecta – As the star of the past two Best Picture Oscar winners, “Birdman” and “Spotlight”, Michael Keaton continues to be golden with McDonald’s Ray Kroc biopic “The Founder” (Aug. 5).
Adams x2 – Five-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams has two shots (and potential win) this year, with the sci-fi film “Arrival” (Nov. 11) and the drama “Nocturnal Animals” (Limited – Nov. 18). Both roles seem like leads, so she may face the same conundrum as Cate Blanchett, who scored big with “Carol” but was rejected for “Truth” last year.
Blunt’s Time? – “The Devil Wears Prada”, “The Young Victoria”, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”, “Looper”, “Edge of Tomorrow”, “Into the Woods”, “Sicario” – these are all films that have earned Emily Blunt either a Golden Globe or Critics Choice Award nomination (or win). But Blunt, who just welcomed her second daughter, is one of the best actresses working today who’s never received an Oscar nod. This may be her year, with “The Girl on the Train”, a “Gone Girl”-esque murder mystery book-turned-movie (Oct. 7).
AFF-LECK! – Ben Affleck stars in “The Accountant” (Oct. 14) and directs the thriller “Live By Night”, which currently has a Jan. 13, 2017 release, but if Warner Bros. feels confident enough, they could open it in Limited Release in December to qualify Affleck for Best Director. It’d be a similar path the studio took for “American Sniper” two years ago.
Speaking of “American” – “Sniper”, “Hustle”, “Psycho”, “Gangster”, “Ultra”, “Pie”, “Beauty”, “Graffiti” – If you were on “The $100,000 Pyramid” the category would be “Movie Titles that Begin with the word ‘American'”. Two more will be added to the list this year: the Shia LaBeouf drama “American Honey” (Limited – Sept. 30) and Ewan McGregor-directed “American Pastoral” (Limited – Oct. 21).
Smith Tries Again – After settling for a Golden Globe nod last year for “Concussion”, Will Smith will try for his 3rd Oscar nod again with the all-star drama “Collateral Beauty” (Dec. 16).
Complicated Christmas – When it comes to the final weekend of the year, the Wide Release lineup is extremely commercial – a comedy: “Why Him?”, an animated movie: “Sing”, two sci-fi adventures: “Passengers” & “The Space Between Us” and a video game adaptation “Assassin’s Creed”.